Choosing CEA Madrid

cre: Choosing CEA Madrid

When I was first considering going abroad, several programs offered places I wanted to go. I had a hard time specifying which city I wanted to study in, only because there are so many amazing places in the world to go to. How does someone choose just one? But I came to the conclusion that my goals for going abroad (to improve my Spanish language) could largely be achieved by studying and living in Spain. I also loved the idea of ​​being able to travel around Europe, because there are so many places to go and so many beautiful things to see. CEA offered everything I wanted in my study abroad program in Madrid: ways to connect with others, to travel, and to help me with the small details that can really stress a student out. foreigner. CEA made going abroad less stressful than expected and that was the biggest blessing.

The small things
Fall semesters abroad mean parties

The months and days leading up to my departure for Spain, I was extremely nervous. There are so many unfamiliar things about going abroad, and so little you can prepare for, whether it’s culture shock or even what to pack in your suitcase. Most of my nerves, personally, came from the unknown. I remember I had friends who had been abroad before and they kept telling me, “You’re studying abroad, you’re not supposed to know exactly what you’re doing. It really helped me get over my nerves because I realized that I don’t need to have it all together, I’m not supposed to know what I’ll be doing in 3 months and I’m not supposed to know how to integrate right from the start. There are things you will need to experience in order to learn, grow and acclimate to your new home over the next 4 months. The unknown is beautiful, finding peace in the unknown and knowing growth was coming kept me grounded.

You get to know the culture by not always being prepared.
And the culture is beautiful

My personal vision has changed a lot being abroad. I see the world in a whole new light being abroad and have a greater appreciation for life in general. I’ve met so many different people who look a lot like me and people who don’t look like me, and that’s what opened my eyes the most: meeting people and hearing their stories. I heard new perspectives on ideas and talked about beliefs and values. So many of us are obscured by our comfortable surroundings in the United States that we lose sight of the differences in beliefs, values, and cultural characteristics of the world. Being abroad has opened my eyes to the different cultures of the world and how to appreciate and embrace them fully.

Lauryn H. is MOJO’s Fall 2017 Blogger in Madrid, Spain. She is currently an exercise science student at Belmont University.


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