About


This blog began in 2009 when I spent my third year of college studying abroad in Madrid.  Through my study abroad program, WIP(T) (Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, Tulane), I studied at the Complutense University of Madrid that year.


It was my first time leaving the United States.  The blog served as a means for my family and friends to see what I was up to during my year away.


In July 2010 I returned to Wisconsin for my senior year at UW-Madison.  That winter I applied to various jobs, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps.  For whatever reason, I applied to the Auxiliares de Conversación program very last minute in March - as a "backup" I suppose.  I was applicant number four thousand and something, so I really didn't expect to get in.

Later that spring I received a nomination from Peace Corps to teach math in Spanish in Sub-Saharan Africa.  I was thrilled.  I sent in my medical tests and paperwork in June and crossed my fingers, hoping to be cleared.  A few weeks later, out of nowhere, I got an email saying I had been accepted into the auxiliares program and had 5 days to accept or deny my spot.

In the end I decided to come back to Madrid and work as a North American Language and Culture Assistant, and it was a wonderful year.
I joined Madrid's ultimate frisbee team, Quijotes + Dulcineas, which ended up having a huge positive effect on my year.  I kept busy with practices and weekend tournaments, made friends, and reestablished myself in Madrid.


I didn't renew my position for the 2012-13 academic year, but hung around that summer to do some traveling in Germany and France, and play in a few more ultimate frisbee tournaments.  That fall, I surprised my family by returning unannounced back to the states.

For the next five years I blogged my non-Madrid life at Rebe with a Clause. That time included a year Madison followed by a year teaching English in South Korea, and then I returned to Spain in the fall of 2014 to walk the Camino de Santiago. I lived in Montpellier, France from 2015-16 and have been able to visit Madrid about once a year—my most recent visit was April 2017.

I'm now blogging at my personal site Rebecca Rose Thering.

If you have any questions about living/studying/working in Madrid, I'm more than happy to try and answer.

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