Moving to Madrid, Spain from Tennessee

This will be one of a few blog posts that I make when I primarily talk about myself, I promise. Right now, I am less than a week away from moving to Madrid, Spain for the next ten months, and I want to tell you all a little about myself and why I am making that move. 

Who am I?

My name is Brody, I am 22 right now, but my birthday is next week so I am practically 23 years old. I am a virgo, a Myers Briggs ESTJ, and enneagram 3w2, and I was born and raised in a small city in Northeast Tennessee called Kingsport. I lived there for 18 years until I moved an hour and a half away to Knoxville, Tennessee for college. 

What is my academic background?

I just graduated from the University of Tennessee this past May with a degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering. (If you are in high school and considering UTK, it was one of the best decisions that I could have made, so I highly recommend it.) While I was there I had a minor in public health and another in leadership studies. While I did earn an engineering degree, I was also a pre-med student, and I hope to go to medical school after a gap year or two. 

Why teach abroad?

I didn’t feel like I was ready to go right into medical school following completing my undergraduate degree. Sure, I could have not taken a gap year, but I have heard of so many stories where people did such meaningful and fun activities during a gap year before starting medical school. Therefore, I wanted to travel while I am young, and I figured out that I could teach abroad so I could stay abroad longer. That is not my only reason for deciding to teach abroad, but that combined with my desire to learn Spanish and my passion for education helped push me towards that decision. 

What are my goals?

My first goal for this year is to learn Spanish. I already know English and German, but I have seen firsthand how useful knowing Spanish while working in US healthcare can be. Another goal is to learn about and from Spanish culture. I have never been out of the USA before, and I am excited for the opportunity to learn and live abroad. Additionally, I hope to learn to be a good teacher. I think that almost anyone can take teaching skills into other areas of their life, so I am excited that I will be helping to teach high schoolers abroad. 

What am I most excited and nervous about?

I am most excited for the opportunity to live and travel abroad. It is so much easier to travel to different countries while in Europe than it is in the States, so I hope to use the free time that I do have to see as much of Spain and Western Europe as I can. 

I am most nervous about moving abroad away from my friends and family. I love that CIEE is a large program that has allowed me to make friends with other participants already, but leaving my support system will be hard, especially with the 6 hour time difference.