Orientation week for international students is in full swing as of Monday and it's been really nice meeting other people from all parts of the world, Holland, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, Boston... (Just to name a few). The university has a very large exchange program consisting of over 1000 international students. I'm not going to lie, the programs so far, although informative, have been pretty cheesy for the most part. At least for me, it is a good way to meet people. The majority of the students I met want to learn English, and I want to learn Spanish. It would seem like it would be conundrum, but it actually works out very well. It's a good way to meet people, to meet up for an hour or so at a nice place like a coffee shop or something and talk in English for one half, and Spanish the other (or whatever language). I already have some 'language dates' made :) Hopefully I'll be fluent in no time! Here's to hoping. I'm really trying, and it's harder than I imagined, but I have accepted the challenge because I know the end result will be so rewarding.
With orientation happening, the reality of classes are setting in. I'm still very excited, but as the day approaches I'm getting a little more nervous. Not exactly sure what to expect, which makes my mind wander to a bunch of scenarios will probably never ever happen.
Our program coordinator, Michelle, has been extremely helpful from the beginning. I can honestly say I can confidently navigate though a good portion of the city of Madrid and Villaviciosa because of her. I know cheap, but good, places to eat, where popular museum and cultural centers are because of her. I'm really getting to know and fall absolutely in love with the place I'm living, and a lot of that is because of her. So, thanks Michelle!
Tomorrow, coincidentally on my birthday, is one euro beer night at a local place in town and a few of my new friends want to take me out. It's weird, I have to say this is the first year I'm not making a big deal about my birthday, and this year it's one of the most 'important' ones. It could largely be due to the fact that I feel like I already celebrated before I left, and also maybe because I can drink here and I have so far not been carded and have been told I probably never will be. It seems the people around me are more excited than I am, literally counting down the minutes. So even though for the first time ever it doesn't feel like my birthday I'm sure it's going to be a lovely one with new friends in new places.
Oh, and I fucking love the coffee here, café con leche YUM. Already thinking about how much I'm going to miss it haha (Sorry Sue, I still love Jamaica-me crazy ;) )
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Ay Dios Mios!
Oh so many things to say I hope I can write them all down. Let's start from the beginning shall we.
I'm actually surprised I even made it to JFK with my dad driving (no offence dad). A bit scary, some shouting, and one wrong turn later we arrived at the airport with perfect timing. Sadly, the goodbyes with the family was quite short, but I almost think that's better. Like a band aid you have to pull it off real quick. So we said our emotional goodbyes and I was off to security and went to my gate where I found my roommate Jenna, who had been there for a while since she had to fly from Buffalo. One the plan, we were surrounded by the Spanish language. I was trying to tune in to brush up on what I knew, but as I predicted my Spanish is a bit rusty, especially being taught mostly Latin American Spanish, not European Spanish, and trust me there is a huge difference. Luckily I have 5 months to improve, and can already feel the improvement.
When we finally touched down in Madrid, Barajas airport it was 7 in the morning and still dark. We got our luggage, thankfully nothing was missing! Then we had to take two metros to get to the bus stop, the second metro I'm not sure we would have ever found without the help of a very nice Spanish man who could tell we were obviously struggling. Then our bus driver dropped us off in front of the University that we will be attending, which was two stops too early, and with all our luggage it was impossible to walk, aside from not know where the hell we were going. Now, being 9 in the morning on a Sunday no one was around, and we needed a phone to call taxi. The few people we did see said they didn't have one, but finally an hour later we found some college students who called us a taxi. It was a short ride to our new home in a very nice neighborhood and the house is huge. When you enter there's a hallway to your left where our host parents and sister live. Then there's a set of stairs that go up and down, upstairs is where Jenna and I have our own rooms, a bathroom and a common room with tables and a TV. Downstairs is the kitchen and living room area.
Our host family is nice, they don't speak any English, which is hard for us sometimes because of the language barrier, but is good in a way because it forces us to speak Spanish and learn faster.
The next day we met our program coordinator and the other three exchange students from New York. They are all very nice and easy to get a long with and eager to be here as well. Our coordinator's name is Michelle, and she showed us around our new university which is SO nice. There's only three main buildings (A, B, C, easy enough), and a gymnasium, but the campus is beautiful. After showing us around we took a bus to our town called Villaviciosa de Odón. It's a cute town with lots of places to shop, eat and walk around. But the city center of Madrid is just 20 minutes from our town, and that is really where everything is at.
We went to the center of Madrid the next day and Michelle showed us the more historical side of the city, places I recalled from my high school trip in 10th grade, such as the plaza mayor and the royal palace, but still just as breath taking.
The next couple of days Jenna and I have just been exploring and getting to know our town and the city, looking for cheap places to eat and shop and getting our barrings. Everyday it get's easier and easier to navigate the winding roads, metros and bus stations, and even talk and understand our host family and the people around us. It's interesting to know that an experience will in fact change you. Most of the time it's unexpected, but going into this I know I will come out a different person. I can already feel it after less than a week, so it will be interesting to experience the changes after 5 months.
I'm actually surprised I even made it to JFK with my dad driving (no offence dad). A bit scary, some shouting, and one wrong turn later we arrived at the airport with perfect timing. Sadly, the goodbyes with the family was quite short, but I almost think that's better. Like a band aid you have to pull it off real quick. So we said our emotional goodbyes and I was off to security and went to my gate where I found my roommate Jenna, who had been there for a while since she had to fly from Buffalo. One the plan, we were surrounded by the Spanish language. I was trying to tune in to brush up on what I knew, but as I predicted my Spanish is a bit rusty, especially being taught mostly Latin American Spanish, not European Spanish, and trust me there is a huge difference. Luckily I have 5 months to improve, and can already feel the improvement.
When we finally touched down in Madrid, Barajas airport it was 7 in the morning and still dark. We got our luggage, thankfully nothing was missing! Then we had to take two metros to get to the bus stop, the second metro I'm not sure we would have ever found without the help of a very nice Spanish man who could tell we were obviously struggling. Then our bus driver dropped us off in front of the University that we will be attending, which was two stops too early, and with all our luggage it was impossible to walk, aside from not know where the hell we were going. Now, being 9 in the morning on a Sunday no one was around, and we needed a phone to call taxi. The few people we did see said they didn't have one, but finally an hour later we found some college students who called us a taxi. It was a short ride to our new home in a very nice neighborhood and the house is huge. When you enter there's a hallway to your left where our host parents and sister live. Then there's a set of stairs that go up and down, upstairs is where Jenna and I have our own rooms, a bathroom and a common room with tables and a TV. Downstairs is the kitchen and living room area.
Our host family is nice, they don't speak any English, which is hard for us sometimes because of the language barrier, but is good in a way because it forces us to speak Spanish and learn faster.
The next day we met our program coordinator and the other three exchange students from New York. They are all very nice and easy to get a long with and eager to be here as well. Our coordinator's name is Michelle, and she showed us around our new university which is SO nice. There's only three main buildings (A, B, C, easy enough), and a gymnasium, but the campus is beautiful. After showing us around we took a bus to our town called Villaviciosa de Odón. It's a cute town with lots of places to shop, eat and walk around. But the city center of Madrid is just 20 minutes from our town, and that is really where everything is at.
We went to the center of Madrid the next day and Michelle showed us the more historical side of the city, places I recalled from my high school trip in 10th grade, such as the plaza mayor and the royal palace, but still just as breath taking.
The next couple of days Jenna and I have just been exploring and getting to know our town and the city, looking for cheap places to eat and shop and getting our barrings. Everyday it get's easier and easier to navigate the winding roads, metros and bus stations, and even talk and understand our host family and the people around us. It's interesting to know that an experience will in fact change you. Most of the time it's unexpected, but going into this I know I will come out a different person. I can already feel it after less than a week, so it will be interesting to experience the changes after 5 months.
Friday, January 13, 2012
This one goes out to the old people.
In certain situations, whether it be good or bad, it's interesting to see who rises to the occasion. My family has been very supportive with my decision to study in Spain. My parents and grandparents are unbelievably good to me, are always there for me and have done so much I can't even begin to express my appreciation an gratitude. But I have a few cousins that truly have hearts of gold, who by no means have to treat me as well as they do. I love surprises, and yesterday I received an unexpected package in the mail. Upon opening it, it was full of books on Spain and Madrid with customized little notes in them that put a huge smile on my face. That's the type of things my wonderful cousins do, always something full with meaning and you always get good use out of whatever is it. Thank you, Jessie and Tirtha Roy, someday I will repay you.
Oh an it turns out I may have mistaken my host father for a girl, classic mix-up really.
Oh an it turns out I may have mistaken my host father for a girl, classic mix-up really.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Yo Voy a España
I've never thought of myself much of a blogger, I usually write on paper, and I usually don't display it for the world to see. Also, I've been making the slow, reluctant transition from paper to electronics. However, since I'm crossing the pond for almost half a year I thought this would be a nice way of keeping track of my travels, and if anyone out there was interested in what I may be up to (I warn you I'm not entirely sure how interesting this will be). So don't worry, I'm not going to pour my deep personal thoughts and feelings out on this, this is just a test run.
Can you believe someone already has a user name of 'Diary of a Mad White Woman?' To a person named 'unknown'. Thanks a lot unknown. When you think about it too many things are unknown...shit getting off track.
Guess I'm not as original as I thought, thus the change to Journey, not sure I like the sound of it as much as diary would of sounded but I guess this will have to do. And when I think about it I never really liked the thought of keeping a diary, it always seemed too little girl to me. "It's not a diary, it's a journal!"
So, reality is setting in...I'm going to Spain for a little over 5 months in less than three weeks. I was wondering when it would start to hit me. With what was literally the two weeks from hell that led up to and including my finals week I hadn't had much time to think about it, and even the first week or so of coming home people would ask, "Are you ready? Are you excited?" To which I would reply yes of course, but I actually haven't thought about it that much really. I thought maybe once I stepped off the airplane, possibly still a little drunk from the complimentary beer and wine (Thanks British airways), then maybe it would finally hit. But ever since my roommate and I have selected a host family and we have been emailing back and forth confirming everything, I'm realizing I"M GOING TO SPAIN. I'm coming Fernando.
The family seems very nice, my own bedroom in a chalet with a pool and bathroom, I definitely cannot complain. I imagine they're pretty modern and open minded as well since it's two mom's with their 25 year old daughter. I have high hopes for this living situation, especially with her nice emails only leave me more at ease. It's a bit scary not meeting the people or really seeing the place where you're going to live for a while, especially since it's so far away. But that's all part of the journey and I can confidently say I'm ready, eager and very excited to see what unfolds in these next months to come. Bring it on, I need an adventure.
-Crystal
Can you believe someone already has a user name of 'Diary of a Mad White Woman?' To a person named 'unknown'. Thanks a lot unknown. When you think about it too many things are unknown...shit getting off track.
Guess I'm not as original as I thought, thus the change to Journey, not sure I like the sound of it as much as diary would of sounded but I guess this will have to do. And when I think about it I never really liked the thought of keeping a diary, it always seemed too little girl to me. "It's not a diary, it's a journal!"
So, reality is setting in...I'm going to Spain for a little over 5 months in less than three weeks. I was wondering when it would start to hit me. With what was literally the two weeks from hell that led up to and including my finals week I hadn't had much time to think about it, and even the first week or so of coming home people would ask, "Are you ready? Are you excited?" To which I would reply yes of course, but I actually haven't thought about it that much really. I thought maybe once I stepped off the airplane, possibly still a little drunk from the complimentary beer and wine (Thanks British airways), then maybe it would finally hit. But ever since my roommate and I have selected a host family and we have been emailing back and forth confirming everything, I'm realizing I"M GOING TO SPAIN. I'm coming Fernando.
The family seems very nice, my own bedroom in a chalet with a pool and bathroom, I definitely cannot complain. I imagine they're pretty modern and open minded as well since it's two mom's with their 25 year old daughter. I have high hopes for this living situation, especially with her nice emails only leave me more at ease. It's a bit scary not meeting the people or really seeing the place where you're going to live for a while, especially since it's so far away. But that's all part of the journey and I can confidently say I'm ready, eager and very excited to see what unfolds in these next months to come. Bring it on, I need an adventure.
-Crystal
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