Hey everybody! I’m happy to report that things are going great in Madrid. Living and studying in a foreign country has been incredibly rewarding in ways I couldn’t have possibly expected before I left the United States, and I’m excited to update you all on my experience so far.  

One of my favorite aspects of studying abroad is that I get to live in a homestay with a Spanish host. My host, María Antonia, is an art historian who lives in a beautiful apartment in the Puerta del Ángel neighborhood of Madrid. We exclusively speak Spanish in the house, which, although challenging at times, has significantly improved my language skills since arriving in Madrid. Living in a Spanish home has also allowed me to uniquely immerse myself in the local culture, especially things like household norms, traditional foods, and day-to-day lifestyle, which was one of my primary goals before I started studying abroad. 

With that being said, my homestay is certainly a different environment from what I’m used to. One of the more obvious cultural differences the Spanish mealtime schedule. In my homestay, we eat dinner around 9:30 PM most nights, which is somewhat early by Spanish standards. The Spanish cultural world centers around the evening hours, which means that no matter the day of the week, there’s always something fun going on close to where I live. I’m a big fan of watching live music, and Madrid being one of Spain’s biggest cultural hubs means there is no shortage of great concert opportunities. One of my favorites that I’ve been to was a small performance of a Spanish blues band in the La Latina neighborhood that my friends and I saw toward the beginning of the program.

I’ve also been really enjoying has been my internship, which has given me an interesting insight into what it’s like to work in a foreign country. My coworkers have been incredibly friendly and are always patient when I forget how to say something in Spanish or have trouble expressing a thought. Eating lunch with them and learning about their lives while practicing my Spanish is genuinely one of my favorite parts of the day!

My day-to-day routine resembles my lifestyle at Pitt in many ways but is very unique to Madrid in others. After starting my day with coffee and a croissant, I hop on the metro, which is conveniently located right next to my apartment. Madrid has a phenomenal public transit system, which makes my daily 20-minute commute to class easy and enjoyable, especially for someone with a mild obsession for public transit such as myself. Every day on my way to class I get to walk through el Parque del Oeste, which is a gorgeous public park and one of my favorite places in Madrid. All of my classes are taught completely in Spanish by Spanish professors, which is such a unique and practical way to discover the culture and enhance my language skills. One of my favorite classes, International Security and Geopolitics: A Spanish and European Perspective, is taught by a colonel in the Spanish Air Force, and I love getting the chance to ask him about his perspectives on world events. After I have finished my classes for the day, I tend to spend the late afternoon hours trying new cafes around the city, strolling in the park, or working on homework back at my apartment. I couldn’t ask for a better daily routine for these four months. 

I’m looking forward to the rest of the program and all that I have yet to learn and experience. I can’t wait to share more soon!