A Month of Adventure, Exploring, and Lots of Bread

iHola! I’m Morgan, and I have officially been in Madrid for one month now. As cliche as it sounds, living abroad truly is an extremely difficult, yet rewarding experience. It seems like I have somehow squeezed so many different things (and many miles walked) into one month in Madrid. But still, the shock of officially being here hasn’t fully set in yet. You’re telling me I can take weekend trips for €20? Or buy 25 cent beers?! I don’t see myself ever getting tired of this. Sure, not eating dinner until 10pm is still taking some getting used to, but I think I can manage.

Expectation vs. Reality

I’ve been to Spain before, but I never had the chance to visit Madrid. I did a lot of research about Madrid before arriving. From the food, the neighborhoods, and the people, I thought I knew what to expect. The amount of research I did, especially about neighborhoods and where to live, all went down the drain once arriving. Madrid is a big city, yes, but everything is so close. I was under the impression that the different neighborhoods within Madrid (Malasaña, Sol, La Latina) were huge parts of Madrid, and were quite a ways apart from one another. This is far from true, which is one of the things I love so much about the city. Not only is everything in the city accessible via the metro, but I can walk for hours and see so many different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own charm. Malasaña is a great place for record shops, vintage clothing, and fun restaurants, while Argüelles is a great neighborhood for parks and delicious cafes.

I could (and will eventually) write an entire blog post about the food in Madrid. I’ve had Spanish food before, like tortilla de patata (Spanish omelet), jamon, and various tapas, and I have always loved it. But I never expected my main diet here to consist of bread (with the occasional slice of jamon or tomato). Back home I never ate this much bread, ever. Not only is bread so cheap here, but it’s good with anything and everything. Bread with cheese? Of course. Bread with tuna? Yes. A loaf of bread by itself? Sure! Literally, everything.

One of my main goals when moving to Madrid was to improve my Spanish, and luckily the locals here have been very welcoming and willing to help me practice. This has definitely helped to ease my nerves and fears of moving so far away from home and speaking a different language. Moving to such a huge city, I expected more people to speak English, which I quickly found out was not the case. Although the language barrier makes some day-to-day activities harder, it’s a great opportunity for me to put my Spanish speaking skills and knowledge to good use. Studying Spanish in college, I thought I was prepared for the full Spanish speaking immersion. While the first few days were tough, I found that the locals are willing to help me practice, as long as I show that I truly am trying. 

Having such a great support system, both here and back home, has made this process so much easier. I am very lucky and grateful to have my boyfriend here in Madrid with me also doing the program. Not only is he the best travel buddy, but he’s also my best friend, and having someone I’m so close to here has made this experience so much better. It was also a lot more comforting once I realized my family is only one phone call away. Yes, the time zones make things difficult, but I make sure I find time either once a day, or once every two days, to talk to them. Exploring Madrid is awesome, but I find that talking to them is the highlight of my days.

Overall, life abroad has been full of new adventures, meeting wonderful people, and eating yummy food. Once I reflect more on my time here and get another full week of teaching under my belt, I will note the best places to visit in Madrid, and what to expect being a language assistant in a high school.

Ciao!