I spent an academic year studying in Madrid. Simply put it was the best year of my life, due to the broad variety of experiences I gained from it, which dramatically developed me as a person.
I left for Madrid not knowing a word of Spanish, which in the eyes of some borders between challenging and naive. In the first few weeks this obviously made day-to-day tasks, such as simply going to the shop, a complex experience.
Upon arriving at my host university, I met and got to know a variety of wonderful personalities, many of which I grew tight-knit bonds with throughout my time there.
The wealth of eye-opening, incredible times I had in Madrid is uncountable. From witnessing the picturesque coast of San Sebastián, to celebrating my 21st birthday with new-found friends that I will cherish for life, to the Las Fallas Festival of Valencia, or even having something as incredible as Park de Oeste on my doorstep. These are memories I will never forget.
I aimed to leave from my year abroad being fluent in Spanish. I can safely say I didn’t achieve this. Yet I cannot hold this as a failed aspect of my year abroad because of how it is totally dwarfed by the monumental number of experiences and personal growth I have gone through.
My year in Madrid was undoubtedly the best year of my life, not because every moment was better than the last, but because it allowed me to experience a knew side of myself, and I have come out of it as a grown character in so many ways.