In the summer of 2022, I had the privilege of studying, interning and living abroad in Madrid, Spain. When I arrived in Madrid on May 30 excitement coursed through my veins as I roamed through the airport, into the metro and straight into Puerta Del Sol to find my apartment for the next three months.

The first two weeks of the program consisted mainly of going to class at the local university we had been paired with, Universidad Nebrija. I took a basic writing and grammar course, and a class that taught us about business and the economy around the world. Since I speak fluent Spanish at home, these classes were conducted completely in Spanish. In these two weeks, I also had plenty of time to explore Madrid and really immerse myself in the culture. Then, since I speak Spanish, the remainder of my program was spent interning at a local jewelry company called Roselin. I worked in their headquarters in Getafe, Madrid, and served their 32 stores as a marketing intern. My main responsibility was to help them create and implement a strategic communications strategy. I got to meet several locals and learn what it is truly like to work in Madrid. I made connections, I hope to keep them forever. At the end of my internship, the company even offered me a job with them giving me the opportunity to go back once I finished school.

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While abroad I also got to travel over the weekends to different cities inside Spain and countries like Portugal, France and Hungary. I typically stayed in hostels or with my friends who were local to the places I traveled to. This allowed me to meet people from all around the world and explore cities in an authentic manner. Most of all these experiences taught me how to manage myself in places where I know nothing about the culture and don’t know the language.

Overall, this experience taught me so much about myself and about Spain. It made me learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. I learned to use different methods of communication to create relationships with people who did not necessarily speak the same language or have similar customs. Most of all I got a sneak peek into the Spanish culture and truly immersed myself in their customs. Due to this experience, I look forward to returning and living in Spain for a few years post-graduation.  

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