Hello Innsbruck, today is the 12th of February and you are listening Fired Out.
In this episode of Talking Europe we have Ines from Spain, and Sonja from Spain, and
Julia from Spain, and this is Naim from Turkey.
And today we will talk about a movie.
Ines, can you give us more information about it?
Well, we are going to be talking about the movie that has the English title The Spanish
Appointment.
It's a French-Spanish production from 2002 with the original title L'Auberge Spagnol
by the director and writer Cedric Clapish.
And it's about the main character Xavier, who is a French economy student that decides
to spend a year studying abroad in Barcelona.
And he ends up in an apartment sharing with other seven people, all from different countries.
And the movie just comes to show how it is for him navigating this new city that he
doesn't know, learning a new language, sharing this space with a lot of different people
from different countries, the intercultural relationships, all of the things that happen
to all of these very different people who have a very fun relationship with
each other.
And, yeah, the experience of the person who goes abroad for a period of time, one year,
let's say, to study or to make new experiences.
It is a romantic comedy drama.
And yeah, there are also two other movies that came after this one.
It's kind of a trilogy.
There's the sequel Russian Dolls from 2005 and Chinese Puzzle from 2013.
Yeah.
So, yeah, we all four watched the same movie and we are going to comment it.
Also we are going to include some personal experiences because as Ines told you, this
movie is about time abroad and we all have been some time abroad so far.
We are just for context, we are volunteering here in Tirol, so we have plenty of anecdotes
to share with you.
To set a little bit the ambience and to set the moods, we are going to start with a song
about the soundtrack of this great film.
Let's hear it.
It's called No Surprises by a famous group I'm sure you will know, Radiohead.
They don't, they don't speak for us.
I'll take a quiet life, I'll handshake a carbon monoxide.
No alarms and no surprises.
Silent.
To start the show, we are going to start about preparations.
On the movie, of course, the first few steps is to see Xavier, how he has to start preparing
everything, all the paperwork, all the luggage and everything to go to Barcelona.
So I want to ask all of my colleagues here, how was it for you to prepare everything you
needed to do before coming here?
Honestly, for me, the hardest part was the decision, deciding that I was going to go
and just being sure and navigating all of the doubts.
But honestly, the paperwork, so to say, process wasn't all that bad, at least not as it was
in the movie.
But yeah, honestly, just being sure of what I wanted to do and coming to terms with the
fact that I'm going to spend a whole year without seeing my loved ones and my city was
the hardest part for me.
I mean, for me, the hardest part wasn't just deciding this, like participating and volunteering
thing.
But the paperwork for me is not as easy of you because I need to have a visa.
And also, I am used to participate in those projects and live abroad.
That's why I didn't even think about it.
I just, okay, let's do it.
Let's go.
For me, the paperwork this time was much easier than when I did it for the Erasmus because
this time European Solidarity Corps makes things easier.
Also, Infoec, if you are listening to us now, thank you so much for putting things so easy
with your emails, always with highlighting the important information that was so useful.
I guess the most difficult part was the mental one, like to get prepared for uncertainty
because I honestly didn't know what to expect of this experience.
For me, it was different.
I remember when I decided to come, like everything happened so fast, so, so fast.
The moment you know you're coming is like you have two months and everything.
But I remember everybody, I have told to some people here, like everybody was
more afraid than I was.
Like everybody was so nervous.
All of my friends, all of my family were like, you are going to another country.
You don't know the language they speak.
Like, how are you going to do it?
And I was like, that's the part of it.
Like I was excited.
I think for me the heating of emotions of like a scare was when I arrived here.
But the before everything was going down smoothly, was just saying goodbye, preparing everything.
But I was more than ready to come.
It's true that it's difficult to deal with the other people's expectations and fears
because it's not only what you think, but also your surrounding, right?
What do you think Ines?
Yeah, and tying in with this idea of uncertainty and how little we know before we get to the place.
Watching this movie made me realize how actually this was so uncertain for me.
Like I came here so confidently when I actually knew nothing.
I had googled the name of the town that I was going to stay.
I had had maybe one WhatsApp conversation with Naim, who is right now working with me.
But that was all I knew and I came so confidently.
And I think that is something that now in retrospect I am proud of.
And maybe it was a little bit stupid, but I think it's really fun that I just didn't have to think too much about it.
And what about you Naim?
Naim, were you excited or more like the main character of the film that was kind of indifferent?
I mean, it's really nice that we all have different reasons to come here.
But for me, it's always like complicated, you know, because like the character doesn't really care about it.
It's just he needs to go and he goes for us.
And for me, like I needed to think about it and I wanted to be sure that it's really the right thing to do.
But I mean, so far everything is going well and I'm not regret from my decision to be here.
But the hard thing of this, like I think to do the farewell things and handling with the emotions, with the loved ones, with your family.
Yeah, it was a bit hard for me. I don't know about you guys, for example, Sonja.
For me, of course, it was hard to say goodbye.
But like it's not my first experience abroad. I have already done an Erasmus.
So I knew what I was getting into in the goodbyes, but it's never easy.
Like, you know, you have to time all your goodbyes with everybody and it's like, I don't know how long it's going to be till I see you.
And I think that's the point, the uncertainty of I hope I can see you in a couple of months, but I'm not sure about it.
Yeah, exactly.
In my case, I think I blocked a little bit the emotions.
But then when I was in the plane, the sadness comes as it happens with the main character, Xavi.
Yeah, that was also very relatable to me.
Nice scene, right?
Well, let's move on with more topics.
Let's hear the song.
Okay, nice.
So after Xavi has made all of his preparations, he has gotten onto the plane, he has cried a little bit, but now he has landed.
And now he has to deal with everything that is the arrival, being in a completely new space and becoming used to it, as well as a very strong language barrier since he doesn't speak any Spanish or Catalan at all.
Well, a little Spanish, but basically not much.
Not enough.
Do you have anything relating to this?
For me, I guess that's one of the things I was most worried about when, as you say, when you get here.
I had a good English level, so that doesn't worry me.
But you know, you're not going to always find somebody that speaks English, of course, that's normal in another country.
And here in Austria, also, you have a wonderful language, but it's also very, very complicated to learn.
So if you don't know anything, you are very scared of like, I really have to learn and try to give my part and try to study a little bit.
But then it's also terrifying to learn this whole new language and how am I going to catch up with everybody?
And so, yeah, I guess the language is a big barrier, it's something that is scary.
But the course help, the classes help.
And at the end, I think the second week or the first week, you realize that everybody is willing to talk to you in English and help you in any way.
So that doesn't bother me.
Now as much, of course, nobody like at the beginning.
Well, I think it really depends on your context and your workplace, because I'm volunteering in a school and the children cannot speak English well.
And that's why I have to learn German.
And sometimes when I want to speak with them or talk with them, they act like they don't understand me or maybe they don't understand me.
So that is what is like, it gets problematic in that case.
I see your point.
But at the same time, I think like immersion really helps to grow on the language.
Like, for example, in the movie, we see the main character suddenly goes to this bar and then he meets a person that is willing to teach him Spanish.
And that's how he improves a lot in the language and learns these expressions that are actually useful, like daily Spanish, not the ones that it's written in the books.
And maybe that's the way, right?
To get used to the reality, not only speak, but the culture in itself.
I can relate to that a lot.
When I came here, I did already speak German, but I spoke only Hochdeutsch, only standard German that I had learned in school, from books and in a very, very academic setting.
I knew how to perfectly analyze a romantic poem from 1826 in German, but I did not know how to hold an actual conversation and even less in dialect.
And I do feel like, as you say, I'm the immersion, pure immersion in the school was so good.
Like, I'm so proud of how much I've learned.
And you guys feel like you are a new person?
Have you like, like develop your identity somehow?
For me, yes, I guess like if you live abroad and you don't feel any kind of change, I think that's not right.
Like you're not doing something right, because everything changes for us.
Like you really go out of what you have known your whole life, probably.
And now you put yourself in a new environment, new people, new place, new apartments.
So I get to start building up things.
Or for me, for example, I am changing habits that I had before and I didn't like about myself.
So you start building new routines and new plans and new things.
And it's kind of scary, too, at least for me.
I find it quite scary when you start changing some things and it's like, oh, wow, this is happening.
But it's also exciting, as you say, like you start taking things about everybody you meet and you start creating that new, as we can call it, like new you.
It's just an evolution of you.
But how do you all feel it?
Like, how do you see it?
I mean, adaptation in that case is inevitable, because if you don't adapt, then you cannot survive in those environments.
Like you have to be flexible.
You have to think critically.
Yeah, because, you know, there is a big misconception about the cultural thing and you should be respectful.
And when you're doing an observation, you always think you need to think about it.
But yeah, I consider myself as a different person.
Yeah, I mean, it's because it's not only the language, but also the whole journey that changes us.
So, yeah, I kind of feel like I'm a different person, but also the same.
So it's like having two characters of you at the same time.
What do you think, Julia?
In my case, I feel like I have more than two personalities now.
Like every time I learn a new language, there is something in me changing.
And I really love to think in different languages.
This is something beautiful.
I think like with every language I know, I could give a different answer.
And that's what I like.
How it shapes your brain differently.
Yeah, definitely.
And I think that the identities tied to languages is very present in the movie,
both in the students themselves who are talking.
Also, something that I really love about this movie, Small Tangent,
is that it keeps all of the original languages as they would have been in this setting, right?
It's not all in English, whatever they are talking.
Everything is there.
And it uses so many languages.
It uses French for the main character talking to other French people or to Belgian girl.
It uses English for intercommunication between cultures.
It also uses Spanish for talking to the locals and Catalan for talking to the locals.
And I think that is really, really fun because you really get to see how this would have actually been.
And it really gains a lot more depth and color in a way.
And also this identity tied to language can also be seen, for example, in the scene that felt very real
and also kind of current where they're in the university and the teacher is talking in Catalan
and the international students don't understand because they only speak Spanish.
And they ask him to speak in Spanish, but he says no because that is the language that is spoken there.
And in his opinion, he should not have to speak in Spanish.
I can confirm that this still happens today because, well, I studied in Barcelona
and I saw the exact rooms where I studied in the film.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, guys, the same.
And I saw, I lived that situation where Erasmus people ask for a change
and the professor doesn't want to give up on their language.
I understand that, but also it's kind of a difficult place to do Erasmus, to learn two languages at once.
Yeah, exactly.
Like here we also learn German, but also the Tyrolean dialect, which is another aspect of the language.
And it's not really similar.
It can differ.
And yeah, maybe for us we don't really feel it.
But like when I go to Telves and try to speak one of the locals there,
it can be really hard even to understand the basic things.
But yeah, I mean, this is about the journey again.
I mean, we are here for a year and it's kind of enough time to learn some basic things and maybe improve yourself.
And so that I like that we also, like in the movie, have an international environment
so that we can pick up some little things, for example, some Spanish, Turkish, French, and etc.
So this is really a good thing to have a broader perspective and become a world citizen kind of.
Yeah. And how do you guys feel about the adaptation?
Now what is your status in this sense, this process?
For me at least, when I start talking, I went home for Christmas.
And when people start asking me like, how are you feeling and what are you doing and everything,
I told a lot of people that for me until like late November, I couldn't really feel like I have adapted.
And it's not because I haven't done it, but it's because finally everything hit that, okay, now I live here.
I have my own space that I create for myself.
I have my routine at work.
I finally know what I have to do every week or every day at work.
But I also have to try and find time for myself and time to meet new people, either Austrian or international.
So now that it's February, I think I can finally say that I'm completely, not completely adapted
because everything is changing in this kind of environment of life we have now.
But it's more settled and I have now more of a routine in general. Ines, what do you think?
Definitely, I see myself so reflected in what you just said.
Until a couple of weeks before Christmas, I was still getting used to everything.
I was learning so much and I was kind of a little bit in like survival mode.
I was just surviving until the next day and learning for it to become better the next time.
But I feel like since we came back from Christmas, everything has been more calm.
Also, we finished our German course, which means that we have more free time.
And right now I'm trying to, I feel like this is the time that I have to make the most of my stay for.
Yeah, for me, Christmas was also a crucial time after coming back from my home.
I realized that after all the struggles and all the adapting, I was finally enjoying, you know,
because at first I was every time in tension, like going to the supermarket, but worried about all the products.
And yeah, in tension, that was my situation.
But now I'm starting to enjoy actually and time is passing so quickly.
I had to adapt my routines, of course, because of the weather, but now I feel everything is established.
Yeah, like for me, I didn't, I couldn't go back to Turkey and stay here for Christmas.
I mean, I went to Germany to see some of my distant relatives, but it was nice.
But the thing is that I couldn't really get out of this concept and this environment.
That's why it was kind of hard for me.
And also, like during winter time, it was really harsh, both the weather and the conditions,
because you can see the sun and it's kind of put you in a depressive mode.
But hopefully we will have much more warmer days and better weather in general.
I mean, that's really because that really affects my mood and everything.
As I came from the southern part of Turkey, which is really warm and nice and beautiful for me.
But this is there. You also need to adapt to this when you consider going abroad to another country.
Yeah, yeah. I so agree with you how the weather can affect your mood when you're used to something else.
And this is something that we don't see reflected in the movie, maybe because Barcelona does have some really sunny weather and warm even sometimes.
So really, our character, Xavier, doesn't really experience any of it.
And actually from seeing the movie, you don't really feel like a whole year is passing through the seasons.
It just kind of feels like a given length of time.
It's one year because you know that it's one academic year, but it doesn't necessarily have to be an academic year according to the seasons.
It feels way shorter, but also it's representative of how maybe you can live this type of experience.
That suddenly time passes so quickly that you don't even realize and it's the time to say goodbye again.
I definitely agree. So with that, I think we can go to the next section.
But before we're going to listen to the song For the First Time by The Script.
I'm drinking Jack all alone in my local bar.
And we don't know how we got into this mad situation.
Only doing things out of frustration.
Trying to make it work, but man these times are hard.
She needs me now, but I can't seem to find the time.
I got a new job now on the unemployment line.
And we don't know how we got into this mess.
It's a God's test. Someone help us cause we're doing our best.
Trying to make it work, but man these times are hard.
But we're gonna stop by drinking old cheap bottles of wine.
Shit talking up all night.
Saying things we haven't for a while.
We're smiling but we're close to tears.
Even after all these years.
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting.
For the first time.
She's in line at the phone with her head held high.
Well I just lost my job but didn't lose my fight.
And we both know how.
How we're gonna make it work when it hurts.
When you pick yourself up you get kicked to the dirt.
Trying to make it work, but man these times are hard.
But we're gonna stop by drinking old cheap bottles of wine.
Shit talking up all night.
Saying things we haven't for a while.
We're smiling but we're close to tears.
Even after all these years.
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting.
For the first time.
Ooh.
Yeah.
We're drinking old cheap bottles of wine.
Shit talking up all night.
Saying things we haven't for a while.
We're smiling but we're close to tears.
Even after all these years.
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting.
For the first time.
Ooh.
Yeah.
For the first time.
So let's continue with our review of this film called The Spanish Apartment.
So our protagonist is already in Barcelona and he has some struggles to find an apartment.
But then he finally finds one that suits him.
But guess what? He's sharing with six different people with six different nationalities.
So for example Italian, Danish, German, British, Spanish, Belgian.
You can imagine the mix there and the chaos as well.
Yeah, like for me here I don't have that experience because I'm thankfully like I have my own apartment.
But when I did the Rasmus we were all living in the same space.
That it wasn't a residence, it was a hotel because we have to do a little agreement.
But I know how chaotic can be sharing a space in general in your life is complicated.
But doing it with so many people from so many different countries with different schedules for eating or dinner.
Or doing different tasks at the same time, different routines is very complicated.
But I wanted to ask Naim and Ines, you two are living together now.
So how has it been for you so far?
Honestly it has been quite nice.
It's my first experience living outside of my parents house.
So it has also mixed up a lot with my experience living alone.
I'm not alone but I am taking care of myself.
But yeah, it has been really interesting to share space with someone from a different culture and a different country.
And I think that I have learned a lot just from having conversations randomly.
But also from seeing you cook, seeing how you go about life.
And sure sometimes it's not so comfortable because you have to share a space.
But I feel like for us we're only two and the space is okay.
Yeah, like I have always been with other people sharing rooms or maybe sharing some place together.
In Krakow, in Spain, in Poland also like many times.
But this time it's really nice because we also have settled down and had our own private spaces.
And as long as you're respectful to the other person then you will have probably no problem.
But it's also nice to see as I said like you always pick up some Spanish, some other things.
And maybe this time if you live with another person so that you can try their own cuisine and food.
Yeah, so it comes with pros and cons but it of course depends on you how do you consider these things.
What about you, Julia?
I'm really happy because I'm sharing with two Austrian people.
So I got the chance to get to know a little bit from the inside how they do and organize their routines.
I saw difference with my timetables mainly to dinner for example or lunch.
And I'm trying to get adapted and seeing them helps.
Yeah, they have shared with me some tips to explore the city.
And I know I can always ask them if I need it.
And I want to also talk on the movie we can see about the visiting when you're in another country.
How is it when friends or your partner or your family is going to come and visit.
Especially in this crazy apartment that we see in the movie.
We see how hard it is to like when you add to seven people another person.
Because of course if you have the space you want to try that nobody like your people come to visit you.
They don't have to pay for anything which is really nice.
But also how chaotic can be if you bring somebody else into the mix.
But also we can see how nice kind of they have some struggles with some of the relatives.
But how it influence then that somebody from your world can we say.
Or from your life in your own country.
How it affects you when you come here.
How it changes maybe your routine or how it's for me personally I still haven't had the chance to anybody to visit me.
But some of my colleagues here yes.
So if somebody wants to share how was it for you when you're for example in S your sister came.
So how was it?
Yeah honestly it was really nice.
She I had missed her a lot so it was nice to see her.
She was staying in my room we had an extra mattress so we slept like that.
And honestly we didn't really have that much time.
So we were super busy outside of the house just visiting Innsbruck and going to the mountain and seeing the snow.
And then we're going to go to a farm.
So I think we didn't really have that much time to do a little bit of living inside the house as well as with Naim.
But I think it was nice.
I think my sister was even though she's young I think she was able to connect the fact that this is not where she comes from.
She's in a different place and she needs to just accept which is something that did not happen in the movie.
When all of the people came to visit in the movie it was always someone from a completely outside perspective going into this very very particular space.
With very particular people and a very particular relationships.
And they are just applying their outside judgments into this special situation.
And they are of course not not liking it not seeing it positively because they are not the people who are living here.
And who know how it is and how the rules work.
Yeah that's why I what I fear the most I guess about receiving visits that people can judge from the outside.
And it's always difficult to meet these two worlds you have lived and suddenly see how how they dialogue with each other.
Yeah I've always fear having visits but it's true like this time in Austria my sister visit me and it was different this time because I was already adapted to the place.
So I actually appreciated a lot because I could share this great time I having here I could also introduce to my friends.
So I guess it was the right time but in other occasions I didn't felt it like this.
Yeah exactly like once you get adopted into that environment it's not like it's no longer peculiar for you.
It's like normal usual thing that you have to go through every day.
But for them it's not so easy to to understand the way that you live or yeah it's all like different.
You were here for a moment and that's also take like time for you to adopt and for them to see that like in just one week or so.
It's not so easy for example my girlfriend was here also for a week and as Ines said we always trying to do more things because you know one week is not a not a long time.
So in that case it was stressful but we didn't go through the struggles that our main character had because you know we are just two people living together but also respectful for our space and needs.
That's why it's kind of easy for me but I can't relate with the main character Javier.
That's why it's kind of weird for me to see or consider this from like this perspective.
I think also one of the things we as you said one of the things we have to consider is when people come to visit you like all of our relationships that are like now long distance.
They only know what we tell them like for them it's also a shock to finally see oh yeah you have your room and they see that reality for them or you have you go to a supermarket for example.
And for us now it's like oh I go here every week so I already know what to do where to go for them is like it's a new country how do you know how everything works how do you know how.
So for them it's also a shock so we have to consider that too I think.
And I wanted to ask a little bit how you're dealing with the long distance like how is it the communication or like calls with your family with your friends and if you can keep to update to them.
I feel like in our case in contrast to the movie the benefits or course but in this case benefit of technology and having our smartphones always with us is definitely a big help in this case.
But you know it's still it's still hard sometimes in particular I think because of time difference.
I know that Spain and Austria are in the same time zone technically but culturally we are in two different time zones.
When my parents and my sister are finished with work and school that is the moment that I'm supposed to already be sleeping or already just making dinner and going to sleep.
And it's the same with my friends they're all doing their things in university and also some volunteering but each one of us has such a different schedule that I feel like it's not that easy to to call and to talk at the same time.
For me the schedule as you say is a big difference because I work mainly on the weekends.
So that's the time that I know for sure that I can tell my parents hey let's meet and talk and I know or kind of know the three of them are going to be at home.
But now it's so hard because usually I'm like for example on Saturdays I'm working or Sunday morning.
So as you say like the idea of getting us correct time to meet with everybody and did you have the time to talk about what like how you are is quite complicated.
But I think we all make it and if with the people you love if you all try to make sacrifices or try to feed even if it's like a 10 minute call that always helps like to get that long.
Yeah I guess nowadays we have so many facilities with all the technologies but as you were saying in the film they have this phone one phone for all the seven flight mates.
Yes and this is also funny this is seen like they have in different languages what to answer in case they are asking for the other person and it's really funny all the misunderstandings that they show.
I mean exactly like right now we have the capability of calling our parents or loved ones whenever we want to.
This is really big advantage but even still it's not cannot be enough sometimes sometimes you want the physicality sometimes you want to hug them or just like physically see them next to you connecting with you.
But yeah I mean long distance relationship in that case not so easy for me also like I've been together with my girlfriend more like over three years.
Yeah and we know that it's like a chapter that I need to go through and she always encouraged me and helped me to get over with this situation always support me.
This is really important in a relationship and yeah but sometimes you just cannot take it anymore you want to finish it and you want to go home you don't want this anymore.
But of course it's not the case but yeah it's so important to have a supportive partner and thank God I have that.
So the next song will be for my partner beloved partner Bilge.
It's our song it's Eden from Hoverphonic.
Did you ever think of me as your best friend?
Did I ever think of you? I'm not complaining.
I never tried to feel, I never tried to feel this vibration.
I never tried to reach, I never tried to reach your heat up.
Did I ever think of you as my enemy?
Did you ever think of me? I'm complaining.
I never tried to feel, I never tried to feel this vibration.
I never tried to reach, I never tried to reach your heat up.
And now our main character is leaving the country it's time to come back to the reality.
Yeah it's hard to say goodbye to your old friends that you shared so much you've done so much with them during the whole year.
And yeah it's like waking up from a beautiful dream and now you are in your old home with your family with your old friends but it's not the same you're not the same.
That's why probably they do the goodbye in such an uncomplicated way.
I feel like they don't give it the importance it's sure but probably because they don't want to make it a big deal right.
I feel like in the movie we see people saying goodbye with only one sentence like as they were gonna meet again sometime but it's not the case right.
They are all in a party and suddenly the main character is leaving even I think like the closest person to him the Belgian girl she didn't even say anything she just gave him like a handshake and just left.
Yeah and it's really curious that all of them say see you in my country right.
They offer the place so this is nice to have a home around the world.
But I think as you say goodbyes are always complicated and different and in this case as we see in the movie but also in reality sometimes I think it's easier that you don't have to like affront your feelings in that moment.
I think it's easier if you just say as you say like oh I'm going to see them tomorrow there's not a big deal and then it's not until you are on the plane or you are landing in your country back again then you're like oh my god this is over.
This is really over and for us now we still have six months more left for us to stay here so we prefer not to think too much about it.
But for example I did Erasmus and I was living abroad and then it was over of course and I had to go back to Spain.
And when it happened the first day like the moment I wasn't even 24 hours since back in Spain and I was already back in class so the first 24 hours you don't have time to process anything.
You're just playing going back home sleeping and then getting up.
It's not until a week later that it really hits you like oh a week ago or two weeks ago I was traveling with my friends or I was having dinner with you know my Turkish friends, my Italian friends and now it's good of course to be back home and be back at the routine and everything but it just starts hitting you slowly and slowly like how many things you're missing and how many people is not there anymore.
So that's the complicated part. And for you Ines how is it? How do you feel it?
I honestly I fear the day that I have to leave.
The scene in the movie where he's like walking alone at night through the streets of Barcelona before leaving.
It feels very lonely.
I think that's yeah like I don't want that day to come but I know that it's going to come.
At least now you know we can still talk through WhatsApp and maybe organize seeing each other sometime but it's not the same.
And tying together with the thing that you said before about the dream Naim I think that the worst part is not that you that the dream is over is that in your new reality no one knows about your dream because to them it didn't happen and it's something that's only in your head and no one else can share it with you and you're now alone with all of this one whole year of experience and beautiful things and learnings that you cannot share with anyone else.
And I think that also tying together with the hero's journey I don't know if you are familiar with that concept you have started in your in your in your world and then you are transitioning to a magical world to a new world full of new things.
And then you have to go back and you're going back to a world where no one knows about your experience.
The only thing that you can do is talk to other people about it and tell them about it but they have not been there and no one can relate to you.
And it's so difficult to summarize one year in a conversation right? This kind of happens to the protagonist.
His mother is asking all the time like but tell me something about what you lived and he's like come on I don't know how to do this.
I should play you a film and because it's not only what you live it's also what you smell what you listen it's a lot of stimuli that goes beyond the spoken words right?
Exactly like you have been through so many things like you have done so much and you can just sit down and talk about it because if you want to talk about it it kind of takes like days or maybe weeks.
But yeah like there is an even term that goes around Erasmus students that they say post-Erasmus depression and I felt it in every time that I came back to Turkey like after doing Erasmus.
So this is real and it's kind of not really well stated in the film but yeah this is really hard and it's really hard to manage it sometimes.
And like even with your friends you say okay we'll see you later, we'll see you later, I will come to your country and you will come to my country but it's not so easy to be all together again like as you used to do.
And like as you started to adapt to this environment you also started to adapt to your old environment after you come back. So this can be a little bit of challenge.
Exactly everyone is going in a different direction and maybe some people just aren't able to go back anymore because after this you are seven different people with seven different directions that you're taking.
So it makes no sense that everyone has to keep still a little bit of their self in the past if that is harming their future.
So I think that is also a little bit of the hurtful part. Of course it's always fun and nice to see how your old peers are doing and how they are learning and evolving.
But seeing them learn and evolve without you when learning and evolving together was such an important thing for you must also be quite hard.
Yeah but I really like that final scene of the movie where the protagonist says that now he is made of all those people that he met during this experience.
He is made of the other cultures and this is so beautiful. I think he says something like now I'm more European than before. I'm not just French. I'm more things. This is beautiful.
Yeah I think as we said that you cannot leave this experience unaffected but anybody that surrounds you of course especially if we surround ourselves with people from all around the world we are getting the chance to meet or anything.
But it's like we are going to get to take back home pieces of all of us that like that's normal. We are going to get habits from all of us or new words and things and I think that's beautiful that you get that into yourself and that you made it part of you.
Exactly that's why you say like call those experiences life-changing experience because it shapes you and as it shapes you it also shapes your future and your decisions and everything.
So when we like after this experience after this volunteering project we will not be the same person as we used to do.
And it's kind of addictive that doing this project because you also want to do it again and again and again because it's so good to meet with other people hang out with them learn about their culture and their perspective.
So those moments are really invaluable in my case.
Yeah definitely. The human brain has evolved to love challenge and new stimuli and experiences so going back to a lower state than you have been can definitely have some literal effects on the brain because you're not experiencing as much and that's what we are wired to seek all of the time.
And that maybe sometimes can lead to some really negative persisting feelings when you go back.
I have never experienced post-erasmus depression as you guys said but you know after a really good trip when you come back home after weeks of traveling and seeing so many things and then you're just at home it feels really empty.
Yeah I think the main character summarizes that perfectly because he says one sentence like back in France he says now I'm among strangers a stranger myself.
Oh yeah I love that one yeah it really reflects as you say even if you are in some place you have always been you are not the same person.
But it's always possible to readjust to the previous society see the character he decided to quit what were his plans.
He decided to quit this business career and starts his dream.
Yeah I really like that very strong representation of how much he has changed everything he has learned during this year.
You know I'm not the same person I don't want this I want something else and I think that's really really a cool part of the film.
So I wanted to I think we should round up because we have a lot of points that we talk about.
So first thank you Julia and Freyda for having us again and as my final sentence of this trip everything movie.
Watch the movie if you have gone or done erasmus or you want to do it.
It shows not everything is impossible but it shows quite a few important things and things you don't usually think about if you're going to live somewhere else.
And also I wanted to ask all of you one two words a sentence what do you think about what we talk of the movie anything.
I think it's a really nice movie that shows that intercultural and also getting outside of your comfort zone and facing so many new challenges.
I think the movie summarizes it really well and it left me with a very nice feeling but also a little bit of dread for the moment that this comes to an end because I felt really represented by the protagonist Javier.
I really like the characters in the movie I found them captivating.
So I recommend this movie called The Spanish Apartment for sure.
Yeah I also recommend you to watch this movie but I recommend you to watch this after the Erasmus project so that it's not like a spoiler for you.
And we're gonna finish this episode I hope you enjoyed and now I'm gonna introduce a song for my brother because it's his birthday today.
So happy birthday Ibrahim from here and the name of the song is Dark Red from Steve Lacey.
Something bad is about to happen to me.
Why I feel this way I don't know baby.
I think of her so much it drives me crazy.
I just don't want her to leave me.
So yeah if you like this episode the next episode will be on the 11th of March and it will be in the afternoon so if you're interested please listen.
Bye.