It has been craziness.
The good kind of craziness of course, filled with people, places, laughing, joking, Spanish, English, and some of the best food I've ever had...
A tasty plate of paella, one of Spain's best known dishes
Right off the bat, everyone has been nothing but nice. The IES staff, the homestay hosts, the IES students, the local students and professors.
Ángel, an IES staff member, talking with the engineering students
We had a great amount of programming, both optional and mandatory, and it is a great way to learn about the city (even more than I already knew after 2 months). One of the first days some of the students and I caught one of the nicest sunsets in the city.
A cotton candy post-sunset view of the Templo de Debod
The first week and a half flew by while simultaneously seeming to be a lifetime, and a fantastic one at that. Like anyone who's moved before knows, getting settled into a new place can take some time. But thanks to the great hosts and location of the homestays, it took no time at all.
Cibeles, a palace in the same neighborhood as the homestays
Eventually school started... Yes, that is what we are (officially) here to do. It is definitely a little different than school in the states, but not that much different. I'll post more on that in the future once I've had more than a week of classes. But this weekend after that first week, we had a nice trip to the famous Segovia, Spain.
The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia
Freshly carved ham in Sevogia
A room inside the Alcázar Castle
Alex looks out from the Segovia hill
Ángel, our tour guide in Segovia, was hillarious and informative
The start of this program has been everything I hoped for and more. I'm definitely looking forward to more trips in the future (especially the trip to Asturias in the north of Spain) and getting to know everyone even better. Tomorrow a couple of us are headed to a Real Madrid game, so if you're into that, I've got you covered. I'll also get more into the homestay and what it's like (everyone is really happy with their homestay), and some other things that haven't crossed my mind yet!
If you're interested in the Segovia trip some more, check out a video I made below! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!
More Blogs From This Author
What I didn't know
I imagine I haven't gone abroad and see what I didn't expect knowing what I all know now. It really turns into a cliche fest...
Benjamin Streeter
<p>Hey all you humans, my name's Ben, and I just happen to be living in Madrid, Spain! I'll be here total for 6 months (I came early for an internship), and I'll be sharing my explorations, the city, travels, school, highs, lows, I'm-not-quitesure- what's, friends, random people who I've never seen, and more! I've moved around a lot back home in the states, but currently I live around the corner from Milwaukee, WI, and go to Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN where I study Mechanical Engineering and (for now at least) Communications Studies and anything else that's interesting. Now I've gotta go and try and contain my excitement... I typically take headshots for other people, so a selfie will have to do...</p>
