Hello! My name is Isabella and I am studying abroad in the GW Madrid program. I think before studying abroad, one of the things I really wanted to know was what and average day in the life of a study abroad student looks like, so here is an average day in mine:
I wake up around 7:30 AM to get ready for class. Students in Madrid dress a lot nicer for classes than GW students. Nobody really wears sweatpants to class, or just in general in this city. They do however rewear clothes a lot more than people in the United States. Here, you can wear variations of the same outfits and clothes each week, and in the U.S. that is much less common. So even though I wear nicer clothes here more often, I rewear and mix-and-match so there really is not a lot of stress in getting dressed. Around 8:00 AM I eat breakfast with my host mom. Living in a homestay is a phenomenal way to get to know your host country better. Through talking with my host mom, I have not only increased my cultural awareness, but increased my language skills. We talk about our upcoming days over the traditional Spanish breakfast of tostadas.
My commute to school is around 40 minutes on the metro, which is pretty average for any student studying in Madrid. At university here, there are not really dorms that students stay in on campus, so most students live in the city and commute outside to go to school. I then have classes throughout the day. I have an average of 2-3 classes per day and all of them are in relatively close succession, so I do not have to worry about commuting back and forth. Most of my classes are in Spanish, but all of the professors speak English. This proves helpful when it comes to complicated subjects so if you do not know what on earth the professor is saying, you can always ask and they will do their best to explain it. This is very helpful and accommodating for all levels of Spanish.
After class I head back to my apartment to have lunch with my host mom. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal in Spain, so we eat a lot. So far my favorite lunch has been my host moms homemade paella, a traditional Spanish rice, meat, and seafood dish. It is phenomenal!
After I eat lunch I typically take a second to relax. This can either be going for a walk around Madrid, going to the gym, or just relaxing in my room, but either way, I take a second to just breathe. After I have relaxed I do some homework and then typically meet up with students in the program to explore Madrid or get tapas. I then eat a smaller dinner with my host mom and get ready for bed. Each day is obviously not the same, but that is an average day in my life as a study abroad student in Madrid!
Isabella Banks
GW Madrid
Spring 2023
Elliot School of International Affairs
International Affairs Major