Suzie Kim
W’27
Marketing and Finance
SA: Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE)
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- Finding ways to explore your city’s local culture beyond sightseeing. I made sure to explore various Madrid neighborhoods in my free time, learn Spanish norms and phrases, and experience everything from Madrid’s food (especially tapas) to arts and sports. By the end of the semester, I had found my local go-to spots, like my favorite café and place to watch the sunset.
- Making new friends while abroad. I appreciated getting to know the Penn cohort I went abroad with while also meeting many new faces. Several of the friends I became closest with were students from other universities who I met through orientation or classes and ultimately spent time with in Madrid and traveled with throughout the semester.
- Balancing time spent in your host country with international travel. I visited many different countries during my time abroad, but I also made sure to prioritize my time in Madrid and Spain. Some of my favorite days and weekends were spent in Madrid or taking the train a couple of hours away to explore another Spanish city!
- Documenting and reflecting on your time abroad. I was intentional about documenting my travels and experiences, whether through journaling or collecting postcards from every city I visited and writing my favorite memories from those trips on the back of each one. I’m so glad I have those to look back on and remember what I was experiencing in the moment.
My Experience Abroad
As someone studying business at Penn, I wanted to use my study abroad experience as an opportunity to lean more into liberal arts coursework that differed from my typical studies. I intentionally took courses that would help me better understand the culture of Madrid and Spain. For example, I took Cinema & Ideology in Francoist Spain and OLÉ: Overview of Life in España, both of which I found to be applicable to my daily life in Madrid. I could see what I was learning in my everyday interactions (e.g., music, traditions, manners) and was able to understand the history behind many of the political and social dynamics in the country.
Further, both the living and academic components of my experience (e.g., taking an Economics of the EU course) contributed to my broader global knowledge, which was important to me both for my growth as a person and in a business context as I look ahead to my career.
In particular, as someone interested in marketing and retail, I noticed that the retail environment in Spain is quite different from the U.S. There are fruterÃas, panaderÃas, and mercados on every corner, and department stores like El Corte Inglés are still very successful. Living in Spain helped me see firsthand how much consumer behavior is influenced by factors like culture, values, and social norms.
Other Highlights
- Watching the sunset and listening to live music at Templo de Debod on weekdays and weekends
- Embracing Madrid’s slower pace of life, including midday tapas with friends
- Walking and taking the metro everywhere thanks to Madrid’s great public transportation system
- Experiencing Spanish holidays and traditions like Semana Santa in Madrid and DÃa de AndalucÃa in Sevilla
