It’s hard to believe that my two and  a half months in Madrid are up. I tried my best to make the most out of this trip both culturally and academically; and I think I succeeded. I could not have been happier with my home stay or internship placement. Although it took a few weeks…

Wednesday night was probably one of my favorite nights in Madrid. My coworker Irene and I have become closer with one of the Palestinian residents at the center named Majed. He always comes by “our” office to ask us questions about nothing in particular or simply to stay and have a chat about life. His…

I can’t believe that I only have two more weeks left in Madrid. The time flew by way too fast. I’m always going to remember the trips I’ve taken and the people I’ve met. I’ve gotten much closer to the other students in my program which was something extremely important for me at the beginning…

Friday was the annual summer party at CAR de Vallecas (my internship). I was told about this party my first day so I knew that it was something very special to the staff and residents. Preparation for the party began weeks in advance and last week there was nonstop “party talk”. I was asked several…

Before coming to Madrid this summer I knew what internships were but I never actually had one. There are many generalizations that surround internships that can sometimes ring true or false. The generalizations that I had about internships were  as follows: you’re usually the youngest member of the team, you have to get coffee for…

Each business differs in its “organizational culture” and the differences are even greater when comparing business sectors in two different countries. Each country has their own culture and values which then transfer to a professional setting. At my internship placement (CAR-Vallecas) for example, the work style is very relaxed much like Spanish culture. Relaxed in…

To make the most out of any study abroad experience you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone and try your best to get to know the people of whatever country you are visiting. If you keep yourself enclosed in a small bubble (only eating food that you’re used to, limiting travel to…

Hello again! I’m slowly getting settled into the Spanish lifestyle but continue to learn new things everyday. In this blog I’m going to shift away from the professional internship aspect of my time in Madrid and focus more on the culture and family aspect, an equally important component of this experience. I continue to form…

A big reason as to why I decided to continue studying Spanish in college and also why I decided to participate in a study abroad program in Spain is because I am half-Spanish. I wanted to feel connected to my culture. I believe that living in the country that embodies both of these things is…