CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Madrid, Spain

Prior to studying abroad I'd been to Europe once before to visit some family in Berlin but other that I had never done anything like this. Studying abroad was the most liberating experience I've had in my life so far. I was living in spain for five months thanks to the early start liberal arts , Madrid program through CEA. Upon arrival I was greeted by the CEA team with warm signs and smiles. We spent the first day and night getting oriented but the program took off quickly and soon we were in our new homes. I was taking spanish classes at the Nebrija University and the staff there were so friendly and understanding of our journey as american foreign exchange students. Overall it was a wonderful experience. I was very scared before I left because i didn't really know what to expect and although there was an itinerary I was always looking for more details. That's part of the experience though, some parts you will only know once you've done them. I remember trying to research what the metro will be like since in my city (Baltimore) we barely have one. Our CEA representatives took us to the metro as a group and explained to us how it worked and what to do and instantly my reservations fell away.I later found out that this wasn't a feature of all the programs studying in my university so we were fortunate to have that kind of guidance. If that isn't enough the shopping was spectacular. We arrived right after new years so there were many sales to take advantage of. Our CEA reps were even so kind as to send us tips on which areas would be nice for us to explore and go shopping. They were like our spanish parents for those of us who decided not to do a homestay. They set us tips about great places to eat and things to do. If we ever felt sad of were not feeling well they were a simple call away.