Mi Castillo
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
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:
- “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.
- “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!
- “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!
- “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!
- “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.
- “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.
- “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
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:
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- 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.
- 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 🙂
- 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.
- 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.
Primeras Impresiones
- “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.
- “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!
- “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.
- “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.
- “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!
- “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!
Cozy Corners and Cultural Connections: My Irish Housing Experience
I have been living in Galway for 35 days now, and it’s a hard statistic for me to believe. Time moves differently in Ireland– the days fly by. For the most part, I have gotten over the initial culture shock and am thriving. I have a solid daily routine, and that helps a lot with providing stability and peace of mind. I plan my daily routine each week and intentionally carve out time to work on things that bring me pleasure. For example, I wake up each morning and allot about one to two hours for writing before I start my day. On February 5th, I finished working on a rough draft of a 20,000-word novella. Now, I’m working on a memoir of the early years of my life. I started this because I noticed that I have lost some of my early childhood memories and want to preserve them by writing them down. I have also been reading a ton– I’ve read nine books since I arrived in Ireland. Currently, I am reading the monstrous novel “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry and having a whale of a time.
I have been tasked with writing about my housing arrangements for this blog. When I left for Galway, I did not know that Ireland is in the midst of a housing crisis. I found housing accommodations without any hassle, a blessing from God that I did not realize I had received until I talked to some Irish friends. I live in a student village, essentially blocks of identically shaped houses arranged like a game of Tetris. The houses are made of brick, and from the outside, they wouldn’t look out of place in a college town in the United States. I was blessed with a house that faces the Northeast, which means I am protected from the ferocious winds that come off the North Atlantic from the Southwest. It’s the little things in life.
My house is located in a prime location. I live about a ten-minute walk from a Dunnes (Ireland’s version of Target), a Tesco (Ireland’s version of HyVee), and an Aldi. I live about a 15-minute walk from my University’s campus. Oddly enough, I love my daily walks to class and find them relaxing. The train and bus stations are located in the city center (aka Eyre Square), and it takes me about a 20-minute walk to reach there. With all my walking, I end up averaging 12,000 steps per day.
If I am quite honest, the inside of my house is bland. The walls are painted either white or beige, depending on the room. The aesthetics of my house are comparable to those of a hotel; generic, but sufficient. The ground floor is a combination of a kitchen and living room. The living room is great for lounging, working on homework, and hanging out with people. There’s also a gas fireplace that I often sit in front of as I work on homework. It emits the perfect amount of heat– enough to keep me warm but not overheat me unless I leave it on for more than four hours.
I have a large kitchen to work with, and my house has dishes and cooking utensils, but they are of lower quality. I’ll simply describe the mismatched dishes and utensils as “well-loved” and leave it at that. I don’t particularly appreciate spending too much time in the kitchen because I have a different standard of cleanliness than my roommates. Frequently, I have to reclean dishes before eating and cooking because my roommates fail to remove the crusty bits of food from their dishes. They also often commit the atrocity of not throwing away wrappers– leaving them on the counter or table. I have communicated with my roommates about my grievances, but not much has changed, and I’d like to maintain my peace with my roommates, so I’ll just live with it.
I have three Irish roommates: John, Alan, and Peter. John is studying computer science and is great fun to talk to. He’s helped advise and teach me how certain things work in Ireland. Alan is studying Business and is “one of the lads.” He also enjoys asking me about US politics– I was informed that many Irish citizens, himself included, follow US politics for entertainment. I rarely see Peter because we operate on much different schedules; he’s friendly, but I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to him much. When we do speak, his accent is so thick that it’s hard to understand him sometimes, a difficulty I never expected I would encounter. I have noticed that my Irish roommates tend to have a different philosophy of life than mine. I am very assertive, proactive, and “do things the right way the first time so I won’t have to redo them.” My Irish roommates, classmates, and professors tend to be much more passive and carefree concerning details. It’s not wrong; it’s different, so I’m learning to live with it.
My bedroom is on the first floor, above the living room. I share a room with a guy from California named Colm. Colm and I are very different, but we get along just fine. He’s also very passive, like my Irish roommates. He likes to talk about UFC, Formula 1, and the NFL, so I try my hardest to pretend I know what he’s talking about to converse with him. I sleep in a twin bed, but I’m convinced it’s smaller than an American twin-sized bed because my feet will hang off the edge of the bed if I lay out straight. It’s not the end of the world because the mattress is comfortable. It will never compare to my bed at home, but it’s vastly superior to some of the beds I’ve slept in before.
Next to my bed is my desk. I love my desk. It has the perfect amount of space and storage on the shelves above. At the very least, I spend about three hours daily at my desk. As mentioned, I write for about 1-2 hours daily and also work on homework, read, or ponder at my desk. In fact, I’m sitting at my desk right now as I write this. My private library also sits on the shelf above my desk. I am an unashamed bibliophile. I love to sit at my desk and look at my books– something is enchanting about them.
Now I know what you’re thinking… how does my housing here compare to MLC? I’d say it’s another case of “not wrong, just different.” I enjoy the independence that I have here– I share a bathroom with only one other person, I can quickly cook my food, I can control the temperature of my room, and it is consistently quiet. However, I miss living with my MLC roommates, Rees and Adam. I miss being able to roll out of bed fifteen minutes before class starts and still make it on time. Unsurprisingly, I also miss being able to walk outside of my dorm, hop in my car, and drive anywhere I want.
All in all, I am loving my experience in Ireland so far. I am adjusting to the culture and am continuing to meet loads of new people. So far, one of the biggest shocks has been how much self-education I’ve done. I don’t have many academic obligations (eight hours of class time total per week), so I spend a lot of time reading and researching things that interest me. Believe it or not, adjusting to having so much free time has been challenging. I’ve found the free time especially beneficial for my relationship with God– I take extra time to pray and read my Bible. Please continue to pray for me as I study abroad, and I hope you enjoyed reading this!
