Unforgettable Madrid

Madrid is beautiful in so many different ways that it is difficult to decide what part of my study abroad experience is the one I loved most, but what I can say for sure is that the cultural exposure I received there is something that I will never forget and that will stay with me forever. When I first arrived I was no stranger to museums, concerts and other types of cultural events—ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved these type of activities—but none of this compares to the magnitude and quality of what I discovered in Spain. Besides spending hours inside every museum I could possibly get into, I loved to walk around the city because I felt I was constantly surrounded by history. The more I was exposed to culture, the more I wanted to learn about Spain. IES did a marvelous job of encouraging and guiding me through these discoveries; the Staff is incredibly helpful and friendly and they put a lot of effort in organizing trips and activities that allow students to fully immerse themselves into Spanish culture. Whenever we visited any sites outside Madrid we had knowledgeable and engaging guides that showed us all the neat parts of each city. These trips were always very well organized, and although the Staff members made sure to keep us safe, they were also flexible when we wanted to explore the city by ourselves. I also love that IES offers so many different classes about Spanish history and art—whenever we made one of these trips I couldn’t help feeling like I was actually experiencing what I had learned in class. I especially liked my Spanish literature courses; I took Civil War Literature and Performing Arts (after 1975) and García Lorca and his time. Before going to Madrid I knew very little about peninsular literature, but these two classes were really eye-opening for me because they allowed me to better understand a critical period in Spanish history. Indeed, if what you want is an incredible and fun opportunity to travel and get a unique glimpse of Spain through its culture, IES Madrid is definitely for you!