During the first half of my intercultural it felt like such a surreal moment. I had always dreamed of studying in Spain since I was a little kid. When the opportunity came, it felt like a full circle moment. As a native speaker, I had some background on Spanish history and language that helped me navigate through this experience. Through my curiosity, I was able to ask questions regarding the life of an estudiante espaƱol (Spanish student). Where, I discovered that their education system prepares them through a program called ā€œBachilleratoā€ a pre-requisite for college. I was fascinated by how much time and preparation it takes to get into college. Which has made me so thankful for being able to study abroad and to learn from my professors through their teaching methods and engagement. Although the course was three weeks long, it became a bit overwhelming to wrap up so quickly. I had gotten used to the routine of waking up early, catching the metro and heading to class. But after this intercultural, it has made me want to pursue Spanish education in the future. I am left with new words and phrases to use in my every day life.

-Victor Acosta

-Noah Loker

Some of the activities I have been enjoying most after school are going to the park for lunch and spending time at a pool. Recently, I have especially enjoyed relaxing, and hanging out with my friends there. I also love going to a cafƩ, sitting outside, and people-watching. I am always catching myself wanting to observe the people around me. Public transportation has been very different from what I am used to. In Madrid, they use the metro system, which is very convenient, but it is also extremely crowded because so many people use it. Most recently, while coming back to our hostel, a few people from our group got onto the metro just as a woman started pushing through with her suitcase to get on. I ended up having to stand on one foot to allow space for her to get on, which was very difficult. One thing that has always caught my attention is the escalator etiquette. People stand on the right side to allow others to walk up on the left. Another thing I have noticed that we do not see at home is the nightly street-cleaning crews. Every night, large trucks drive through the city spraying water, while workers pick up trash and help keep the streets clean.

-Hannah Kepler

Host family adjustment: Doing my intercultural in Spain has helped me immerse myself in Spanish culture in ways I never could have experienced in a classroom, back in the states. Living only a 15-minute walk from school and a 30-ish-minute metro ride from the main plazas has given me freedom to explore the city while adapting to everyday Spanish life. One of the biggest adjustments has been the schedule, our host family making us dinner everyday at 9 p.m., going to sleep later, but still having to wake up at regular school times. It definitely has taken some time to adjust to, but after a week, it has become routine. I also feel that my Spanish has improved through the daily conversations with my host family, and when words fail, universal hand gestures (like thumbs up and clapping) help us communicate effectively. Living with a host family has also taught me how to adjust to someone elseā€™s routine, especially with having our host grandma doing our laundry for us on a designated day, and my roommate and I thinking we did a good job making our beds, but coming home to everything remade (way better) by her. Soon we will have another study abroad student move in, which I think will make the experience even more exciting and culturally immersive.

– Kyla Ross

Language learning experience: On this Intercultural weā€™ve been learning not only the culture but also the language of Madrid, Spanish! Which has been a very fun experience but, it has essentially been the equivalent of being thrown into the deep end for some of us. Thankfully with the help of many friends in the group that know some Spanish already (plus a little bit of pointing and grunting) we have all been able to fully enjoy our time so far. Then thereā€™s the schoolā€¦ itā€™s been a bumpy ride so far but now that the dust has settled it seems most everyone has found a good spot to learn new things and challenge themselves just enough. After some hiccups with placements and assumed Spanish skills everyone is now in the classes they need. Just like other school experiences, some teachers you like more than others, or some days feeling better than others, but everyday at the very least one new thing is learned, whether thatā€™s Spanish words or some Chile geography.

–Ā Bennett De Tenley

Cultural adjustment: One of the main things that I was excited to experience on my Intercultural to Spain was the change in culture. So far it hasnā€™t disappointed. There are differences as subtle as which side of the escalator to stand on, and there are also differences that are more blatant like having to ask for the check instead of it just being handed to you. People also wear different styles of clothing than in the United States, which is really cool to see. Changing my lifestyle to fit the culture of Spain was not the easiest task, but there were things that made it easier. Although I had to recover from jet lag, most things happen at a later time than Iā€™m accustomed to anyway, which helped combat it. Dinner is later than Iā€™m used to, the sun sets later than in Virginia, and most establishments both open and close later in the day/night. Being in the city helped me see some of the differences in clothing in person, and I was able to buy some things to better fit that picture. Most of the changes that I had to make in the way I went about life I was able to do by just ā€œfollowing the leaderā€ and copying some of the people that I saw in public. Adapting to the culture has definitely been an experience to remember, and I canā€™t wait to bring some of it back with me when I return.

– Delan Gilliam-Wright

A lecture about ā€œconvivenciaā€ (coexistence) Wednesday evening: Dr. Ana Ruiz is a very passionate and interesting person. She has done much work with country leaders, college leaders, and students. She shared that the last time all of Spainā€˜s political parties and leaders came together in a unified way was after the Madrid commuter train terrorist attacks in 2004. That was over 20 years ago. Dr. Ana has worked hard to make restorative justice something that is integrated into her daily life and the whole Spain community. I appreciated how she is trying to radicalize students little by little so Gen Z can radicalize the whole country. Restorative justice can change how whole communities work. If each of us would take the time to listen before we react, much harm could be avoided and healing could happen.

– Sophia Lacher