1. P.S. I’m also a St. John’s past student. 
Hola! Bonjour! Hello!
I’m Christina and I study French and Spanish at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
P.S. I’m also a St. John’s past student. 

2. ¡Bienvenido a España!
Spain has 17 Autonomous Regions (Comunidades Autonomas). This means that these regions are self-governed. Like Wales.
I will be studying in Madrid at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid from September until January.
All of my classes (bar one) will be taught in Spanish and I have chosen to study translation and grammer along with French and Spanish. I will also be studying English literature and learning a new language entirely…Portuguese.

3. Madrid is the capital and it is the largest city in Spain.
Palacio Real - The Royal Palace
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and it is the largest city in Spain.
It is the home of the Spanish royal family therefore it is the political centre of Spain.
I have never been to Madrid before but I am looking forward to learning about this beautiful city.
El Centro de Madrid
(The Centre of Madrid)
El Parque de Retiro - Retiro Park

4. And I have friends staying in multiple places all over Spain.
Madrid being the capital means that travelling through out Spain is VERY easy.
And I have friends staying in multiple places all over Spain.

5. Angers is 3 hours from Paris, the Capital.
Bienvenue en France
Angers is 3 hours from Paris, the Capital.
For Semester two,
I will be studying at the Universite Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers from February to June.
During this placement, I must not only study but write my dissertation in French. The bonus is that I don’t have to sit any exams. YAY!
I’ve visited France before with St. John’s on the French Exchange (the reason I am now studying languages at University – Start nagging for it to make a return. I promise you’ll love it!)

6. Angers
Angers is a city in western France with a population of around 147,305 inhabitants.
Angers is the home of blue chocolate (Bizarre, I know, but I will try it).
It’s a lot smaller than Madrid but I’m looking forward to the difference in size.

7. Angers has an airport (l’aéroport)
The city is located on the river Maine (La Maine est une rivière française du Maine-et-Loire)
Couffon Pavot residence universitaire –
University Halls named Couffon Pavot
In Angers, I will be living in the town centre (le centre-ville) in a halls of residence (la residence universitaire).
Angers is famous for its towering castle (la château) filled with the extraordinary Apocalypse Tapestry.

8. Including a three week long Interrail across Europe in July.
As I mentioned, I have classmates and friends already abroad. My year abroad is going to be full of travels.
Including a three week long Interrail across Europe in July.
Berlin
Amsterdam
Belgium
Prague
Paris
Vienna
Mulhouse
Orleans
Budapest
Geneva
Venice
Bucharest
Florence
Carcassonne
Sofia
Rome
Barcelona
Valencia
Lisbon
Alicante
Seville
Malaga

9. ¡ Hasta Luego! Á bientôt!
I’m looking forward to sharing my year abroad experiences with you over the next year. Hopefully, you will experience the same enthusiasm for French that I felt after attending the year abroad.