Thursday, January 29, 2009
Mallorca bound!
I´m off to Mallorca (pronounced ma-your-kah) for the weekend! I´ll be going with 3 of my friends, Brandon, Ally and Caroline. Mallorca is a small, Balleric Island off the coast of Spain famous for its pearl production. Other than that, I don´t know much about it :) This trip would be more exciting if the weather people here in Madrid hadn´t predicted rain the entire weekend, but this will still be fun. It´s my first trip outside of Madrid since I´ve been here! Wish me luck!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Lazy Days.
I had a pretty chill weekend. My roommate Dominique wasn't feeling well, so we both stayed in on Friday and Saturday night (which if you live in Spain for one day, you know that not very many people do). However, we did venture out on Friday night to the San Gines Chocolateria, which BELIEVE ME if you are ever in Madrid is worth your time and 4 euros. It was delicious :)
I also had the opportunity on Friday to go volunteer at a local soup kitchen here in Madrid. I really enjoyed it, and once again was completely humbled. There are people here in Madrid that live on less than 1,000 euro a month (which is less than $15,000 a year) that the government has literally done NOTHING about. This is one of the few soup kitchens in the city that opens its doors for a free meal. This kitchen is run by the same nun order that Mother Teresa was a sister of, and everyone I met there was incredibly welcoming. It was such a good experience for me and I hope to return soon.
I had my crash-course tonight on how to teach ESL. My friend Ally and I signed up to teach a beginners level class because we wanted to teach "fun" things (ie colors, numbers, food, animals, etc.). However, we soon realized that because they are in a beginner ESL class means that they primarily speak Spanish (I realize that this is a logical conclusion that I probably should have made sooner. Blame it on Spanish lifestyle) ;) So, basically Ally and I have to come up with 10 subjects (its a 10 week class) and develop a creative way to teach the information. Wish us luck...I think we are going to need it! :)
I got an email today from the Young Life area director here in Madrid. Ironically enough, he worked with my former AD in St. Louis and told me tonight that he and his wife sponser a Bible study on Thursday nights with dinner afterwards and invited me to come this Thursday! I'm really, really excited about this, not only because it will be good accountablility for me but I'll also get to see what YL looks like on an international level. What an opportunity! :)
Well, my señora has just told me that dinner is finally ready...note: it is 10pm here. I still am not used to this.
Love love--
I also had the opportunity on Friday to go volunteer at a local soup kitchen here in Madrid. I really enjoyed it, and once again was completely humbled. There are people here in Madrid that live on less than 1,000 euro a month (which is less than $15,000 a year) that the government has literally done NOTHING about. This is one of the few soup kitchens in the city that opens its doors for a free meal. This kitchen is run by the same nun order that Mother Teresa was a sister of, and everyone I met there was incredibly welcoming. It was such a good experience for me and I hope to return soon.
I had my crash-course tonight on how to teach ESL. My friend Ally and I signed up to teach a beginners level class because we wanted to teach "fun" things (ie colors, numbers, food, animals, etc.). However, we soon realized that because they are in a beginner ESL class means that they primarily speak Spanish (I realize that this is a logical conclusion that I probably should have made sooner. Blame it on Spanish lifestyle) ;) So, basically Ally and I have to come up with 10 subjects (its a 10 week class) and develop a creative way to teach the information. Wish us luck...I think we are going to need it! :)
I got an email today from the Young Life area director here in Madrid. Ironically enough, he worked with my former AD in St. Louis and told me tonight that he and his wife sponser a Bible study on Thursday nights with dinner afterwards and invited me to come this Thursday! I'm really, really excited about this, not only because it will be good accountablility for me but I'll also get to see what YL looks like on an international level. What an opportunity! :)
Well, my señora has just told me that dinner is finally ready...note: it is 10pm here. I still am not used to this.
Love love--
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Paso Paso ChaChaCha!
This is what will be going through my head all night tonight...what my dance instructor yells at us to do so we can learn the cha cha cha. I absolutely love this class. Its giving me a great opportunity to learn authentic Spanish dances in Spain! So, so much fun :)
This week has been kind of void of anything very interesting, except that I've officially finished my first whole week of classes, and honestly I'm exhausted. Which is kind of pathetic, because my schedule isn't any where near as rigorous as it was last semester at SLU and the classes I'm taking are way less intense. Hopefully things will even out next week.
Spain is starting to grow on me. As I spend more and more time here, I keep finding interesting differences between home and Madrid that will certainly keep me on my toes for the next 4 months. For example, it is completely inappropriate (almost borderline insulting) to come barefoot to dinner. Socks are acceptable, but you should really wear slippers or real shoes. People will think you are a hippy if you don't. Also, the Spanish (and really Europeans in general) don't have the same ideas of personal space as we do. They will stand literally 6 inches away from you to talk and if you back up they will follow. Stores in Spain close from 2 to 5 every day. Most people think its because everyone takes a siesta (nap), but my Spanish professor said that nobody really does that except in the summer time. Go figure.
Last night I went to a meeting about volunteering with an ESL program here at SLU. Normal ESL programs apprently are crazy-expensive, and SLU offers classes here for anybody at any age for free. When I heard that they needed volunteers for their program, I decided to check it out with a couple of my friends. What I came to find out was that by volunteering, you are actually volunteering to teach the class! So, I am now the co-teacher of a beginner's ESL class on Tuesday nights from 7-8:30! My friend Ally is teaching it with me (who is actually an education major, thank goodness), and we will see how it goes. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :)
This is what's been going through my brain for the past week. I have nothing really planned for the weekend, but next weekend I am going to Mallorca (a small Balleric Island off the East coast of Spain) and *hopefully* London the next. I found a 30 euro round trip ticket to London for that weekend and reallyyyy want someone to go with me...any takers? :)
love--
This week has been kind of void of anything very interesting, except that I've officially finished my first whole week of classes, and honestly I'm exhausted. Which is kind of pathetic, because my schedule isn't any where near as rigorous as it was last semester at SLU and the classes I'm taking are way less intense. Hopefully things will even out next week.
Spain is starting to grow on me. As I spend more and more time here, I keep finding interesting differences between home and Madrid that will certainly keep me on my toes for the next 4 months. For example, it is completely inappropriate (almost borderline insulting) to come barefoot to dinner. Socks are acceptable, but you should really wear slippers or real shoes. People will think you are a hippy if you don't. Also, the Spanish (and really Europeans in general) don't have the same ideas of personal space as we do. They will stand literally 6 inches away from you to talk and if you back up they will follow. Stores in Spain close from 2 to 5 every day. Most people think its because everyone takes a siesta (nap), but my Spanish professor said that nobody really does that except in the summer time. Go figure.
Last night I went to a meeting about volunteering with an ESL program here at SLU. Normal ESL programs apprently are crazy-expensive, and SLU offers classes here for anybody at any age for free. When I heard that they needed volunteers for their program, I decided to check it out with a couple of my friends. What I came to find out was that by volunteering, you are actually volunteering to teach the class! So, I am now the co-teacher of a beginner's ESL class on Tuesday nights from 7-8:30! My friend Ally is teaching it with me (who is actually an education major, thank goodness), and we will see how it goes. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :)
This is what's been going through my brain for the past week. I have nothing really planned for the weekend, but next weekend I am going to Mallorca (a small Balleric Island off the East coast of Spain) and *hopefully* London the next. I found a 30 euro round trip ticket to London for that weekend and reallyyyy want someone to go with me...any takers? :)
love--
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain!
So it was raining here yesterday, and the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning was this line from My Fair Lady. I was amused :)
Sunday I went to Toledo (pronounced toe-lay-dough), a nearly 2000 year old city about an hour outside of Madrid. It was AWESOME. Back in the day, Toledo was known as "the Jeruselem of the west" was it is also where the Romans built the first acueductos. Toledo is also the home to a lot of the history behind the Inquisition, where the Catholic Church of Spain basically kicked out all Jewish people from the country. We were able to see various cathedrals, synagogues, and different parts of the city. Seriously, it was an awesome day. I've included pictures so you all can see what I saw, because I can't seem to describe it.
This is an "acueducto" that the Romans built when they were first in Toledo. Its still standing from when it was originally built, meaning its over 2,000 years old. Crazy, huh?
This was the entrance to the Cathedral of Toledo, which I unfortunately couldn't take pictures of. The archdiocese of Spain live in Toledo, and the church looks quite royal.
A view of the city! Beautiful, isn't it?
This is inside one of the few Jewish synagogues left in the city. Today, there is actually a very large Catholic, Jewish and Muslim population in Toledo. The synagogue also had a museum in it, which was so interesting- it showed all different customs of Jewish life and how things have changed over the past 2000 years. One the right hand side, you can see a balcony-looking-thing. This was the women's gallery. Back then, women weren't allowed to be on the main floor of the synagogue during a service so they had to watch from above.
I put this picture up because my sister told me that I didn't take any pictures of myself. And I had to show you all that I am making friends here :) This is me with Michelle, Sarah, and Sabrina overlooking the city.
So right after the bus driver dropped us off for our tour, we proceeded to climb 6 (yes 6) escalators to get to the top of the city. Seriously...there are 6 outdoor escalators that get everyone to the main part of Toledo. The streets there are so small and narrow that most cars (let alone tour busses) can't get through them at all. The streets and city were intentionally designed this way. Back Toledo was the center of wars and battles, the streets acted as a maze for foreigners to get easily lost in. Only those who lived there could figure their way through the city. It was like a built-in defense mechanism.
Yesterday was the first day of my first full week of class, and I'm beginning to realize that my vacation is over. :( so sad. But I ended up skipping half of my dance class to come home to watch the inaguration. After everything was done, my host mom told me that she was even proud today and that she likes Obama, but is not so sure of Hilary Clinton :) We'll see how everything pans out!
Sunday I went to Toledo (pronounced toe-lay-dough), a nearly 2000 year old city about an hour outside of Madrid. It was AWESOME. Back in the day, Toledo was known as "the Jeruselem of the west" was it is also where the Romans built the first acueductos. Toledo is also the home to a lot of the history behind the Inquisition, where the Catholic Church of Spain basically kicked out all Jewish people from the country. We were able to see various cathedrals, synagogues, and different parts of the city. Seriously, it was an awesome day. I've included pictures so you all can see what I saw, because I can't seem to describe it.
This is an "acueducto" that the Romans built when they were first in Toledo. Its still standing from when it was originally built, meaning its over 2,000 years old. Crazy, huh?
This was the entrance to the Cathedral of Toledo, which I unfortunately couldn't take pictures of. The archdiocese of Spain live in Toledo, and the church looks quite royal.
A view of the city! Beautiful, isn't it?
This is inside one of the few Jewish synagogues left in the city. Today, there is actually a very large Catholic, Jewish and Muslim population in Toledo. The synagogue also had a museum in it, which was so interesting- it showed all different customs of Jewish life and how things have changed over the past 2000 years. One the right hand side, you can see a balcony-looking-thing. This was the women's gallery. Back then, women weren't allowed to be on the main floor of the synagogue during a service so they had to watch from above.
I put this picture up because my sister told me that I didn't take any pictures of myself. And I had to show you all that I am making friends here :) This is me with Michelle, Sarah, and Sabrina overlooking the city. 
So right after the bus driver dropped us off for our tour, we proceeded to climb 6 (yes 6) escalators to get to the top of the city. Seriously...there are 6 outdoor escalators that get everyone to the main part of Toledo. The streets there are so small and narrow that most cars (let alone tour busses) can't get through them at all. The streets and city were intentionally designed this way. Back Toledo was the center of wars and battles, the streets acted as a maze for foreigners to get easily lost in. Only those who lived there could figure their way through the city. It was like a built-in defense mechanism.Yesterday was the first day of my first full week of class, and I'm beginning to realize that my vacation is over. :( so sad. But I ended up skipping half of my dance class to come home to watch the inaguration. After everything was done, my host mom told me that she was even proud today and that she likes Obama, but is not so sure of Hilary Clinton :) We'll see how everything pans out!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Picture time!
OK! So it is about time that you all see some pictures of where I'm living and the city that I'm beginning to call home! :)
This is the castle that we visited when we went to Aranjuez on our first day trip. The vast majority of Spain's royalty have lived here at some point.
This is the official symbol of Spain, a bear drinking from a tree. There is some kind of joke that goes along with it, but I'm not sure exactly what it is.
The Royal Palace in Madrid. This was one of three pictures I took to try to picture the entire building. This place is huge.
This is the National Cathedral. It is right behind the Royal Palace. It is still open for mass every week, but only royalty can get married here. Also, you can't wear hats, shorts, or sleeveless shirts inside. Seeing that the day we went there was cloudy and about 30 degrees, we didn't have any problem with that :)
La Plaza Mayor! Basically a big plaza in the middle of Madrid, with a lot of cute (but very expensive) boutiques and cafes. New Years is celebrated here every year- its similar to New York's Time Square.
Honestly, I don't really remember what this building is. I think it is a post office, and I think I took this picture because I had never seen such architecture for a building that sends and receives letters.Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Telly
H'OKAY, SO...I just finished my first week of classes (yes that is right, I don't have classes on Fridays) :) and I feel that you all should have some kind of an outlook on what I will be experiencing academically here while in Madrid.
You should first know that SLU Madrid only has 650 students total this semester, but of those 650 they represent 50 countries...amazing, right? Since I've been here for less than a week, I've already met people who are from Brazil, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Spain (of course), Scotland, England, and even Saudi Arabia. If I don't learn anything in my classes, I'll at least get some different cultural perspectives :)
Spanish 310- Written Communication
This is the first class I have taken where my head has hurt after leaving class each day. Everything is in Spanish, including the syllabus. Literally no English is spoken. There are about 10 people in my class and only 3 are visiting students (students who are only here for a semester). I felt good yesterday after I left class because I could track with about 80% of what my profesora was saying. But today she threw in a twist: note taking. In Spanish. So now I have to take notes in Spanish while at the same time listening to my teacher speak Spanish explaining what the notes are about. It is crazy hard. Today she randomly called on me to answer a question and I asked her to repeat it because I hadn't been following what she said. So yes, this will be a challenge, but it will also be 50 minutes of intense Spanish Monday thru Thursday, which will *hopefully* help improve my Spanish in the real world.
Introduction to Oceanography
This class counts as my one science credit that I need for my social work major. Now you have to understand that I HATE science, hence the reason I avoided the recommended Biology or chemistry classes offered at SLU. But I found myself tracking with my teacher here as well. She kept my attention for the whole class, which I thought was a feat in and of itself. Oceanography also includes a 3 day trip to the Balleric Islands in the East coast of Spain to snorkel and observe ocean-like things...I guess :) I have a lot of friends in this class so if it is awful, we'll suffer together.
Public Speaking
This class is required for all students in all majors at SLU. While I'm not sure how interesting this class will get, what I know I'll enjoy is its diversity. There are probably around 15 people in my class, and there are only 3 Americans. Everyone else is from all over the world, literally- Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria. My teacher is even from Scotland. She gave an impromtu speech today about Scottish kilts and their symbolism within families. Did you know that the patterns on the kilts are a reflection of the types of trees and plants that grow where the family lives? Very interesting.
History 112- Origins of the Modern World to Present
This is basically a Western Civ. course taught by an absolutely delightful British professor who completely reminds me of Colin Firth. I've technically already taken this class because I took AP Euro in high school, but I figured I could incorporate a lot of my own application learning since it is a European history class. The class shouldn't be too bad, but like all history courses there is a lot of reading. The highlight of this class today included my professor calling a television a "telly." I love British men.
Latin Rhythms and Dancing
A dance class! I am so so soooooo excited to take this. Today we learned basic steps and danced something (I can't remember the name) and it was really fun. Our final exam is a performance for the whole school, where the girls wear these long black dresses and boys wear tuxedos and top hats. So exciting!
I'm pretty excited for the semester ahead...I don't think I'll have a ton of work to do, but definitely enough to keep me grounded while I'm here. Last night I went out to a bar with my roommate last night and we just sat and chatted for an hour. Tonight I might do the same with some of my other friends. Tomorrow I have plans to go back to Sol (the center of Madrid) and Sunday I'll be taking a day trip to Toledo! What a life! :)
AND even better news...the Euro is now down to 1.30 (from 1.38) so I get better deals on exchange rates! yay!
love love--
You should first know that SLU Madrid only has 650 students total this semester, but of those 650 they represent 50 countries...amazing, right? Since I've been here for less than a week, I've already met people who are from Brazil, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Spain (of course), Scotland, England, and even Saudi Arabia. If I don't learn anything in my classes, I'll at least get some different cultural perspectives :)
Spanish 310- Written Communication
This is the first class I have taken where my head has hurt after leaving class each day. Everything is in Spanish, including the syllabus. Literally no English is spoken. There are about 10 people in my class and only 3 are visiting students (students who are only here for a semester). I felt good yesterday after I left class because I could track with about 80% of what my profesora was saying. But today she threw in a twist: note taking. In Spanish. So now I have to take notes in Spanish while at the same time listening to my teacher speak Spanish explaining what the notes are about. It is crazy hard. Today she randomly called on me to answer a question and I asked her to repeat it because I hadn't been following what she said. So yes, this will be a challenge, but it will also be 50 minutes of intense Spanish Monday thru Thursday, which will *hopefully* help improve my Spanish in the real world.
Introduction to Oceanography
This class counts as my one science credit that I need for my social work major. Now you have to understand that I HATE science, hence the reason I avoided the recommended Biology or chemistry classes offered at SLU. But I found myself tracking with my teacher here as well. She kept my attention for the whole class, which I thought was a feat in and of itself. Oceanography also includes a 3 day trip to the Balleric Islands in the East coast of Spain to snorkel and observe ocean-like things...I guess :) I have a lot of friends in this class so if it is awful, we'll suffer together.
Public Speaking
This class is required for all students in all majors at SLU. While I'm not sure how interesting this class will get, what I know I'll enjoy is its diversity. There are probably around 15 people in my class, and there are only 3 Americans. Everyone else is from all over the world, literally- Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria. My teacher is even from Scotland. She gave an impromtu speech today about Scottish kilts and their symbolism within families. Did you know that the patterns on the kilts are a reflection of the types of trees and plants that grow where the family lives? Very interesting.
History 112- Origins of the Modern World to Present
This is basically a Western Civ. course taught by an absolutely delightful British professor who completely reminds me of Colin Firth. I've technically already taken this class because I took AP Euro in high school, but I figured I could incorporate a lot of my own application learning since it is a European history class. The class shouldn't be too bad, but like all history courses there is a lot of reading. The highlight of this class today included my professor calling a television a "telly." I love British men.
Latin Rhythms and Dancing
A dance class! I am so so soooooo excited to take this. Today we learned basic steps and danced something (I can't remember the name) and it was really fun. Our final exam is a performance for the whole school, where the girls wear these long black dresses and boys wear tuxedos and top hats. So exciting!
I'm pretty excited for the semester ahead...I don't think I'll have a ton of work to do, but definitely enough to keep me grounded while I'm here. Last night I went out to a bar with my roommate last night and we just sat and chatted for an hour. Tonight I might do the same with some of my other friends. Tomorrow I have plans to go back to Sol (the center of Madrid) and Sunday I'll be taking a day trip to Toledo! What a life! :)
AND even better news...the Euro is now down to 1.30 (from 1.38) so I get better deals on exchange rates! yay!
love love--
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
tourist days!
So, the past two days have included all of the new visiting students here touring various parts of Madrid. On Monday, my group visited a town called Aranjuez, about an hour outside of Madrid. Yesterday, our group got to go to Sol, which is the heart of Madrid and where basically everything in the city resides: national cathedral, royal palace, etc. It was GORGEOUS. I'm trying to figure out how to upload pictures on this account so you all can see everything, because I really can't describe it. Unfortunately the weather was kind of gross (it snowed again yesterday, for the second time in 10 years, with the first being last Friday) so I hope to go back again and get better pictures. But seriously, definitely one of the top 10 prettiest cities I've ever been in. Maybe top 5.
Today classes start, which for me means Spanish 310 and Introduction to Oceanography. Spanish starts at noon and Oceanography starts at 5pm, so that means I'll have to find something to do with myself for those 5 hours! I'm sure I'll think of something :) I'll let you know how everything goes!!
Today classes start, which for me means Spanish 310 and Introduction to Oceanography. Spanish starts at noon and Oceanography starts at 5pm, so that means I'll have to find something to do with myself for those 5 hours! I'm sure I'll think of something :) I'll let you know how everything goes!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
I'm here!
I'm in Spain! It's been quite an adventurous two (or so) days but I'm happily settled in Madrid.
International travel wouldn't be exciting if it didn't involve delays, and my flight was no exception! :) I originally booked a flight from Columbus to Chicago and then Chicago to Madrid, leaving Columbus at 2:30 and Chicago at 4:45. I arrived with my mom at the Cbus airport at noon, only to discover that I needed to get on a flight that was leaving for Chicago at 12:45 because they were about to shut down all outgoing flights because of the weather. So I quickly checked in and got through security (thankfully no one was in line!) and then got to my gate in time. We sat on the runway for about an hour, and then finally took off and landed in Chicago at about 2pm. When I got to Chicago, I found out my flight was delayed until 7:20. The plane ended up not arriving at the gate until 8:30, and we couldn't board for another hour. Then we sat again on the runway until about 11pm when we finally took off. It was a very full and cramped flight, but thanks to my sleeping mask, ear plugs, and Tylenol PM I was able to get some rest while flying.
We finally got to Madrid at around 1pm, when we were originally suppossed to get in at 7:30am! We waited for our bags (the Madrid airport is completely bilingual, so we had literally no trouble finding where we were suppossed to go) and then I got in a taxi to take me to my señora's house. I live with a wonderful woman named Paloma, who looks a lot like my grandma. She greeted me with a huge hug, and I soon discovered that she speaks no English! The last Spanish class my roommate Dominique took was 3 years ago, so it makes me the primary translator in our apartment! EEEK! But I've been surprised at how much I can understand Paloma...I don't get every single word she says, but I can usually figure out the gist of what she's saying.
Last night Paloma showed us how to use the bus system to get to campus and took us to a store called El Corte Ingles. This is quite possibly the biggest store I've ever seen: think Macy's meets Sears meets Wal-Mart. Literally. They sell anything you could every think of. According to Paloma, "puede encontrar todo: comida, ropa, y un novio"- "you can find everything: food, clothing, and a boyfriend."
Today we had our first day of orientation, which included a lot of random information (campus tours, local shopping stores, how to use Spain's free health care system, etc.). They also had different student groups come and explain how to get involved on campus, and it seems as if their campus ministry has a lot to do. I'm already planning on going on a pilgramige to the Basque Country of Spain, where Ignatius Loyola basically founded the Jesuits. I think there will be a lot here to keep my busy! :)
After lunch, my group traveled to a town called Aranjuez about an hour outside of Madrid. We did a walking tour of the city, which looks exactly how you would think a European city looks: small, quaint, lots of side streets, cobblestone roads, adobe colored buildings. We finished our tour and then I did what I consider my biggest personal victory since arriving to Spain: I navagated myself on the Metro all the way back to Paloma's apartment! I am dominating European transportation, one mode at a time! :)
So, that about brings you up to date for the past two days! Tomorrow I will be going on a tour of the city of Madrid, so hopefully I will have some fun pictures to post of my new home!
Love you all!
International travel wouldn't be exciting if it didn't involve delays, and my flight was no exception! :) I originally booked a flight from Columbus to Chicago and then Chicago to Madrid, leaving Columbus at 2:30 and Chicago at 4:45. I arrived with my mom at the Cbus airport at noon, only to discover that I needed to get on a flight that was leaving for Chicago at 12:45 because they were about to shut down all outgoing flights because of the weather. So I quickly checked in and got through security (thankfully no one was in line!) and then got to my gate in time. We sat on the runway for about an hour, and then finally took off and landed in Chicago at about 2pm. When I got to Chicago, I found out my flight was delayed until 7:20. The plane ended up not arriving at the gate until 8:30, and we couldn't board for another hour. Then we sat again on the runway until about 11pm when we finally took off. It was a very full and cramped flight, but thanks to my sleeping mask, ear plugs, and Tylenol PM I was able to get some rest while flying.
We finally got to Madrid at around 1pm, when we were originally suppossed to get in at 7:30am! We waited for our bags (the Madrid airport is completely bilingual, so we had literally no trouble finding where we were suppossed to go) and then I got in a taxi to take me to my señora's house. I live with a wonderful woman named Paloma, who looks a lot like my grandma. She greeted me with a huge hug, and I soon discovered that she speaks no English! The last Spanish class my roommate Dominique took was 3 years ago, so it makes me the primary translator in our apartment! EEEK! But I've been surprised at how much I can understand Paloma...I don't get every single word she says, but I can usually figure out the gist of what she's saying.
Last night Paloma showed us how to use the bus system to get to campus and took us to a store called El Corte Ingles. This is quite possibly the biggest store I've ever seen: think Macy's meets Sears meets Wal-Mart. Literally. They sell anything you could every think of. According to Paloma, "puede encontrar todo: comida, ropa, y un novio"- "you can find everything: food, clothing, and a boyfriend."
Today we had our first day of orientation, which included a lot of random information (campus tours, local shopping stores, how to use Spain's free health care system, etc.). They also had different student groups come and explain how to get involved on campus, and it seems as if their campus ministry has a lot to do. I'm already planning on going on a pilgramige to the Basque Country of Spain, where Ignatius Loyola basically founded the Jesuits. I think there will be a lot here to keep my busy! :)
After lunch, my group traveled to a town called Aranjuez about an hour outside of Madrid. We did a walking tour of the city, which looks exactly how you would think a European city looks: small, quaint, lots of side streets, cobblestone roads, adobe colored buildings. We finished our tour and then I did what I consider my biggest personal victory since arriving to Spain: I navagated myself on the Metro all the way back to Paloma's apartment! I am dominating European transportation, one mode at a time! :)
So, that about brings you up to date for the past two days! Tomorrow I will be going on a tour of the city of Madrid, so hopefully I will have some fun pictures to post of my new home!
Love you all!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Pre-Departure...less than 48 hours to Spain
Hello friends!
Welcome (to some of you) to the wide world of blogging! For the next 4 months, I will use this as a primary tool to communicate to my friends and family back in the states about my adventures and experiences in Spain. From January until May, I will be living and studying in Madrid, Spain at Saint Louis University Madrid. I fully intend to take advantage of everything that Europe has to offer, from traveling to experiencing a culture completely different from my own.
So...the big question: how am I feeling? Well, such a big question indeed has a big answer. Nervous? absolutely. Excited? most definitely. Sad to leave all of my wonderful friends in Dayton and St. Louis? of course. But underneath every emotion that I have is just a huge desire to get on a plane and GET THERE. I want to start my adventure and "get into my rhythm." Madrid is the third largest city in the European Union (behind London and Berlin, according to Wikipedia) and is a cultural "hot-spot" throughout the world. It certainly has so much to offer a twenty-year-old sophomore, and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of it :)
Once I get to Madrid, I'll be staying with a host mom named Paloma and 2 other roommates (I think...I'm staying with the same person my big sister from my sorority stayed with when she went to Spain last year, so I assume the arrangements are the same). From what I understand, its about a 40-minute ride from campus. Paloma will feed us breakfast and dinner, but I am responsible for my lunch arrangements. I feel that living with Paloma will give me a unique insight to Spanish life and culture. Once school starts, I'll be taking 5 classes: Spanish 310, Introduction to Oceanography, Public Speaking, Latin Rhythms and Dancing, and History 112 (Western Civ). Hopefully, this will be a nice balance between homework and experiencing Europe. Not having classes on Fridays will definitely give me a lot more freedom to travel and explore. :)
So, I think that is all for now! The next post I make here will be from my new home for the next 4 months: Madrid! As much as I will be updating you all on my life here abroad, PLEASE keep me posted on what happens back in America. I already miss you all soooooo much (especially everyone at SLU who I might not see until August...but let's not think about that...) and I want to know what you all are doing!! I love you all!!
Welcome (to some of you) to the wide world of blogging! For the next 4 months, I will use this as a primary tool to communicate to my friends and family back in the states about my adventures and experiences in Spain. From January until May, I will be living and studying in Madrid, Spain at Saint Louis University Madrid. I fully intend to take advantage of everything that Europe has to offer, from traveling to experiencing a culture completely different from my own.
So...the big question: how am I feeling? Well, such a big question indeed has a big answer. Nervous? absolutely. Excited? most definitely. Sad to leave all of my wonderful friends in Dayton and St. Louis? of course. But underneath every emotion that I have is just a huge desire to get on a plane and GET THERE. I want to start my adventure and "get into my rhythm." Madrid is the third largest city in the European Union (behind London and Berlin, according to Wikipedia) and is a cultural "hot-spot" throughout the world. It certainly has so much to offer a twenty-year-old sophomore, and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of it :)
Once I get to Madrid, I'll be staying with a host mom named Paloma and 2 other roommates (I think...I'm staying with the same person my big sister from my sorority stayed with when she went to Spain last year, so I assume the arrangements are the same). From what I understand, its about a 40-minute ride from campus. Paloma will feed us breakfast and dinner, but I am responsible for my lunch arrangements. I feel that living with Paloma will give me a unique insight to Spanish life and culture. Once school starts, I'll be taking 5 classes: Spanish 310, Introduction to Oceanography, Public Speaking, Latin Rhythms and Dancing, and History 112 (Western Civ). Hopefully, this will be a nice balance between homework and experiencing Europe. Not having classes on Fridays will definitely give me a lot more freedom to travel and explore. :)
So, I think that is all for now! The next post I make here will be from my new home for the next 4 months: Madrid! As much as I will be updating you all on my life here abroad, PLEASE keep me posted on what happens back in America. I already miss you all soooooo much (especially everyone at SLU who I might not see until August...but let's not think about that...) and I want to know what you all are doing!! I love you all!!
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