Exploring old castles and ruins.

Lukas Diehm is a junior in Purdue ECE. He spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain at the University of Carlos III.

Name: Lukas Diehm

Why did you want to study abroad?

Lucas went rock climbing while on his semester abroad.

I wanted to study abroad because I was ahead in credits, and traveling and meeting new people is great for personal growth.

Where did you study abroad? Why did you choose this location/program?

I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain at the University of Carlos III. I chose this location because Spain has great outdoor rock climbing, and I could practice my Spanish while I'm there (and I did both quite a bit).

Best experience:

My best experience was climbing an old castle an hour away from Madrid that had deteriorated at the end of November. The view, the climbing, and the friends I went with were all spectacular.

Another fun experience was when I accidentally sat through a Sunday night mass at the Cathedral of Valencia a week after arriving in Spain.

What you’ve learned—either about yourself or the culture you’re living in.

I can't quite explain what I learned, but I will say that I threw myself into the culture of Spain, made Spanish friends, and now my perspective of the world is completely different. It's crazy what you see/experience if you get out of the Midwest and push yourself out of your comfort zone as much as you can.

Would you suggest study abroad for other ECE students? Why?

If you have the time and money, I would 100% recommend studying abroad. It's important to grow as an individual and living in another country for several months helps you do exactly that. Although I didn't learn as much about ECE-related things, I learned about the world, the culture of Europe, and made many good friends. I wouldn't trade the experiences I had for anything.