All articles by dpadilla

Now that I am back home, studying abroad in Madrid, Spain truly feels like something out of a movie, out of a beautiful dream, out of a moving story. It’s a wild and wonderful part of my memory. I have stories about me almost getting locked in the metro post closing time, and feeding pink
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Coming Home Part III: Airplane Ride Home

In hindsight, I actually felt sad. I dreamed about the day I’d go home, back to New York to see my family and friends. I thought I’d be so excited. But I also made new friends and a new family for myself in Madrid. So saying goodbye during my last week to all my favorite
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Goodbye Letter to Madrid

Dear Madrid,   You became my home for 4 months and 3 weeks. From being like NYC minus all the skyscrapers, to seeing cathedrals on every corner, to hearing Castellano 24/7, to living on Calle de Padilla, you became Madrid, sweet Madrid. All these elements combined were signs from God that you’d be okay.  
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Returning to the US Part II: Thinking  About Home, The Future, and Saying Goodbye to this Home in Madrid 

There are so many questions that have been going through my mind as I prepare to come home everyday for the past month. Saying goodbye to a place I’ve been in for 4 months and 3 weeks seems unreal. Coming back home somehow feels unreal, too. Did time really go by this fast? How? How
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Recommendation for Classes at UC3M

Spanish Grammar Course: I recommend this class for anyone willing to improve their Spanish. This is a good introduction to the Spanish you will hear around you everyday. People in Spain speak Castellano. The Spanish is much different than the one you hear in the United States. So this will teach you new vocabulary. Here, you
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Finals While at UC3M in Madrid

You might feel like finals will never end. This always happens. Every finals week. So, do not fret! Keep these things in mind: Breathe (Always!) Drink Water (Please!) Take breaks (20 min. Netflix shows,/A  phone call/ A walk) Have snacks (Fruit, Bars, and Candy for energy) Find a good study area with wifi that’s not
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Returning to the USA: The Home-Stretch and Missing Home, Part 1

It’s already April. Around this time, studying abroad gets even harder because it’s the home-stretch. End-of-the-year projects are creeping up. The end of classes is in about a month. Home is not too far away either. All is in sight. So this month should be about getting on top of school work, working little by
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Traveling in Spain from Madrid: Toledo, Segovia, Granada and Other Small Towns

Toledo: This place is wonderful! It is a cute, quaint city of Spain. I recommend going in the late afternoon 3-5 p.m. as you can see the sun begin to come down, and then also get a bit of the night skyline. Both views are spectacular. Here, you can walk up the hills and see
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Why I Travel Poem

to understand how others live to realize that this world is so big, yet so small, and so universal to learn how others communicate to remember that other cultures and languages are not wrong, just different than my own to speak a different language and become confident and comfortable with how it sounds on my
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Academic Adjustment at UC3M Getafe Campus: Be Prepared to Ask Questions

Just like an interview, always have questions prepared about what you may venture in. I went to my orientation for UC3M for international students in the Hispanic Studies Program which meant most/all my classes would be in Spanish, and tailored to North American students to help enhance our Spanish language skills. That being said, this
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Cultural Adjustment: Food, Customs, Dress, Social Interactions and More

Madrid, Spain is so ancient, yet so modern with its cathedrals intertwined with shops, cafes, and metro stops at every corner. Everyone’s cultural adjustment will be different based on where you grew up. When I first got here, I had a unique experience in that my fiancé’s great cousin was already living in Madrid from
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Initial Reaction to My New Home: Madrid, Sweet Madrid

“It’s just like New York City! EXCEPT: There are no skyscrapers, metros are WAY cleaner, and EVERYTHING is in Spanish.” That’s exactly what I say when anyone asks me what Madrid is like. So you can imagine how excited I was to get to Madrid, Spain when first landing, and how exhausted, of course! I
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Preparing For Your Trip to Madrid: Pack Things You Don’t Want to Forget

As I prepared to pack for my study abroad experience, I thought of all the things I did not want to forget. Of course, my backpack with all my essentials were a must. That meant, my wallet (cash, credit cards, bank cards, health insurance cards, multiple forms of ID), my passport, my coin purse, my
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