Tags
accomodations costs in Madrid, alojamiento en Madrid, Dehesa de la Villa, renting in Madrid, studying as an exchange student in Spain, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija
For the past two or three weeks, I’ve been trying to set up the last details in regards to my fall semester in Madrid. Actually, I can hardly call them details, considering I just recently cleared out the beginning of my semester. Apparently I start on the 1st of October, later than I was originally told, and at a different campus than the one I was initially made to believe, in Dehesa de la Villa. And it worked out for the best. I got to stay longer at home, for one thing, and the campus I will study at is in the city, as opposed to outside of it. All that remained to be settled was el alojamiento, which is where I will live, the date I will depart and the plane ticket, so basically all the major things :p Regarding the accommodation, I did some major research on all the available options: the Nebrija dorms, staying with a family or renting with roomates (from alumni.net).
To say that I was desperate would be an understatement. Nebrija is a selective private university and a spot in their dorms, I heard, goes anywhere from 500 to 800 euros (800 to 1150 USD) per month. NO WAY JOSE! One down. Two more to go. To stay with a family/lady and have her cook and wash your clothes for you, goes from 700 euros to 900 euros (1000 to 1300 USD). No thank you. I can wash my own clothes. And I can try to cook my own paella, thank you very much. Two down. One more to go. Hmm. Let’s see… www.aluni.net is a useful website, I won’t say no, but if you don’t spend some serious time studying the map of Madrid and seeing where it is that they are offering you apartments….oh, well…you can easily get screwed. You can pay the same price as in more central areas, and have the same conditions; however you commute at least one hour each way. Added to that, you also pay a fee to the agency. Yeah…don’t think so! Therefore, the answer, my friends, is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!!
Upon reaching a dead end, Maite, one of the exchange students from Nebrija in NY, that I got to know and be friends with at my university in NY, told me about the wonders of www.segundamano.com. You know http://www.craigslist.org/ ? It’s like a Spanish version of Craigslist.
Long story short, I started calling Spain, answering to people’s rental ads. After a few days and several phone calls, I found Fatima, my future to be host. We quickly agreed on everything and it all fit together perfectly. It’s convenient, comfortable, spacious, nearby the Dehesa de la Villa campus, and to the city center as well. I must say, she is very pleasant and supportive; I was quite lucky to find her. Wahoo!
Gracias a todos que me han ayudado, de una forma u otra. Gracias Gabitza desde Barcelona por siempre estar disponible para aclarar mis preguntas. Gracias Gabitzu desde Bucarest por compartir conmigo tu experiencia en Madrid. Gracias Guille. Gracias Maite por decirme de segundamano.com. Sin ti, no hubiera encontrado nada. Gracias Lisa desde Nueva York por toda la información. Gracias profesor Pellicer por sus palabras y apoyo. Gracias señora Tamara desde Nebrija por la paciencia que me tuvo con todas mis miles preguntas. Gracias Fatima por hospedarme y por la confianza. Y gracias mama por todo el apoyo, siempre incondicional.
Gracias a todos.