Editor’s note: The Daily’s editorial department acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Daily Week and does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices.
Former managing editor and executive news editor Samantha Eng spoke to the Daily about how her semester studying abroad in Madrid is going so far. She is studying there through the Tufts in Madrid program to improve her Spanish and immerse herself in a new culture.
“I’d never been to Madrid before I got here, so it was kind of a leap of faith,” Eng said. “But I love the city.”
“I spend a lot of time just enjoying the city and exploring. There [are] a lot of really great museums in the area, and the weather’s finally nice,” Eng said. “So I’ve been walking around, wandering, trying different restaurants, hanging out with friends.”
Some of her favorite aspects of being abroad are the different cultures she gets to experience and the opportunities to explore the city.
“You can really experience a lot of different cultures, a lot [more easily] than you could in the U.S.,” Eng said. “I live really close to a lot of really amazing, famous art museums. And I could walk 10 minutes … into this museum for free because I’m a student.”
Eng said she wanted to do the Tufts in Madrid program because it’s “more involved” than the external programs in terms of Spanish-language immersion.
“Being here is my best effort at actually learning Spanish,” Eng said. “I wanted to force myself to actually try and learn the language while I’m here, which is why I chose the Tufts program.”
She began taking Spanish classes when she got to Tufts so she could communicate with her family members who speak Spanish.
“My mom’s side of the family speaks Spanish, because she was raised in Argentina, in Buenos Aires,” Eng said. “My brother and I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, but I thought it would be nice to be able to communicate with my other family members in Spanish.”
In addition to taking classes that the Tufts program offers, which are taught entirely in Spanish, she is also enrolled in a class at the University of Madrid called “Intro to Comparative Politics in Europe,” which is taught in English.
“Most of the students in the program are enrolled in the University of Madrid, as well as the Tufts program,” she said. “I was curious to see how their campus looks and what everyone’s commute is like. I didn’t want to be too much in my Tufts bubble while I’m here.”
She has also tried to immerse herself in the Madrid lifestyle in hopes of feeling more like a “real resident” of the city.
“My intention [in] coming here wasn’t just to be a tourist, but to actually try and live the way that people do here,” Eng said. “I commute every day on the Metro, and I’ve tried to build a life here — as much as I can — to feel like a real resident.”
Even while abroad, she keeps herself updated in the Daily’s endeavors, including a new podcast named “The Weekly Recap.”
“I’m really into podcasts because I’m commuting a lot, so I was really excited about ‘The Weekly Recap,’” Eng said.
Eng also expressed excitement about seeing the development of many stories that she has “had [her] eye on for a really long time,” including the recent news of Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts professors of the practice ratifying their first union contract after nearly two years of negotiations and the termination of Rümeysa Öztürk’s immigration removal proceedings.
Notably, Eng wrote the Daily’s first articles on both topics in May 2024 and March 2025, respectively.
“It’s really cool to see the stories come through and to keep up with what’s going on,” Eng said.
As a part of the study abroad program, Tufts students can choose to stay in a traditional dorm or with a host family.
“I stay with the host family while I’m here, so I don’t stay in dorms or in an apartment,” Eng said. “Everyone that I’ve talked to has had really great experiences with their host families.”
Eng lives with a woman named Margarita, an actress whom she calls her “host mom.” She describes her experience living with her as “the most immersive part of the program.”
“While I’m here, I only really speak Spanish, because [Margarita] only really speaks Spanish, and I feel like it’s been really good to practice using the language,” Eng said. “She’s really great about being accommodating to me when we’re having conversations. Because my Spanish isn’t the best, … she’ll speak slower for me. We try to make a point of having real conversations as frequently as we can.”
Eng says that the majority of American college students she has met while studying abroad in Madrid live in dorms as opposed to homestays and end up having a much different experience.
“People really fearmonger about what [living with a host family] would be like, and there’s really not that much to be afraid of,” Eng said. “But I do feel like Tufts has done a good job of pairing us with our host families.”
