Discovering the beauty of Madrid

For many years I have been dreaming of going and living in Spain. I have always been attracted by those joyful colours, those joyful people, the food, the tradition and so on. So when I got accepted for an internship in an NGO, my heart exploded with joy.

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Some months after being accepted, my experience in Madrid started. I cannot say that the beginning was easy: finding a flat in Madrid is a true nightmare. Luckily though, I knew already a bunch of people living in Madrid, mainly locals who soon introduced me to the beauty and Movida of Madrid. I gotta admit that I did not fall in love with the city immediately, it actually took me some time. Initially, Madrid looked to me as a beautiful yet very chaotic and soulless city. It was not the Spain I've imagined.

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People were always in a hurry, not that open to meeting foreigners. It soon made sense though: Madrid is a hub for the development of the country and is no different than any other capitalistic cities all over Europe. This is not surprising neither in the era of globalization that makes us more and more similar.

Madrid is yet fascinating. You can get lost through its streets, put your head up and enjoy the contrast of the white of the buildings and the blue of the sky. You can get lost through its streets and discover new cozy bars, shops, new areas where you can literally breathe the involvement of the Madrilenos in the civil society.

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This is what impressed me the most because Madrid is part of a Catholic country, yet in contrast with that it allowed and enjoyed the development of a gay barrio. It is incredible how the locals accepted all of this and it questions the issue of to what extent are Spanish people actually by the moral of the Church. Madrid indeed raised a lot of questions. It questioned my idea of Spain and ultimately it made me fall in love with it.

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