Second Week Summary by Students

Today's blog post comes from two students in the Honors Language and Culture Program. Let's see what Isabella Clemons has to say:

These first two weeks in the program have truly been two of the most amazing weeks of my life.  In fact, amazing has to be an understatement, they have been utterly incredible.  I have been challenged in so many different ways and have grown so much as a person.  Between living away from my family and comforts in the United States, and speaking completely in Spanish to native speakers, so much has changed in such a short amount of time.  My level of independence has grown and my appreciation of other cultures has skyrocketed.
One of my favorite parts of this program is getting the chance to explore the city, not as tourists, but as students living in Madrid.  Getting to know the city and the local shops is such a wonderful experience.  Also, learning how to use public transportation has been interesting.  I love how almost any part of the city is accessible with a little bit of time, a metrocard, and good walking shoes.  From my apartment in the city I have been able to see famous landmarks such as Templo de Debod, Palacio Real de Madrid, and Museo Nacional del Prado, as well as not-so-famous landmarks such as cafes and small businesses.  With CIEE we were also able to take a day trip to the town of Segovia.  The calmness of Segovia was a relaxing break from the business of life in Madrid.  The lake we visited was a lovely contrast to the urban center of Madrid and the town itself is gorgeous.
Overall, these two weeks have been amazing and the people I have met are incredible.  I cannot wait to see what the rest of the program has in store!!
Isa <3
 

And now some words from Ryan Cozzi:

Hi! My name is Ryan and I'm in level two of the honors program for CIEE's study abroad in Madrid. While every day is a new adventure, we recently had our day trip to Segovia. Segovia is about an hour or so away from Madrid but it was well worth the wait. We left early in the morning in order to go kayaking. My friend Isa and I tried our best, but we were definitely better at playing beach volleyball afterwards. We explored the town of Segovia for around two warm, warm hours. We saw various monuments that astonished me again and again—castles, aqueducts, down to the statues in the parks. We had such a good time, we can't wait for our trip to Valencia next weekend!