Madrid Changed my Life

I spent this past semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain with IES Abroad. The program I was a part of was affiliated with the local university, therefore, my classes were taught by local Spanish professors on a variety of different topics all in the Spanish language. My classes centralized on concepts of history, feminism through international female writers, theatre and art history. During the week my time was spent in and out of the classroom, one class specifically taking weekly field trips to the Museo del Prado, I spent my time learning in and utilizing my Spanish. In my free time, I lived with a host family, explored the city of Madrid, took a flamenco dance class and learned how to prepare authentic Spanish food. A large contributing factor that made my semester in Madrid feel so special was the people I shared it with. With the common interest of Spanish, I found myself surrounded by peers with similar interests and goals, as well as those I could learn from and grow with. With no wiggle room to take the easy way out, finding myself in a home stay where the only language universally understood was Spanish, I recognized an immediate hurdle. Although I had prepared myself to face this obstacle, throughout the first few weeks I was nervous that my own language skills wouldn’t be able to match my own personality. However, I surprised myself by being able to meet this challenge and exceed it. Although I cringe when saying it, my semester abroad was a life-changing experience. I interacted with a new culture, language and community on a daily basis and was able to learn a lot about myself in the process. This experience studying abroad in Madrid allowed me to grow my confidence and practice my independence.