ESN UAM

 Madrid, the Spanish capital, is the hometown of the new Section in the Spotlight in June 2010 – ESN UAM. 

Nearly 40 ESNers work right in the heart of Spain and organize trips, parties, cultural events and more. When you are an exchange student in Madrid you will be greeted during the welcome week and the ESN UAM members will help you to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle. You can meet your fellow exchange students and future friends during a city tour. You can even explore the Spanish way of life on a bike. If you don’t have a room yet, they will also help you with that and won’t leave you alone. When you got to know Madrid better you can start to explore the surrounding cities and places. UAM will take you to Zaragoza, Toledo Granada, Salamanca, Barcelona, Valencia or Cordoba. During the week you’ll have the chance to improve your Spanish in free Spanish classes or get help via the Tandem program and get a Spanish partner who will teach you in exchange for your lessons of your language. You can also meet other people during the Café Lingua meetings and try to learn and speak even more languages. Learning languages is not you favorite activity Then try to go to the Cineforum and watch and discuss movies, pay a visit to the theatre or sing during the Karaoke nights. If sports is more your thing, meet up with other sports aces and play football or even take dance lessons. If you just want to meet up with your friends, go to the meeting point where you probably find some of your fellow exchange students and enjoy the special discounts. Of course from time to time you can also attend some of the country parties.

Working for the exchange students can be very exhausting and sometimes takes a lot of time. But of course the members of ESN UAM love to do it and enjoy their work. As a thank you to all of their members UAM organizes a dinner two times a year. One of the dinners takes place before Christmas to end the year with a nice event together and one is held before the summer holidays. Students who are not part of ESN still have the chance to participate in the events, either as Tandem partners or as helpers during trips, parties or at the Café Lingua.

Although the mentioned activities are quite a lot, the work of ESN UAM does not stop there. The section is the home section of two National Board members and even organized a National Platform and the Spanish National Event. UAM is also the home to several international Committee members and co-organizes one of the biggest international ESN Events – ESN Ibiza. They work together with other Madrilenian sections in order to have a strong network in Spain’s capital and therefore can continue their good work in the future.

Composed by Katja Krohn (NR of Germany, Network & Events Committee member)