It never fully hit me that I would soon be living in a completely different continent until the few days leading up to my departure. But as I began to strategically pack my bags, I quickly realized that the study abroad advice and preparation that had been given to me were about to become a reality. As I actually boarded the plane at O’Hare International Airport, it was also quite an awesome feeling to know that the next time my feet touched solid ground, I would be in Europe.
Upon finally arriving in Madrid after fourteen grueling hours of plane food and layovers, our group from ISU was definitely psyched to begin this awesome adventure. My roommate and I arrived at our host family’s house and already faced our first obstacles. After finally figuring out how to use the apartment buzzer and elevator, we greeted our new family. Communicating with them was a bit hard at first; although my roommate and I had studied Spanish for years, we, at first, still found it slightly difficult to participate in everyone’s fast conversations.
As time went on, however, everything became much easier. We all started classes (that were taught completely in Spanish) and fell into a regular routine. Our group became very acquainted with the Metro (the subway system; no cars = LOTS of Metro). Also, our Spanish vastly improved in the weeks we were studying. Conversing with our host family became almost natural, and it was very fun and interesting to discuss the numerous differences in our respective lifestyles. It’s truly amazing how very different everything is in Spain compared to the United States, and yet, it’s even more awesome how incredibly similar these two cultures really are. I don’t know why, but I guess before I left, I was imagining Spain to be a completely different world, with few, if any, similarities to American culture. But after a few weeks in Madrid, I began to notice more and more parallelisms to life in the United States. Don’t get me wrong – Madrid is a city of much history and rich Spanish culture. I guess the realization I had was just that Americans and Spaniards really aren’t as different as I had originally imagined, and this fact helped give me a sense of belonging.
One area, however, in which Spain definitely beats out Illinois is breathtaking beauty. I had the chance to go on a few wonderful excursions to such places as Granada and Toledo, and the views from some locations in these cities were absolutely magnificent. Spanish architects and engineers have managed to use nature to their advantage in creating beautiful spots from which people can view a majestic scene of both gorgeous greenery and antique buildings. It was always so mind-boggling to remember that our country is only a little over 200 years old, whereas Spain has a history that spans over hundreds and hundreds of years; we saw plenty of buildings that were considerably older than our Declaration of Independence. It was just so cool to walk on ground that was documented to have been a small city street in the 1300’s, or to see a cathedral that was constructed before Christopher Columbus was even born. This all definitely put things into perspective.
As our day of departure grew closer, I had no idea where the days were going. It soon became time to once again pack our massive suitcases and make our final farewells. It was of course very hard to say goodbye to our host mother and siblings; we had built bonds with each of them, and we had to leave knowing there was a very real possibility we would never see each other again. But it was a chance to thank them for all they had taught us and for everything they had shared and given. Living with a family, I believe, is the best way to really become exposed to a foreign culture. From beginning to finish, we were left with no choice but to participate in a real Spanish lifestyle.
After arriving back home, it was definitely wonderful to see my family and friends once again. I do miss Madrid, but most of the time, I just feel very gracious for having been blessed with that experience. With all the lessons I learned and all the people that were brought into my life, I’m sure Spain will always hold a special place in my heart.
It never fully hit me that I would soon be living in a completely different continent until the few days leading up to my departure. But as I began to strategically pack my bags, I quickly realized that the study abroad advice and preparation that had been given to me were about to become a reality. As I actually boarded the plane at O’Hare International Airport, it was also quite an awesome feeling to know that the next time my feet touched solid ground, I would be in Europe.
Upon finally arriving in Madrid after fourteen grueling hours of plane food and layovers, our group from ISU was definitely psyched to begin this awesome adventure. My roommate and I arrived at our host family’s house and already faced our first obstacles. After finally figuring out how to use the apartment buzzer and elevator, we greeted our new family. Communicating with them was a bit hard at first; although my roommate and I had studied Spanish for years, we, at first, still found it slightly difficult to participate in everyone’s fast conversations.
As time went on, however, everything became much easier. We all started classes (that were taught completely in Spanish) and fell into a regular routine. Our group became very acquainted with the Metro (the subway system; no cars = LOTS of Metro). Also, our Spanish vastly improved in the weeks we were studying. Conversing with our host family became almost natural, and it was very fun and interesting to discuss the numerous differences in our respective lifestyles. It’s truly amazing how very different everything is in Spain compared to the United States, and yet, it’s even more awesome how incredibly similar these two cultures really are. I don’t know why, but I guess before I left, I was imagining Spain to be a completely different world, with few, if any, similarities to American culture. But after a few weeks in Madrid, I began to notice more and more parallelisms to life in the United States. Don’t get me wrong – Madrid is a city of much history and rich Spanish culture. I guess the realization I had was just that Americans and Spaniards really aren’t as different as I had originally imagined, and this fact helped give me a sense of belonging.
One area, however, in which Spain definitely beats out Illinois, is breathtaking beauty. I had the chance to go on a few wonderful excursions to such places as Granada and Toledo, and the views from some locations in these cities were absolutely magnificent. Spanish architects and engineers have managed to use nature to their advantage in creating beautiful spots from which people can view a majestic scene of both gorgeous greenery and antique buildings. It was always so mind-boggling to remember that our country is only a little over 200 years old, whereas Spain has a history that spans over hundreds and hundreds of years; we saw plenty of buildings that were considerably older than our Declaration of Independence. It was just so cool to walk on ground that was documented to have been a small city street in the 1300’s, or to see a cathedral that was constructed before Christopher Columbus was even born. This all definitely put things into perspective.
As our day of departure grew closer, I had no idea where the days were going. It soon became time to once again pack our massive suitcases and make our final farewells. It was of course very hard to say goodbye to our host mother and siblings; we had built bonds with each of them, and we had to leave knowing there was a very real possibility we would never see each other again. But it was a chance to thank them for all they had taught us and for everything they had shared and given. Living with a family, I believe, is the best way to really become exposed to a foreign culture. From beginning to finish, we were left with no choice but to participate in a real Spanish lifestyle.
After arriving back home, it was definitely wonderful to see my family and friends once again. I do miss Madrid, but most of the time, I just feel very gracious for having been blessed with that experience. With all the lessons I learned and all the people that were brought into my life, I’m sure Spain will always hold a special place in my heart.
