Second adventure

The second semester started two months ago. I spent the first month in France remote learning and the second month in Portugal. When I arrived in Portugal, the friends I had made during the first semester were all gone and so were my roommates. So I arrived in a city where I didn't know anyone anymore.

I saw it as the beginning of a new Erasmus, where you start from scratch.

At first, it was very difficult to find myself in a city where I had created my landmarks and felt at home and where I suddenly felt very alone again.

I was tired of having to build everything a second time. But I saw this as an opportunity, the chance to meet new people, to do different things, to see the city in a new way. The first two weeks were not easy, but now I am starting to make a lot of friends again; be it my new roommates, who I know better and with whom I get along well and go out regularly, the new friends I met at the university or the friends I’ve made by going out to activities. It's only been a month since I've been back to Portugal on my own and I've managed to rebuild a group of friends. This has made me get out of my comfort zone again and learn to adapt. Even when there are more difficult moments like the one I experienced, when you feel alone and far from your loved ones, you have to keep in mind that you are not alone and that there are a thousand ways of meeting new people. There are, for example, applications, like MeetUp, an application to share your passions and organize events, but also Facebook groups for expats.

And indeed, going alone in a country means leaving your comfort zone, it may sometimes mean having moments of doubt, but it is above all a way to evolve, to gain self-confidence and to live incredible adventures.