That Time I Studied Abroad in Spain

December 6, 2024

One of my favorite segments from watching Disney Channel as a kid was “T.T.I- That Time I…” where kids and teens would talk about their once-in-a-lifetime experiences like climbing Mount Everest or cartwheeling across the country. Their stories fascinated me and inspired my curiosity to travel the world, but I never had such an opportunity until this past summer on a 3-week travel course to Madrid where I studied Spanish.

Spain and Italy have been at the top of my travel bucket list for a while. I’d never ventured to Europe or Asia, so I didn’t truly know what I was in for— but I was sure that I wanted to immerse myself in a different culture and discover as much as I could. I took Elementary Spanish II while I was there at the AIF school of Madrid and in Málaga, the coastal town where we spent our final week in Spain. The trip was unforgettable with delicious eats, stunning views, and of course, some exciting lore. Here are some of the highlights!

First, let’s talk about that time I tried Spanish food. The much later mealtimes in Spain were already a big cultural adjustment, but the type of food was quite different from what I was used to. Being that Madrid is inland, there was not as much seafood as I was expecting. Instead, it was mostly meat and bread, usually served in family style dishes or appetizers. I had my fair share of “bocadillos,” classic sandwiches with ham and cheese, and meat and cheese platters. Breakfast is also often much smaller and sweeter than American cuisine with just some strong coffee and maybe toast before class. I also luckily got to try authentic paella when we visited the more coastal cities, which was delicious and fresh. Since we visited during the summer, every bar and restaurant was serving “tinto de verano,” a delicious drink consisting of wine and sparkling soda that was perfectly refreshing in the heat. I remember having it over late night outings with my friends, or group lunches right after class before excursions with the other students. Our host Joanna made us a delicious dinner every night that we’d eat altogether, talking in Spanish about our day and plans for tomorrow at this dedicated time called “sobremesa” to practice Spanish immersion and to build relationships. The area of Madrid we lived in mainly had local cuisine, though the more urban areas had some diverse dishes like Italian, American, and Japanese food. My favorite restaurant meals were probably one of the many açaí bowls I ate while shopping or the Turkish/Spanish fusion brunch at a vibey restaurant in the art district of Madrid. All in all, I was introduced to so many new flavors and have a newfound appreciation for Spanish cuisine!

Then there was that time I visited a famous film set for one of my favorite TV shows, Game of Thrones. My favorite of our many day trips was to the city of Seville, a charming place with a lively main street and famous palace called the Alcázar Real, or Royal Alcazar. The palace and its gardens were depicted as the kingdom of Dorne, one of the seven kingdoms in the fictional world of Westeros. The palace had stunning Middle Eastern architecture and lush grounds that made me feel as if I was on the set of the show. My favorite character from the show, Oberyn Martell, hails from Dorne which made me even more thrilled to be there.

Finally, there was that time I spent the whole night exploring the city (or more accurately, being locked out) on the streets of Madrid with my roommates. What an infamous and funny experience this was, but hilarious nonetheless. Us four had been joking to our host mom about being overly paranoid about losing all four sets of keys we were loaned, which led to a miscommunication the next time we ventured to the Plaza del Sol at night and all forgot to bring the keys. What began as a moment of face-palming in front of the apartment at 2:00 am turned into a lengthy (but amusing) adventure of hanging out in front of McDonalds and exploring nearby parks and streets as the sun rose. Chilly and tired as we were, we spent the night talking to kind strangers, rehashing memories we’d made thus far on the trip, and all we looked forward to doing for our final week. I laugh about the whole experience now as it’s one of the many side quests and conversations that I cherish the most from the travel course.

That Time I studied in Spain was truly such an enriching experience. What would have been a fairly normal class back at home became a jam-packed three weeks of intense yet rewarding learning and exploration across an unfamiliar country. The short, scheduled format of the travel course allowed me to live out my dream of going abroad while not being as daunting as a full semester or interfering with my heavy STEM coursework as much. Regardless of your major or career path, you never know what you might find or experience that could be your T.T.I. story. So if this isn’t enough of a sign, GO FOR IT!

**For more details of my travel course, feel free to check out my comprehensive photo journal!