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In the spring of 2023, five UD students, from different majors and hometowns, arrived in Madrid, Spain. They were there to take part in a semester-long education abroad program with UD’s exchange partner, Comillas, and would live, study, and explore for five months in a completely new place. What they didn’t know is how it would change their lives forever. We sat down for a conversation with the “Comillas 23”, all now seniors, to hear their perspectives on what they gained from the experience.

Lindsey Beattie is majoring in psychology with social work and communication management minors.

Liesl Carter is a Mechanical Engineering Major with an Energy Systems concentration. 

Aidan Garland is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and his minors are Human Movement Biomechanics and Music. 

Tara McLoughlin is a double major in Communications Management and Spanish, and is completing a Masters Certificate in Nonprofit and Community Leadership. 

Aidan Reno is a Mechanical Engineering major and a Human Movement Biomechanics minor.

Q: So what were the first few days like in Madrid? How did you feel?

Aidan Reno: I think we were all in a similar headspace. We were excited to go to Spain, but didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t have any plans set in stone, except where I was going to eat the very first day (a jamón bocadillo place). I landed in Madrid, took a taxi to the sandwich place, and then had nothing planned after that…and I got hungry again immediately! I was going to be there for five months, and I didn’t really have tons of plans, so I approached the experience with a blank slate mentality.

Aidan Garland: So, unlike Reno, I’m a planner. I had done research, had all these detailed notes and plans. Arriving in Madrid, I felt like a lost puppy. When we were landing, the weather was foggy, so I didn’t get a chance to see Madrid from the airplane and orient myself. For those days, it was strange trying to find my feet and test the waters even though I knew where to buy lunch, and how to get my SIM card for my phone. But the main hurdle was really figuring out how to approach the other Dayton students I was with. I was trying to feel out their personalities and expectations for the time there, and I really wanted to start off our time there by forming those friendships early. On day 3, things turned a corner. 

Lindsey: Tara and I arrived together, on the same plane. I would never have gotten on that plane if it hadn’t been for her! I was utterly terrified. She reassured me that everything was going to be ok. Once we were there, we connected with the others from UD. The first days we had to kind of feel things out: do they want to hang out with us? Should we all go get something to eat? Does anyone know where the laundry is? After the third day, we all knew: we have people in this place. We’ll be ok. 

Tara: Lindsey and I had to take a train to get to our branch of campus, since the city was doing construction work at the time. It was challenging: we had to take the subway to get to the train, and you had to be on the train at a certain time, or you’d arrive late to class. Our professors, though, knew it was a challenge, and they were flexible. The professors were great: my favorite class was called “The Problem of God”, and it was a world religions class. Hearing the perspectives of students from all over the world, from such different backgrounds and countries, was amazing and so interesting. 

What do you feel like you learned from your experience?

Lindsey: The experience in Spain was unlike anything else in my life. You have this preparation before you go, and UD supports you while you’re there, but you can also feel like you’re thrown into the deep end. But we figured it out! That’s what you learn: with all the planning and everything, there were still times that flights were late, or we missed the train, or we couldn’t figure out where the ticket booth was. But we worked it out. Looking back, it’s like, “I did that!”. I’m not always a super open person, and I don’t share my life with people willy-nilly, but this mix of people with me on this adventure were genuinely providing support in such open, honest, and silly ways. They taught me what it was to be open, and what it meant to become truthfully capable of being in the world. 

Tara: My experience abroad came at a strange time of my life, and I had recently been through some family issues. But I met people I didn’t know before who ended up becoming some of my closest friends, people with whom we had this heightened sense of community. We met the challenges together, and I’m genuinely proud of who I became. I know I’m capable, and I have no doubt that we can get through anything. In life you hope you find the right people wherever you end up, but these friends became family to me. There was this beautiful balance between the personalities of each of us: rational, thoughtful, creative, crazy, that allowed everyone to grow: we trusted each other and that’s growth that I couldn’t have had without studying abroad. 

Liesl: We were able to build this confidence, that now, you can put me in any situation and I’ll work it out. I’m not going to be worried or concerned, because I’ve figured it out. I have all the right tools and skills to find a solution. 

Aidan Garland: The experience got me out of my comfort zone in a big way. We planned visits outside of Madrid: Valencia, Sevilla, Toledo. And lots of trips out of the country, since it’s so easy to do in Europe. Most of the trips were with different combinations of people: one or two of us, or sometimes all of us. Even though I planned a lot of these excursions, it was the experiences that I didn’t plan for ahead of time that I have the best memories from. I learned to be spontaneous when I needed to be, and that’s a genuine and life-impacting process that I didn’t expect. I was changed by the experience, so much so that it’s hard to remember who I was before.

Aidan Reno: I learned that I can thrive when I need to rise to the occasion, in a situation where I’m not fully part of the culture, and I’m experiencing culture shock, I can embrace the challenge, and grow to enjoy the unknown. When I got home to the US after the experience, I saw that tickets to Madrid were cheaper than tickets to Orlando! That flipped a switch for me. Before I never would have chosen to go overseas. Now…why would I go to Florida if I can go to Spain? After graduation, I hope to return as an English language teaching assistant. I’m thankful and grateful for studying abroad, but even more than that, I’m grateful for these guys. I would trust them with anything!

Liesl (as everyone nods): Absolutely. One hundred per cent.