Submitted by Tatiana McMillar on the 2017 winter session program in Spain and Italy sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice…
The first week of my study abroad trip in Spain has been amazing. At first, I was scared and a bit anxious of what would come. Now, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and adapted to the new city. For the first week, we are staying in Madrid, the largest city and capital of Spain. The city of Madrid has a remarkable collection of museums (the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum, etc.). Also, the city has marvelous restaurants, shops and historical sites. The city of Madrid reminds me a great deal of New York City. During the day, it gets extremely busy and there are hundreds of people shopping, walking around and even playing music. The fast paced city life was easy for me to adapt to because, I’m familiar with large cities. Madrid and New York City share many similarities and differences. For starters, the lifestyle in Spain is very different. Individuals socialize more and the city is packed with people conversing which is different from Americans who are typically looking at their cell phones while walking in the city.
The highlight of my week was visiting Toledo. It is said that Toledo is the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries, behind its walls. Toledo was absolutely beautiful. I even got a chance to take a picture overlooking the city.