Submitted by Jade Schlegel on the 2022 spring semester program in Madrid, Spain…
After wrapping up winter break, I wanted to write again about traveling when abroad. I’ve touched on this topic before and I will continue to emphasize how important it is to travel during your time abroad. And yes, you can travel to other countries and see the cities that everyone talks about like Paris, Munich and Rome, but I recommend you travel within your host country. Over my winter break, I was able to visit Granada and I can say that I fell in love. The narrow streets were perfect for walking and I can say I spent hours walking these tiny streets. And they are just as you would picture them; tiny balconies hovering above the street with flowers and plants growing over the edge. The streets are too narrow for cars so you end up just wandering down the cobblestones. They are the perfect place to get lost and see a slower, more peaceful side of a city. But these little cities may be the ones that students overlook and pass over, instead visiting the larger cities everyone talks about. Cities like Granada and Toledo aren’t cities you book whole trips to, so it’s not likely you’ll spend the time to ever see them again. Take the time abroad and spend it in your host country. There are very few times in your life that you will be able to simply move to a different country for a few months and then go back home with such ease. Take this valuable opportunity in a new country to learn about the culture and see the cities you may never have the opportunity to see again.
