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¡Mañana! Tomorrow! Tomorrow I will be in Spain. My adventure starts today. I'm from Baltimore, MD and my brothers live in New York City. So, my parents and I drove up to meet them today for a nice sushi lunch. Then, we will drive to JFK International Airport and I will be on my way. This semester, I am studying abroad in Madrid. I will be there for exactly four months and get back on Christmas Day! (It's ok - I'm Jewish hehe). My giant suitcase is 50 pounds, which is exactly the weight limit for my flight. While I am thankful I somehow squeezed everything in, I have absolutely no idea how I will fit my belongings on the way home. But hey, that's four months away..no need to worry about that quite yet. Some of my b-school amigas are already in Spain (Lindsay, Danielle, and Abby — I'm looking at you) and their pictures are pumping me up. It's surreal that I will be in the same city as them tomorrow.
Most of the people I know studying abroad in Spain are actually in a different program than I am. Lots of Tulane students study Business, and the Business School offers its own study abroad program. I'm a liberal arts gal, so that's not my scene. I will be studying at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). However, my classes will be with other Americans, specifically from Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, and Tulane (WIPT for short). My professors are locals from UCM, and 100% of my classes will be 100% in Spanish! (ay dios mío… "oh my god" for those who don't speak Spanish). This will be a transition for me since I am used to only one class in Spanish per semester. My program requires 5 classes during the semester. I don't have my schedule yet, but I have an idea of the classes I want to take. One class I am really excited about is called "Obras Maestras del Prado." Basically, it's a class about the Prado, one of the best art museums in the world, taught at the actual Prado. How cool is that?!
I made a great effort to practice my Spanish this summer, but my conversational skills are rusty. My 9-5 internship in NOLA also made it harder to find the time and energy, but I definitely made some progress. If you're looking into learning a language, I strongly recommend downloading Duolingo. The drills and exercises on the app helped me brush up on a lot of beginner vocabulary that I haven't used since middle school. Also, I made a playlist on Spotify called "Pavonearse," which doesn't have a direct translation in English. The closest thing would be "to strut" or "to swagger." Anyway, I have been listening to a lot of Spanish music that I added to the playlist. Feel free to follow it! Most of it is Reggaeton (Despacito, anyone?). It surprised me how much music can help in learning a language.
I hope to keep up with this blog and write frequently. I think that it's a wonderful way to reflect on my experiences and collect memories that I can look back on for the rest of my life. That might sound cheesy, but I just know that I will regret it if I don't do it. And I'd like to study abroad with no regrets!
More posts and pictures to come!!!
Next stop: MADRID!
- comments
Katie Woohoo! So exciting, can't wait to read along about all your adventures! Xx