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Madrid, Spain
Morgan Butler

Student Perspective: Morgan in Madrid

Morgan Butler
College of Literature, Science, and Arts

I was motivated to study abroad because I wanted to improve my skills in Spanish as well as expose myself to new ways of organizing urban spaces by visiting a country that was not the US. This was my first time abroad. As a first-generation college student, going abroad and understanding my own capacities to navigate a new country, continue learning a new language, and learn about the city and culture through my classes.

My study abroad experience exceeded every expectation I had for it. Having never traveled abroad before and not having an example in my family to guide me, I was unsure what I would gain from the experience. Studying abroad opened my eyes to the world. My world before going to Spain felt very small. However, watching myself navigate a new city and utilize new forms of public transportation like the metro taught me a lot about myself and the other cities that exist beyond the ones I grew up in. I would recommend that all people take the opportunity in college, while they are young and free to explore that which suits them the best, to go abroad. It’s very beneficial to see the other ways that people in the world live. Further, it can teach you so much more about yourself. I vividly remember how capable I felt when I took to metro by myself for the first time. Learning about new cities and cultures as well as making new friends who were also new to the city was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I used the First-Gen Education Abroad Scholarship to fund my flights to Spain. I’m a student who has always been very conscious of how much money it costs to go to school. I have always been very strategic about how much certain experiences cost. Therefore, for the first half of my college career, I did not think that studying abroad would be financially feasible for me. Prices for international flights are incredibly expensive. A week before I received the email about this scholarship, I actually told my roommates that I would love to go abroad, but only if I could afford it. This scholarship was my deciding factor. Without it, I do not think I would have had this experience, therefore I am incredibly grateful to have received it.

Before studying abroad, I was always confused when people said that they enjoyed traveling. To me, traveling was something you were just born liking. It had not occurred to me that perhaps that way of thinking came from my own family’s lack of traveling. Due to their lack of experience, no one in my family particularly values traveling or sees it as something that adds to your life in a deep and meaningful way. Now that I have been abroad, I understand why people say they like to travel. After seeing so many new places, all with their own rich histories and cultures, kind people, and incredible sights, I see all of its value. The value of being an outsider willing to learn. The unlikely connection you can make to your own life and hometowns. While I did not inherit a love for travel, I found it abroad.

My advice would be to go all in. Find your own kind of balance between studying and hanging out with your built-in-new-friends that are in your program with you. A lot if them are in the same boat as you. They want to explore this new place and need someone to do it with. See the new things. Go to the spots your professors and local students recommend. Take full advantage of being there, but don’t beat yourself up when you ultimately need a day off to rest.