Discovering Madrid
Mays Business School, September 9th, 2023
When I first entered the city of Madrid I was overwhelmed about being in a new place and already a bit homesick because I’ve never been this far away from my family. But as the first few days went by and I moved into my new apartment and got my metro card, I started to realize how beautiful the city, people, and the culture are. The architecture and style of every building stands out and even the roads are different than the US. There is so much diversity here that it’s almost impossible to guess if someone is a local or a tourist just by looking at them. I live in an apartment with 11 other roommates, all of whom are from different countries with different lifestyles. One of the main differences I noticed very soon was that many European college students are required to do a semester or a year abroad which is why it’s so common to have student housing for international people. I think this requirement makes the people here much more well rounded and worldly; it forces a person to live life through a different lens which is so important.
I started my first week of school a few days ago and I’m already loving it. The diversity is so present that most of my business classes have only one or two Spanish students even though I am at a Spanish school. Even the professors are from different countries such as Italy, Ukraine, and Germany.
As I start this experience, a few goals I have set for myself are the following: (1) Learn as much as possible about business from an apartment international standpoint so I can understand what could be brought to the US to make businesses more successful (2) Make as many connection of students from all over the world so I can learn about their cultures and lifestyles (3) Travel as much as possible! I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.