#laurenniss

[umichenginabroad]

Last Blog!

It's been a week since I left Madrid and I can't believe my abroad experience is already over. I spent the past week in Switzerland with my family which was a super amazing place, but I am definitely happy to finally be home. After basically never having been out of the country before this summer, this has been an amazing learning experience for me and I have grown in so many ways these past two months. If I could give future study abroad students any advice, it would be this:

Be okay with things being hard: When people talk about study abroad experiences, they tend to mainly mention the super fun and exciting mind-expanding parts. And while these parts are definitely real, living in a completely new place with all new people where you may not even speak the language is also super uncomfortable and scary, and that's 100% normal. I promise you everyone else is feeling the exact same way, so don't stress if you think you're the only one having that experience.

Advocate for yourself: For context, I switched my housing situation 3 times. And I'm grateful that I did. My quality of life and happiness increased a lot when I was finally living in an apartment. I won't get into detail on why I needed to leave my homestay, but all I have to say is trust your gut. My only regret about that situation was not leaving earlier. If you know there is something that is not suiting you, then make sure you advocate for yourself to change that situation, even if it takes a little bit of persistence with the program director...

Do your research: Take advantage of being in another part of the world! Especially if you are anywhere in Europe, so many cool places to visit are way more accessible than they would be from the US, so definitely take as many weekend trips as your budget can allow for. On top of that, make sure to put the work into researching every place you go. I definitely wish I had put a bit more thought and research into my weekend trips and had optimized my spending and experiences a little better. Before you go anywhere make sure think about what type of things you want to see/do and put research into flights, hostels, transportation around the city, food, activities, and sightseeing to make your trips worthwhile.

Have fun: Lastly, don't forget to have fun! Socialize with locals and people in your program, plan activities in your city for free days, keep an open mind always, take time to yourself and overall just be excited for all of the new experiences you will have!

And here's some photos of the beautiful Swiss Alps for y'all:

One last ¡adios!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

Adios Madrid!

Our final week is over! I am heading to Switzerland for vacation with my family next, so I still haven’t processed quite yet that I’m leaving, but it feels pretty bittersweet. Part of me is excited to go home and return to all things comfort, while part of me is sad to leave this cool place and all of the exciting components of travel. 

This week I had finals, so I spent most of Tuesday studying with a couple of friends. On Wednesday I had my exam (I passed!) and then we went shopping and had açaí bowls to celebrate the end of classes. On Thursday, I made a big decision I had been thinking about for a while and I got a tattoo! It is an outline of arms hugging themselves in the shape of a heart with butterflies. It is a symbol of self love and new beginnings. This process was quite nerve-racking—from searching for an artist I trusted and liked to committing to a design—but I’m very happy with the result! 

On Thursday night we had our farewell dinner with the program, and then celebrated by going to our favorite pub one last time. On Friday I went to the Harry Styles concert with my sister! The concert was in an outdoor festival type venue and he was so good! He even did an onstage gender reveal for a fan which was quite cute. 

Today I said goodbye to my roommates who were leaving for their flights early this morning :( and then finished packing up my stuff, checked out of my apartment and headed to my parents Airbnb. It truly has been an eventful two months and it feels bittersweet that this era has come to an end. I can definitely say I have learned and grown a lot through this experience and I am glad I had the privilege of having it. I have one more final blog post to come with thoughts and reflections, and then my time on the IPE Tumblr is complete!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

A week of Madrid's heat, Segovia, Arctic Monkeys and the Zoo!

Second week of July and all I can say is that they weren’t kidding when they said Madrid summers get HOT. With 100 degree weather each day and no A/C in our apartment I can definitely say I’m having the full Madrid experience. That being said, after being away in Sicily for four days it has still been nice to be back in Madrid and able to spend more time exploring the city in our last full week!

On Monday and Tuesday I spent some time outside reading and redecorating the porch area by my window in our apartment. Then on Wednesday we went to the Madrid Zoo Aquarium! The Zoo was pretty cool, I haven’t been to a Zoo in a while and there were many fun animals for us to see. On Thursday we visited La Gatoteca. La Gatoteca is a cat cafe where you can play with cats while having a glass of tea or coffee, and all of the cats are adoptable! These cats were very cute although definitely a little sleepy from all of the social contact. 

On Saturday we had a day trip with our program to Segovia. The weather was not too warm (amazing) and Segovia was a super cute city! We had a walking tour where we saw the aqueducts, Alcazar, Cathedral and Plaza Mayor of Segovia. At the end of our walking tour we climbed 152 stairs to get to the top of the Alcazar and have a birds eye view of the whole city. Afterwards we got lunch and then bussed to La Granja de San IIdefonso, a famous garden in Segovia outside the palace. We were able to watch the fountain show before catching a bus ride back to Madrid. 

On Sunday my parents were in town for the morning, so I got brunch with them and then met up with friends to go to the El Rastro Flea Market. I bought a few gifts for friends from home and a fun sweater vest to wear to the Harry Styles concert this Friday! Finally, last night a couple friends and I went to see the Arctic Monkeys play in the WiZink center in Madrid and it was amazing!! The venue was pretty small and we were on the floor, so we got pretty close to the band which was cool. My favorite of their song performances had to be “Do I Wanna Know?” and “Fluorescent Adolescent.”

Can’t wait to update y’all on my last week in Madrid!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

Sicily!!!!

Week 6 of 8 has ended! Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to half of my roommates on Thursday since their program ends earlier than ours. We celebrated their last night at our favorite pub right near our apartment, and here's a pic of all of us saying goodbye :((.

On the bright side, we flew out to Italy Friday morning! There were definitely some setbacks to this trip — we didn’t realize how far apart other attractions (like the beach) were from the center of Palermo, and public transportation was not super convenient, so we struggled a bit on getting around the island. Additionally, our airbnb lost power Friday afternoon and we could not get in contact with our host until the next morning, so definitely not a five star experience. However, despite these setbacks we managed to make the most of our time in Sicily and overall had a super fun trip!

On Thursday we flew in early in the morning, dropped our stuff, settled in at the airbnb and spent the afternoon exploring the city. A wedding happened to be taking place in a beautiful church right next to our lunch spot, so we got to watch the couple come outside and celebrate with their friends right after getting married which was really cute. On Friday morning we managed to find a taxi to the beach and spent most of the day there, just relaxing and swimming in the water. The beach had super clear blue waters and was surrounded by mountains in every direction. Friday night we explored a huge festival that happened to be going on with a bunch of Italian artists, but we didn’t know much of the music and didn’t stay for long.

Saturday was definitely my favorite day of the trip. We spent the morning exploring more of Palermo and walked on top of the cathedral to see a breathtaking overlook of the entire city. For sunset on Saturday, we took a boat tour right off the port of Palermo. The views were super serene and we got to swim as the sun was going down and the light was reflecting off of all of the surrounding mountains in the background. The tour also provided wine and snacks, and the guides were super nice. After the tour we went into town and enjoyed a bit of the Palermo night life. 

Overall, the city of Palermo was not exactly what I had been expecting. Don't get me wrong, it is a super cool city but there is also a very large disparity in wealth that becomes pretty obvious when you are walking through. The streets will go from being very modern, clean and lined with shops and restaurants to filled with piles of trash, cigarette butts and more run down buildings all within a five minute walk. There is still lots to see and the city is definitely worth visiting, but if you do, make sure you know what to expect and have your activities prepared. If I were to do it again, I would definitely make sure to get a rental car and also plan in advance to spend a night or two exploring the smaller surrounding islands or other cities in Sicily. One random thing I loved about Palermo was how many stray cats there were, all over the city. They seem to manage living on their own well and they are super cute to watch.

Can’t wait to see what these last two weeks hold!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

5 Weeks In!

Last few weeks and doing everything I can to make the most of it! I stayed in Madrid this week + weekend and it was honestly so nice to have extended time in one place for the first time in a while. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my roommates which has been super fun! We’ve been doing all kinds of activities together, from cooking in our apartment to exploring museums and having late nights out in the city.

On Wednesday I was finally able to check out the famous Reina Sofia Art Museum. I don’t know much about art so I don’t have a great perspective on the museum but it was super large and it was fun to look at many of the paintings. After the art museum, we went to a flamenco dinner and show, which is a famous Spanish dance performance. The show was amazing and all the dancers were super talented. The coolest parts were that the music was made through clapping and the sound of their shoes tapping on the ground, and none of the dances are choreographed. 

On Thursday we explored the area of Malasana, a place with a lot of cute shops, vintage stores and bars. This part of town might be my favorite part of Madrid so far, there are so many colors and cute decorations all around the area. We spent a few hours browsing the vintage stores and shopping.

On Friday morning we took a walk altogether in Parque del Oeste which was super hot but fun. One of my favorite parts of Madrid is how the second you go into a park you completely forget that you are in the city because of how spacious and well kept they are. That night we made the trek across the city to Cerro del Tio Pio, or the Parque de las Siete Tetas. This part is a main attraction in Madrid for watching the sunset, and gets its name from the 7 large mounds sticking out of the ground where you can sit and get a great view of the city.

On Sunday I had the chance to check out El Rastro Flea Market. This market exceeded my expectations merely in size and the amount of stuff you can find there. The market takes up around three or four full streets just filled with stands selling all kinds of clothes and knickknacks. Definitely was a good place to shop for gifts for people from home. 

This week has definitely been a bit more chill than most, but I really enjoyed the change in pace from traveling every weekend. I leave for Sicily tomorrow, so more updates from that trip to come!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

Week 4 and Trip to Sevilla!

Halfway through my time here and I can’t believe it. I still feel like my abroad experience is just beginning. More housing changes but I finally was able to move into an apartment at the beginning of last week, so I am now living with six of my friends in our program which has been SO much fun. 

I started off the week with a cooking class! We made paella, tortilla de patatas, tarta de santiago (an almond and lemony pastry), and salmorejo (a Spanish soup including tomatoes, olive oil and garlic). All of the food was delicious, but the paella had to be my favorite. On Tuesday I had the chance to check out the Yatai market, which was a super chill Asian market in the center of the city. They had all types of noodles and asian dishes but I ended up getting sushi from a restaurant in the back which was so good. The market also had a cute seating area where I enjoyed my sushi with one of my friends for her last night in Madrid. 

This weekend, our program took us on a trip to Sevilla. The weather was super hot, over 100 degrees, but we didn’t let that stop us from getting the most out of the city. Almost all of the students in the program went on the trip, which was super fun and allowed me to get closer with a bunch of the students I had never met before! 

The city of Sevilla was so beautiful, it might have been my favorite Spanish city so far. It reminded me of Porto where all of the streets are narrow and stone, but it was much less touristy than Porto. I loved the way that the city’s layout created a very cozy small town vibe. All of the historical monuments in the city were filled with super intricate detail and tiling. Almost every building is styled in a way that fits right into the antique aesthetic of the city. One of my housemates described Sevilla as “a modern life happening within ancient buildings.” 

In Sevilla, we went on walking tours, explored the plaza, and were even able to see the sunset on Setas de Sevilla, a popular building where you can stand on top and look out over the whole city. I had some of the best food I’ve had yet in Spain, including garlic chicken skewers, pork tacos and tuna and potatoes. Overall, many memories were made and this trip was one of my favorite weekends so far. 

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

Big Changes in Week 3

This week has been filled with lots of ups and downs. First, I moved out of my homestay and into a new one. I won’t go into detail on why I moved out, but I just wanna remind everyone to always trust your gut and advocate for yourself, especially when in entirely new country. Besides that, I had classes all week and my first quizzes. Both went fairly well! I spent lots of time with friends studying and chatting in coffee shops and residencias which was actually a lot of fun. I visited the famous Sam Miguel market and was able to try tasty paella and bao buns. I had a sunset picnic with a few friends in el Parque Oeste which was very pretty and also spent a lot of time just reading and relaxing by myself in parks or cafes near my homestay. 

For one of our days in my Spanish Civilization and Culture class we took a trip to the museum La Serrería Belga and then walked around the city, passing by the botanical gardens and Prado, eventually ending our journey at Retiro Park. In the park our professor guided us towards the peacocks, which were super cool and unlike any animal I have seen before. 

This weekend I took a trip to Malaga, a city on the southern coast of Spain. I was visiting a friend from high school for his birthday and I had a great time! The city is a bit more quiet than Madrid and the weekend away was a nice change of pace. Malaga is a super nice beach town with colorful stone apartments and lots of places to eat and relax in the sun. 

One thing I learned this week was the value of spending time alone to rest and recuperate, especially when in a completely new environment. For those who are thinking about spending an extended period of time abroad, be prepared to feel a little lost and uncomfortable. Simple everyday tasks can easily become overwhelming challenges when you don’t know where anything is or speak the language of the city. It is easy to always be on the go, but seeking out downtime to relax and be by myself has been one of the key elements that has kept me sane on this trip.

See you next week!

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid

[umichenginabroad]

Week 2: Tattoos, Rooftops and Porto!

This week has been quite hectic! I finally feel like I am getting into the groove of classes and it is honestly nice to have a routine. All of my professors are super nice and helpful, and I don’t anticipate either class being too overwhelming. One of my friends is visiting Madrid for the week, so I have spent a lot of time hanging out with her along with the other students in my program. Highlights of this week have been:

Going with my friend to get her first tattoo! Along with getting a new ear piercing of my own (fyi - piercings are super cheap in Madrid…). She got the Salamanca frog which is representative of good luck!

Rooftop bars! So many great places to overlook the city and have a drink (mocktails of course). Also, one of my friends cooked all of us dinner in one of the residencias before going out which was super fun.

And my top highlight of the week was taking a weekend trip to Porto, Portugal! This city was absolutely so beautiful and would definitely recommend anyone in Europe to visit. I had a ton of super good seafood, including octopus, sushi and shrimp tacos! We spent Friday morning through Sunday morning in the city, our flights costing around 80 euros. We stayed in Porto Wine Hostel right in the center of town which was around 40 euros a night and super nice. Everyone in the Hostel was very social and we made a good few friends! 

Porto is a super cute old city, with roads made of stone and tons of colorful architecture and pretty tiles. We spent most of Friday sightseeing — grabbing food, shopping around town, walking the famous bridge, seeing all the classic Porto spots and even taking a cable car up for a fun view of the city. On Saturday we got brunch at the famous pancake restaurant (they were so good), went to the beach and watched the sunset while having a picnic in the Morro Garden. Porto for the weekend was a super nice getaway and I enjoyed the slower pace of the town for a couple days. 

Lauren Niss

Biomedical Engineering

CEA Engineering in Madrid