Traveling Abroad For the First Time as a Language and Culture Assistant in Madrid

In two weeks, I begin my year of living and working abroad, yet I have never before traveled overseas. In fact, last year was only my second time flying in a plane. 

I am from Charlotte, NC and graduated from Davidson College, which is about 20 miles north of the city. I have never lived far from my family, and the two-day trip I took with my sister last year to NYC holds the record for the farthest I have traveled away from home.

It is needless to say that I am eager to begin my long-awaited trip to Spain.

The pandemic canceled my plans to study abroad in Valencia in 2020, so I am grateful to finally travel through the CIEE Teach In Spain program. I hope to immerse myself in Spanish culture and solidify my Spanish language skills. I intend to explore Spain and its surrounding countries whenever I get the chance. And I am excited to connect with the students and teachers that I have the opportunity of working alongside.

If I learned anything from my adventure to NY last year, however, it is that you must embrace the unpredictability of traveling to an unfamiliar place and have fun along the way. Much like this trip to Madrid, my sister and I were traveling to a big city that neither of us had been to before—and during a pandemic—so we did not know what to expect. 

Being the planner of the two, I prepared as much as I could before arriving in NY, and yet still could not have prepared for all that the trip entailed. In 48 hours, we lost money by swiping the Metrocard too many times for the subway, took the wrong train in the opposite direction, and missed our flight home on the way to the airport.

Although everything did not go as planned during our trip to NY, however, we had fun all around. My sister and I spent quality time together and learned more about the city along the way. The unpredictable aspects of our trip actually made it more enjoyable and memorable.

In just two weeks, I will fly internationally for the first time as I begin my year of living and working in Spain. I will start my apartment search once I arrive in Madrid all while adjusting to an unfamiliar culture and trying to make friends. 

But I plan to embrace this experience moment by moment by making the most of my time abroad. Because although a year is a long time, I know that it will go by faster than I think.

So follow along as I share my life as an expat in Spain throughout the upcoming year! I hope to help and inspire those who are considering doing the same as well as document some of my adventures along the way. 

¡Nos vemos en Madrid!