Going to the beach in november. Being the only one in time for college and then wondering if you are in the right classroom because everybody is always 10 minutes late. People trying to sell you marihuana which are actually just some dried herbs (and because of that, the police can not do anything about it).

Dangerous cliffs in natural areas where, in stead of a massive Dutch combinations of fences, only a little sign is located with the text: watch out! Busses that drive whenever they want. Paperwork EVERYWHERE instead of online forms. Beer for 50 cents in the pubs. Roommates from Belarus, Hungary, Slovenia, France and Germany. Going to Eindhoven for the weekend because Ryanair just decided to make a flight connection between Eindhoven and Lisbon.

Getting used to 3 hours of lec tures without a break. Visiting a Surf Championship. Up the hill. Down the hill. People that stare at you because they know you are a tourist when you are the only one wearing shorts while it is 25 degrees or higher. Unlimited sushi for 7 euros. ‘You can not pay by card, only cash’.

Thursday classes from 08:00 – 21:00h, then weekend. Metro becomes a submarine when it rains a little bit (thank you NS, for saving me from this culture shock). Não falo Inglès. Port wine. Ginjinha. Making some music in the evening with the locals. Visiting bullfights. Learning how to surf. Unlimited erasmus activities. Making an and to your relationship with Google translate, bit by bit.

Erasmus is not half a year of your life. It’s living for half a year.