Málaga: My Home Away From Home

Leah Miller is a student at Westminster College and an ISA Featured Blogger. Leah is currently studying abroad with ISA in Málaga, Spain.

The group of students from my first intensive month – they all taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined learning.
The group of students from my first intensive month – they all taught me so much more than I could have ever imagined learning.

My notebook of Spanish vocabulary seems to have an endless supply of sand from the beach and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Malaga is home now and my routine is natural.  These past months have been unlike anything I have ever experienced; I never want it to end.

I wake up to five hours of Spanish class with some of the most interesting students and professors I have ever met. Our little classroom of students from around the world is filled with conversations that continue to challenge everything I believe in. The accents are strong and grammar can be difficult but we have built an environment where new friends learn and grow together.

My siesta buddies.
My siesta buddies.

Surrounded by the chatter of locals and the sound of the waves on the beach, I spend my afternoons studying and taking “siestas” on the beach. I usually find a way to practice my Spanish through “intercambios” on the beach or in the center with many of the Spaniards. They are so eager to learn English and teach Spanish; it is inspiring.

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The center in Malaga is a great place to meet locals and practice Spanish.

My routine is natural; I fell right into place so quickly here in Malaga. It seems I have always been destined to live here and I feel so at home. I am learning, growing and building my life around the culture I have fallen in love with. This city has stolen my heart.

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