First Month in Madrid!

I arrived in Madrid at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, January 11th, 2022. I was nervous to face a new set of cultural norms along with a whole new language and country. However, as soon as I stepped out of the cab at my new apartment though, I knew that I had made the right decision. I could tell that I was going to enjoy my time in Spain.

The first thing that I did to get myself acclimated was to join my university's Facebook page. This was an easy way to keep up with all of the school events and general happenings for students. Next, I took a five-mile walk around my neighborhood, as a way to familiarize myself with the new surroundings. Doing so helped me form a sense of place in my new environment. It was helpful to learn where things were and what was available nearby. Over the first week, I took many walks around my neighborhood to situate myself.

Additionally, on the first night in Spain, I attended a networking event hosted by another exchange student. I was able to meet a bunch of fellow students from places like the USA, Mexico, Sweden, UK, and Norway. These people that became my network as well as my friends. I recommend arriving abroad before classes begin. The week of adjustment I had before beginning school was perfect. I had the opportunity to find my classrooms, meet fellow students, and familiarize myself with my new environment.

My first week of school went great! In Madrid, I am studying at the business school at Comillas. I am taking a classes on the history and culture of Spain, Hispanic literature, business strategies, and most importantly Spanish! The Spanish style of teaching is a bit different compared to Ohio State. My classes are around 10-20 students, making it a more intimate learning experience. The classrooms are set up similar to a high school class with several rows of desks for students and a long, raised platform in front for the teacher. Students are also encouraged to use their professors' first names. I love my classes. I find learning a new history fascinating. I enjoyed being able to visit a lot of the places that I learned about and see the art that I am hearing of in person.

I was able to travel to the homes of several famous writers, in addition to visiting the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofia. All these experiences were free to students. Getting to see painting like Las Meninas and Guernica in person was such an amazing opportunity. Standing in front of such famous works of art was absolutely breathtaking. The public transportation in Madrid made traveling anywhere in the city easy and fast. Being a major European city, travel outside of the city was also efficient and inexpensive. During my first month in Madrid, I to traveled for free to Toledo, Spain. This historic town was so cool to visit. There, I explored a historic Jewish neighborhood, visited a major cathedral and took a very informative guided tour. I found tat having all of these amazing opportunities easily accessible to me was one of the best parts of studying abroad.

However, my favorite part of living abroad is partaking in a new culture. Two ways that I embraced Madrid culture are through food and dance. With food, I explored many uniquely Spanish tastes. Spain is known for their tapas, which are small shareable appetizer dishes. Some of the most famous being Patatas Bravas, a personal favorite, and Tortillas. Both are delicious and can be found in most restaurants in Madrid. I tried many versions of these dishes at various restaurants and even attempted making them myself with my roommates. In relation to dance, I also took the opportunity here to learn Spanish style dances. Comillas hosted weekly events where you joined other students in learning traditional Spanish dances. The school is fantastic at providing students opportunities to learn and meet each other.

I would also highly recommend living with people that are not from your home university. I chose a student housing site and now my roommates are some of my best friends. I have roommates from Italy, Texas, and Spain. Doing so provided me with more insights into other cultures and gave me the opportunity to explore Spain with others, not from Ohio, who had different perspectives than me. So far, I love Madrid and I feel lucky every day for the opportunity to be here. I can not recommend studying abroad enough!