Submitted by Jade Schlegel on the 2022 spring semester program in Madrid, Spain…
This week’s topic: weather. Before coming to Spain, I researched fashion, food and culture to make sure I was prepared to live in this new country for 4 months. You know what I didn’t research? The weather. Don’t get me wrong, I looked at the climate so I knew what the temperature was going to be during my time here. I also planned for the occasional rain because as someone from the East Coast, I knew I didn’t want to have a soggy walk to class, but the weather is something I didn’t anticipate being that different from home. I can tell you now, Spain is dry. My first two months here were clear skies without a single drop of rain. March is different; we have entered the rainy season and it will rain all day. The sky remains gray and it will just drizzle the entire day. Then this morning, we woke up to an orange sky at 4:00 am and later went out to discover everything covered in a coating of dust brought over the Mediterranean from the Sahara Desert. With the worst air quality rating the air can possibly receive and muddy rain, I can tell you, I never expected to see mud fall from the sky or be able to taste the dust when breathing in. Of course, this isn’t a common occurrence, but it’s still something very strange to experience! When getting ready to come abroad, make sure you’re ready for what the weather will throw at you. Keep in mind that you can’t prepare for everything, but at least have enough shoes in case a pair gets wet and has to dry for a bit!
