El fin?!

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The end: el fin, el final, el límite. Que loco. How crazy that it’s already the end of the study abroad semester. It feels like I was writing about my goals for the next four months of life in Spain just yesterday. And now I only have a week left. The end is near. 

I accomplished many of my goals this semester, which makes me very proud. What I’d have to say I’m the most proud of is how much I solo-travelled. I had 3 trips I did myself: a weekend in Amsterdam, a week in Italy, and a weekend in Paris. In the past, I’ve always been the kind of person who does things with people. And don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy spending time with friends and doing things with them, but traveling alone, not knowing anyone, and going to a different country was exciting. But it was also nerve-wracking. I was in a new country and didn’t know anyone. That meant sometimes I would eat alone. At MLC, I’d almost always go to meals with someone, or at the very least, I’d sit at the “class table” and have someone I knew. Traveling solo required me to ask for help on occasion. I’m stubborn and like to solve problems independently, but new territory (literally) commands a new mindset. Solo travel allowed me to see what I wanted to see. None of my friends want to see a random street or statue?  That’s okay, I’ll just take whatever form of public transportation or walk there. They don’t want to wander a museum or eat cheap food to save money? No worries, I’ll find a grocery store on my way back to my hostel. I could do what I wanted and see the places I liked. But by far, the biggest blessing of solo traveling is the opportunity to make new friends. In hostels, I met many amazing people from around the world. Some places include the US, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, and many more. I still catch up with a few of them about their travels and hope we’ll continue to do so. 

I’m very happy with how I spent my semester, but if I could change one thing, I would love to travel more in my host country. My program hosted a few day trips to nearby cities, but there are amazing places near the coasts that I would’ve loved to visit. For example, the north of Spain has a lot of history and beautiful beaches. In the south, there are caves and beaches. I remember the crystal blue water in Nerja when I visited Spain almost 5 years ago. Then, in the west, I would love to return to Barcelona, but I also want to see Valencia. Both are coastal cities with a lot of history and culture. 

Going back home is going to be a considerable change. There are things I will miss about Spain, as to be expected, so I have some “habits” I want to bring back with me. In the morning, I listen to a 5-10 minute devotion by my home church or Time of Grace while I get ready for school. This allows me to get ready for my day and start it with God’s Word. I did some notetaking in my journal Bible, though I didn’t do as much as I had hoped. I want to better this habit once I get home. I also want to walk more, but I’m not exactly sure how plausible that will be. I’m excited to drive my car, don’t get me wrong (I’m going to blast music with the windows down,) but getting my body moving a bit while I walk to nearby places is healthy in so many ways. Right now, I plan to take nightly walks during the summer, and I’ll make another plan during the school year. 

I’m grateful for so many things from this experience. To pick one thing would be super tricky, so I’m going to say I’m thankful for the culture. I’ve traveled enough to experience a few different cultures and meet many people. I’ve made a few really close friends in Spain, and we can see museums or explore new neighborhoods together. I’ve even tried new foods and navigated other countries with them. I’ve met people from other countries and have seen their kindness. I love talking about the different cultural aspects, including food and vocabulary. Even the locals are interesting to talk to. Especially in Spain, I would chat with cashiers or market vendors. They’re not deep conversations, but I often learn something interesting about their life or Spain. I’ve seen God’s hand in this aspect, too. The creation of different cultures, especially languages, was a result of a sin at the Tower of Babel, with people selfishly wanting to be even with God. But God turned this sin into something good so we can see and experience different ways of life. It’s been such a blessing to meet all these fantastic people and get to know them. I’ve gotten to share my faith with a few of them and shared my cancer story with them, too, which is a huge blessing. 

Finally, here are a few recommendations for people going to study abroad. Just go for it. Don’t be afraid to look out of place because, honestly, you probably will. But you’ll learn the cultural norms and get to meet a ton of really lovely people in the process. And no matter what happens, God will bless you in the process.

Sunset in Sol

Such a talented painter

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

Pasta lesson!

Longest hike for this view

Boat tour

Lovely gals in Italy

Woke up at 4:45 for this sunrise

Gotta hold up the tower

Starry Night!

Eiffel Tower!!

Lo Que Quieres

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“Lo que quieres” means “whatever you want.” Our topic for this blog entry is whatever we want it to be about. Honestly, I think this is more difficult than having a topic assigned. I like to know the end goal, especially when it’s an “assignment.” 

I’ve had the opportunity to do “lo que quiero” while studying abroad in Spain. One of the most outstanding, in my opinion, is the ability to travel. I’ve mentioned a few places in former entries, but I’m going to take some time to further detail the places I’ve been blessed to visit.

 

February 10 – Toledo, Spain

This was a day trip put on by our study-abroad program. We took a bus there and started the day with a tour from the bus. We drove around the outside of the city, admiring the huge walls protecting it. We visited el Ministerio de San Juan de los Reyes, la Sinogaga de Santa Maria La Blanca, la Iglesia de Santo Tome, and el Catedral de Toledo. In the Church of Saint Thomas, we saw El Greco’s famous painting, “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.” I also enjoyed visiting the cathedral, which is still in use, and finding the “secret” entrances up to the 3 large organs. 

 

February 16 – Segovia, Spain

This was another day trip, but I only went with Alaina and Sarah this time. We took the bus there, and our first stop was los acueductos, which are amazing to think about historically. We wandered the streets, and Alaina and I found a bookstore of a former host-dad. When we visited Spain about 5 years ago, the dad of our host family showed us his bookstore, and after all this time, we could find it again. Unfortunately, it was closed when we walked past it. Our next stop was at an adorable bakery for a snack on the way to Plaza Mayor, where el Catedral de Segovia is located. Our tour of the cathedral took us up 190 steps to the top of the bell tower. From there, we saw breathtaking views of the Alcazar, the mountains, and the villages. After the tour and lunch, we visited the Alcazar, which inspired Cinderella’s castle in the Disney movie. We climbed the tower here and admired the views once again. We splurged on some churros with chocolate and walked along the wall to admire the sunset. 

 

February 22-25 – Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal

 Technically, our trip to Portugal started on Thursday the 22nd, but we only rode a bus for 8 hours, so there was little to share. When we woke up in our hostel on Friday, we were greeted by a rainbow outside our window. It rained on and off during the morning but eventually cleared up. The morning highlight was the viewpoint of Santa Luiza. From there we walked to see the outside of the cathedral. We sprinted through the rain to the Time Out Market and got lunch at Janis cafe. We took a train to the neighborhood of Belen to see el Torre de Belen, a beautiful castle right on the beach. (This was my favorite part of the afternoon.) We also took the historic Tram 28 to see the main sights of Lisbon. Next, we went to el Convento de Carmen. We trekked up a never-ending hill to the viewpoint of Senhora de Monte. We could see beautiful colors in the sunset before the clouds covered it. A little fun note: our waiter at the restaurant we went to for dinner was from Argentina, so we all got to talk with him about that from our time studying there. 

The next day we had a trip to the nearby town of Sintra. We traveled with a few other adults from the States and made some new friends. Miguel, our guide, took us to the “downtown” area and then up to the Quinta de Regaleira, a beautiful palace with a castle and lots of greenery. We explored the gardens and went inside the caves and the well. Next, we drove to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost part of Europe (contiguously, I believe). The view of the ocean was breathtaking as we climbed on the rocky shore. After lunch, we went to Pena Palace, a colorful building influenced by 5 different countries’ styles. And Sunday was another 8 hours on the bus. 

 

March 2-3 – Salamanca, Spain

We stopped at El Escorial de San Lorenzo on the bus ride to Salamanca. This trip through ISA provided us with a monastery tour, followed by some free time to explore the area and get lunch. We would’ve explored more if the weather wasn’t rainy and cold. We drove the rest of the way to the hotel and had the night to explore the area. 

The following day, we had a tour of the University of Salamanca, the oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe. After that, I visited the Museo Art Nouveau, which had some fantastic modern art. After a little more free time, we took the bus back to Madrid. 

 

March 15-17 – Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

On Friday the 15, Alaina, Sarah, and I flew to the south of Tenerife. We took a taxi to a nearby town to get some groceries, but from there, we had to walk in the hot weather to the hostel. We couldn’t check in right away, so we left our stuff and went to the beach, a 5 minute walk away. We were there for a little over an hour before coming back. We made some dinner and returned to the beach to catch the sunset. 

The next day, we walked into the town to get some brunch. We walked along the wall by the beach until we found a little entrance to climb down the rocks. We spent some time in this swimming area before returning to our hostel. We found the natural pools and swam around there for a little less than an hour. We finished walking back to the hostel, played some cards, and ordered a pizza to eat on the beach at sunset. (We went to bed early before we had to be up at 4 am for our flight, but that part isn’t exciting.)

 

March 22-29 – Madrid, Granada, Barcelona, Spain

This was my spring break, and I had visitors! My parents, my aunt, and my uncle came to visit me in Spain. Day one, after they landed, we spent in Madrid. I showed them my campus and walked to the famous Puerta del Sol. Our next stop was San Gines for the legendary churros with chocolate, and we also took a few minutes to listen to the group of 6 strings players. We then took the metro to Retiro Park, the most well-known part of Madrid. The main attractions were the glass palace and the peacocks in the gardens! Later, we tried to watch the sunset at Templo de Debod, a park near my place, but it was cloudy. 

Day 2 started with breakfast at Starbucks before visiting the Reina Sofia art museum, which features some modern art. After lunch (Italian food!), we went to the train station to go to Granada. We walked to our hotel and explored the area to find a good location for dinner. 

After breakfast at our hotel, we took a thin little bus up the hill to the Alhambra. Even after being there before, I still was in awe at how pretty it was. Our tour guide did a great job explaining the history as we went along. We wandered on our own for a bit, then returned to the city for lunch. Next, we went to the Royal Chapel and saw the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella. We continued wandering the area and ordered some dinner since we didn’t want to go out with all the festivities outside the street. Our final activity of the night was a flamenco show. The dancers, singer, and guitarist were all spectacular. 

Our flight to Barcelona was in the morning, and from the airport, we metroed (is that a verb?) to get to our VRBO. We explored the area, including a nearby big market, and got lunch. We wandered more (yes, that’s a common time-filler for us) and settled into the VRBO before our sunset cruise. It downpoured the entire way to the dock, which worried us but cleared up. We talked with some people from Canada and our skippers as we snacked and took in the sights. We returned to our neighborhood and had dinner before calling it a night.

A train in the morning took us to a nearby city where we would spend our day. We walked from the train station and continued wandering until we found a spot for some lunch. Next, we visited the Dali Museum. Super cool art; that man was talented. We got some ice cream as a little snack before the train ride. Unfortunately, the entire walk/sprint back to the station was downpouring. We couldn’t even hide from it. The soaked ride back wasn’t the most enjoyable, but we made warm pizzas and played cards at the VRBO.

The next day, we took the metro to the Sagrada Familia. We got brunch and walked a lap around the cathedral. The inside was breathtaking. The stained glass windows had so many colors that illuminated the space. We got to go up the Nativity tower, which gave us a nice view of Barcelona and took the spiral staircase back down. We got some lunch and got our stuff to go back to Madrid. 

The weather wasn’t as good as we had hoped, so we decided not to do a day trip to Segovia. Instead, we got some breakfast and then walked to Plaza de Espana. From there, we took a bus tour of the city. We got off at the shopping area for souvenirs and clothes. We walked a bit more, then returned to the bus for a few more stops. We got off at the Prado Museum, where we spent a couple of hours admiring some of the works. I’ve been multiple times but still haven’t seen all the artwork! 

The next day would be our last one together. We got breakfast at a cafe near my residence and took the metro to the airport. We said our goodbyes, and I started my next adventure.

 

March 29-April 2 – Dublin, Ireland and London, England

After the flight to Dublin, my friend Grayce and I got settled in our hostel and got some dinner. We walked around the area. And, of course, Dublin is known for its Guinness beer, so we tried some. But neither of us like beer, so we gave it a low rating. 

We started the next day with brunch. We wandered and browsed some shops and visited Trinity College. After lunch, we took a (slow!) bus to the airport. Somehow, we made our flight and got to London. We got to our hostel, which wasn’t easy from the Stansted airport, and got some dinner.

This brings us to Easter day! Grayce and I walked with Alaina and Sarah from the hostel to a brunch place, where we met with Allie and David. We caught up and walked to the London mission church. We mingled and participated in our first WELS service since arriving in Spain. Singing “I Know that My Redeemer Lives” was powerful, even with a small congregation. Grayce isn’t religious, so I had the opportunity to share with her and answer her questions. We walked back, taking the path along London Bridge (thank goodness it didn’t fall), giving us a good view of the Tower Bridge. Later, we met David for dinner and went out briefly that night. 

The next day, we got coffee and pastries to prep us for our tourist day. We started with the National Gallery, my favorite museum so far. We saw paintings by Van Gogh, including “Sunflowers.” From there, we walked to Big Ben and saw the London Eye from the nearby bridge. We got some Chipotle (taste of home?) for lunch and honestly didn’t do anything interesting the rest of the day because we had a morning flight back to Madrid. 

 

April 5-7 – Prague, Czech Republic

I never thought I’d want to go to the Czech Republic, but it has been one of my favorite places so far. My friend Emily and I flew out on a Friday morning. After lunch and checking in, we explored our area around the “Old Town.” Walking across the bridge, we saw some of the main attractions from a distance. Back at our hostel, we were provided a free dinner, allowing us to talk with some of the other people staying there. We were able to go out with a few of them that night. 

The next day, Emily and I planned some time with two girls we met at the hostel, Emily (yes, another one) and Isabel. Our first stop was a flea market down by the river. The ambiance was so cute! We wandered around the area looking for lunch as we went to the meeting point for our free walking tour. This is when we saw many attractions: Prague Castle, Strahov Monastery, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Salm Palace. After dinner with our new friends, we walked along the canal and talked for a few hours. Eventually, Emily and I got to bed for our early flight. 

 

April 12-14 – Granada, Spain

This was a 3-day trip with the ISA program. So even though I had already seen almost everything we would see, it would be a bit different because of the people I was with. We took a bus down the Granada and started with some free time for lunch. Then, early in the evening, we had a little walking tour to a beautiful viewpoint. From there, we walked to see a flamenco show in a cave. The dancers, singers, and guitar players were super talented. We had some dinner and ice cream and called it a night. 

The next day, we took our bus to Alhambra. Split into three groups, we stopped at the main parts, including the Nazarene Palace, the most known area. We could’ve walked down to the city, but the weather was hot, so we took the bus and went to find some lunch. We rested in the afternoon and met a group for some Mexican food for dinner. We then met with many people that night to catch up and hang out.

On Sunday, we had a walking tour of the old-town Granada that lasted most of the morning. After a little lunch, we tried the famous pionono, which is a cinnamon pastry. But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be cold and kind of mushy! Not that it was terrible, but it wouldn’t be my first choice next time I have dessert in Granada. 

 

April 18-21 – Amsterdam, Netherlands

I’ll start by saying that I did skip class for this trip. One of my favorite artists had a tour in the US, but he canceled it and kept his few European shows. So Thursday, I flew to Brussels, Belgium, and took a bus to Amsterdam. I rested a bit after all that stressful traveling, then went to the concert. Best one I’ve been to. Jake Scott, the singer, was so close and was very personal with the crowd. Easily the best concert I’ve been to. I even met a girl from Spain there!

The next day, I got to the central part of Amsterdam for a canal “cruise.” By this, I mean I took a little boat along some canals. Thankfully, it had a roof, as the rain was on and off all day. After my water-view tour, I had some brunch and went to catch my bus to Keukenhof. (I’ve gotten really good at saying that now.) This is the most famous tulip garden in Holland. There are hundreds of acres of tulip fields at this place. I spent 3.5 hours just walking around. There were dozens of different colored tulips, accompanied by a plethora of other flowers. Other decorations dispersed among the flora made the place absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t want to leave. But I returned to my hostel and talked with some of my roommates. One girl is from Canada, and the other is from Australia. 3 English speakers with different accents. People we met that night were a little confused!

On Saturday, I met up with two girls from the ISA program for brunch. We basically had a pancake charcuterie board, which was so cute! Then, I wandered around the area for a bit until they finished their cruise, and I met them to walk around another area. We got some lunch, and I went to the 9 Streets neighborhood, which has the Anne Frank house and museum. We couldn’t get tickets, but the outside was cool to see. Then, I had a restful night with my roommates at the hostel, so I was rested for my flight home the next day. 

 

I’m so grateful that God has blessed me with many opportunities to do “lo que quiero” because it has allowed me to see so much of his creation.

View of Toledo

Los Aqueductos

Tower of Belen

The Pena Palace

View in Salamanca

Sunset in Tenerife

Natural pool in Tenerife

My mom loves Dali’s rooster

My family visited!

Barcelona cruise

Dali Museum- Abe Lincoln or a woman?

The windows at the Sagrada Familia

Positive notes in Dublin

WELS connections in London

Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”

Big Ben

View of the river in Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral

Jake Scott

Windmill and tulips at Keukenhof

Amsterdam canal

The Alhambra

Flamenco show in a cave

“Best Culture” – Conversation and Connections

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The task of this blog entry is different from the previous ones. Instead of talking about my cultural experience, the main point of this assignment is to dive deeper into another culture. (And yes, the title is a direct quote from this interview.) I chose my friend Kamil, who lives in Madrid. He was born in Maryland and lived in the US for a few years while he was young and then again for high school. He also lived in Morocco for a time. Because of his experience with many cultures, I asked him to be my interviewee for this cultural conversation. 

Family and education: Kamil’s parents are doctors, and he’s following suit by attending medical school here in Madrid. He reflected that his family passed down several values to him as he grew up. The first is working hard. Those who sit back and relax, waiting for good things to come to them, will scarcely get far in life. They taught him to have self-worth and dignity. Concerning others, he was taught to be empathetic and to do good to those around him. Overall, these are common and positive values for children of all cultures. Education-wise, he was able to attend private schools, even in international settings. He then did some Spanish schooling to get his baccalaureate, allowing Spanish students to attend university. Overall, he considered his experience good, as it provided him with opportunities to explore things and learn new languages. It also allowed him to focus on the solid areas and improve on the weak ones. He selected schools that help to create a work setting that is appropriate for each person. But like his parents taught him, he still has to work to succeed. There are a few logistical differences between schooling in Spain and America, but I think that overall, the goal is for schools to provide options for students to select courses that will allow them to learn about the topics that interest them and will benefit them in their futures. 

Religion and gender roles: Statistically, the majority of Spain is Catholic, but the percentage of those who practice the religion (going to mass, etc.) is much lower. Kamil was primarily raised in Christianity, as that is his mom’s religion, but he also had some Jewish influence from his dad. Religion isn’t a massive aspect of people’s lives in Spain, which I think is similar to most of those in America. Gender roles also aren’t a huge deal, as they’re pretty equal. Just looking at their government, as Kamil pointed out, many high positions are filled by women. In his university, the majority of medical students are female. American culture is getting to the point of having gender equality, but the media shows that we still have a little way to go. 

Stereotypes: This was one of my favorite sections to interview Kamil about, but he said it’s up to me to decide whether or not they’re true. He says that people think that the Spanish “are loud, lazy, like to party, short, Royalists, love futbol, and dress well.” And honestly, I agree with many of these. They’re pretty loud when they’re comfortable and are willing to voice their opinions, but there are many Americans who are the same (think of Karens). The laziness stereotype comes from their siesta (nap) culture, but I think that’s just to get them through their late nights, as they tend to be party people. This is mainly for the younger generation, those in their late teens, 20s, and 30s, but I think many people in this age range tend to go out at night. Americans do this, too, but (legally) it starts at an older age and typically ends earlier in the night, in my opinion. As I’ve mentioned, the Spanish dress well, especially in comparison to Americans. They do love their futbol (soccer) teams, kind of like Americans have their specific football or baseball team they support. Generally, Spaniards are shorter, but it’s hard to compare them to Americans because of the diversity of nationalities. I also asked Kamil about stereotypes that Spaniards have about Americans. Immediately he said that we don’t know geography or the metric system. Unfortunately, I couldn’t argue with either of these. Overall, we are very content with knowing the geography of the United States (only) and the imperial system. 

Food and holidays: Spain has several typical cultural foods. The ones Kamil names are “paella, bacaloa (cod fish), patatas bravas (potatos with spicy sauce), jamon serano (ham cooked a certain way), tortilla de patata (potato cake dish), pan con tomate (bread with tomato), mejillones (mussels), and vino rojo (red wine), especially in sangria and tinto de verano.” Food especially plays a significant role in holiday celebrations. The two most important holidays are Christmas (along with the 3 reyes/kings) and the Semana Santa (Holy Week and Easter), the same in the US. At Christmastime, Spaniards typically have family time, go to church, share food, and do charitable work, similar to Americans. Easter is celebrated similarly, but many large processions and parades can be a learning experience for those who observe them during the week. These processions are like nothing I’ve seen in the States, but they may be on more minor scales. 

The final question I asked was this: “What is the most important thing I should know about your culture?” Kamil’s response is what the title of this post is: “best culture.” And after living in it for these past two months, I can attest that it really is an amazing culture to be a part of.

Link to a video of me flipping a tortilla de patatas

Making paella

A glass of sangria with lunch

Religious paintings

The interviewee Kamil

Intermedio

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Halfway. That’s what “intermedio” means. It’s crazy to believe we’re already halfway through our semester abroad. 

“Intermedio” is also often used to refer to one of the three primary levels of Spanish learning, being the middle level. I considered myself to be at the high-intermediate level when I came to Spain. Although I may not consider myself at the advanced level yet, I’ve improved my Spanish skills. Being halfway through the semester means we just had our midterm exams. 3 of my 4 classes had them, and I’m happy with the grades I got on those. Half of my classes are based on improving language skills, and the other half focus on specific topics we discuss in Spanish. Both kinds have been super exciting, and I’m enjoying my classes. 

Another way to say “half” in Spanish is “la mitad”. This refers more closely to something like the portion size of food. Trying new foods is one of my goals while I’m abroad. This has been more of a challenge than I thought because when I buy groceries to make cheap(er) meals at home, I want to know that I will like it. To save money (as much as possible, at least,) I haven’t been eating out very often, which is where I would try new, well-cooked food. A goal I have made good progress on, besides the academic ones, is going to the gym and staying active. I’ve been walking to locations when possible to get some kind of “cardio.” I finally caved and got a gym membership. I’ve had a lot more free time than I expected, so I decided going to work out would be a good use of this time. I researched places to play basketball, but unfortunately, there aren’t many options. My school has a men’s program but not a women’s. (They must not have Title IX haha.) So, for now, I’ll work on strength and cardio at the gym. 

“El medio” is another translation, but I think it better fits when talking about something that’s average. But who wants to be average, right? Instead, I want to write about what I can improve on this upcoming half-semester. The first is my faith life. I have been diligent with listening to a devotion every morning as I get ready for my day, but my Bible journaling hasn’t been as consistent. I’m very excited that I will be going to London for Easter. I’ll meet up with the two other girls from Spain, David, who’s been studying in Galway, and Allie, who’s been studying in London. We will attend the Easter service at the WELS mission church in the London area. After that, I will work on doing a Psalm at least every other day in my journaling Bible. Another area I want to improve on is using Spanish outside of class. I use it during class, of course, but outside of class, I say the bare minimum when ordering food or coffee. I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and talk with the barista or server. If I go out with friends, I can have a small interaction with another person who’s there, just to practice. It’s never as scary as I make it out to be in my head. Finally, I’d also like to work on not relying on my comfort zone. This can be taken in many ways. For one, as much as I love spending time with the girls from back home who are in Spain, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know new people. I also want to explore new areas of Madrid. Being a big city, I’ve only made it to a few of the neighborhoods. There are so many that have attractions, cafes, and little events. 

A fourth translation (yes, there are many) is “el centro.” As you might guess, this has the connotation of “center.” I like to consider Madrid a center of cultural diversity, but I love the Spanish culture, even though some aspects surprised me. For example, I knew dinner was usually late, but even when I ate at 8 pm, my roommates thought it was early! It’s also very common to smoke or vape, which is one cultural trend I’m not trying to adhere to! Another surprising aspect is the laidbackness. (I’m honestly not sure if that’s a word, but I’ll explain.) For example, they walk very casually, which I try to do, but the American in me wants to walk fast to get there as quickly as possible. They also don’t take things as seriously. I feel like people in the States get offended fairly quickly, but people are very chill here. They aren’t bothered by what others are doing. I love that they aren’t laidback with their attire, though. The nice dress is a good change of pace from the everyday sweatpants and t-shirts usually worn in the US. I’ve been dressing similarly to the locals here, and when I speak in Spanish, I feel very much a part of the culture, which is a great feeling. 

The fifth (and final translation I will use) is “el tiempo.” I think it looks like “time,” and it’s closely related. Although usually referred to as halftime of a sports game, I will use this translation as an excuse to talk about the travel I’ve been able to do. I have taken several day trips to various locations in Spain, including Segovia, Toledo, and Salamanca. Of those three, my favorite was Segovia. I loved the Alcazar, the Cathedral of Segovia, and the Aquaducts; they were all so beautiful! I also went to Portugal for a weekend, spending a day in Lisbon and Sintra. These cities were both fantastic, also. It wasn’t easy to walk through Lisbon, which has all the hills, but the views were worth it. A local led our tour of Sintra, and his knowledge was very evident. We enjoyed it a lot. The most recent trip was a weekend in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The weather was absolutely perfect for the beach time we were hoping for, and we would’ve loved to stay longer. (We had exams to study for, though.) This upcoming week is spring break. My parents, aunt, and uncle are visiting for a week, and we will spend time in Madrid, Granada, and Barcelona. The final part of the weekend will be in Dublin and London. Other upcoming trips include Amsterdam and Prague, and hopefully Italy and Paris! 

I’m feeling incredibly blessed with all these opportunities to be immersed in the culture of various places. God is so good!

Beach near our hostel, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Salamanca, Spain

Pena Palace, Sintra, Portugal

Tower of Belen, Lisbon, Portugal

Roman Aqueducts, Segovia, Spain

View of Toledo, Spain

La Universidad

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Universidad, as you might guess, translates to university. Sounds fancy, right? A few times, I’ve made the mistake of calling it “college.” I didn’t realize that “el colegio,” which looks like college, doesn’t have the same significance that it does in the States. In general, “colegio” refers to any schooling. “Universidad” means a third-level education that comes after high school and is geared towards a specific degree. 

I go to Universidad de Antonio de Nebrija in Madrid. I’m taking four classes in Spanish. The first one is “lengua espanola,” which literally means Spanish language. (No, they don’t capitalize it.) This is my only class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We tend to focus on grammatical topics that aren’t necessarily verb tenses, concepts like “ser vs estar” and “por vs para.” In another class, specific grammar problems, so far, we’ve been focusing on verb tenses. After a quick review of the imperative (commands), we’ve spent a lot of time forming the past tense. It doesn’t seem like it would be difficult, but when there are four different tenses to speak about the past, sometimes it can be a bit confusing. This is my first class on Mondays and Wednesdays. Right after, I have “panorama de la literatura espanola.” Most of these words are cognates: panorama of Spanish literature. I expected this class to be the most difficult for me. I expected to have to read entire novels and interpret complex poems. So far, this is one of my favorite classes. Our teacher does a fantastic job of explaining the historical context of a few literature works. Then we read a part, and she explains the rest of it. My last class is “Arte en el Museo Prado”. We focus on three specific artists and learn about the eras in which they painted. We get to talk about and critique art and even go to the Prado Museum three times. 

Each week, we have three hours of each class, which is equal to 12 credits in the US. This is the least amount of college classes/credits I’ve taken. I have so much free time that I sometimes don’t know what to do. I have time to journal and watch Netflix! My latest class goes until 1:30, while some students don’t finish their school days until 7:30 at night. I have the entire afternoon and evening to do homework and explore the city. Not only am I taking fewer classes, but the homework load is a lot lighter. Some classes, like lengua espanola and grammar problems, assign homework every class period. Luckily, this homework takes maybe half an hour, depending on the topic and number of activities. 

After classes, finding things to do that feel productive but require spending money can be challenging. Occasionally, we go to a cafe to have a different atmosphere while we journal or do homework. On other days, if the weather is nice, we walk around to nearby “barrios” or neighborhoods. Sometimes we walk to the shopping street and browse stores (and buy clothes). The best part about the schedule is that we only have classes four days a week, and on Thursdays, we end at 10:30. Because of this, we can make travel plans, even to visit other countries. Recently, we went to Portugal for the weekend and could take the cheaper bus option because of the time we had on Thursday. I’m planning a few more weekend trips in the future, too. 

So far, I’m loving so much about Madrid, and I’m excited to be here another three months!

        

Mi Castillo

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When I say “my castle,” I mean my house. But we’re nestled in the Princesa neighborhood, so I’m going to call myself a princess. Some of the luxuries here almost make it feel real. Thankfully, I’m not high up in a tower that requires me to climb up a huge spiral staircase. 

Our student residence is under the management of a company called “MiCasaInn.” Who cares, right? Well, the name is actually pretty cool. “Mi casa” means “my house”. Our residence is meant to feel like a house, a place you can feel at home. 

We each have our own room at Plaza Espana (the name of our residence). Even better, we each have our own bathroom. This means not having to carry toiletries to the bathroom every morning, night, and time you want to shower. And now that we have towels and bought toilet paper, we’re really living the dream! It’s also nice to decorate our bedrooms with things from home, like pictures, and have our own space. We can sleep when we want or call whomever we want and don’t have a roommate to want to work around. There’s even a TV in every room… if only it worked.

Luckily, the TV in the shared living room works. So far, I’ve only seen it be used for music, but that’s more than I’ve gotten to work in my room! The living room has a couch and a few chairs that we occasionally use when planning or doing homework. There’s also a small table with a few chairs for eating. Sometimes, our schedules line up, so we eat with the other girls in the apartment. Other times it’s us 3, and sometimes it’s just one of us. Eating with others can be difficult because of the kitchen’s size. It’s a weird triangle-shaped area with a stovetop, a refrigerator, cupboards, a washing machine, a dishwasher, and a sink. That’s not everything a kitchen should have. Take a guess, what’s missing? Yeah, there’s no oven. Bit of a challenge, honestly. I researched some recipes before arriving in Spain, and many required an oven. So, I did more research on stovetop recipes. Shoutout to Pinterest for saving me from starvation. 

Plaza Espana has 9 rooms for these shared areas, and all rooms are filled with girls! We’ve met all of them at least once and found out they’re from various places: Argentina, Italy, Chile, and Barcelona. And then us from small midwestern towns. There are three or four girls we see often that we talk with when we can. They’re super helpful and friendly. I locked my key in my room one day, and the two gals out there were helping me call the housing program to open my door. Another night, I was walking out to say hey to Alaina and Sarah, and one of the girls had her friends over. They got free tickets to go out and had an extra, so they invited me to go with them. I couldn’t say no to free, so they let me tag along with them. I spoke Spanish with them all night and helped one of the friends practice her English, too. 

We are (in theory) only a 5-minute walk from the Nebrija campus. But there are two campuses, one of them with only one building. And that one building has all of our classes. So, it’s actually a 15-minute walk. But it’s not bad at all. The weather has been perfect for walking, though I’m sure locals would say through their scarves it’s too cold. It’s also more free (sort of) conditioning (sort of) built into my day. 

Overall, I’m very happy with our residence. The fridge is a bit small, but we got an extra little one to store some food. We’re close to a metro stop and a reasonable distance from the school. The girls we live with are very non-problematic and welcoming to us gringas.

Primeras Impresiones

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  1. “Madrid is huge! “Being from a small Wisconsin town and attending college in a small Minnesota town, I have minimal experience with big cities. My few weeks in Argentina gave me a little taste of a big city, but we didn’t have as much free time there as we do here. Thankfully, the metro is pretty easy to use, especially after using the one in BA. It’s pretty efficient, too, which is something I know I’ll miss when I return to the small towns. 
  2. “Our residency is so cute!” The three of us in Spain were all assigned to the same student residency, a 15-minute walk from our classes’ building. I won’t talk about the place too much, but we had a patience test when we arrived. Sarah’s and my rooms weren’t stocked with linens, Tupperware, or towels for the bathroom. It took us a few days (yes, days) to get these things delivered to us by the housing program. They also don’t supply toilet paper, which we found out the hard way. But the place is super cute!
  3. “The air quality is bad?” Every time I looked at my weather app, the first thing to pop up was the air quality conditions, which are almost always unhealthy. Personally, I can’t really notice a difference between the air here and that back home, but maybe I just didn’t memorize the air from back home. Honestly, though, I can’t say I’m surprised since probably half the people here smoke. I don’t say this directly affects air quality, but it makes sense if it did. 
  4. “Spain is a social culture.” The smoking and going out culture really emphasizes how social the society is. These things aren’t always done indulgently but almost like an excuse to be social. A little conversation during a smoke break, a glass of wine on a lunch date, tapas and a drink with a group at night. Both of the Nebrija campuses have outdoor common areas where students can mingle. Although we have all our classes at the smaller, less pretty building, we still have time between classes to chat with new people and make friends. 
  5. “Everyone here looks so nice!” I mean this in two ways; first of all, they’re pretty. There are very few people that I would consider to be “out of shape.” This is probably because walking is common with things being so close together and because of the food. They don’t tend to eat much, but when they do, it’s healthy overall, especially compared to many options in the US. Second of all, they all have such good style. Barely ever do you see leggings or sweatpants or sweatshirts. That’s just not how they do it here. Not to be rude, but guys from the US need to take notes! These Spanish men are stylish!
  6. “This weather is warm; why do people look cold?” The weather here has been warmer than usual, getting up to 60 degrees a few days. Now the temperatures are in the 50s, and people look like they’re going to brave the below-zero temperatures of windy Minnesota! I’ve been comfortable in just a cardigan or sweater. They have oversized coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. They wear so many layers of clothing. And somehow, they still look fashionable!

Goals and expectations: goles/objectivos/metas y expectivas/esperanzas

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I figured I might as well start translating my thoughts now, as that will take up a lot of my time soon. The trouble with this is that words don’t translate perfectly. There are often multiple possible translations and ways to interpret a phrase or sentence. 

So yeah, that’s a trouble, but it’s also helpful. In this case, it’s helpful. Each translation of the words helps me define the difference between them and better express each. 

First, a bit about me. My name is Emily Wittig. I’m a junior at MLC on the teacher track. I’m a double major in elementary and secondary Spanish education. I’m from Hartford, WI. Both my parents are teachers. (Yes, it’s a family business at this point.) I’ve been taking Spanish classes at some level since seventh grade. 

I know it’s “goals and expectations,” but I’ll start with expectations. The first translation is “expectivas”, a cognate translation. I don’t necessarily expect adjusting to be easy. Adjusting to a new house, food, school, time zone, culture, and more is only a slightly daunting task. (Okay, maybe more than slightly.) I’m not scared, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I expect this to be a difficult adjustment, but I have support from many people. 

“Expectations” also can be translated to “esperanzas,” which are like “hopes” or “wishes.” I hope to make lots of friends abroad. Through the ISA program, we will have opportunities to go on extra weekend trips to various cities in Spain. Our classes will be with these ISA students, and hopefully some natives, also. We hope to have many experiences with multiple people doing many different things. 

“Goals” can be translated to “goles,” which is primarily used in the context of sports. Like in futbol (I should probably call it that instead of soccer), the scores are goals. We have a goal to go to a futbol game in Spain, a way to immerse ourselves in a significant cultural aspect of the country. (I need to learn more about how futbol works first!) Another goal is to stay active. Incorporating activity into my routine will give me a sense of accomplishment and homeiness. The gym we have in mind offers some workout classes, which can be another way to bond with others from the area. I would also love to find a way to play basketball while I’m abroad, but that could be tougher. 

“Objectivos” is another translation for “goals.” This word is a cognate, so it’s often used to refer to objectives. As a future teacher, I know all about objectives: what they are, how to write them, why they’re necessary, etc. Basically, the purpose. The purpose of this semester abroad is to learn the Spanish language and immerse myself in its culture. Easy enough, right? I’m taking classes at the university, so I’ll be learning the language. I’m living there, so I’m immersed in the culture. However, objectives should be measurable. How can I say I “learned the language” or was “immersed in the culture”? In regards to learning the language, my classes will be a large part of measuring this. Although daily homework is rare in Europe, I will still have a test or two or three along the way, and the classes I’m taking are designed to improve my use of the language (especially the one focusing on complex grammar topics). I will also be able to gauge the easiness of conversing with native speakers and other language learners throughout the semester. It’s more challenging to measure the cultural aspect. It’s possible to be in a country and not even try to be part of the culture. I will consciously make an effort to do this, and I’ll self-check my progress through these blogs. Apparently, “objectivo” also refers to the lens on a camera (I just learned this). I want to take many pictures while I’m in Spain and all the other places we will visit. But I also have a personal goal to live in the moment. Time is very laid-back in Europe, including Spain (just look up their “siesta”). This will be a challenge for me, mainly because I’m a huge planner, so I want to be more of a go-with-the-flow type of person and be more spontaneous. 

Finally, “meta” is the third translation for “goal.” Along with basically every other connotation for “goal” that I’ve included, “meta” also signifies the finish line. I think of two verses from the New Testament: 2 Timothy 4:7 (I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith) and Hebrews 12:1-2 (let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith). Staying in the Word may be a challenge while we’re abroad. We won’t have chapel services twice a day and a variety of church services to choose from each weekend. Because of this, I want to do daily devotions and a personal bible study at least once a week. We’re also looking for potential groups at school to find more opportunities to be in the Word, as this is the most important part of everything we do.