Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)

Once again I did not live on campus at the Universtiy. I chose to live in a apartment with 4 other Spanish speaking people. I lived with one girl from Chile, 2 from Spain, and 1 male from Columbia. We all got along so well and it made my living situation an unforgetable experience. Living in close quarters with so many different cultures made me more open and attentive to the differences of each culture. It was an amazing opportunity to have experienced this.

I have to say, I truly believe that in general Madrid is has a wonderful social scene and nightlife. The most wonderful thing about it is that everyone goes out to have fun and really dance! Nobody really dances in the US. People are too proud or shy to move their hips a bit. However, this is far from the truth in Madrid, Espana! There everyone from the ages of 16 till death do you part, likes to get up and go out and enjoy life with a couple of canas (small beers) and good friends of course. A couple of my favorite dance spots were La Mona Lisa bar, Zuristan, Sol, and Kapital. Now all of these places that I've listed go up in size and energy level in accordance to the order I have arranged them in. Mona Lisa for example is a bar/nightclub with some of the best music and an unbeatable atmosphere! And the latters ones are great as well however they are much bigger and not as intimate. But they are always fun. As far as cafes go, this is a hard question to answer since Madrid is one big Cafe! That is what I loved so much about Madrid and most of Europe for that matter. Everywhere you go there are so many patios set up (when it's warm of course) where you can enjoy a wonderful Cafe con Leche in the sun or some great aceitunas (olives) with a wonderful Cana. That along with some Jamon Serrano are my personal favorites! That is probably the first thing that I would eat once landed in Madrid. But if I had to name my favorite cafe, it would have to be one of the Museo's de Jamon off of Sol. This place is typical to Madrid and Spain. It's cheap, personable, and you really get to see the Spaniards in action! I love the way the workers yell out the orders to the kitchen. I go there just to hear them do it! The atmosphere is wonderful, but I warn you, don't go in there if you are a Vegetarian!!

Always make have copies of you passport. Take initiative in learning the language of your host country. That means make friends with the locals more than your fellow american students!! And don't forget to smile and have fun!

One cost saving tip that I would highly recommend would be to buy an abono (a Monthly Metro pass), which includes your fair for both the bus and underground metro. This saves you a great deal of money if you are going to stay for a month or longer.

I found my language and communication experience to be totally enriching. I lived among 4 Spanish speaking people everyday, which enable me to pick up the language more quickly. A lot of students found it difficult to communicate with people on an administrative level, or on an intellectual level. I agree that this may be difficult at first, but after one month it should feel easier. At least for me it did. In the end it all boils down to you and your confidence level. You have trust what you know, and you have to have confidence in yourself as a good communicator in a second language. Once you get over this hump, everything starts to become more clear.