You can never know what to expect when moving to a new place, much less a new country. I am studying abroad this semester as a senior with a double major in cultural anthropology and journalism, as well as someone who loves traveling! I did not know the first thing about Spain prior to moving here, though. So, if you are like me and are planning on studying abroad at SLU Madrid, I am here to share my, and others, stories and experiences.
Moving to Madrid, I had no idea what to expect, yet I had many expectations. Most of my expectations stemmed from the Netflix show, “From Scratch.” If you have not seen it, I recommend you give it a watch. Much as Europeans have expectations and assumptions about America based on what they see on television, we have our own expectations about Europe.
Expectations of what a European city looks like, what the people would be like, what my new life would be like were just some of the many expectations that I held. As another student said, she expected Madrid to “have more of a small village feel with mountainous views.” Rather, Madrid is closer to somewhere like Washington, DC, or the Big Apple with a much more urban feel and lots of hustle and bustle. Though you might expect the fact that it is a city to mean that living here is expensive, surprisingly you would be wrong. This was one of my most pleasant expectations that did not match reality, as living here is insanely cheap compared to the US. I am talking like, a glass of wine is 2 euros at dinner. America could never.
I, and many of my peers, definitely romanticized the idea of living in Europe as a student. Though it does feel unreal at times, there are still hardships and unexpected occurrences that you might not have prepared for. If you are planning on studying abroad here in Spain, go ahead and start learning Spanish. I completely underestimated how much of a struggle it would be to get around knowing un poco Spanish. Even though I was trying my best not to be the rather ignorant, stereotypical American, I indeed assumed that I would have no problem getting by with what little Spanglish I knew. Since it is the capital city of Spain, Spaniards from all over the country come to Madrid; which means that not everyone knows English. Although it is an immersive language experience where you will pick up on a lot of stuff, it is still a daily struggle doing basic things and interactions. On top of this, Madrileños (those who live in Madrid), are sometimes not the nicest or the most patient.
On the flip side, though, I have to say that the expectation of walking around and feeling like a main character has been matched. The expectation of good food and cute coffee shops has been matched. The expectation of being able to try new things and experiences has been matched. When walking through the city, or in a new park that I found, or into a cute restaurant, I often have to pinch myself.
Despite it all, the good and the bad, only a few weeks in and I can confidently say that studying abroad has been and will continue to be a great experience. Studying abroad is such a fun and exciting experience, while simultaneously overwhelming. There are some things about moving to a new country that you can never expect, but it is all a part of the experience.
