Skimming through all my hundreds of photos trying to pick my entries for Southampton uni's photo competition it struck me what a truly amazing, life-changing year I've had. I couldn't have been happier with how my year turned out. There were tough times of course, times when I couldn't be bothered with the whole bloody thing, but there were also countless moments when I felt truly happy and proud of myself.
Who knew a year ago that I'd manage to move to another country, find myself a place to live, talk myself into two jobs, take up an instrument, make some truly fantastic friends and travel the length and breadth of Spain all using my second language??! Some of you have been with me through it all, whether via this blog or otherwise, and I want to thank you for helping to make my year abroad in Madrid what it was - absolutely incredible!
The rest of this post is made up of photos of some of the most memorable moments from my time away. Spain is a fantastically varied country with some of the most beautiful buildings, crazy people and gorgeous views I've ever encountered; I hope this comes through in my photos.
My first night - Alone in the dark, peering out of the window at the torrential rain and wondering what on earth was going to happen next...
Getting to know my homestay host Isabel and starting to feel a bit "Spanish"
My first visit to the beautiful Retiro park - One of my favourite places throughout the rest of my time in Madrid
Discovering the Claudio Moyano Bookstalls - Just another little thing that added to the magic of my year away
Running down the escalator to the station platform to meet my boyfriend Chris for the first time since I'd gone away after 7 weeks apart. This photo is actually from a later visit as for those first few days together I forgot all about my camera while we explored the city
Watching the famous Jorge Pardo in Madrid's Cafe Central - From this moment on Jazz really caught my imagination
Moving to my new flat in Embajadores (finally escaping my demon of a flatmate!) and meeting my new year abroad pals.
Annabel's 21st birthday at Teatro Kapital - A hilarious night of crazy dancing at Madrid's most infamous nightclub
A Trip to Toledo - My first trip out of Madrid, a fairytale castle, and the start of my insatiable need to see more of Spain...
The arrival of spring! - After a cold, dark winter the start of the warm spring days along with the almendro and cerezo flowers made me look forward to the heat of summer for the first time
Being dwarfed by El Acueducto de Segovia - One of the most impressive structures I've seen in Spain
Leaving the museum where I'd worked for the last 6 months and not having a clue what to do next - One of the most stressful times of my year abroad...
Arriving in Granada and seeing that the Spain I'd always dreamed of was real - Women in frills and men on horseback
The Alhambra and the arabic quarter being as spell-binding as I'd hoped
Staring in awe at the incredible floral displays of the fiesta de los patios in Córdoba - My favourite Spanish festival
Witnessing the legendary beauty of a royal Andalucían garden in May
Standing in Sevilla's Plaza de España at sunset watching the stone turn gold and the fountains flash silver
Starting work at Casa del Libro in Gran Vía - After about a month I had a moment where I felt exactly "right" and happy. Here I was walking out into the sunshine after my shift, heading home to my flatmates, shouting goodbye to my colleagues after spending the morning working on the customer service desk in a shop on the Spanish equivalent of Oxford Street. I would never have believed how far I've come when I arrived in October.
Looking out over the bay in San Sebastián - Great scenery, great food and great company
Lying in the shade in Retiro park for the last meetup of the chicas before we all started to go our separate ways at the end of our time in Spain
Sitting on the rooftop of the Circulo de Bellas Artes, drink in hand, watching the sun set over the Madrid skyline in the last week before I flew home - what a year it has been!
It sounds cheesy but my time away has made me the person I am today; much more confident in myself and ready for another challenge. Madrid has left me with a craving for jamón, a love of Jazz, a horde of new pals and a strong desire to see more of the world. Not to mention a significant improvement in my Spanish. If you're looking forward a little warily to your year abroad or even umming and aahing over whether to set off on one; just go! It'll certainly be the most interesting, challenging, unpredictable and life-changing year you'll have had so far.
To see more of the photos I took of all the wonderful things I saw and did during my year abroad follow me on instagram @madridadrift (find the link at the top right of the page)
To see more of the photos I took of all the wonderful things I saw and did during my year abroad follow me on instagram @madridadrift (find the link at the top right of the page)
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