Halfway There: A Mid-Semester Update from Madrid

¡Hola, Foggy Bottom! ¡Saludos desde Madrid!

Now that we’ve reached the midpoint of the semester, here’s my best shot at summarizing what have probably been my most exciting months as a GWU student.

I’ve wanted to come study in Madrid ever since the college application days way back when. Curiously, that was one of the few things that I was so sure I wanted to do/experience during my college years. I’m half Spanish, and I’ve visited Madrid many times throughout my life, but I’d never been here more than a week. The day I learned that GWU had this program offering, it was like I’d struck gold. You can imagine how excited I was during the months (years, honestly) leading up to this semester. It’s been a long time coming. So, from the moment I fortunately got accepted to the program to now, it’s been all gas and no breaks.

When we arrived for orientation week, I felt a feeling I haven’t felt since Freshman Year (in a good way, trust me). Being a select group of people, all from the same school, all experiencing the same things throughout the same amount of time, everyone in the program group hit it off really quickly. I’ve met some of the best people ever (point blank) that unbeknownst to me had been walking around Foggy Bottom all this time! I’m very grateful for this program for allowing our paths to cross. We’ve already lived so much in so little time that it’s felt as if I’ve known them all since the first day I stepped foot on campus.

Some of the moments that have definitely driven our bonding and strengthened our relationships have also been the biggest highlights of the semester. Of course, I’m referring to the cultural trips, activities, and excursions throughout Madrid and the rest of Spain that we have done with the program, like our South of Spain trip to La Mancha, Granada, and Cordoba. The Alhambra and the mosque truly blew my mind… as well as the battered eggplant with honey. Delectable.
 

We also had a cooking class in which we learned how to cook tortilla espñola and croquetas de jamón. We tried to convey the most Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay-esque vibe that we could. Did we succeed? I think so, look at these culinary masters.
 

These experiences have also been a huge testament to the hard work of María Angeles and Isidro, our program coordinators. These two have been the MVPs of this whole thing. They help us with anything, take the time to make us feel as comfortable as possible, teach us everything about literally anything that we ask them about, and recommend us places to go and things to do. But their most admirable work has been our family housing pairings. They did a fantastic job setting us up with people who have perfectly met our rigorous personal preferences. Most of the people I’ve talked to are really pleased with their housing and the dynamic with their respective families… There haven’t been many losses in translation, if anything, they’ve resolved as we’ve become more immersed. As for my experience, I’m indeed a native Spanish speaker, but my host dad Adrián, has been one of the coolest and nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s an editor at a book publisher, a film buff, music nerd, and concert junkie, a diehard football (soccer) fan… in other words, he’s me. We’re very much alike. He’s a great conversationalist too, so you can imagine how much we talk about movies, music, fútbol, books, politics, and virtually anything. He even made sure for me to learn the route to the Atocha Train Station and which railway to take in order to get to school as efficiently as possible. Even if I was skeptical at first, family housing has been one of the absolute highlights of the program.

Here’s us at a Rayo Vallecano match. Rayo defeated Atlético 3-0. As a Real Madrid fan, I was very pleased.
 

In terms of academics, things have been awesome, too. While I'm over here, I'm fulfilling my minor in Spanish & Latin American Languages, Cultures and Literature through the specific GW Madrid classes. They are all fantastic and have wonderful professors who really take the time and effort to make sure that we’re all doing well, expanding our knowledge and, in turn, our immersion in Spanish culture and history. Admittedly, my favorite has been History of Spanish Cinema in which we watch a film every week. We even went to the theatre and watched a new Spanish film as a whole class.

I’m also taking a CATS-approved class outside of the program about Concert Production and Management. Having been able to apply a huge passion of mine into academia has been a challenging, but super fun experience. I’ve also made great friends in the class. Here’s the class on a guided tour of Madrid’s Royal Theatre.
 

And here’s a rock concert that I went to with a friend from class a couple of weeks ago.
 

Sometimes, though, I’ve gone just a bit too crazy. If you’re planning to study abroad, make sure to really balance life in your host country with your desires to travel. Travelling is awesome, and I’ve had such a great time visiting countries for the first time with my friends, but it can feel a bit emotionally, physically, and economically!!! draining if it turns into a routine. Just follow the coordinators’ advice, and you’ll have the best time ever. And hey, a lot of the time, travelling inside the country is better than crossing borders. Keep it on the down low, but I enjoyed my day in San Sebastián of just eating food more than an entire weekend in London.

Here are some photos of the culinary rendezvous in the Basque Country, a.k.a. one of the best days of my life. I highly recommend the carrillera de cerdo at Borda Berri, the tortilla at Bar Antonio, and the (stay with me now) anchovie pintxo with sea urchin cream on top at Bar Txepetxa. Some of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
 

All in all, this semester has been shaping up to be a very formative experience in the grand scheme of my life. I've learned a lot (good and bad) about Spanish culture, world history, personal relationships, life in general, myself… I don’t know if it’s the general change of setting and daily routine or the fact that I’ve forced myself to be as present as possible and make the most out of every second that I’m over here, knowing that this is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I can already sense that I’m not the same person I was a 6 months ago. And I love that. If you’re skeptical about taking the leap, talk to anybody who has gone abroad, especially those who have undergone this wonderful program, and you’ll see how this would be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.