Its almost been a month and I have finally accomplished what I initially had intended on starting the day I got here: a blog. With help from my friend Kelsey in coming up with the ever important name and far too much time spent on which font to use, I finally have a means of sharing this abroad experience with those who care to read about it! I got to Madrid on January 14th after a long and bumpy plane right, and while it hasn't been quite a month yet, it definitely feels like it. Ill try and give the spark notes on the last 3 1/2 weeks......
My program is with four schools: Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, and Tulane (WIPT) so needless to say there are many different personalities that make up this program. When I first arrived, I came a day early so I got to stay with my good friends Bea and Maria and their great apartment. I mostly slept, ate a little and just hung out which was a nice little break before my actual program began. On the 15th, things got serious. We had tons of orientation meetings scheduled all week, and on the first meeting, we jumped right into housing. The WIPT living accommodations are these: you are assigned a señora, also known as a homestay, for a month. During that month, it is the students (my) responsibility to call Spanish landlords and find an apartment. A crazy concept, right? Granted, my WIPT program directors do provide a substantial amount of information regarding what to look for, what to ask about and general need-to-know vocabulary; however, as someone who has never had to call or inquire about an apartment because I have been so lucky to live at AXO for the past year and a half, this was quite an experience. The goal behind this task is not only to use my Spanish in "real-life" situations, but also to find an apartment in which other international students live, making Spanish the only language that is understood in my new home.
Before I could even imagine making a single call to some Spanish stranger, I had to get moved into my senora's apartment. Now, living in a homestay has definitely been the greatest adjustment I have ever had to make. While I thought moving to Indiana from Milwaukee freshman year was hard, I had no idea what I had coming to me the moment I began to unpack my clothes and put them in the closet I would be using for the next month. Edith, my señora...you'll be hearing a lot about her, lives in a modest apartment and is almost always housing at least one student, for any amount of time: a weekend, a week, or a month. My room, put simply, is small. There is just enough room for the bed, closet and not a whole lot else. Edith is required to give me a small, continental-style breakfast and dinner. The culture of Spain is more or less like this: a breakfast around 9/10am, lunch around 2/3pm and dinner anywhere from 8:30-10pm, so I wasn't too surprised when I was informed dinner would be served around 8:30pm. This dinner time has progressively gotten earlier as the weeks have passed as Edith needs to descansarse, or rest, and talk on the phone with her friends before it gets too late. One of the most interesting and most difficult ideas that I had to get used to was the idea of the private kitchen. In America, the kitchen serves as the gathering place in many homes; a place for people to sit, talk, snack, eat, drink, cook and just enjoy each others company. That is simply not the case in Spain. The kitchen here is the señora's domain, and very rarely is anyone else allowed in it. The door is always closed and is not a place for continuous coming and going as it is in the US. This got a little tough, especially during those nights when I couldn't sleep and was so hungry for a snack. The food in Spain is also much different than what I am used to. I realize now how spoiled I am with Chef Jim and Chef Clard's amazing cooking back at school, as well as the Sunday night dinners with my family at home- I always know whats for dinner and have the option of choosing how large I want my portions to be. Here, Edith cooks whatever her heart desires and gives me the portion she deems appropriate. This put me in quite a predicament especially because it is considered extremely rude if you are not part of the "clean-plate club." Never had I wanted there to be a dog in this apartment more than at dinner time- I always needed someone to help me finish the food on my plate for fear Edith would be insulted. One time, after not finishing the soup Edith put out as the first course, she attempted to justify my need to eat it with the economic crisis currently in Spain. Now, if you're not living under a rock, I'm sure you're aware that Spain's current economic situation is not dependent on my stomach. After a few botched interactions in Spanish, Edith has figured out what I will eat, and is less insulted when I can't finish the plate full of food that would be more appropriate for someone the size of a linebacker.
To everyone who is staying in a homestay the whole time they are abroad: I give you huge props. As my month with Edith comes to an end, I have been able to get used to it, and I do appreciate the conversations Edith and I have that allow me to practice my Spanish, however I couldn't continue to do it for the rest of the time I'm here....
Don't worry though, in the next week, I won't become homeless...
After searching high and low for nearly 2 and a half weeks, determining what I do and don't like, I was finally able to find an apartment with two other girls in my program. Much to my program's demise, I couldn't bear the thought of living with ALL complete strangers, I've just heard of too many abroad horror stories..and I've seen the movie Taken. There is also a girl from France and a girl from Valencia, Spain living with us. My departure with Edith may be a little bittersweet, but I couldn't even begin to explain how excited I am to finally have my own kitchen...and go grocery shopping, one of my favorite past times, a trait I must have inherited from Scott.
Classes started last week Thursday, so this week has been my first full week of classes. My schedule isn't too bad, with classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday-- even abroad I still can't get out of Friday classes. But I have managed to time them well enough that my traveling schedule won't be affected too badly. If anything, my school schedule will be affected more by my traveling schedule...
All my classes are in spanish. In two of them there is a maximum of 5 American students allowed and the other three are made up of all American abroad students from a few different programs. I honestly think part of the reason why I still get so tired here is because of how much work it is to focus on every word the professor says and then try and understand it all.
We will see how well my comprehension skills actually are...
So far, the metro (Madrid's subway system) and I have become the best of friends and I've been able to explore different barrios, or neighborhoods of the city. Me and a few people in my program have stumbled on various restaurants and last night some of us went to this tapas bar called El Tigre. All you have to do is order a drink and they literally bring you endless tapas, or small plates of food. I've been able to see a lot so far including the Prado art museum, the Royal Palace and Retiro Park, but there still is so much in Madrid to visit.
el parque del retiro
Last weekend was one of my best friends, Lauren Handzlik's big 21st birthday, so I made the one hour flight to Barcelona for the weekend! Even in Europe, her birthday is still the biggest day to happen in February....so naturally Friday night was quite an event. I was super happy to have gone, and it was so nice to see familiar faces!This weekend I'll mostly be packing and unpacking as I move into my new apartment...
but I'm hoping to find some time to do some more exploring of the city...I'll let you know what I find.
so until next time friends
hasta luego!
