Coming to Madrid I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sure, I had done research. Sure, I had emailed, talked and texted students who studied abroad in Madrid in the past. But I came to quickly realize that that can only get you so far, and experiencing it is another story entirely.
I’d heard stories about culture shock and culture adjustment, but if I’m being completely honest, I did not expect my day-to-day life to change from my life in Madison. I thought that I would be going through my usual routine, just this time in Madrid. So just like most study abroad students, culture shock was a very real thing for me. But as the days have passed, I’ve begun to settle in more and more. Not only that, but I have begun falling in love with some of the new experiences that have become part of my everyday life.
I’m a coffee drinker. Always have been always will be. So naturally one of the first things since arriving that I wanted to do, was figure out a cheap and easy way to make coffee every day. My apartment came with a variety of pots, pans, dishes and machines that previous renters bought and left. Something that I noticed in the cabinets was this silver coffee pot looking thing. After a couple of google searches, I found out that this was a Moka Pot, and is a stovetop coffee maker that was invented in Italy and is common practice to use in Spanish households. Not only does it make delicious coffee, but it is so easy to use and so cheap. The Moka Pot is something that I will incorporate into my daily life when I return after my study abroad program.
A place that I go to daily and will miss the most is the Templo de Debod. It is situated on top of a hill close to my apartment and provides the most beautiful view of the city and is an amazing place to watch the sunset. I would include a picture, but the pictures just don’t do it justice! Many times, you will see and hear people doing street performances and playing instruments so it is just such a wonderful place to be, and I will miss it a lot.
Hometown: Middleton, Wisconsin
Major: Industrial Engineering
Program: Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid GE3 Exchange
While there are many ways that I hope to grow during my study abroad experience, the biggest goal that I hope to accomplish is to become comfortable going out of my comfort zone. I know that I will be doing things that I have no experience doing, and by throwing myself into this I hope to gain confidence that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.