Madrid: It took a City of 5 Million for me to Learn to Breathe Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had one class, a writing class, with which I provided very minimal help--my professor was condescending and unprofessional when asked to provide additional explanations about class material. Every other class I attended was top notch, and I learned about a myriad of things while also learning Spanish.

On-site administration of your program

The directors for this program were very knowledgeable, spoke English well (for those difficult to communicate situations), and provided students with their personal cell phone numbers so that we were able to get in touch with them at anytime. The activities that were planned for us were relevant to what we were studying as well as great fun. They were well organized, however, at that time we were asked to meet at specific metro stops as a group prior to departure together--this was difficult early in the program as the city, language, and culture were new to me and I was attempting to find these stops on my own. Eventually, as I became more comfortable with Madrid, this task became easier. Overall, I could not have asked for better program directors.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I applied to the program late and made my own housing arrangements. I lived in a residencia for women that was near the Islas Filipinas metro stop--it was a central location for me and I enjoyed the neighborhood though, at times, it seemed a little less safe than other neighborhoods after dark. I used the help of a woman that lived a little outside of Madrid to help me find this housing. The other residents were mostly from Spanish speaking countries including Spain, Columbia, and Peru.

I did not have any particularly negative experiences while eating out in Madrid--there are so many options and something new to try everywhere. I would recommend making it to smaller restaurants during early evening hours (1600-1900) as this seemed to be when these places sometimes provided free tapas! Great way to try new food!! Supermarkets were also a valuable way to learn about food culture.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Gardens in southern Spain, Alcázar, the mosque in Córdoba, and the beaches of Málaga were some of the highlights of my experiences in Spain. These places were beautiful and encouraged student exploration. Ávila had a surprising impact on me--a town inside fortress walls, quiet, great little farmer's market, and peaceful time to reflect--some of the calmest most influential thoughts and discoveries of the study abroad experience came to me during this little pit stop. I would have loved to have been able to travel to Eastern Spain as well, but I understand that it is not a quick, easy trip and probably would have been quite expensive to get that many students there.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Spain overall felt very safe to me. I was out at all hours of the night and day and only a few times felt that I had gotten myself into a situation/location that might not have been ideal. One such time was at a park in central Madrid--I do not recall the name of the park. I was meeting someone there near dusk and a man began making lewd comments to me, I was able to dissipate the situation by relocating myself, but it was still somewhat disturbing. I also found myself near a maze-like shrub area in central Madrid (another location whose name has slipped my mind) late at night, I felt as if I were being followed in that area so I avoided the dark maze and got to a more well lit area. This was my mistake as I should not have been in this area late at night by myself. Madrid as a whole felt like one of the safest larger cities I have ever visited.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I used Spanish every day. I used it when speaking to the other residents in my housing unit, with people I met on the street, in shops, when ordering food, when asking for directions, everywhere!

Select all that apply

• Other

Select all that apply

• Other

• Ample time to explore host city
• The immersion into Spanish language and culture
• Many opportunities to travel to other cities in host country

• More freedom to explore other countries while in the program