Study Abroad in Spain

Nightlife in Madrid is like no other. One can never complain of having nowhere to go or being tired of going to the same places over and over again. The variety is incredible, especially for one city. There is everything from your normal bar, Irish pubs, cafes, hip-hop clubs, techno clubs, Latin clubs, gay clubs, karaoke bars, and more.

Unlike America where the night starts around midnight, the night in Spain starts round 2AM around the time the metro stops running. The night does not end until around 6AM, the time when the metros start running again. This may be a little difficult for study abroad students to keep up with, especially if there is class at 9AM in the morning. Luckily for us, there is a bus system that runs the same routes as the metro once the metro shuts down. These buses are found a short walking distance from the biggest club and bar area in Spain near La Puerta del Sol and Atocha in La Plaza de la CIbeles. So if you do decide to leave early you are generally just a walk away from a ride home, you can even use your metro pass.

The nightlife in Spain differs a little more than just the hours. Though it is impossible to say Spaniards are never drunk, but it is not exactly normal Spaniard behavior. The Spaniards go out to see and be seen, to catch up with their friends, and to get out of the house, not to get drunk. It is pretty typical to see a Spaniard sipping on the same drink for over an hour. Besides drinking, I notice that they also dance different, but that one you will have to observe by yourself! It is like they stand on the dance floor talking, very interesting…Nonetheless during the night is a great to get out in Spain and meet new people from all over the world. My friends and I have met people from all different kinds of places ranging from Argentina, China, England, etc. People here just really value the night and once you are here, you can absolutely understand why.

Important things learned and remembered

1. As cliché as it sounds, always keep a close eye on your drinks.
2. Pickpockets work at night too!!!
3. Girls…WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!

This year there was a major change in our list of excursions, which was a trip to Cordoba. I was extremely excited about this excursion for two basic reasons. One is that I had never been far south in Spain, and I had heard that the south is much different than the north and center. Two, the history! I studied Cordoba in my Spanish civilization class last fall, and learned that Cordoba use to be the capital of the Islamic world, and served as a place of progress and innovation as well during the time of the Muslim ruled Spain.

In order to get to Cordoba we had to take the bullet train. This was my first time on a bullet train, which excited me all over again. I ended up a little disappointed because the bullet train didn’t really move so fast. We watched a movie and arrived in Cordoba after 2 or 3 hours. Once we got to Cordoba we walked to the Cathedral of Cordoba, which is actually a Muslim mosque. After the Christians took back over Spain, instead of knocking the mosque down, they simply added their cathedral in the center of the building.

Looking at the mosque, it is obvious why the Christians did not destroy it. The Moorish architecture is completely beautiful. The arches, the mosaics, and the use of nature are solely characteristics of Moorish art. Being in this mosque, which is older than any building in our country, made me feel like I transported back 1300 years in the past. There was a museum inside that had other relics that made the museum more interesting.

After we left the mosque, Dr. Ruiz took a group of students to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. This is the old palace of Alonso X, but also the home of an enormous garden. I have also visited the Botanical garden in Madrid outside of the Museo del Prado, and this garden makes that garden look like a patch of grass. There were beautiful fountains, flowers, and lakes. The scenery was perfect for pictures, for thought, and just for appreciating life. If I ever had to describe a moment that I saw perfection it would have been when I was standing in front of the fountain at this castle, it was too beautiful for words…<speechlessness>

After the garden we took a walk through the judería, the Jewish area of Cordoba, although it was over 100 degrees outside. This part of town looks like no other part of Spain that I have seen before. The streets were made extremely thin, while the buildings are made high in order to keep the sun out. The buildings for most part are white or light in color. The doorways are made extremely different, somewhat like roofed patios. When we exited the Jewish area of Cordoba, we found a small plaza like area where we sat and rested. There we heard a group of young men singing and playing music on a Spanish guitar. It sounded a lot like flamenco music, but Dr. Ruiz told us it was different and that each region of Spain has their regional music. It really reminded me of where I was and gave a special touch to the environment. After listening for a while the boys came over and talked to us for a while. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Important things learned and remembered

1. Cordoba is HAWT!!!
2. Drink water
3. This is another place with lots of gypsies
4. Plan what you are doing in your free time before hand.
5. If at all possible, research a bit of the history of Cordoba prior to the excursion. It really makes the trip more meaningful.

Every year the Spain Study Abroad program has one free weekend. During this free weekend the students are free to do whatever they want or go wherever they want. This year some students went to France, others to Barcelona, some stayed in Madrid, and some went on other adventures throughout Spain. I went with a group of about ten students along with Professor Harrell to Venice, Italy.

Planning a trip to Italy for eleven people is not simple by any means. We had to stay in two separate hotels (actually one hotel and one hostel), we had to try to book the same airline tickets, and the majority of the students slept the airport. I spent the night before we left getting to know my new roommates, so I just met up with everyone in the morning. When I arrived, for the most part everyone was kinda cranky (it was like six in the morning), and getting to our plane was not made easy. The majority of the group had forgotten that liquids couldn’t be put in a carry-on. No one checked their bags because it would have cost extra. Needless to say people losing their lotions, sunscreens, body washes, etc. only made everyone crankier.

Once we had arrived in Italy, everyone had taken naps on the plane ride, which resulted in much better moods. When we got off the plane there was no one there to stamp our passports. This caused a little disappointment, but the disappointment did not last long due to the fact that we had made it to Italy!

The first thing I needed to do is buy toothpaste, body wash, and other things I couldn’t take on the plane. So I went to a store inside the airport. This store had everything, EVERYTHING, everything I needed behind the counter.  Being that I speak English fluent, and Spanish well enough to communicate, I have never been in a situation where I absolutely had no means of communicating through language. I walked up to the counter, without thought, opened my mouth and absolutely nothing came out! My brain absolutely froze, my initial thought was try Spanish, no English, no Spanglish, instead I spoke with my hands. For the first time ever, I understood how people feel coming to a new place and not speaking the language. I must admit that it was really exciting.

Important things to remember

1. You do not get stamps for your passport when flying within the European Union.
2. Check the luggage guidelines prior to going to the airport.
3. Make sure someone has the address of the hotel/hostel prior to leaving Madrid!!!!

Today we went to the Palacio Real. This is palace where the royalty use to live, though today they live in the Palacio de la Zarauela. Although the king does not live in this palace it is still used for ceremonies and special occasions. After being elected president, Obama even made a visit to this palace. This palace is heavily adorned with paintings created by Goya, designs on the walls and ceilings, mosaics, and gold-plated items placed everywhere. Honestly when I walked through the palace, I felt extremely undeserving, the palace itself breathes royalty.  The tour guide took us room by room. In each room we were told the purpose of the room and the name of the room. To be honest, this part was a little overwhelming, after awhile all rooms started to sound like they had the same names or purposes. My favorite room was the throne room, which had the throne of the king and queen. The whole room was decorated in velvet red and gold. When I walked in this room it hit me that I was actually in a palace. Once we exited the palace, Dr. Ruiz showed us an amazing view. From the outside of the Palacio Real you can see a magnificent view of the Casa de Campo. A trip to Madrid would be incomplete without visiting the Palacio Real, and truly gives the tourist a view into the past of Spanish royalty.

Important things learned and remembered

1. NO PHOTOS!!!

Many times when planning to study abroad, people forget the studying part. While in Spain I am earning nine credits. All of my credits are in upper level Spanish courses, Spanish American Civilization 2, Spanish American Literature 1, and Spanish American Literature 2. These courses are very challenging when taking them at home, and though people may see taking semester courses in a month is easier, I am here to say that it not.

This year Austin Peay professors taught my courses.  Each course was challenging requiring me to do a lot of readings in Spanish, as well as a lot of writing in Spanish. In one of my classes, the professor linked in art and literature, which made the course more interesting, though at the end we had to write a four-page paper comparing the two.  This again gave me a challenge, trying to balance enjoying my experience in Spain, while still trying to get amazing grades, but it was made possible with focus and hard work (I think, I still have not seen my grades :-0).

Important things learned and remembered

1. You only get one free day.
2. Timeliness is important.
3. It is really hard to balance school and fun, remember that grades from Spain do go on your transcript.

The morning of the 22^nd of May we arrived in Segovia. I was very excited because I absolutely LOVE Segovia, mainly because I find the aqueduct incredible.  When we are arrived we saw some type of event going on. There was music and games for little kids. This event was taking place right in front of the aqueduct in the Plaza of the Azoguyo, very close to the famous restaurant, Meson de Candido el Segoviano. We went to the Cathedral of Segovia and it was absolutely beautiful. From there we went to the Alcazar, a very large castle in Segovia where the nobility use to live. This is one of my favorite places in Spain because there is a view from the top of the tower of this castle that is absolutely killer. Though when I say killer I do mean killer, to get to the top of this tower you have to climb a thin winding staircase that seems to never end. Once you get to the top of the staircase, you can only be glad that you went up. The beauty of Segovia sits below and is absolutely gorgeous.

After we went to the Alcazr, a few friends and me went to the famous restaurant, the Meson de Candido el Segoviano. This restaurant is famous for its suckling pig. They said that the pig is so tender that it falls right of the bones, and they weren’t lying.  We order one of these pigs and its meat slid right of the bones. I promise this was the best meal I have ever had, and it was only pig, potatoes, and bread! Afterwards I went down the street and bought a gofre.  A gofre is a type of waffle that is made in Spain and served as a desert. It is sweeter than normal waffles and has ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate or caramel, on the top. My simple way of describing it is yummy with yummy on the inside and yummy on top….PERFECTION.

Important things learned or remembered

1. Wear comfortable shoes, as always!
2. If you are claustrophobic or scared of heights, the tower is probably not a good idea for you.
3. There are many gypsies selling stuff in front of the castle and other major tourists areas around the city.
4. Remind your house parents to make your lunch.

After spending the day in Segovia, we boarded the bus and headed for Salamanca. Though I continue saying that I love these cities, I really really really love Salamanca. We arrived at our hostel a few hours later after we left Segovia.  We had a group meeting, in which we were told where everything is in the city. Afterwards some of us went with Dr. Ruiz to the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca. Every city has a plaza mayor, but this one is my absolute favorite. It is where they shot most of the movie Vantage Point. It is also said to be the model of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. The plaza is also special because they use to have bullfights in it. As much as I love history my mind is always set on food. Inside this plaza mayor there is also an amazing pastry store in this plaza. It is called Las Torres, and is magnificent. They had a strawberry shortcake-like desert that took me to heaven. I believe between me and CJ we ate like four or five pieces our first day, and the second day we split like 10 pieces with a few other people.

That first night a group of us went out to eat at a small restaurant and then off to a few clubs. Salamanca is a very popular place for students to study Spanish in Spain, for that reason nightlife is pretty big in Salamanca.

The next day we got up around 8:30 in the morning and ate the complimentary breakfast that came with the stay at the hostel. We ate croissants and drank orange juice and coffee. Then we started a tour of the city with our tour guide from our school in Madrid, Estudio Sampere, Asun. Asun is one of the liveliest people I have ever met and made our experience in Salamanca extremely exciting. Our first stop was this round church on the way to the Plaza Mayor. This church was made in the 14^th century and still stands strong and in use. It is the first round church I had ever seen, which made me think of cake. Luckily for me we were headed back to the Plaza Mayor where CJ bought us more of the cake from Los Torres.

From the Plaza Mayor we went to the Casa de las Conchas, which is a building that has the designs of shells or conchas all over the outside of the building. The building has historical value although now it is used as the public library. From there we walked to the Universicty of Salamanca.  This university is one of the oldest in Spain. It Is also famous because it is where the famous writer Fray Luis de Leon taught before and after doing time in jail during the Inquisition. After the university we went to the garden of Malibea and Calisto. This is the garden where part of the story of la Celestina, a classic Spanish play, took place. Afterwards we each went our separate ways, and me??? As always, I went towards food!

Important things learned or remembered

1. Always ask what the “Menu of the Day” is at restaurants. It tends to be cheaper and comes with more food.
2. Stay quite in churches.
3. Try to find the frog at the University of Salamanca. They say it is good luck to find it on your own!

Now time for my favorite part of Spain….la comida (FOOD). The Spanish most definitely eat much different than us. They do eat three meals a day, but each meal is quite different then ours. Breakfast in Spain basically leaves the average American starving. Every morning I have the option of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate to go along with my crackers or croissant. This small breakfast normally takes place around 8 in the morning and has to keep my stomach occupied until 3PM. Around 3PM my housemom serves lunch, which thankfully is the biggest meal of the day. Usually my housemom serves a soup made out of noodles or beans and vegetables. She then follows that with the main course, which usually is paella (rice mixed with either meat or seafood and vegetables), lomo (a piece of meat cooked in the frying pan), or tortilla española (an omelet with large pieces of potatoes inside) accompanied with eggplant, green beans, potatoes, or tomatoes. After this part of the meal, our housemom offers us fruit, which usually may be a banana, orange, peach, kiwi, or apple. On good days we may get a desert instead of the fruit like flan, fried apples, or a type of crispy tortilla. Dinner is normally served around 10PM at our house and resembles solely the second course of our lunch menu.

Although my housemom is a great cook, I love eating out in Spain. Here they have any and every type of food I can imagine. There is Ecuadorian, Turkish, Argentinan, Indian, Chinese, Cuban, American, and of course Spanish. Meals may range in price; I have had meals for as cheap as 2 Euros, but I have also had meals as expensive as 33 Euros. Restaurants that we ate at as a group (all optional excursions) include Casa Mingo, which is famous for its rotisserie chicken, La Negra Tomasa, which has amazing Cuban food, and la Casa Botin, which is the oldest operating restaurant in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Each restaurant was amazing having some dish that wass absolutely outstanding.

I suggest no one leave Spain without eating:

• El cochinillo (suckling pig)
• El chivo (lamb)
• El pato (duck)
• La paella
• Flan
• Kebabs (gyros)
• Churros with hot chocolate
• Natilla ice cream
• Mazipan
• Gofres
• A ham sandwich!!!
• Tortilla española
• Calamari

Important things learned and remembered

1. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
2. It is always great when people order different things, much more to try!
3. You have to ask for your bill when you are ready for it, otherwise you may sit there all day.
4. Tell your house parents upfront if there are certain things you prefer not to eat.
5. Tell your house parents when you are eating out.

Today after school we went to the Museo del Prado. If museums were bees, this museum would be the queen bee. It holds more than 7000 pieces. This museum has the best art from best painters from all over the world. On our excursion we got to see the paintings of two of the best painters in Spanish history Velazquez and Goya.  We saw famous paintings like Las Meninas, La Maja Vestida, La Maja Desnuda, and Las Pinturas Negras. Being that there wasn’t enough time to see more than these two painters, we had the option of staying after or coming back that day to see more artwork. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay because I needed to buy tickets for a bullfight as soon as possible being the last two or three times I tried to go, the tickets had sold out.

In our schools we study art from out of textbooks. There is absolutely nothing more amazing than having these same paintings tower above you in a world famous art museum. Leaving Madrid without seeing this museum would be unthinkable.

Important things learned and remembered

1. Pictures are rarely ever allowed.
2. Leave big bags at home or school being that they are not allowed inside,

One never knows what to expect when staying with a host family. They may receive a single mother, an older couple with grandchildren, or what American’s consider the typical family, two parents and two children. Regardless of the family, staying with a host family is an amazing learning experience.

Last year when I came to Spain I had wonderful host parents in both Alicante and Madrid. They were both always willing to help me adjust and make the best of my study abroad experience. For that reason, I requested the same host families this year. I received the same housemother in Madrid, and a completely new house family in Alicante.

My housemother in Madrid is a single mother with a 25 year-old daughter that still lives at home (believe it or not that is completely normal!!!). At first I it very confusing because they are both Carmen, so the opposite one I was speaking to was always “the other Carmen” and when speaking to roommates I find myself saying “no the daughter” or “no the mother”. Anyhow, both are very friendly, sweet, and very welcoming. Whenever I have nothing to do, they always have a suggestion, a map, and a metro map to give me ideas.

Besides the host family itself, in our housing situation here, I normally find myself with other roommates from all over the world. Last year I lived with girls from Germany, England, and somewhere in the United States, while this year I have had roommates from Serbia, Italy, Tennessee, and North Carolina. This part of the experience is one of my favorites. It is so much fun to learn about other cultures, their connection and thoughts on Spain, and maybe a few new words in another language. After meeting these people you find that you may even want to make plans to visit them in their countries.

Important things to know and remember

1. Make sure you ask your houseparents about the rules in your home
2. Spend time with your house family.
3. Get to know your roommates.