Submitted by Jade Schlegel on the 2022 spring semester program in Madrid, Spain…
I am excited to say I have wrapped up my 1st week here in Spain. My 1st big takeaway is to be flexible; lots of things can happen that you don’t anticipate. The 1st little bump in the road was my flight from New York to Madrid, which was delayed for 5 hours. We didn’t end up leaving until midnight! This was definitely a bit stressful, but I was able to meet lots of other students also visiting Spain to study abroad. This helped me realize that a lot more students are in the same boat as me and I didn’t even realize it!
Once we landed, it was pretty smooth until me and a few other students arrived at the dorm and hit the 2nd bump in the road. There we learned that European pillows are much different than ours! Turns out they use pillows that are much longer (and flatter). So me and my roommate began the hunt for a comfy pillow which resulted in little success. But what we did learn is that the people here are more than willing to help and overcome the language barrier. We even got some recommendations of places to visit.
My 3rd bump was learning the heat in my room. Something so simple was difficult for me to learn how to use. With persistence I was able to have a warm room that is no longer 18°C (64°F). Flexibility has been my biggest help here as no one warns you that a lot changes when you go to live in another country. Being able to adapt and putting less pressure on yourself has been something I had to learn very quickly to be able to enjoy the country and not be too overwhelmed. It takes a little time to understand the place you’re living and to be comfortable in a new environment. If that doesn’t happen immediately, it’s perfectly normal! The best thing I heard to relate to studying abroad is you may be a perfectly capable person, but you don’t know how to do a simple task in this new place. Expect some simple tasks, such as heating in your room, to be different and something you may struggle with at first. But with time, we all learn and the country you’re in will become more enjoyable and less stressful.
