My Last Full Day in Madrid

Hey Everyone!

The time has come. I am leaving Madrid and going back to the US tomorrow. This is crazy to think about. Just four and a half months ago I was leaving my house in America to move my life over to Madrid. I remember the feelings of excitement, uncertainty, and nervousness. Now that I am going home my feelings are happiness, and excitement. If you asked me 2 months ago if I wanted to go home, I would have told you no. However, I am more than ready to go back home and see my friends and family.

My program is one of the last ones to end. Most of my friends left 1-2 weeks ago, so I have been mostly alone for this past week. All my roommates left, so this whole week I’ve been in the apartment alone. It is a weird and sad feeling, which is what makes me even more excited to be going home. While I had an amazing experience here in Madrid and learned so much, I want to go home and use this knowledge to my benefit.

While I do not think “abroad changed me,” I do think that it taught me valuable information that I will remember
for the rest of my life. There are so many people in the world, and they are all different. I’ve learned to be more open minded, and also more patient. Madrid’s culture is one that is very slow. No one is ever in a rush. They start their day late and end it late too. This has taught me to just relax and go with the flow. I will never forget this amazing semester!

Mariana