While studying Iberian studies, at the beginning I wanted to go to Spain to feel like a real Don Quijote de la Mancha ;) but also to experience an interesting adventure in a country where life begins after 9 pm and ends in the morning.
I went to Madrid for one semester. Crazy city, crazy time... The knowledge of the Spanish language definitely helped me find myself beside the student's reality. It was possible to visit the country, meet the Basques, Catalans and Andalusians and many foreigners like me in exchange. Even now I associate this country with one big party, where you sleep off nightlife during the day.
After Spain, Portugal and Coimbra turned out to be another interesting opportunity. What a surprise that was that the Portuguese style of life has little in common with the Spanish ...
Maybe they do not get up at pale dawn and are certainly not in a hurry, but life dies at night.
The only places that live at night are pubs and streets full of students. Fado from Coimbra wasn’t similar to the melancholy fado from Lisbon, and the famous student festa Queima das Fitas (our Juvenalia) turned out to be worth the trip. I've always thought that my attitude is closer to Spanish 'hasta mañana' and not Portuguese 'ate logo'. However, after returning from Coimbra, I’d decided to take a closer look at the culture and language of this country. I think I will come back there more than once.
Andrzej Jasieniecki
