Anna Lupardo

My study abroad experience was absolutely life changing! I absorbed so much of the Spanish culture living in the city of Madrid. I also learned so much about speaking the language from Spanish class and from my host family! Navigating a city abroad all on my own and with the help of my friends taught me so much about the people living in Spain and their way of life. I am now able to share so much about Madrid with my friends and family back home and I know I will always have a place in Spain with my host family. 

I think something that surprised me about my experience was being able to develop a routine, while still being spontaneous and traveling to different places. I wasn’t expecting to be able to get around the city so well on the metro or being able to pop into the Mercadona whenever I needed, so I was happy to learn those skills quickly, and they only made traveling that much easier! 

I think studying abroad is overly romanticized online. Social media can make you feel like you have to travel to a new country every weekend and make a ton of new friends, if you haven’t gone away with friends you already know. But I think studying abroad is what you make the experience to be for yourself, so even if you do it alone, you can meet new people and learn so much about yourself along the way. You don’t have to travel every weekend to a new country either, you can explore the city you are in as much as you can, especially if you are on a budget! And there will definitely be students that are also on a budget and want to do that with you! 

Since returning home from studying abroad I have become a global ambassador and I have been able to share my experience with lots of other prospective study abroad students! I intend to continue this role until I graduate and continue to share what I loved and learned about my time away, so that other students feel confident enough to apply for the programs that they also want to explore!