A Week in Madrid – Nature News

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Dimend Little

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hola! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Middle Tennessee State University <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Madrid, Spain <i>Program provider:</i> USAC <i>Major/minor:</i> International Relations / Spanish <i>Demographics:</i> African American/Black <i>Future career aspirations:</i> I plan to be a foreign service officer and work in one of the 20 US embassies based in Spanish-speaking countries worldwide. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> – Master my Spanish conversational skills. – seek new experiences that push me out of my comfort zone. (I am a picky eater, so I want to push myself to try new foods!) – stay on track and remain as organized as possible.

Number of sunny days this week: 6

Number of cloudy days this week: 2

Number of rainy days this week: 0

Number of snowy days this week: 0

Number of windy days this week: 0

What is the air temperature right now in Fahrenheit?: 73

How was the weather this week?:

The weather was a mix of warm and cool temperatures ranging from 64ยฐ to 81ยฐ. Compared to Tennessee, the weather is much warmer and windier. I brought winter clothes, but to my surprise, many people don’t wear sweaters or jackets because it is usually warm by midday.

What animals did I see this week? :

This week, I saw many dogs and pigeons. Many madrileรฑos (people from Madrid) own medium and large dog breeds like Golden Retrievers, Australian Shepherds, and Greyhounds.

What was the coolest thing I saw in nature this week?:

The most remarkable thing I noticed was pigeons interacting with the environment and people. Pigeons have adapted to the number of people and food in Madrid. So, you can often find them walking in a crowd or flying in search of food.

When I first arrived in Madrid, I was shocked. I thought they might be hit by a car or stepped on by someone, but they know their way around the city better than I do!