Recommendations and Tips to Make the Most of an Erasmus+ Trip

Okay, for starters, the language played a major role in the experience. I would highly recommend that one becomes familiar with the language of the place where the Erasmus+ trip is taking place. Use a good language app and try to watch some videos, series or movies in the respective language. It will make everything easier and more enjoyable.

Pack enough to be able to be comfortable but not too much because you will inevitably buy things there.

Get a general idea of what the place is like by researching it. This will give you an outline of what you want to see and where you want to go and it will save time trying to decide later.

If you are going to a sunny place: Bring. or. Buy. Sunscreen. And, use it! It will save you a lot of pain.

If you are making a budget try to be realistic. We all want to be a certain way but it's better to be real with yourself and then budget accordingly.

Finally, have fun responsibly. Be aware of your surroundings enough to be safe but not so much that you end up not having fun. Try new things, new food, talk to people, ask questions, take photos, look around... it goes by so fast that to not do so would be a travesty.

It is a wonderful opportunity and you get out of it what you put in ♡

What I Have Learned

 The mobility has been an exceptionally enriching experience.

At my work placement, a laboratory, Laboratorio Bioclon, I learnt how to conduct several kinds of tests involving biological materials such as blood, urine and faeces. I learnt that different parts of the blood are used for different tests, I learnt how to carry out blood grouping tests and HIV tests.

My communication, team working and active listening skills got a real tuning up. I am now confident in my workplace personal and social skills.

Positives from the mobility include all the things I learnt at my work placement, the good relationships I developed with my work colleagues, meeting all the people from college that went on Erasmus that I had never seen in college! and the city of Málaga which is a lively and fun city.

Frankly, there are no negatives. Even the hiccups (spraining my ankle, for example) resulted in a positive learning experience. I genuinely loved every second of it and wished it would have lasted longer. 

Free Time

In my free time I sometimes stay in the accommodation tidying up, writing on my blog and just resting because I unfortunately sprained my ankle. However, my sprained ankle has not stopped me from visiting culturally important places such as the Picasso museum and the Alcazaba.

I also go out for dinner with the group and sometimes we then go to a bar for some drinks which is always a great time. After going out for drinks, if the mood is right, we have gone to nightclubs. We always got free drinks with our entry ticket and you best believe we delivered our best dance moves.

A stand out moment for me definitely has to be the Picasso museum. I did not know he was from Málaga. After visiting the museum he has become one of my favourite artists. He was a revolutionary artist at the time and I particularly love his trompe-l'œil art style. Very playful and fun to analise.

The cultural events were very nice. Due to my sprained ankle I could not walk around but I did soak up the beautiful views in Frigiliana and had a lovely time sun bathing in a beach in Nerja. And the flamenco was breath taking and very emotive.

Adjusting

 The culture in Spain is similar in many ways to the culture in Chile so I have had practically no issues acclimating to Málaga. In fact, I can't think of a difficulty I might have encountered.

It is different to the culture in Dublin though. I have noticed that children are out with their parents until 21:00 or 22:00, whereas in Dublin children are usually in bed asleep at 20:00. In Málaga shops and nightclubs are open until much later than Dublin. The food here is very different to the food in Dublin. Here they use different seasonings and they have the famous tapas. I also think that here they are much more religious than in Dublin, and in Ireland in general, because during the duration of Easter week there is a parade on for hours which pays tribute to Jesus.

In my work placement I think I have fit in well so far. I was a bit worried before I started because I did not know if I would be well received and I did not know if I would like working in a laboratory since I had never worked in one before, but I get along well with my colleagues and supervisor, we collaborate without any major issues and I absolutely adore the work I have been doing and the things I have been learning. I am very happy with everything so far. 

I am very grateful to be fluent in Spanish because it has made the experience much more enriching than if I did not speak Spanish. It is great being able to talk to locals, to know how to get places and to confidently be able to learn in my work placement.

Here is a photo of a building within the Historical Centre area, of the Easter parade and one of Málaga Park:

Work Placement

 My work placement is at a laboratory called Laboratorio Bioclon. They are located in the El Palo area which is about 40 minutes away from the accommodation. They provide services/tests related to general health, fertility, genetics, STD's and biology.

So far my role has consisted of shadowing my scientist colleagues as they perform different kinds of tests and do administrative work in order for me to learn how to do it.

The positives of my work placement are the interesting tests and procedures I have learnt how to conduct, my colleagues and supervisor and some of the administrative work. 

My favourite test so far is the one that tests for several things, including vitamin D presence in blood. It involves the use of a machine which carries out pipetting, which is a time consuming task. The machine makes the whole process much more efficient.

My colleagues are all very nice and helpful. It has made the experience simply wonderful and so educational.

Making sure all of the client's files are in order and that the information on them is accurate brings me a sense of inner peace. I find it very satisfying when things are tidy.

Here is a photo of the results of an STD test:

Some difficulties that I have encountered include the use of the software that is used to upload all of the client's data, the operating of some of the machines and answering the phones.

The software is not very intuitive and is a bit confusing to use but each time that I use it I grow more and more familiar with it.

Some of the machines involve several steps to get them working and remembering all of the steps is a little challenging. However, practice makes perfect!

Answering the phone is stressful because the clients ask questions which I do not know the answers to, so I have to go get one of my colleagues who are busy doing things so I feel quite useless. I will keep trying my best.

Here is a photo of me in the lab:

Accommodation

 All of us are staying in the ground floor of an apartment building which is in Calle Constancia 6. It is fairly close to the centre which is great and there are loads of shops and restaurants close by. It is about a 40-45 minute bus ride away from the work placement which is a bit far but doable.

I share my bedroom with two people. They are called Shauna and Seán, and I love them. I think we get along really well. Our bedroom has two single beds both of which have storage space underneath them, one sofa bed, a space to hang our clothes, a coffee table, two chairs, a few night stands, a little kitchen area, a T.V. and a bathroom with a really nice shower.

The bed I am sleeping in is comfortable enough but the bedding is a little annoying. The mattress has a cover and it makes the sheet stick to it which makes it difficult to make the bed. 

The kitchen type area is good, although there are not enough glasses for the three of us.

The furniture is alright as well, but one of the drawers in my nightstand always gets stuck which is not ideal but it's fine.

The T.V. is great because we can watch youtube on it and listen to music on spotify. I believe we can also watch netlifx on it.

I quite like the bathroom because the shower head is amazing. It is big and the water pressure is perfect. The only problem would be that the hot water runs out pretty quickly but shorter showers are better for the environment anyways. The sink is a bit small which results in a lot of water splashing all over the place which is a bit of a nuisance. A bigger sink would have been better instead of a "cool" one (the sink is like a rock cut in half and hollowed out).

Here are some photos of the accommodation:

Preparation for going to Málaga

In order to be ready for Málaga I used the checklist that was in the handbook which was given to us on our first Erasmus+ meeting in college. In the handbook a lot of important documents can be found and I brought all of them with me. They are documents like the Grant Agreement and the Erasmus Learning Agreement.

I acquainted myself with the company abroad where I was going to work. I learnt that it was called Laboratorio Bioclon and I saved the address on google maps in my phone. I also saved the accommodation's address.

I also made sure that my passport and EHIC card was not expired and I put them into my travel wallet. In addition, I put my personal bank card, emergency cash, passenger locator form, a copy of the itinerary and a copy of Insurance Blue into my travel wallet.

Additionally, I added to the checklist things such as adaptors and toothbrush because I am always forgetting those two things!

Here is a photo of my checklist: