Preparing for life in Spain

Hello & happy you're here!!! My name is Madi and I am from Mooresville, Indiana!! I'm a recent graduate of Purdue University, where I studied Linguistics and Spanish as a double-major. I fell absolutely in love with Spanish and learning languages all throughout school.. so when I heard about CIEE through a friend, I was obsessed! The day I found out I was accepted into the Teach in Spain program is a day that I will never forget. Almost 23 years of not being able to travel outside the country due to financial reasons and COVID lead to this moment; LIVING in another country! Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it!! 

This summer, I have been taking the TEFL Certification Course that CIEE offers while interning in Indianapolis to save for the fall! The flexibility of CIEE and their TEFL course has made it so easy to balance seeing family and friends, work, and school! My goals with this certification and program are to absorb as much cultural, life, and career experiences as I can. With an Aunt from Bilbao, Spain, I have a little bit of insight to what the environment in Spain will be like. With siestas, dinner at 8pm, metro, phone plans, and the main language being Spanish, I will have a lot to get used to! Although there is so much going on in my brain right now about how to prepare for this type of adventure, I don't know if I'll ever be fully ready for an experience as spontaneous as this one! :) 

About two weeks ago, I submitted my application for my student visa to the Chicago Spanish Consulate! I'm waiting until I receive acceptance to book my flight, then it's only a month and a half until I leave!! 

To finish my first blog post, I am going to share something one of my Purdue Spanish professors put at the end of every single email!! :')  

"Love is the strongest power in the Universe" 

May we all be as influential as he is!!!