My homestay

Goya Metro Station

I’ll be living with a local family while in Madrid, which should help me get a taste of what it means to experience everyday life in Madrid. During the homestay, the señoras, or a house mothers, do laundry for the students, provide meals, and simply act as a home away from home to help us navigate the new culture. Though students are normally hosted by single older women, often divorcées or widows, I live with a nice couple from Romania, Lili and Vlad. They take turns making our meals and they’re both awesome cooks — everyone is especially jealous of our packed lunches everyday.

Because Madrid is a city with around 3.3 million people, most people live in small apartments spread throughout the city. Though we live in a popular, in-demand district, our cozy little flat in the middle of Salamanca is no exception. They use space pretty effectively here: all of the apartment buildings are on top of stores, restaurants, and bars; ours is right above a bar owned by a friend of my host father. Our apartment isn’t too big, but it has just enough space for everything, and I actually think I have more closet and drawer space here than I did in my dorm rooms back on campus. The setup is pretty simple, with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom with a small shower, a master bedroom, and two smaller bedrooms, one for me and one for Ben. I’ve included some pictures to help you get a feel for our everyday life here.

One thing that’s a little different from what I’m used to is we, like most people in Madrid, don’t actually have a dryer. There’s a small washing machine in the kitchen, but all of our clothes are hung out on the clothesline outside to dry. The clothes feel a little different and aren’t as tight because they don’t shrink in the wash, but it’s not bad at all. It was only a little weird when I woke up one day and saw my underwear laid out on the radiator to dry!

Overall, I’m definitely glad that my study abroad program includes a homestay. Ben and I actually feel like part of a family and know that our “house parents” will be there for us if we need them. It also helps make the experience of living in Madrid more real. Because all the students on our program are so spread out, we are able to experience different parts of Madrid and get to know our different areas. I’m within a 20 minute Metro trip to both the AU Study Center and ICADE, and only around 15 minutes from Sol, the cultural center of the city. I already feel like we’re really getting to know Madrid and the lay of the land!