By Rachel Hopkins
I have been in Madrid for two months now, and I have a little over two months left until I am back on a plane to the United States. A lot has changed since I first arrived here, sleep deprived, nervous to live in another country for a few months, but nonetheless, very excited. I had a lot of expectations before I came, about what I hoped to achieve, and how I expected my life here to go. Of course, it is hard to imagine what it is actually like to live in a foreign country until you are actively doing it. Madrid is an amazing city, with so much to do, and so many ways to meet new people and enjoy the Spanish lifestyle. I have immensely enjoyed my time here so far, despite being lonely, nervous, or homesick at times.
One expectation I had was that I would be able to adapt to being here pretty easily. When I went off to college in a new state I was never really homesick, so, I thought that coming here would be a pretty easy adjustment also. However, the first few weeks were kind of hard. I am home alone a lot, because I live with a host family who works most of the day, and I get home before them from class. At first I missed the company of my roommates back at Carroll very much and I felt very homesick. However, I feel like I am pretty well adjusted now. I have friends I spend my time with exploring, I have homework to occupy my time as well, and I enjoy speaking Spanish with my host mother each day.
I am very glad that I am able to effectively communicate with my host family, with my professors, and with other people I meet. Just the other day I went to recharge the balance on my Spanish SIM card, and I decided to not ask for an English-speaking representative. It went perfectly well, and I was able to achieve what I wanted. Additionally, my host mom compliments me on my Spanish, I hope it is true that my Spanish is good. I am a little disappointed, because, before coming here I had hoped to somehow leave Spain practically fluent in Spanish. I realize now that that will not happen, because I speak a lot of English every day with my fellow international students. I would rather practice my Spanish with them, but a lot of them can hardly speak Spanish so English is the rational choice. Still, I am definitely improving a lot with my Spanish language skills, and learning things I would not have learned from simply taking Spanish classes.
I feel that I am adapting to Spanish culture fairly well, and there is a lot about it that I like. For example, I never use public transportation back home, and I was nervous to use it here, but now I use it almost every day without a problem. It is very convenient and I like using it. Additionally, I am adjusted to eating a late lunch and dinner, almost 5 hours later than I usually eat dinner back in the United States. I have gotten used to always standing on the right side of the escalator so that people can walk past on the left. There are definitely things I will miss a lot about being here in Spain, like the fact that you can get free tapas with every drink.
I feel comfortable now living here in Spain, and I gain confidence with each new experience in my ability to figure things out for myself, and gain independence. I really like where I live, and my host family is wonderful. Before I came here I was really worried about pickpockets, but now I have realized that as long as I am careful with my bag it is not a problem at all. I no longer feel paranoid walking around in large crowds. I have accepted that there are some things I cannot control (like not knowing when my finals are) even though I wish I could, but that other things, like my mood and my own experience, I can control. If I am ever feeling lonely or homesick I leave the apartment and go do something; stroll through the park, go shopping, find a new place to eat, or just explore. It always puts me back into a good mood.
I feel very grateful that I have the chance to be here for a semester and that I am having a great time. Some of my highlights so far have included my trips to Toledo, Granada, and Segovia, as well as fulfilling my lifetime dream to see a Real Madrid soccer game. I am very lucky to be here and I look forward to what the next two months will bring. Hopefully I will continue to improve my Spanish and become more and more comfortable with the culture here. I also hope that I will get to travel a bit more, and that I will continue to do well in school. I will also go to more events like wine tasting, dinners, brunch, hiking, etc., to meet new people and to continue experiencing new things.