Getting Involved & Living Like a Local: Blog #4

While I am abroad in Spain I hope to be integrated in the community like a local. My first step is to do things that will get me involved in the campus. I plan on signing up for the orientation group for international students offered by the school. I want to find friends in the international group that will be experiencing similar things as me. I also want to find friends who are locals to Madrid or anywhere in Spain. Living like a local to me means going out for tapas at a local restaurant to watch a soccer game. It also means having late night dinners around 10 pm which is the norm for Spaniards. I plan on fully immersing myself in Spain by forcing myself to always speak Spanish even when I'm unsure of the right words to use. I plan on making local friends by simply going out and being in a social scene. I also know some students in Madrid so I can meet up with them to find mutual friends. My day to day would consists of going to class and touring the city of Madrid. At night I would like to go out to eat with new possible friends and see the social scene. I hope to gain long life friends, fluency in Spanish, and a great time in the country. To help ease my transition in being in a new country I will stay positive and call friends or family when I need them. I will also try to talk to other exchange students who are going through this with me. Overall, I plan on Spain being a great experience for me and a lifetime full of memories.