Michael Howell: Blog Post #2

It has almost been one month of me moving across the world in Spain and it finally feels like my new home. Although I had only ever met one other person from my group coming into Spain, I can confidently say that I now have a strong support group in my new country. This support group contains all the other members in my group from TCU, who I have grown very close to, members of other universities studying abroad in Madrid, and countless locals who have supported me greatly with the transition.  

The weekend before our classes started, most of my group and I went on a weekend trip to Morocco. During this trip we all stayed together in a Riad, where we got to know each other a lot more. We also did a local tour, where we road camels through the desert. 

This trip was also a huge culture shock, as walking through the streets of Marrakech opened my eyes to a whole new reality. The whole reason I wanted to study abroad was to gain insights into different cultures all over the world, and this was a great first trip. In the picture above, I sat down with a Moroccan lady and helped her make some skin care products out of argan oil.  

The key to having a successful home in any place, is to build a strong support system, and that starts with the group I came with. After that I made strong efforts to introduce myself to locals, whom I have already met several times. Surrounding myself with locals is also the best way that I have found to learn foreign languages. 

 

Hasta Luego, 

 Michael