Studying Abroad in Madrid, Spain
Studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, during my junior spring semester was a transformative experience that truly changed me as a person. I grew to absolutely love the city I called home for four months, and I still miss living there now.
One of my favorite aspects of my time in Madrid was the opportunity to truly immerse myself in the Spanish language. While I had been studying Spanish as a minor back home, being surrounded by native speakers provided an unparalleled environment for linguistic growth. From navigating the bustling streets of Madrid to engaging in conversations with locals at stores and restaurants, every interaction became an opportunity to deepen my understanding of the language and its specific Spanish nuances. Over time, my confidence in speaking Spanish improved, and I found myself sounding more and more natural as I conversed.
Beyond language improvement, my semester in Madrid was a lesson in cultural exchange and adaptation. I traveled to Spain completely by myself, enrolling myself in a study abroad program outside of the ones my college offered. This program was called AIFS and I met my best friends through it. It was daunting to travel to a new country not knowing anyone, but I quickly adapted and forged friendships that I know will last for years to come.
I lived in an apartment in a family neighborhood of Madrid called Legazpi. I roomed with two other girls in my program, and we even traveled to Paris all together that April. I lived about a 15 minute walk from an enormous shopping mall with a grocery store on the bottom floor, so every week or so I would walk through a park, over a bridge and inside the mall to grocery shop. I loved those walks. My apartment was conveniently located a five minute walk away from the nearest metro stop. Every weekday, I would make the 30-45 minute trek on the metro to get to my school, La Universidad de Nebrija. It sounds worse than it was. I would often being a coffee or book to read on those trips.
At Nebrija, I took four classes, adding up to 12 credits. Two of those classes were completely in Spanish, while the others were English classes I needed to fulfil core class requirements at UF. My favorite class there was my Spanish Civilization and Culture class because of the professor we had. His name was Rubén, and he was hilarious. He taught us everything we needed to know about Spain, including its history, current politics, cuisine and traditions. I learned in that class about how to tell a good tapas place from a bad one, which served me well in my time there.
By studying at a Spanish university, I was able to see how different the academic experience is than in the United States. It's so much more laid back and relaxed in Spain. Education is also free there, while people pay hundreds of thousands for university in the U.S. I had homework for my classes but it was encouraged, never required. I was able to travel on most weekends, not stressing about my classes back in Madrid. I loved it.
During my time abroad, I visited so many new places I had never been before. AIFS, my program, took us to Granada and Salamanca in Spain and Morocco. In granada, we saw a traditional Flamenco show. In Morocco, I got to ride camels and drive ATVs through the Atlas Desert, which are core memories for me. Indepently with my friends, I went to Budapest, the Canary Islands, Paris, Lisbon, Nice, Barcelona, Mallorca, Vienna, Monaco and London. I'm so grateful that I was able to go to so many different places during this time. My camera roll is still filled to the brim with photos from all those trips.
As the semester drew to a close, I found myself absolutely distraught to be leaving such an amazing place and the incredible friends I made along the way. Yet, as I boarded the plane back home, I carried with me more than just fond memories—I carried a newfound sense of global citizenship and a deeper understanding of the world beyond my own borders.
