Academics

Details

While abroad, I took classes specifically related to host country’s culture and/or society.

Course topics: Spanish Language, European Union, immigration, labor and Spanish literature

While abroad, I took courses taught primarily for study abroad students.

2 of my courses

I was directly enrolled in a national university and took classes primarily with national students.

2 of my courses

Comments: I decided to directly enroll in La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid for two of my courses instead of doing an internship (I could only pick one of the other). I made this decision because I didn’t have a very clear idea of what internship I would want to do and I knew enrolling in the university would give me a chance to interact and get to know Spaniards my age. In hindsight, I am very happy with my decision. I met my closest Spanish friends in class there and they taught me the most about the language and culture of Madrid.

Living Experience

Details

Home stay – I interacted on a daily basis with non-university aged nationals.

I ate dinner every night with my host mother who was in her 70’s. She told me about Madrid and her life there.

I had daily interaction with university-aged national(s) outside of classroom

My closest Spanish friend started out as my tutor for a class at the Spanish University. Later, I began to meet up with her and her friends on the weekend.

Comments: Living with my host mother Leito was lots of fun. This 70 or so year old widow was happy to have company in her apartment. We had a lot of great dinner conversations about her past, her family, Madrid, and my experiences. She was also a great cook! We shared our love for food and she taught me traditional recipes. She showed me her favorite TV shows, introduced me to her neighbors in the apartment building, and took me to the local food markets. Leito told me at the end of the semester that I will always have a home in Madrid.

Integration into Society

Details

Immersion in foreign language – I used this language to communicate on a daily basis.

I pushed myself to not hang out with Americans, but rather to spend time with Spanish natives from my classes. Besides hanging out with friends, I used Spanish in the stores, at my apartment, with my professors and during many other daily interactions.

Comments: From the moment I got off the plane, I was immersed in the Spanish language. Looking back, I am amazed at the progress I made throughout my stay in Madrid. I remember struggling to buy a cell phone on the second day. Without telling the phone vendor that I was American, he asked me if I would like my phone settings set to English. I used the event as a motivation to learn to speak better Spanish, so that people wouldn’t instantly pin me as American. By the end of the semester, I was comfortable dealing with everyday tasks in the city. I was even hanging out with Spanish friends from my classes.