Junior infielder Ben Isaak has taken his talents overseas for the 2019 Fall Semester to study at Suffolk's Madrid campus. While stamping his academic passport, Isaak will check in with GoSuffolkRams.com from time-to-time to tell Ram Nation what she has been up to abroad.
Below is the fourth installment, features Isaak's last full month in Madrid.
The past month studying in Madrid has been the coolest by far, literally speaking. It is starting to feel like Boston with the weather changing and people beginning to wear coats. Just now in late November the trees are showing some reds and yellows.
I haven’t been impressed by the foliage, however as you can see here. All the New Englanders know that nowhere else in the world can compare to our dying leaves and football.
With between 100 and 200 students studying at the Madrid campus, one would think there to be limited opportunity for group activities. The opposite is the case and despite the great diversity in the student body, people combine their interests and collaborate often. In addition to having a great selection of clubs, like hiking, law association and knitting, students also network with each other within the small campus and discover their overlapping interests.
Most recently one of my peers approached me about filming her dance performance that she had been writing and choreographing for weeks to culminate an internship. I was intrigued by the opportunity to assist a peer in addition to gaining more film experience. One of the best things about my experiences here has been all of the opportunities to film. Suffolk has provided me with more opportunities such as their group excursions to Portugal, Budapest and Rome. As I complete these videos I have been putting them on my YouTube channel and the Madrid staff has shown great interest in using them for their web presence as well. I am grateful for their support and opportunities that being a part of the Suffolk community has to offer.
The wholehearted lifestyle of most Spaniards is something that the students here come to appreciate. Certainly, present within the Madrid staff, everyone that I have come across in Madrid shows outward focus within their own lives and gives effort to understand those around them. Spain is a small, but vast country, and people are anywhere and everywhere doing interesting activities. Here is a picture of some people bouldering I came across on a short hike led by a Madrid campus staff member.
Although studying abroad can and should be an experience for personal growth, it can be difficult being away from your family for an extended period. For Thanksgiving week my family traveled to Madrid. It was cool getting to see them again and showing them around the parts of Madrid that I know. While my brother had to stay home for work and missed all the tasty cheeses and hams Spain has to offer, my parents and sister got to see a little bit of the Madrid culture and Spanish countryside. Below is a picture of us visiting the ancient fortress town of Toledo. The Arabic influence on the architecture is one of the coolest things about Toledo and is a big reason for its tourism. My father, being an architect, is fascinated by the wide variety of styles and is always stopping to take photos. This may mean that we move at a slower pace than other tourists, but we definitely pay more attention to every detail.
Overall my last full month in Spain has been amazing. I am excited to return back to Boston and get back to a solid routine with my teammates. I have almost another month here which doesn’t feel quite long enough. After final exams, I am planning to do some traveling around central Europe and hiking in northern Spain.
Fans, families, alumni and friends can check in with what Isaak and Phelan are up to over sees by following their adventures on GoSuffolkRams.com or over social media by using the hashtag #RAMsinterNATIONal.