Hi all,
I recently came back from my semester abroad in Madrid, Spain. After 150 days of being gone, I’ve decided to instill some wisdom upon you. You can read the other blogs for more serious tips, but here’s what they won’t tell you at the abroad meetings.
1. Bring some good sneakers with you to Europe. No one cares that your shoes don’t match, and your feet will thank me later.
2. I’m picky when it comes to food, but in my humble opinion, try to use Google Maps for food recommendations (or, I hate to say it, TikTok), and try to stay about 4.4 stars if possible.
3. (Most of these tips will be food-related btw). If you like seafood, most of the fish will come with bones inside (the US just likes to be different) so be prepared when you bite in for the first time,
4. Buy travel size bottles of everything (shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) BEFORE you come to Europe or bring the travel-size containers you fill yourself.
5. Bring a portable charger with you. This is non-negotiable. I don’t know why I pushed off buying one for so long, but these will FR save your trip. I promise you, it’s worth the $40.
I won’t lie, everyone at home expects you to be having the time of your life, and you probably are 95% of the time, but it’s okay to still struggle with the culture shock. You’re living out your dreams of traveling and studying in a country that’s foreign to you, but it can be difficult at times. Culture shock is SO real, and so is reverse culture shock. UC3M can have some difficult classes and things you aren’t used to in the US (If you fail the final, you fail the class / negative points on tests). There will 1000% be moments where you don’t know what you’re doing, and your trips will go haywire, but it’ll all work out.
I enjoyed my study abroad so much and learned so much in the process. A&M makes the process more difficult than a lot of the other schools, but I think this sets you up for success when you’re actually there. I 1000% recommend going abroad, and I hope you make it there. – Avalon