First Blog/Arrival and Booming

Hi everybody! I hope everyone has been having a great month so far. I have arrived to Madrid and have settled in for about two weeks now. While I still want to figure out a way to share my current abroad experience, the only thing on my mind is to talk about how excited I have been!

Truth be told, while I am a heritage spanish speaker, sometimes it becomes difficult to connect the dots between some common words being used, or new words I have never heard of. When I introduce myself to the locals, they always catch me off-guard and immediately know where I’m from based on my accent. The elevator pitch I always give in is that I am an exchange student, rather than studying abroad since it makes more sense for them(the same concept is still applied…). While I will say that I wished I saw more spanish shows like “Casa de Papel” in order to get a better grasp on some slang, everyone here has been incredibly nice and sweet to me, which makes me feel so much better about my experience.

I have already traveled to Cordova and Segovia, thanks to my IES program, and has been such an amazing experience, despite the cold-ish weather we’re currently having in spain. I am currently studying in the Leganes Campus of IES abroad, while still enjoying UC3M a walk away. So far, my experience has been amazing as I have met some amazing people within my program, and have been so happy(and tired of all the walking) to have chosen Spain to be here. Incredibly thankful to be given the opportunity to study here, and can’t wait to show everybody more of my travels!