My Erasmus

In Madrid

by Melis Mustafa

THE SCHOOL

The CIM is located right beside the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, so it was incredible to be next to such a beautiful place every day. The atmosphere at the school was really positive: the students were funny and welcoming, and I made lots of friends, even though I was the only Italian in my class. Some teachers didn’t interact much, bus others were very kind and genuinely interested in us. In the mornings we followed normal academic subjects, and in the afternoons we had music classes, since the school is also a conservatory and the only one in Spain that works this way. Some days were very tiring, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot, especially to do with music

My host family was extremely welcoming, and staying with them was an amazing experience. Bruno, the dad, is a violin teacher, which made me very nervous at first, but he turned out to be very kind and his advice really helped me improve. I also treasure the Spanish lessons that Rosana, the mum, gave me almost every day while we drove to pick up Ainhoa: they were one of the funniest parts of the day! And they also helped me learn improve my speaking a lot! I bonded with every member of the family and even with their friends. I even joined contemporary dance classes at Ainhoa and Emma’s dance school, which I surprisingly really enjoyed! I had a wonderful experience staying at the Palenzuela-Moreno family and I can’t wait to meet them again in the summer!

MY HOST FAMILY

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE

At first, the hardest challenge was definitely the language barrier, but in a very short time I learned a lot of Spanish and was able to overcome it. I made many friends, some of which I’m still in contact with, who taught me a lot about their culture and traditions. I tasted amazing food, saw beautiful sights, and met wonderful people. Overall, I’m immensely greateful to have had this experience, and would definitely repeat it if it was possible

Thank you!