I visited Madrid last september when my class and a spanish class did an exchange programme through the school. A spanish girl came to live with me for about a week and went to school with me and experienced Copenhagen, whereafter my class and I went to Madrid where I lived at her place and went to school with her and experienced Madrid. This was a unique experience as we experienced the cities through the local point of view and got to speak a lot of spanish.

A situation where you are being forced to speak a foreign language is way better than a situation where you can just speak english and everyone will understand. Like when I was forced to give an old taxi driver directions for about an hour around midnight because he did not have a GPS and did not know a single word of english... This week in Madrid challenged me and improved my spanish a lot. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I believe that I got to experience a side of Madrid that turists do not. Therefore, always challenge yourself and try to experience the culture through the locals rather than the turist companies. Exchange is a great way to do that.

Madrid is a beautiful city which can be seen through the lens.