Exchange In Madrid – 2015

Hola Chicos !

After leaving Australia almost 3 months ago, I am very glad to have finally settled in Madrid. I spent roughly two and a half months backpacking prior to arriving in Madrid. I visited roughly 16 countries and plenty of cities.

My exchange is based at Carlos III Universidad in Getafe (roughly 20 minuted out of the centre). I am living in central Madrid in a shared flat with 5 other girls. My bedroom has a beautiful balcony looking out over the street as well as a double bed, a desk and a wardrobe. I am living with one Australian, two Spanish girls and two Italian girls. We converse predominately in Spanish around the house but sometimes switch to English. Unlike the other countries I have visited in Europe, English is rarely spoken in Spain. This has proved to been quite difficult at times when no one was able to understand my broken Spanish.

I am currently one week into University and throughly enjoying it. We had our orientation two weeks ago at the University main campus. We were welcomed with free sangria and a picnic with our new Erasmus and Non-European Mobility friends. There were plenty of companies that visited the campus during the first week. These companies organise various trips and activities to ultimately better our exchange experience.

Having been in Spain for one month, my Spanish has improved significantly, my sense of direction has improved and my confidence has definitely grown. I have been to several cities in Spain, including Valencia and Barcelona. Next weekend I will be visiting Granada. Living overseas is incredibly different to living at home. There is a party every night of the week and various events every weekend. Alcohol is incredibly cheap in Spain and soon everyone discovers the cheapest Sangria bars and Tapas restaurants.

I cannot wait for the rest of my exchange experience and look forward to Oktoberfest in less then a months time!

Sarah Gallagher – 12001107. Please email me at Sarahgallagher1996@gmail.com for any questions !