Making My Way to Spain

In August last year you could have asked me what my plans were for after graduation, and I would have told you an internship at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda. Well that didn't happen, and now I'm sitting here in Madrid. As of April I had not yet decided on any plans after graduation and May 6th was quickly approaching. I was talking to my Spanish professor one day and she said I should look into teaching abroad. 3 hours later I was filling out an application to teach abroad in Madrid. As I sit here drinking my morning coffee looking at the streets of the Salamanca barrio I realize how thankful I was that my professor told me to go abroad for the year.

The last 2 weeks have been an awesome experience for learning about Spain. The first 4 days were filled with lots of paperwork, but also lots of exploring. We went to a flamenco show the first full day we were here and it was AMAZING. You could see the music running through the dancers from their toes to their fingers. Everything was so fluid and improvised in a way that almost seemed rehearsed. Others were surprised that it was mostly improvised, but I knew that they were talking to each other on stage and playing off all the energy between each other and the crowd. If you are ever in Madrid looking for something to do, go to a flamenco show.

Our host is a nice lady. She was a historian back in the day, but is retired now. She has traveled 
to the United States and lived in California and Miami for a number of years. Because she knows English and Spanish she is super helpful for learning because when we don't know a word she can teach us. A couple days ago  we gained a study abroad student from Nairobi, so now there are 3 exchange students ( 2 from CIEE and the new one) and a whole lot of learning about the differences between all the places.

MB

Pictured is the Royal Palace of Madrid, which we visited while exploring the city the first few days here.