“Madrid is huge! “Being from a small Wisconsin town and attending college in a small Minnesota town, I have minimal experience with big cities. My few weeks in Argentina gave me a little taste of a big city, but we didn’t have as much free time there as we do here. Thankfully, the metro is pretty easy to use, especially after using the one in BA. It’s pretty efficient, too, which is something I know I’ll miss when I return to the small towns.
“Our residency is so cute!” The three of us in Spain were all assigned to the same student residency, a 15-minute walk from our classes’ building. I won’t talk about the place too much, but we had a patience test when we arrived. Sarah’s and my rooms weren’t stocked with linens, Tupperware, or towels for the bathroom. It took us a few days (yes, days) to get these things delivered to us by the housing program. They also don’t supply toilet paper, which we found out the hard way. But the place is super cute!
“The air quality is bad?” Every time I looked at my weather app, the first thing to pop up was the air quality conditions, which are almost always unhealthy. Personally, I can’t really notice a difference between the air here and that back home, but maybe I just didn’t memorize the air from back home. Honestly, though, I can’t say I’m surprised since probably half the people here smoke. I don’t say this directly affects air quality, but it makes sense if it did.
“Spain is a social culture.” The smoking and going out culture really emphasizes how social the society is. These things aren’t always done indulgently but almost like an excuse to be social. A little conversation during a smoke break, a glass of wine on a lunch date, tapas and a drink with a group at night. Both of the Nebrija campuses have outdoor common areas where students can mingle. Although we have all our classes at the smaller, less pretty building, we still have time between classes to chat with new people and make friends.
“Everyone here looks so nice!” I mean this in two ways; first of all, they’re pretty. There are very few people that I would consider to be “out of shape.” This is probably because walking is common with things being so close together and because of the food. They don’t tend to eat much, but when they do, it’s healthy overall, especially compared to many options in the US. Second of all, they all have such good style. Barely ever do you see leggings or sweatpants or sweatshirts. That’s just not how they do it here. Not to be rude, but guys from the US need to take notes! These Spanish men are stylish!
“This weather is warm; why do people look cold?” The weather here has been warmer than usual, getting up to 60 degrees a few days. Now the temperatures are in the 50s, and people look like they’re going to brave the below-zero temperatures of windy Minnesota! I’ve been comfortable in just a cardigan or sweater. They have oversized coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. They wear so many layers of clothing. And somehow, they still look fashionable!
