Hi everyone! I’m a little over halfway through my program, and I’ve been having a great time! I have noticed many differences in my new community. Firstly, the pace of life is much slower. No one is in a rush (even if they’re late!) For example, at a restaurant, many people end up staying around 3 hours in total— they continue to socialize well after eating. This is known as a sobremesa! In addition to being slower, everything in Spain is also later. Eating times are a perfect example of this: lunch is around 1:30pm – 2pm and dinner is after 9pm. People also go out to clubs and bars much later at night (12:30am – 1am), and it is not unusual to return home by 6am! While it is different from American culture, I found myself liking this slower-paced lifestyle!
A typical day in Madrid is quite different from my day at home. I live in a “residencia” in a historic neighborhood called La Latina with other international and local students. During the week, I leave the residencia by 8am and take the metro to our university. Taking the metro has become a large part of my daily routine. To date, it is the most convenient public transportation I have ever taken, and it was very easy to learn how to use! At the university, my classes are at 8:30am and 10:30am. My classes here are very different from those I have taken at Pitt. Firstly, they are completely in Spanish, which I feel has drastically improved my Spanish comprehension. Secondly, my classes here are a lot smaller (around 20 students in each class). Additionally, one thing that is very different is how casually we treat our professors. We call them by their first name and use the tú form (informal way of speaking). I like how I am a lot closer with my professors here– that is something I will miss! After my classes, I usually grab lunch with my classmates or get my homework done at a new cafe. My evenings vary: I either go to a park (Retiro is my favorite), go shopping, visit a museum/landmark, explore a new part of the city, or just take a nap if I’m tired! Then I get tapas/dinner with my friends before calling it a night.
Madrid is a beautiful, diverse city with so much to do, and I fall in love with it a little more every day! Ancient European architecture and colorful buildings line the streets, every neighborhood has numerous parks, gardens, and greenery, there are always people walking around (whether it is 2pm or 4am!), everything is close by, and transportation is so easy!
