Exploring my Spanish roots

I went to Madrid in order to fulfill my class requirements for a Spanish minor, and in my opinion I left with more knowledge than I could have hoped for. All of my classes were taught in Spanish, so I was continuously engaged in thinking and speaking in Spanish. I attended a small private university, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, which allowed for small class sizes which benefited everyone trying to learn a new language. There is a placement exam on the very first day, so that the staff can make sure that every student is placed at the correct language level. As far as coursework, I personally didn't have that much because my classes were more focused on speaking.

I lived in a homestay that ISA handpicked and I always felt like part of the family. The family did not speak English, but they did speak slower and explained things that neither my roommate or I understood. The apartment was small and cozy, but had everything essential for my 3 month stay. The host family made an effort to buy and make food that was typical of Spain so that I could experience it all. Two home cooked meals were provided each day (no one really eats breakfast in Spain), and on days that I had an ISA excursion the family made sure to send me with a meal. I also happened to be in Spain for Thanksgiving, which is not celebrated there, but ISA wanted to make sure that all of the students felt comfortable so they organized a Thanksgiving dinner for us.

Madrid is centrally located in Spain and the metro system around the city makes it extremely convenient to travel around Europe. I was fortunate enough to travel to Barcelona, Santiago, Paris, and Rome on top of the trips with ISA.

The 3 months flew by so fast and my time abroad is all I can talk about. I would not trade this experience for anything, and I am actually looking at graduate programs in Spain.