Overall Experience

I loved my time in Spain. Absolutely loved it. It really was the time of my life, and while it was different than I expected, it certainly lived up to what I had hoped for out of the experience.

I fell in love with the country and culture, and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to go on this study abroad. I went to just about every major sight in Madrid, and attended the vast majority of the museums at least once (Reina Sofia, Tapestry factory, Naval Museum, etc.).

Some of my favorite experiences were from going to tapa bars and experiencing modern Spain. I loved going bar hopping, especially in Granada, where I had easily the most successful experience of it. The history in Spain was breathtaking. I loved learning about the history and getting familiar with the culture. My host abuelita made the experience that much better, and I enjoyed befriending her and her husband. My favorite cities we went to were probably Seville and Barcelona, and, of course, I absolutely loved Madrid. All of the trip was so great though, and I really liked seeing how much diversity there is within Spain.

In retrospect, I would’ve gotten the Rick Steve’s guide as an eBook. It would’ve been really helpful to have it around and be able to pull it out more easily and frequently in cathedrals and museums where I wanted to know more than just what was on the signs. I would’ve taken a good rain jacket; I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I decided not to bring one. I also would have started going out for tapas on my own much earlier, and I would’ve tried to talk to younger people. Most of my interviews were with people who were at least fifty years old, and I think I would have liked to learn more about today’s Spain from people who don’t remember the years of the regime. I also would have spent more time walking around and window shopping, rather than focusing almost my entire attention on the large attractions of Madrid. 

One of my biggest regrets was not tasting the famous jamón sooner, and let me tell you, there really is a difference between the usual jamón serrano, jamón iberico, and the jamón de bellota, pata negra. Anyone who goes should definitely try them all, because they really are quite great. The best is definitely the bellota, and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

The experience was so fun, and I would so recommend to everybody that they travel and experience other cultures. The biggest highlights were:

Tapa Hoppin'

(Foods-- the jamón, the paella, the gazpacho and the tapas are the way to go)

The Royal Palace

The "Golden Triangle of Art" in Madrid

The Sagrada Familia

Attending a Real Madrid soccer game

The cathedrals of Burgos, Seville and Toledo

Flamenco

Meeting a completely new people with their own widely diverse culture, learning about the history and people of Spain, and gaining a greater appreciation for all people everywhere.