First two weeks of exchange studies
I have now spent my first two weeks in my exchange studies at Tecnocampus in Mataró, near Barcelona. In the first weeks a lot happens, externally but also in your mind. That’s why I thought it would be good to make a short recap while everything is still fresh in memory.
I landed in Barcelona two weeks ago on Thursday, so I had only one school day that week, Friday. When I was heading to campus that morning, I felt excited but calm. The nervousness was mostly gone. All the paperwork, apartment searching, finishing my studies at my home university, packing and saying goodbyes to loved ones had kept me busy for months. That Friday, I felt relieved, finally heading to the new school for the first time.
I had missed the official welcome day, so I needed to find my own way to classes and gather all the necessary information about what, where and how. The international office helped me get a basic understanding of the campus, online platforms, email and general routines. I noticed I had one lecture that day, but according to my laptop schedule, it looked like the class was already ongoing. I didn’t stress too much. I thought it was better to get everything set up before rushing into classes.
Once the basics were clear, I decided to try to find the classroom anyway. After walking around for a while, I wasn’t sure if the lecture would already be over. But I found the room, walked in and apologized for being late. The professor just said “no worries, you are on time and we’re just starting”. I was confused for a moment until I realized my laptop timezone hadn’t updated yet. That’s why the schedule showed the class as already running. Accidentally a perfect start!
The weekend went into settling into my shared flat, exploring the neighbourhood, meeting other exchange students and walking around the city. I share the apartment with an older Spanish couple and another resident. My expectations turned out to be correct. It’s fascinating to live with locals and learn about the culture from close range. Mataró is a coastal city about 30 minutes east of Barcelona, with around 120 000 residents. So far, it feels calm, welcoming, and easy to live in. The campus itself is modern and where companies and the university operate in the same facilities. As I understand it, Tecnocampus is a private university with higher annual fees than public ones.
During the following week, I got a better sense of campus life. Most days I spent from morning until late evening at the university attending classes, eating lunch, studying in the library and planning ahead. My excitement was high. The courses I chose for this term turned out to be genuinely interesting and the teaching quality has been on point. Through group work, I’ve met both local students and other exchange students from countries such as Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Netherlands and even Finland.
These two weeks have felt exciting, but at the same time, basic routines are already starting to form: waking up early, walking to campus, classes, studying, lunch, some work and sports in the evenings (though I had a flu for a few days so less sports). When new things turn into daily routines, your mind suddenly has more space to process deeper thoughts. That’s often when reflections about a new place, a new culture, loneliness and familiar things from home start to appear.
In my case, this came with slightly anxious feelings that were hard to explain logically. I reflected on this and compared it to a previous time when I travelled alone for a month. Back then, after two weeks, I was already thinking “only two weeks left” and the excitement carried me to the end. This time the journey lasts six months. So it feels important to accept that different emotions are part of the process and to focus on this once in a lifetime experience.
Published 1/21/2026 by Otto