“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place…”

“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love, but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.”

After hours and hours of delay to due maintenance issues and repairs  to the plane, I have finally arrived in Madrid! I didn’t have too much trouble navigating my way through the London and Madrid airport, but I did feel slightly embarrassed trying to talk to an employee through thick glass at the Madrid airport because I wasn’t sure if this unlabeled “entrance-only” passage was going to take me through passport checks. Besides that confusion, everything went smoothly. If it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s better to ask questions than try to figure it out yourself… especially if you’re in a foreign country.

After picking up my luggage, I took a taxi into the heart of the city, where my new home is located. I met my house mom, Loles, and she guided me to my room. I started to unpack while she prepared dinner for me. She’s genuinely sweet, and I can tell she loves housing students – she’s been doing it for twenty years. I was pleasantly surprised with the living situation. I have my own bedroom, bathroom, and living room where I can also study.

It’s barely 11 p.m., but I’m ready for bed. I have to wake up early to be at the foundation at 9 a.m. where the other SMU-in-Spain students are meeting together to head to the city of Toledo.

 Here’s what the rest of January looks like so far:

Overall, I’m relieved everything worked out and that I arrived safely to my new home for the next four months. It still seems surreal; I wouldn’t be surprised if I woke up the next morning still surprised to find myself halfway around the world. Goodnight from Madrid!