As I look back on the time I spent in the beautiful city of Madrid, I reflect upon all of the amazing people I got to interact with and all of the incredible experiences I got to be involved with, ranging anywhere from getting to see El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to spending time with fellow students from all around the world, and even get to get to call a few them roommates.
In terms of how this past semester has changed my perspective, it is evident that I have changed a great deal from spending five months in a country like Spain, mostly due to the level of independence I was granted and how I got to travel not only around Spain to beautiful places like Barcelona, but also how I got to explore a majority of Europe and see how different countries and their cultures came together.
I would say that my first impressions certainly changed a great deal, and I think this is mostly due in part to the fact that I got to experience so much more of the beautiful city of Madrid and understand more about Spanish culture as a whole.