A New Experience
A new experience that stood out to me was when I went hiking in Cercedilla, which is a town within the community of Madrid. This was my first experience hiking as I don’t usually do outdoor activities with my friends and family. I was surprised to find out there were places to go hiking near the city of Madrid, and it was interesting to see how a one hour bus ride can take you from a busy city to the middle of the mountains. I was able to go hiking with a group of friends in the WIP Madrid program, and we were able to talk to local Madrileños along the path we took. The view was beautiful, and it was an amazing way to see how diverse Spain is in terms of its climate and terrain. This experience allowed me to see Madrid from a perspective different from the usual city life and allowed me to see how outdoor activities can be a fun way to experience a new country. Going forward in my study abroad program, I plan on taking advantage of other outdoor activities around Spain to get a better understanding of the country geographically. This experience allowed me to see how taking time exploring the outdoors of a new culture can be a fun way to learn outside of the typical metropolitan setting.
Izzy Gharib
Major: Economics
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Program: WIP Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain