Before arriving in Spain, I had attempted to prepare myself in numerous ways for how I was going to adjust to my new life, but nothing can fully prepare you for a huge change such as this. Adjusting to the Madrid lifestyle went surprisingly smoothly. I had many apprehensions about my living situation, how I was going to make friends, how difficult my classes would be, and navigating a city in which the majority of the people do not speak any English. Within a few weeks, I had become very close with my new roommates and some classmates. I can hardly believe I spent time worry about this aspect at all, considering the fact that we all have something in common by moving to a foreign city for four months. In terms of classes, transitioning into a different academic lifestyle went smoothly for me as well. The professors were all very lenient in the beginning in terms of being understanding with the study abroad students learning how to adapt to their new surroundings.

I believe at this point I have grown very comfortable with my new city, enough to venture out on my own and explore sometimes. I have been very much enjoying going for runs in Retiro Park, shopping the vintage stores near my apartment, and trying different restaurants with my roommates. At this point, a little more than a month in, I do not feel as though I have had that “Oh my gosh, I’m abroad!” moment. Everything still sort of feels like a really long vacation to me! Despite this, I still have had my moments of culture shock, from late night American food cravings to forgetting the fact that my laundry needs a whole day to dry due to the lack of driers available. Although I only knew a bit of Spanish coming into this experience, I already feel as though I can hold my own. I am perfectly capable of ordering at a restaurant, purchasing something at a store, and asking for directions from the nearest local.

Part of me is still waiting for this “moment” to hit, but realizing how comfortable I have already become in Madrid I do not know if that will ever happen. One interesting thing I have come to found is that whenever I am away on weekend trips – so far I have traveled to Porto, Florence, and Valencia—I actually find myself homesick from Madrid!

All in all, I believe I had several expectations coming into Madrid, and each and everyone one of them has been exceeded in the best possible ways. Everything is happening so fast I am still having a hard time believing I have already been here for a month!