Madrid Life
Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Traveling the world has always been one of my goals, so I decided to spend a semester living and studying in Madrid, Spain. Despite all of the ups and the downs, I am so happy I went out of my comfort zone and immersed myself in a new country for five months, especially in Spain. I absolutely loved every aspect of the country, from the unique cities to the laidback, in-the-moment culture. Throughout my time there, I grew more than I ever expected, and took away so many memories that I still look back on. I now consider Madrid to be my home away from home.
However, when I first got to Spain, I had a rough start. First, I got there two weeks later than everyone else in my group due to unforeseen circumstances, so I had already felt behind, left out, and overwhelmed. On top of that, before me, no one in my family had ever traveled anywhere more than an hour outside of the Eastern Standard Time zone. When I first flew to Spain by myself, I had never been more anxious in my life. I had no idea what to expect, and had never been so far away from my friends and family for so long, or let alone left the Americas. It was all so scary and a lot to take in. But I tried to remind myself to focus on why I went to Spain in the first place and to not let my fear ruin the adventure for me.
Fortunately, within a month of moving, I adjusted to living in a new country on my own, speaking the language on a normal basis, and absorbing all of the new places I was visiting. I was so happy I decided to stick it out and push through, otherwise I would have missed out on such an amazing opportunity. I could not have done it without the encouragement and support from my family and friends back home, though.
During my time in Madrid, I was able to meet new people that helped shaped my experience as well. Not only did I become friends with the other students from the University of Florida, but I also met people from all over the world in my classes. I had classmates from other parts of the United States to places like Belgium and China. I loved the idea of all of us coming together from around the world, with all of our different backgrounds and experiences, to learn Spanish in Madrid. Even in the apartment where I lived, I had international roommates and it was interesting to learn about their cultures too. Additionally, I met a few Madrid locals who I also became friends with, and it was great to get their perspective on things from a local point of view.
My favorite aspect of living in Madrid was getting to know all of its different neighborhoods, each of which had their own personalities and unique sights to explore. Malasaña was my absolute favorite, especially since I was only a walk away and could easily just hop over for food or to check out a cool bar. In addition, being able to live in the center of Callao was an amazing experience in itself. There was always an event going on and it was so convenient to be in the center of Madrid, close to everything. It made it super easy to explore the city whenever I had any free time. Although I definitely had my favorite go-to spots, I made it a priority to visit at least one new place a week.
On top of exploring Madrid, I cannot express how incredible it was to be able to visit so many other new cities and countries that I had also never been to. Within Spain, I was able to see beautiful cities like Sevilla, Barcelona, Valencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Toledo, Córdoba and Ibiza. Ibiza was surprisingly one of my favorites. The water of the beaches was crystal clear and it was just a fun place to be. I went to the patio festivals in Córdoba and the houses and flower displays was one of the most one-of-a-kind and gorgeous sights I have ever seen. But my favorite Spanish city was Sevilla, with its gorgeous architecture and upbeat vibe. Plaza de España was absolutely breathtaking. Besides cities in Spain, I was also able to visit countries like Italy, England, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and although I did so much traveling in a short amount of time, it never got old.
By the time the end of the semester came around, I was both happy and sad to go home. I was ready to see my family and friends after so long, but I was also so sad to leave the new place I called home. It was crazy to see how my feelings and apprehension about living in Madrid had changed to love and appreciation for the lively city. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to expand my horizons and see a new part of the world. I would never have been able to become so fluent in Spanish, a language I love, or to have seen so many places that I did. Eventually, I also inspired my parents to finally visit Europe as well. If I had not gone out of my comfort zone, so many positive changes would not have occurred. I hope to continue to travel the world and become even more aware of all the different people and cultures out there, and I plan to also take my global mindset on throughout my career as well.