Hello all,

So, here's my story. In Spring of 2002, I studied abroad in Madrid. I traveled all over Spain and fell in love. In May, I will be graduating from college with a degree in Spanish Education and quite frankly, I dont think I want to be a teacher. I have to student teach next semester and Im quite scare because I just dont have the heart to teach like I thought I did.

Regardless, I have to but I definately dont have to find a job right away. Basically what I am doing is running away and where I want to run to is Madrid.

So here is the real meat of the post, the question:

I need help finding a place to stay, how much money anyone thinks I will need, and should I try and find a job or maybe take classes at Compultense where I took them before?

My friend and I are planning on going around September 1st and return in early May so I can be in my best friends wedding We are going to work full time wherever we can once we graduate until September to start making and saving some money.

Anyone have any sugguestions??? Help me come up with some convincing arguments so that my parents will let me go too!! I really want to do this and I really think it will help my Spanish and will be an experience of a lifetime.

Here's the argument for your parents...I'm assuming you are probably about 21 or 22 yrs old, seeing as you've graduated or will graduate soon. Start with,"Mom, Dad...what would you like from Spain? Maybe a toledo sword for you Dad? A Ladro figurine for you mom? Buh, bye" That's really all there is to it, you are an adult, making adult decisions. You migh want to change your argument though so that you sound more like an adult. Instead of,"I'm trying to run away..." how about, " I need to experience more of Spain than I have previously, I want to be ablle to express my great love for the motherland to my future students. In order to do this I need to live there for a period, as a normal everyday person, and not as a 'student-abroad' so to speak." Maybe that helps, maybe not, but good luck, now is as good of a time to move there than ever at this point in your ife.

Hey another student from IL on the board! Well I dont know what to tell you...but Id love to hear what you will have to tell me once you get this going I also studied abroad for a summer (Bilbao), and a semester (Granada), Im only a junior this year, but Im looking for any and every way to get back to Spain, maybe as soon as this summer if I could manage it.

The one thing I can tell you about:
Have you thought about a paid internship through AIESEC? www.aiesec.org Iv applied, been accepted, and am hoping to find something for this summer. BUT, I ALSO have a friend who actually, just like you, is a spanish education major and graduating this year. She also has been accepted into AIESEC and is planning to try to spend next year abroad in Granada. I go to the University of IL, and I don't know where you go to school, but you could check and see if their is an AIESEC on your campus.

Let me know if you find out more!
Kelly