while i enjoyed the first few days of getting situated in the madrileno way of life the fun really began when i started my courses i was registered for 12 credit hours at the universidad nebrija six of those hours were upper-level spanish courses and the remaining six were courses in english focused on different aspects of spanish art and culture monday through thursday i spent each day fine-tuning my spanish while also learning about the history and culture of the spanish people before long walking into a restaurant and ordering tapas and cafe in fluent spanish became second nature and i could hold longer and more complex conversations with my host family in spanish i also started noticing how religion and the history of spain influenced the traditions and ceremonies they celebrated and i was amazed at my ability to walk into places like the prado museum and recall detailed accounts of the spanish masterpieces on display without the help of a curator once thursday classes ended i always got ready for a weekend of traveling my education abroad program offered weekly cultural activities aimed at getting a more hands-on experience with spanish culture whether exploring the endless trails of retiro park or volunteering within the madrid community the program also hosted two trips within spain: one to toledo an ancient city on a hill 40 minutes outside of madrid; and one to granada a city richly influenced by islamic culture in the south of spain in toledo we followed a guide through narrow cobblestone roads taking note of the christian islamic and jewish influences throughout this tour i debated whether or not i should buy one of the antique swords the city is known for producing (i unfortunately did not) when we traveled to granada i stood in awe of the alhambra an ancient moorish fortress and fell in love with traditional spanish flamenco when i wasnt traveling through spain i was booking cheap flights to other countries i went to rome saw the colosseum and stood directly under michelangelo's "creation of adam" i had the best pizza of my life while walking through the streets of venice and nearly caught hypothermia after riding a gondola i ate crepes in paris and watched the eiffel tower sparkle while it snowed i went to london and tried fish and chips took a stab at a british accent and stared in wonder at some big ancient rocks known as stonehenge whose origins remain a mystery i went to greece and climbed the acropolis and admired the remnants of the parthenon i went to the netherlands and saw the biggest tulip festival in the world and i even traveled to cairo egypt where i stood atop ancient egyptian history and rode camels past the pyramids of giza the only great wonder of the world still standing as much as i enjoyed my time abroad i was not immune to culture shock there were times when i longed to go home sleep in my own bed and surround myself with comforts specific to america like spicy buffalo sauce from mcdonald's but because of my amazing study abroad program i had a support system and could share my experiences and struggles with students in the same boat as me those connections along with the love and support i had from my friends and family back home made the tough times a lot easier