Time Flies, What did I achieve?

As a diehard quote collector and cliché lover, it is only appropriate that the title of this post is “Time Flies”. It does, in every sense of the cliché. Time can only do one thing, move forward. It especially moves quickly when you're busy doing things you love or carrying out goals. So, with the time spent abroad for ten months, did I accomplish the goals that I had set almost a year ago? Well let’s evaluate. 

Traveling every other weekend

This in hindsight was an extremely ambitious and costly goal. Factoring in the cost of lodging and food with the allotted 1000 Euros we are paid, this frequency was not possible. But I did visit ten countries in ten months along with two Spanish cities and a Spanish island. 

Here I am in Morocco. I was so thrilled to have made it to Africa!

Improving my Spanish  

I made it my personal goal to improve my Spanish while living in Spain. In the Fall and Winter, I attended Tandem International School twice a week. Fortunately, CIEE has a partnership with this school and was able to offer a discount. I paid 250 Euros for 12 weeks of B1.2 Spanish classes. Personal investment is rarely free, so I was happy to pay this amount. In the classes we practiced grammar, conversation, reading, and writing. It was nice to get back to the basics of grammatical structure and development. My teacher was very patient and knowledgeable. I was thrilled to finish the course and received a certificate of completion! 

My last class with Tandem Escuela Internacional Madrid. I highly recommend this school to anyone who wants to improve their Spanish.

Spanish Cooking Classes 

Big thanks to CityLife Madrid, which is a safe haven for expats, international students, or anyone who is looking for things to do within Madrid. Through them, I was able to take a class where I cooked traditional Paella, Sangria, and Tortilla de Pata while getting to know other international people. Because I had a membership with City Life Madrid, the class cost me 29 Euros! The best part was that I got to eat everything after cooking! There is no sweeter taste than enjoying the fruits of your labor. 

Conclusion

It is slightly comical that I did not write more goals to accomplish beforehand. Perhaps, it was because I was so excited about what was to come. Whatever the reason, I am proud of myself for accomplishing the little goals that I did have.