Hasta Luego, Spain!
My final week on this program came up sooner than I expected. Some days, I found myself counting down the minutes until it was over. Other days, I dreaded the thought of it ending. All in all, I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences I had and the people I met during my time in Spain.
On my last day of work, my coworkers gave me a sweet send-off. They wrote me a card and gifted me a small Madrid keychain. I feel really lucky knowing that the next time I visit Spain, I’ll have people to see and who will be excited to see me too.
On Saturday, I flew to Barcelona to meet up with my family, who were visiting. We explored some of Gaudí’s famous houses and churches, and of course, the beautiful beaches of Barcelona. While visiting La Sagrada Familia, I randomly ran into a friend from the IIP program and her family. It was such a fun surprise to introduce our families and compare how everyone was enjoying Spain. Thankfully, we made it out of Barcelona with all of our belongings: no pickpocketing here!
After Barcelona, we headed back to Madrid so my family could explore the city I had been living in for the past two months. We met up with my host family, who kindly gave my parents and brother a private tour outside the city. We got to see many of Madrid’s iconic sights together.
After just two quick days in Madrid, we were off to Sevilla. There, we visited some incredible cathedrals and Plaza de España, which, fun fact, is where Attack of the Clones was filmed. Definitely a nerdy highlight for me, it was my favorite part of Sevilla.
After a short stay in Sevilla, we headed to our final stop: Málaga. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. While there, we hiked El Caminito del Rey, which was estimated to take about two hours, but we finished it in under one! The trail was stunning, with bridges suspended along cliffs lining a valley. It was probably the highlight of my week. I love a good challenge and spending time outside, so it was right up my alley.
On Friday, I said goodbye to my family as they returned to the States, and I started my solo journey to London for a quick two-day stop before heading home. The differences between London and Madrid were immediately noticeable,it already felt like I was transitioning back home. London reminded me a lot of New York City, but with way more history.
And just like that, my time in Spain is officially over.
This program taught me so much about myself; how I travel with others, how I handle uncertainty, and what I need to feel grounded in a new place. Going into the program, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t even know where I’d be working until I interviewed for my internship over Microsoft Teams during our orientation lunch! Thankfully, I got the job and had a great summer interning at Yugo.
Working at Yugo taught me a lot about leadership and the importance of collaboration. I also improved my Spanish significantly. At first, being surrounded by Spanish was overwhelming. The accent in Spain is fast, and syllables often blend together. It didn’t even sound like words to me in the beginning! But over time, I started understanding more, picking up local slang, and feeling proud of how far I’d come.
My summer in Madrid is something I’ll be talking about for a very long time (sorry in advance to my friends and family!). I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I had and for everyone who supported me along the way. The friendships and relationships I built in Spain will last a lifetime, and I already can’t wait to return.
I cannot wait to return to Spain one day knowing that there are people in Spain who would welcome me back with welcome arms. I was pleasantly surprised with how much people cared to get to know me and eager to revisit these people. One of the best parts of my experience is that many of the people I traveled with also go to Pitt so I will see them in the fall.
And in case anyone was wondering about my very first post, I ended up bringing 8 pairs of shoes. I can confidently say that was at least 5 pairs too many. So, if your friend is still debating it: 8 shoes is too many for two months in Madrid.