American Pride and British Prejudice

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“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” – Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice remains one of my favorite novels of all time! Austen’s novel continues to be a worldwide favorite for generations with its memorable characters and controversial themes. The two main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy quarrel with each other throughout the majority of the novel. The primary theme throughout the novel is focused on the prejudices the main characters have toward one another, and how their pridefulness gets in the way of seeing what’s really in front of them. Hence comes the perfect title, Pride and Prejudice.

Living in London for the past month has allowed me to further understand the concept of American pride. Going away from home shows me what I miss and appreciate about living in America. However, living here also highlights differences between American culture versus the different cultures I am being exposed to. Being a study abroad student means I automatically stand out in some form: whether it be in my flat, on campus, or on the streets. As soon as I speak, I immediately stand out with my accent! It is evident in the way I talk, dress, and behave that I am an American. The tiny little details that make me American (like using a 12hr time clock or using Fahrenheit over Celsius) are something I have never really noticed or thought about differently before. Also being around other American study abroad students has shown me two other things: Americans are loud, and everyone is here for different reasons.

On the first point… Americans are loud! This isn’t necessarily a negative thing. In my experience, the Americans tend to be more friendly, and outgoing compared to the British students. However, it does mean we tend to stand out more in public. In general, British students tend to be more reserved in their personalities and their tone of voice. My professors speaking in class tend to talk with a more quiet, reserved tone compared to my professors at MLC. This has taken time to get used to.

The second point… noticing everyone studying abroad is here for different reasons. Some people are here for academic and career purposes, while others are here to travel and explore Europe, and some people are just here to party and have a good time. It is interesting to ask people’s different reasons for studying abroad and specifically choosing London. That being said, I have tried to surround myself with a group of people who have similar purposes for being here and have similar interests when it comes to traveling. It is hard to balance remaining true to who I am as a person, while also branching out and getting to know a variety of people.

While studying abroad, I get to live on campus in a flat. In my flat, I have six flatmates. Four of my flatmates are British (Holly, Evie, Maya, and Harley), while two of them are other American study abroad students (Grace and Sarah). It has been nice getting to know other students who actually live in the UK. Two of my flatmates (Holly and Evie) are also studying to be teachers! It’s nice to have that in common. We all ask each other questions about each other’s countries and discuss differences in areas like schooling, climate, and food. One day I spent fifteen minutes explaining to one of my flatmates, Maya, the beauty of ranch dressing! Apparently, ranch is something that doesn’t exist here in the UK!

My flat has now become a place I am comfortable in and can call my “home.” In my flat, we each have our own bedrooms and bathrooms. This has been extremely nice to have my own private area where I can relax and reflect on my day. It isn’t the largest room, but it does the job… especially since I wasn’t able to bring loads of items from home to begin with. The kitchen and living area are a space all my flatmates share. I like being able to socialize while making meals and having this common area together. We have parts of the fridge and cabinets divided up evenly, so everyone has their own space to store their food and utensils. I enjoy getting to go grocery shopping and figure out meals on my own. The grocery store I go to is called ASDA. It is a 30-minute walk or a 15-minute bus ride away.

Three things I’ve noticed that are different here compared to the U.S. grocery stores:
1. Bags are something I have to provide or else I get charged extra
2. Items such as produce, or bread go stale quicker because they have fewer preservatives in them
3. Eggs are not found in dairy since they are not refrigerated here

I have also grown close to the flat above mine. This flat has several ISA study abroad students who I befriended and travel with. Part of the reason we have grown close is the fact that we are all American. We are all in the same boat and are trying to travel and figure out everything along the way. Despite all being American, we also notice many differences between us. Many of us are from all over the U.S. and come from different backgrounds and schooling. For example, two of the girls (Shaan and Grace) live in California and go to a film school there. Both of them plan on having careers in the Hollywood industry. It is fascinating meeting people I normally wouldn’t come across outside of this study abroad setting.

One factor I didn’t think of before coming here was sickness! I got sick with the flu around two weeks ago. I did bring American medications with me, so that was helpful. However, being sick and exhausted constantly made me think of home. I wanted nothing more than to sleep in my warm bed at home and eat chicken noodle soup! On top of not feeling well, I also decided to travel and go into the city numerous times the entire week I was sick! While it was fun to travel and see places, it was also doubly exhausting! Fortunately, I am feeling much better now, and am glad the worst is behind me.

I love the University of Roehampton and the beautiful walks I get to take to class. I also have been taking lots of time to go and walk through many of the gorgeous parks found all throughout London. I cannot wait until Spring comes, and the parks become filled with flowers and sunshine!  Looking at all the beauty around me makes me stand back and reflect on God’s majesty. He created everything in this world. It is mesmerizing getting to appreciate His creation and His love more and more every day! Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Highlights since my last post:

  • Daytrips to Cambridge, Windsor, and Stratford-upon-Avon
  • Celebrating Lunar New Year in Chinatown
  • Exploring many of London’s free museums
  • Worshipping with the WELS mission church in London

King’s College in Cambridge

Saw Wicked at the West End Theater

Daytrip to Windsor Castle

Lunar New Year in Chinatown

Till we meet again,
Alison Foxen

Life in My Residencia

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My time in Madrid has been amazing so far, and much of that is due to the housing that I live in. It is called a “residencia” that really feels like an apartment. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, which is very convenient, and I share a kitchen and living room with eight other people (two of them being Emily and Alaina:). 

The other girls are amazing! They come from all over the world, mainly Spanish-speaking countries. There are girls from Argentina, Chile, and Italy, as well as girls from Spain. I haven’t personally met every single girl here, but I am guessing that over four months here will give me plenty of time to get to know them! I usually see them and talk with them when making meals or hanging out in the living room. The one downside to so many roommates in such a small space is that the noise carries. I have had difficulty falling asleep because of the talking and laughing I hear right outside my door, which begins around 10 pm and continues into the early hours of the morning. I think this is just an adjustment I will need to get used to. However, I still enjoy talking to them and getting to know them. They can speak some English, so if there is any confusion while speaking Spanish, we can clear it up quickly with a few English words. However, the majority of the time, speaking with our roommates is all done in Spanish, which is a great challenge for me. Some accents are a little more difficult to understand than others, forcing me to try to understand and listen. All of them are so kind and have invited us several times to do various activities with them. I look forward to becoming closer with them.

Another bonus about our housing is the location. I am located in Princessa, the same neighborhood that my university is in. It just takes me a short fifteen minutes to walk to and from classes every day. The walk down the streets of Madrid is beautiful and easy. I truly have enjoyed it. My residencia is also located very close to a Metro station, where I can hop on and off the metro to various locations all over Madrid and get there fairly quickly. The convenience of my dorm has been a blessing so far, and I can’t wait to take advantage of this blessing for the duration of my time here.

The biggest challenge (though exciting) is living very independently. The dorms are very much like apartments, so every meal is on me. For the past two and a half years, I have been living in the luxury of the MLC cafeteria, so it has been quite an adjustment. At first, trying to think of what meals to make, what groceries to buy, and what time to eat them was chaotic. I like to think that my cooking and meal-planning skills have already significantly improved. 

I’ll end this entry with a short and sweet description of my personal dorm room (rm 4:). It is definitely the smallest room in the dorm, but it feels very cozy to me and easy to keep clean. I have my own desk placed in front of the window where I do my homework looking outside into the street. I have a giant TV on the wall (that I can’t figure out how to use) and Vogue posters on the other wall that were already there. Everything in this dorm is very feminine, so pink and green are everywhere throughout my room and the rest of the building. I was able to put up some of my own pictures of my friends, boyfriend, and family to make it feel a little more like home. Overall, I love my housing experience!

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.

First Impressions of Madrid, Spain

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Hola a todos! 

 

It has been exactly a week since arriving in Spain. God is good! 

 

Emily, Sarah, and I arrived on Saturday morning, the 3rd of February. When we arrived in Spain, we were SO exhausted, but we were antsy and excited to get out of the airport doors and into our new home country. Saturday was filled with unpacking and an orientation for the program that we are studying through. We are studying through ISA, International Studies Abroad. We have 5 ISA leaders who are the absolute best. This first week, I have felt so supported and cared for by our leaders. They offer lots of cultural activities and are the guides to many of the activities, so we have had the chance to spend a bit of time with them already! They have all made it clear that they are there for us if we ever need them for anything. 

 

We met some of our roommates this week and have had the chance to talk with them a bit, too! They all speak fluent Spanish, so this will be a really great opportunity to practice our Spanish with native speakers. I will have a chance to expand on living arrangements later this week so I will do so very soon! This past Monday, we also had a tour of our school, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, as well as another orientation. Classes were held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so it was great to get back into the swing of a schedule, even though it will look different this semester. 

 

I believe it will be a semester full of lots of personal growth in both academics and life experience, as well as academic growth! 

 

Mis Primeras Impresiones de Madrid, Espana: 

  1. “Wow, Madrid is such a big and beautiful city.” I visited Madrid about four years ago on a school trip with my high school, so it has been so fun to be back and be LIVING here. (WHAT!!! It still sounds crazy to say that I am living here!!!) Madrid is a beautiful city, and it has only been one week. We have walked so much and seen so many sights; there is just an abundance more to see. When I came here after my sophomore year I remember thinking Madrid was big, but I did not have the best concept of cities since I come from such a small town. Being older and after spending a good amount of time in Buenos Aires, Argentina last summer, I have a better concept of what a big city is. I am not a big city girl, but I do believe that this trip will make me see the beauty in big city life. 
  2. “I absolutely love the architecture!!!!” Since Europe is much older than America, in many of the areas of the city the architecture is older and designed with such detail and color. I just love the winding streets full of color and cobblestone. There are so many small shops and restaurants that are unique and cute. I will forever love the cobblestone streets and colorful buildings because to me,  it feels like a breath of fresh air. I could walk around those kinds of streets forever! 
  3. “Everyone looks SO good.” The fashion here in Spain is amazing. No matter where people are going, they look like they are going to a serious business meeting or out to a fancy restaurant. I love this. It has been fun to dress more “European” when I am going to class or going out, even if it is just to the supermarket. I think everyone looks so classy and put together. I really do love this style! 
  4. “Can everyone really tell I am American?” I feel as if every time we walk anywhere we are getting looks and uncomfortably long stares. I am always wondering, “Can people seriously tell we are American just by the way we look or dress?” We all think we are doing a pretty good job at dressing nicely and speaking Spanish in public places when we can. I do feel out of place when this happens and it makes me uncomfortable but I understand that these feelings will pass! 
  5. “We live in the perfect area!” We were blessed with the location of our residencia (dorm). We are about a 10-minute walk from our school whereas some others in our program have to take the metro for 40 minutes or more! We live in the neighborhood called “Princesa” and are only about a 15-minute walk from Palacio Real. Our residencia is so cute and is a perfect distance to our school and other well-known sites. 
  6. “Am I going to have a hard time making true friends?” I say this because I do think it is noticeable that we three girls have a bit of a different agenda than many of the girls in our program. I am not afraid to be myself, but I worry that because I am, I am not going to make as many friends as others may. I do know though, that God has a plan for this part of my life. Being in an environment where all of my friends are not Christian or religious gives me an opportunity to be a light for Christ and to learn more about their lives and how I can reach them with the love of God, even if it is through my actions. I am excited to keep meeting people as this program continues. 
  7. “Is my Spanish that bad?” I do feel a bit rusty with my Spanish and it is taking me some time to get back into it. I have felt a bit embarrassed when talking to my fluent roommates but I need to give myself time and grace. We are here for that reason though, to continue growing in our Spanish abilities! I know this will come with time and I am excited to see how I grow! 

 

We have had some time to explore and meet people through our program and school! Thank you for keeping up with our adventures and thank you for your continued prayers! 

Con Amor, 

Alaina Wiedoff

First Week in Madrid: First Impressions

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Wow, what a start to this incredible experience! I have been living in Madrid for about a week now and have loved every second. I wasn’t sure exactly what I expected the first week to look like, but this has to surpass all expectations. We have been able to see and experience so much culture in so little time. It makes me excited that I still have four months left to continue learning all that I can about the beautiful city of Madrid. 

A couple of first impressions:

    1. Fitting In: Everyone somehow knows that I am from the United States (whether that be my blonde hair, blue eyes, or my lack of fashion), so they immediately switch from Spanish to English when addressing me. While this is a nice gesture, I came here to practice Spanish! I want to speak, hear, and just be immersed in the language, but being unable to blend in has presented me with a unique challenge. Everyone dresses to be fashionable here, so I wonder if my American style makes me stand out, even though I feel as if I’m “dressing nicely” every day just to fit in. 
    2. Time: Having spent the previous summer in Argentina, where people stay up late and sleep in late, I knew that Madrid would operate on a similar schedule. This has proven to be true. We eat dinner around 8, which many people would still consider early. One of our roommates was very surprised one evening when we were eating dinner so early because it’s expected to eat around 9 or 10 here. I am slowly starting to get used to this time difference, and it has only been a week 🙂 
    3. Relax: Generally, people living here seem to take their time, not rush, and just enjoy each other’s company. I have noticed this in a couple of ways. First, people walk very slowly compared to the United States. I find myself getting impatient with all the slow walkers and need to remind myself that I’m not in a rush and that it’s okay to slow down the pace sometimes. The culture here is also to take their time when ordering food and talking with friends. When I go to a restaurant, I like to order right away, eat my food, and then get out of there as soon as I am done. It is so different here. They take their time chatting with their friends, and the waiters don’t even bring the check or ask to order until much later than I’m used to. So far, this has been refreshing and a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things. They also do the “siesta hora” when the whole city closes for a little bit just so that people can take a quick nap in the middle of the day. I love it.
    4. School: School so far has been going well despite only having three days of it this first week. Typically, the school week is Monday-Thursday morning classes. I love having Fridays off every single week. My first impression of the teachers and the classes has been incredible, and I am so excited to get into a routine with my new class schedule.