So, You Want to Study Abroad?
Since I can remember, I have always known I wanted to study abroad, so when it came time to decide where to go to college, study abroad programs were essential to me. I chose to go to Gonzaga University, which has endless student opportunities to study abroad. In fact, you can pick basically anywhere in the world you want to go, and they’ll make a program with a satellite university that fits your needs. I had taken Spanish through grade school and all four years of high school, but I wouldn’t consider myself fluent by any means.
My senior year Spanish teacher always said the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. Because of this, I knew I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country for my study abroad experience. Gonzaga already had two programs in Spain for students, one in Madrid and the other in Granada. I ended up choosing Madrid because it was a little bit bigger of a program, and being the country’s capital- I was intrigued to experience it first-hand.
The next choice to make was when I would go to Madrid, and I made the uncommon choice of going the Spring semester of my sophomore year…I am beyond lucky to have made that decision. This meant I left in January of 2020, yep, right before COVID hit! Yes, unfortunately, my study abroad experience was cut from almost 6 months to 3 months, but I still consider myself lucky to have lived abroad at all. So many of my friends who planned on going the following semester never got to study abroad – absolutely tragic if you ask me.
The final choice I had to make while registering was my living situation. The satellite campus I studied at was Saint Louis University, Madrid, and they offer apartment living close to campus. But I decided to live with a host family instead so I could really take my high school Spanish teacher’s advice to heart. This is the decision that pushed me way outside of my comfort zone, but it is one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made.
Choosing a host family was really neat, too; I was able to look at a map of all the available families and then give the school my top three choices. Since I had never been to Madrid, I wasn’t sure where the best spot to live was. I picked one family that was close to campus, one close to the downtown area “Sol”, and the other by the royal palace. I ended up being placed with the family by the royal palace and absolutely loved it there. The metro stop was only a short walk, and I passed the royal palace every morning on my way to school.
Carlos and Laura, my incredible host parents, had hosted TONS of study-abroad students. I actually lived with two other girls from Saint Louis; they shared the bigger room, and I got my own. It was nice to have others in the same boat as me to talk with, especially because Carlos and Laura only spoke Spanish. Gonzaga took care of everything leading up to the trip except for the flight. My visa was done for me, and I was able to communicate with my host family prior to moving. I sent them an email telling them about myself and how excited I was to meet them. Through email, they gave me their WhatsApp number so we could text, which we still do to this day.
I tried to pack as lightly as possible and ended up only bringing one checked bag and a carry-on. I’ll have another blog about packing light...once you learn, there’s really no going back. I waved goodbye to my parents at the San Francisco airport and was off! I had about a 13-hour flight that stopped in Barcelona before connecting to Madrid. Luckily, I slept 10 of those 13 hours, but the jet lag was so real when I arrived. I took a taxi – as advised by the school – which is a 20-euro flat rate to anywhere in the city from the airport. I got to the apartment and was welcomed with open arms by Carlos, Laura, and my new roommates. They showed me my room and let me get settled before Carlos took us for a walk around the neighborhood.
Honestly, this was SO overwhelming. We followed Carlos while he pointed out all the different landmarks and parts of the neighborhood. I barely understood anything he was saying because it was happening so fast. I remember being so exhausted and feeling sick because of the travel, and the last thing I wanted was to try and translate everything that was happening. Once we arrived at the metro stop, we had our appointment to get metro cards. This is by far the cheapest and easiest way to travel. You pay monthly for an unlimited card to use the metro and bus system in the city. I used this every day to get to school and literally everywhere. It runs from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and leaves every 2 minutes during rush hour. Trust me, this is a must when studying abroad.
Lastly, bring a journal and use it DAILY. I did this almost every day, and that journal means the world to me. I take it out and read it every once in a while and am immediately bright right back to Madrid. The little details I forget about are stored safely in that journal, so I’ll always have them. I liked to add little keepsakes and mementos to it, too. I had a giant glue stick to add tickets, stickers, flowers…anything I wanted to save in there. Get the dang journal and use it daily; I promise it is well worth a couple of minutes per day.
If you’re considering studying abroad, I cannot encourage it enough. Although it was challenging and uncomfortable at times, I truly believe it was the best decision I’ve made. If I could go again, I would do it in a heartbeat. There isn’t a way to replicate the learning and growth that took place while in Madrid. I made relationships with people I still deeply care about and know it’s mutual, which is pretty crazy considering I was only there for a couple of months. Te extraño España!