Interview with Jake Eddy, Semester Student in Madrid

Meet Jake Eddy, a rising freshman at Bryant University in Rhode Island. Jake spent the spring semester studying in Madrid at Universidad Antonio de Nebrija before entering college on a full scholarship for football.

Estudiafuera asked Jake a few questions at the end of the semester about his time in Madrid, and thought that his impressions and wisdom might help other students who are considering studying abroad.

EF: Why did you choose to study in Madrid?
Jake: I chose to study in Madrid because I had a desire to learn the Spanish language, and what better way to do it than to study in the most modernized capital of the Spanish speaking world.

EF: What were your first impressions of Madrid?
Jake: My first impressions of Madrid were incredible. It was nearing the New Year, or Nochevieja, when I arrived in Madrid for the first time. I wanted to go early to get comfortable with some cultural aspects and the lifestyle. It was planned that I meet a my Spanish friend who I graduated from prep school with, and stay with him for a two week duration. While traveling to his house in a taxi on just a perfect day all around, I noticed to my left the tall, elaborate gates of what seemed like a an enormous park. My friend just happened to live next to this most prestigious, most gorgeous park in all of Madrid, Parque del Retiro. When we went that first day, I was astonished by its size and design and just couldn't believe the detail involved. But I'm not going to flatter you with the details, you have to see it for yourself!

EF: Did your impressions change over time?
Jake: My first impressions changed, yes, but for the better. In Madrid, you really never can be bored. I found that meeting people was quite simple for the most part. There are endless amounts of restaurants and bars of all cultures to choose from. If you are really into sight seeing, I hope you have rechargeable batteries for your digital camera because it really is impossible to see everything in a weeks time in Madrid. From the number of art, science, and historical museums to the parks, buildings, bull fights, general site seeing and amazing land features Madrid consists of, sight seeing can easily tire you out. But don't get me wrong, there were times that I missed being at home. But I just thought to myself that I may never see this place again, or a least not at the age I'm at now, so Live it up, no regrets!

EF: What did you like best about life in Madrid?
Jake: What I liked best about life in Madrid was the fact that if you were frustrated with school work, bored, wanted to have some fun, or just needed to get out for a night, you can easily go out and have the time of your life. The night life never stops. The people are friendly. You can meet people, create contacts, and practice the Spanish language while having fun at the same time. There were just a lot of aspects of Madrid that I really appreciated and will never be forgotten.

EF: What did you like least about life in Madrid?
Jake: What I liked least about life in Madrid was the fact that the Majority of the people in the streets smoked. I didn't like that much, and coming from the U.S, I was used to a big breakfast, and while living with an actual Spanish family, I wasn't really satisfied. But you try to make adjustments and find the best way to go about living your Spanish lifestyle. You really have to consider that you are in another country, and need to adapt to the Spanish culture in order to live that type of lifestyle.

EF: Do you think that you have changed over the course of your semester in Spain? How?
Jake: Yes, I think I have changed over my time in Spain. I think I have definitely became more independent. Living in a big city like Madrid I found that it is necessary to plan ahead and schedule future events. There is so much to see, not just the Spanish World, but the European World as well, and traveling in Europe is much more inexpensive than in the States. You really have the flexibility to see what you want in Europe and more for great prices, but research and studying is important. I was on a budget, so it was vital for me to step up and plan future trips which involved quite a lot (Booking hostels, hotels, flights, looking at maps, transportation costs, searching the sites, studying the basics of other European Languages outside of Spain, etc.) I stepped up to the challenge and saw a lots of amazing places with their own special significance and beauty, places that I thought I would never ever see in my lifetime.