During my virtual orientation for IES Abroad, one of the first things that I noticed was that I was one of the only people of color, let alone one of the only Asian people on the program. Having been from a small suburban high school and from attending a small PWI for college, I was used to being one of the only Asians in class. Nevertheless, I constantly wondered what my experience would look like in Madrid and how it would differ from my white peers. 

Before coming to Berlin, several people expressed their concern for me: “You don’t speak any German, how are you going to do it?” Luckily for me, most people in Berlin know English. However, at first it can be very overwhelming to be surrounded by a language that you do not understand. Though most people in Berlin are fluent in English, the default language here is German, meaning that when I am asked to order in a café, bumped into on the street, or asked a question, I am often first spoken to in a language that I do not understand. 

Spring break. In the U.S., students flock to Florida, Miami, Daytona Beach, the richer ones opting to swim even further South to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where age is less a number and more an idea. Unfortunately, flights to the Caribbean don’t come cheap when you’re in Morocco, but thankfully, ferries to Spain do.