From navigating the airport to navigating the metro

CIEE students departed from all over the country to many destinations around the world, but no matter where they were from or where they were going the emotions were the same. Nervousness, excitement, uncertainty; these feelings were shared across the board.

Students traveled to Madrid from all over the United States, some on their own, some chaperoned by Program Leaders. All found their way to their gates as the River of Blue t-shirts grew, so did our community. Students began to feel a sense of belonging seeing so many other people their age taking their first steps on the path to become better global citizens. After long flights, they were all received at the airport in Madrid by local staff and Program Leaders. Carrying with them a mix of nervousness and excitement–and lots of jet-lag.

As they went to the hotel, they began their adventure in the city and slowly started building connections with their peers and leaders. We fought tiredness with ice-breakers and games, and when everyone had arrived, we took public transportation into the heart of the city. Once there, they finally got the opportunity to visit the local CIEE center, at calle Aduana 33.

After checking in and resting, we headed to dinner, at the hotel, and enjoyed a meal together.

Our first full morning included Orientation, safety, meeting the staff, and more. We started with “fears and cheers” where students annotated what they were fearful of and also looking forward to. Some of the most common fears included speaking Spanish, getting lost, navigating the metro system, getting pickpocketed, and meeting their host families.

At least one of those fears was assuaged as we headed into the city in the afternoon, learning how the metro works, using our public transportation cards for the second time, while getting to and from different parts of the beautiful Madrid. By the end of the day students were able to read the map and lead the way!

Upon return to the hotel, host families started trickling in to pick students up, and many nerves faded into warm welcomes, hugs, hand-shakes, and some customary Spanish two kisses… The adventure begins!

Yours,

Julie, Lytice, Megan, Betsa, and Becky