New York in One Day

  Some of our friends from Spain came to visit, and since they had come all the way to America, they wanted to see New York City. Due to some unfortunate scheduling conflicts (aka class and meetings), we couldn't all stay overnight, so we decided to do the whole trip in one day. We left …

10 Things I Love (and will miss) about Spain

As I wrapped up the semester (finishing all my school-work, saying goodbye to my internship, and packing up my room), I headed to meet my family in Edinburgh for an end of semester vacation. I had found myself more sad than I had imagined to be leaving Spain. It really feels like over the past …

Am I A Local Yet? (part 2)

This week, as I walked in to one of my favorite cafes in Malasaña (a trendy neighborhood in Madrid), one of the owners was leaving. "Hola guapa!" she said to me as she pulled her coat on, then turned to her husband "un cafe con leche" she told him. I was so stunned by this …

What I Learned: Week 20

Ruben Darío wrote a short story about Don Quixote. The Apple Store in Plaza del Sol was previously a favorite cafe/bar of modernist writers. At this cafe, writer Ramon del Valle-Inclán once got in a fight that eventually led to his left hand being amputated. At some point after, when asked about how he felt about …

What I Learned: Week 19

Paintings are often "read" like a book from left to right. Plane tickets in Europe are more expensive this semester because the weather is "better." Sometimes commuter trains in Spain just don't show up. Tides are controlled by the moon and the barometric pressure. "Mudejar" was the name given to Arabs that stayed in the …

Segovia, take 2

Last weekend, I went back to Segovia with some of the new students. My previous visit had been with the program, so we had a guide to show us the most important parts of the city and explain the history. This time, we were on our own to move at our own pace, spend as …

What I Learned: Week 17

"Canelita en rama" literally means a little stick of cinnamon, but is used to say something is really good. Spanish youth talk about the same things as American youth. But Spanish young adults don't understand tipping. Spaniards learn British english in school. Most Spanish language pop music comes from Latin America. Spanish playing cards don't …

I am in Spain to study, after all

Before I came to Madrid, one night at dinner, my dad and I had an interesting conversation. He asked me a bunch of questions about my upcoming study abroad experience that ranged from the typical “why did you decide to study abroad?” and “where do you want to travel in Europe?” to the less typical …

What I learned: Week 12

Spanish language movies from South America are usually dubbed for viewers in Spain because the "different language" is too difficult to understand. Which makes Spaniards wonder why movies from the U.K. aren't dubbed for Americans. Running the length of the muralla in Ávila makes you tired. Sopa Castellano or Sopa de Ajo doesn't taste that …

Mi Casa Es Tú Casa

During one of my first weekends in Spain, my host family took me to the "pueblo" where my host dad grew up. It was a picturesque, medieval town nestled in the Valle de Cinco Pueblos about 2 hours west of Madrid. Throughout the weekend, I marveled at the natural beauty around me, ate my weight …