Next Stop: Madrid

Hola a todos!

My flight was cancelled and my taxi dropped me off at the wrong hotel, but I finally made it to Madrid! I’m off on an adventure of a lifetime.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Emma McQuade. I grew up in a small suburb north of Boston where I spent most of my days dribbling a ball up the soccer field. When I wasn’t on the field, I was on the beach. As a child, I was a sand castle sculptor, a skee-ball master and an ice cream connoisseur.

I began traveling at a very young age. I boarded my first airplane to Florida when I was only a few months old. Since then, I have jumped at every opportunity to travel. In my younger years, I discovered a few corners of the world. I knelt at the steps of the Vatican, sauntered along the cobblestone streets of Galway, paddled the canals of Venice and danced in the Flamenco shows of Andalusia. I am a born tourist.

When I was a senior in high school, I participated in a study abroad program in Granada, Spain. I quickly fell in love with the Spanish language, culture and way of life. I learned and experienced so much in those short few days. This sparked my interest in continuing my studies of the Spanish language.

Currently, I’m a junior at Ithaca College pursuing a degree in Journalism and Spanish. When the opportunity to study abroad presented itself, I immediately attended every orientation session and read every study abroad pamphlet available to me. Ultimately, I decided on Madrid.

Studying abroad excites the adventurist in me. My friend from college and I are living together with a Señora and her son. Our piso, or apartment, is located just a few streets away from Parque del Retiro. I am eager to live like a native and discover this beautiful city.

While I am abroad, I hope to travel and experience as much as possible. I’ve already made a list of my top countries that I want to visit:

• Greece
• Ireland
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Germany
• Portugal
• France
• Italy
• Czech Republic
• Morocco

Along with this, I hope to travel throughout Spain. I want to see Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. I want to return to Granada with a fresh set of eyes. I am so excited to start this journey. I’ve been waiting for this experience for what seems like eternity. And it has finally come.