I am currently studying in Madrid, Spain. I’m a Junior at Stetson University, majoring in International Business and minoring in Spanish. The IB major requires either a summer or semester abroad experience, as well as 202 level language proficiency. Don’t worry, I won’t take up too much of your time; I just want to tell you a little bit about how my experience here has been.
The Spanish lifestyle, which goes without saying, is a tad different than ours back home. To start, the Spaniards conserve WAY more energy than we do in the states. To give you an idea, my showers can only last up to about 10 minutes and lights in public bathrooms only turn on when there’s movement, which as you can imagine is awkward, at times. Spaniards also have different eating schedules. They’ve got the whole “work to live” instead of “live to work” mentality going on… so meals are actually relaxing, as opposed to a quick 5 minute face-stuffing. Snacking really isn’t a thing here and dinner is usually served around 9pm, at the earliest. Siestas are a little bit of a myth, but there’s usually a few hours during the day that’s quieter than the rest.
To be completely honest though, my experience here hasn’t been as shocking as it is for some. I was lucky enough to be exposed to difference cultures growing up, so I’m able to adapt to foreign lifestyles quickly. I can say that traveling to, or even more so, living in other countries truly changes ones perspective of the world. The International Business major teaches you to learn the importance of understanding different cultures and studying abroad challenges you to experience dealing with those cultural differences.
For those of you wondering what the heck studying abroad consists of when actually arriving to the destination, I’ll give you a quick summary. I’m taking four classes here; all of which are in Spanish and are taught by Spanish professors. I live with a host mom who does not speak one word of English and I take the Metro, a bus or a Train to get to school. We have about 200 exchange students at our University so the weekdays are spent eating lunch and studying on campus with students from across the US. The weekends are usually spent traveling or exploring around beautiful Madrid. Our program takes us on some excursions around Spain and various classes have field trips to museums or to the Mountains.
I’ve had countless memorable moments abroad. From riding camels and negotiating with hagglers in Morocco, to visiting the Buckingham Palace and drinking classy cocktails in England, to renting bicycles and touring the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I’ve spent many nights getting lots (literally) in Madrid, met countless new friends and spent more time on a bus than I ever thought possible. I could go on for hours about how wonderful my experience here has been, but the only way for you to truly understand is to sign up and do it yourselves.
The only advice I have for you all during your time at Stetson is to at least consider studying abroad. College is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a completely new environment and push yourself outside of your comfort zone. You will learn more about the world and about yourself than you ever will in a classroom.
If you still aren’t convinced, check out my blog to get more details about this amazing experience: Off the Grid in Madrid