Contacts University
University of Barcelona
Email:entorns.web@ub.edu
Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes, 585
08007 Barcelona - Spain
Tel.: (+34) 934 021 100
Faculty of Teacher Education:
Facultat de Formació del Professorat
imatge de diagramacióPasseig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171
08035 - Barcelona
Telèfon: 93 403 51 18
Fax: 93 403 51 21
http://www.ub.edu/fprofessorat/
Registration process and welcome week activities
The very first step after the application at the home university is the online applicaton of the host university. Therefore you receive a mail from the university with instructions for the next step and a list of recommended courses. Information: http://campusvirtual.ub.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1052534
To continue the process you need to send the signed application form with one passport-sized photograph to the international office of the Faculty of Teacher Training. You also get a document called "keydata" where you find contact information and links of interests concerning the Faculty of Teacher Training. Even if you might change the courses later, you need to decide for some courses before your stay by completing the learning agreement.
The Faculty of Teacher Training offers a welcome week before the regular semester starts. Throughout this week you are going to do a course called "Catalonian History". This is a nice chance to get known the culture and the history of Barcelona and get in touch with all the Erasmus students of the faculty. In my case this course was compulsory and anyway highly recommendable.
The course includes the following classes:
Catalonia - A Bird's View
Historic Meeting at the Campus
Hiking - Watergate Promenade
Catalonian festivals
History of Sports
Music and Instruments of Catalonia
Catalonian Folk Dances
Catalonian Language
Courses
CATALAN HISTORY, 3 ECTS
PRÀCTIQUES 3, 9 ECTS
During the school practices I had the chance to receive impressions from a different school in a foreign country. I increased my knowledge a lot by gathering new and different teaching methods. Even if some of them were similar to the methods used in Austria I've could see many new methods. I noticed that it is common in Spain and furthermore useful back home to teach English across the curriculum and connect it with other subjects.
Luckily I was able to visit a music lesson because my English teacher was out of duty for one day. From this moment on I also taught Music classes and improved my skills as a music teacher within all the belonging aspects. I get known one of the best music teachers I've seen so far and will adapt a lot of her methods and remind her way of interacting with the students.
I appreciate this time and will keep it in mind.
EDUCACIÓ FÍSICA A PRIMÀRIA, 6 ECTS
I will always remember my very first lesson at the University of Barcelona. It was a theoretical lesson in Physical Education and I waited in front of the classroom. The teacher came with "spanish delay" and opened the door. I was the last person which entered the classroom and I was faced with students sitting at the floor because there was very limited space. I had to hole up under the overhead-projector. The teacher talked something about the "crisis" but my degree of comprehension was anyway quite low, since the lesson was taught in Catalan. At this point I realized that the circumstances in Barcelona will be different to those in Austria.
The practical lessons in this subject were quite funny. I had the chance to enrich my methodbox with a few physical exercises and games for the gym.
LLENGUA ANGLESA (NIVELL AVANCAT), 6 ECTS
In this course we had an English teacher from London who had a very strong and notable personality. He knew how to reach the students and had obviously great teaching skills. The lessons were focused on the english language and not that much on didactics like in Austria. It was doubtless a good opportunity to improve my English. We had to do two presentations as well as an exam at the end of the semester.
LLENGUA CASTELLANA, 5 ECTS
This course was an offer of the faculty "estudios hispanicos" which is located in the center of Barcelona near "Placa Catalunya". It was a special course for Erasmus students for 150€ and went over 6 weeks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was a great opportunity to learn the basics in Spanish. At the end of the course I could speak about general things in daily business and I received the A2 certificate.
SOCIAL LIFE
The course of Catalan History at the beginning of the semester is a very good chance to get known the Erasmus students of the faculty. I think that the hiking we did at the third day was the kickstart for some friendships in the exchange period. Caused by the fact that everyone was new in Barcelona and they all wanted to make friends, it's very easy to get in touch.
But also with local people you can create easily some new friendships because most of them are open minded persons. Very soon some local people invited me to a party. Anyway... in Barcelona are so much students from abroad as well as locals, that you don't have to worry about your social life.
ACCOMMODATION
The first 3 nights I slept in a hostel because I didn't decide for an accommodation before leaving Graz. First I was a little bit worried because all the other people I met reserved an accommodation in advance but after all I have to say that it was the right desicion to wait and visit the flat before moving in. Especially if you come one or two weeks before the semester starts, you don't need to worry about finding an accommodation.
I lived the first 3 months in the center of Barcelona, the "Barrio El Gotico" so I had all the action in front of my house door. Retrospectively I would suggest a locality which is not as central as the Barrio Gotico. The good thing was that the flat was very nice and we had a rooftop with a nice view - yes, the view was really amazing. But it was also quite expensive (400€ a month). You can live definitely cheaper in BCN.
Caused by some legal troubles of my landlord with the police, I had to move out of the flat in January. He offered me a nice flat in Barceloneta where I lived alone for the last two months. It was great to live near the harbour and the beach but all in all I liked more the first flat.
SUGGESTIONS
In this five months I had the chance to explore this great city. After all I have to say that you don't have to live in the center of Barcelona to enjoy the city. I would prefer the district "Gracia" where most of the local students lived. It's a calm district in the north of the center and there are a lot of places where students meet each other. Bars, restaurants, cinemas, etc. And with the metro you are very fast in the center as well as in the faculty in the north. If I ever go back for a longer period, I will live in Gracia.
If you are interested in sports you should definitely visit the Camp Nou. Our teacher gave us, I think in the second week, two tickets for a Barca game in the Champions League and I have to say that this experience constitutes one of my best memories in BCN. Also the museum of Barca is highly recommendable.
The "Raval" is a district in the west of "Les Rambles" with a quite bad reputation under local people. But I liked the district because you can find a lot of cheap bars and restaurants and it's very central. I discovered this district quite late, but visited it often in the end of my stay. You just need to look after your belongings because there are a lot of thieves.
The district "El Born" is to me the most beautiful in Barcelona when it comes to cultural sightseeing. You can find the Picasso-museum there as well as a big cathedral and wonderful alleys and lanes. It is also a good district to have some nice food. One concrete suggestion: "PIM PAM BURGER" - probably the best burger I've ever eaten in my life, in the middle of "El Born".
There has been error in communication with Booktype server. Not sure right now where is the problem.
You should refresh this page.