Gabi Mohos '26 has been to the Royal Palace of Madrid, walked through medieval villages, and admired 12th century art at the Museo del Prado. But the most fun she's having in Madrid this month? Morning walks with a stranger and her Yorkie.
Mohos bumped into the woman completely by accident. The double major in early childhood education and Spanish is spending a month in Madrid studying Spanish composition at Rey Juan Carlos University. Madrid is boiling in a heat wave this summer, so Mohos starts each day with the same reprieve – an iced coffee from a cafe near her apartment. One morning, on her way out the door, she came across a neighbor – a delightful woman in her 80s who was walking her Yorkshire Terrier. Mohos struck up a conversation that lasted around the block. The next morning, the same walk with a new best friend.
"She tells me about her life and the places she's traveled. She asks me what it's like living in New York. She thinks I'm in the City, and I don't have the heart tell her I'm from Averill Park. It's such an amazing part of this experience that I've developed this friendship with a sweet little old lady in Madrid. I look forward to our walks every morning."
Their conversations, of course, are in Spanish, but fluency was never the goal when Mohos enrolled in the foreign language for the first time in high school. Back then, she was looking for an easy A. But a new language became a portal into different cultures which ultimately led Mohos to her career path.
During her freshman year at Siena, Mohos took an education course that required field work. She spent 15 hours in a Shaker middle school TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) classroom and knew she had found her purpose.
"It's fascinating to watch how quickly kids absorb a new language. I'm amazed. I just think it's so rewarding to work with students, often from difficult situations, and teach them a part of your culture while also learning about theirs."
Mohos spent two weeks in Mexico during the January term her sophomore year and wanted to study abroad a second time before graduating. She traveled to Portugal before her class began this summer, and she pushed her flight home next month by two weeks so she can backpack through France by herself. She wants to explore, find adventure, and meet new friends... no matter their age.
"A lot of Americans... we think we're the only thing that matters. I think it's cool to learn about new places. There's no way you're going to grow if you're always in your comfort zone. Parents are always a phone call away."
Mohos may decide to move abroad when she graduates, but enrolling in one of Siena's TESOL programs is a possibility as well. She's keeping her options open and embracing whatever comes. And when you live your life that way, you never know who you might meet.
