Classes work very differently here. For example, I spend a lot more time in class here than back at Vassar. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have 5 hours of class, though for most of April that will jump up to 7 hours of class. But on the bright side, homework here is mostly a joke. I have had no reading to do. None. And I'm used to having to read a chapter or more of a psych textbook for each class period. It's kind of great.
The weather continues to be unseasonably warm. Yesterday I walked around campus in a short -sleeved t-shirt and no jacket. I know global warming's bad but it sure does make winter a lot more tolerable.
I think the Spanish presidential race can also qualify as something that is completely ridiculous. Or not so much the race itself as much as the fact that on Tuesday, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the current Spanish president and incumbent in the race, will be visiting my university. I am going to have a chance to see the Spanish president in person. I think I'm getting more than my money's worth from this program.
And the last ridiculous thing. Yesterday was Melanie's birthday, so we all went out to celebrate. I did not get back until 5 AM and then I had class at 10. Never, never again.
jueves, 28 de febrero de 2008
sábado, 23 de febrero de 2008
I am a bad person... and it's so much fun!
Nothing makes me more upset over here than seeing large noisy crowds of drunk Americans doing everything they can to perpetuate the stereotype of the stupid drunk American.
Last night my friend Rachel and I were waiting outside the metro station for another friend of ours, and there was a group of four or five drunk American college students and 2 drunk and creepy American men in their 40s. Being the dumb Americans that they were, they thought we might have been Spanish, and decided to ask us where the nearest bars were. And being the pain in the ass that I am, I lied and told them we were Spanish and that we spoke no English. Clearly that will teach them a lesson.
But when I'm not being a horrible bitch to dumb Americans, I'm usually in class or exploring the city. I started my AL (a regular university class with real Spaniards), history of film, this week and it's awesome. The professor talks a little fast and I usually have trouble understanding what the Spanish students are saying, but I love the class. I think it's going to be really helpful and the topic is so interesting. On Thursday we watched some of the first short films ever made, including the first sci-fi film, which was completely ridiculous. The only bad thing about the class is there's an oral presentation that's worth 20% of our grade at the end of the semester. That should be... interesting.
I also went for a run yesterday with Rachel through the Parque Oeste (West Park), which is all of 2 blocks from my apartment and is really pretty. We ran for 15 minutes before we realized that the unseasonably warm 60 degree weather shouldn't be wasted on running. So we decided to sprawl out on a hillside, which lasted for about 5 seconds before I realized we had sat down in a series of anthills. A couple old men walking through the park were pretty entertained as we tried to swat all the ants off and generally freaked out. After that, we walked to a grassy ant-free hill and actually got to relax that time.
Also, for anybody who's been trying to check out my pictures and wondering why there aren't any new ones, I'm really sorry. I've been trying to avoid looking like a tourist, but I think I'm just going to suck it up today and go take pictures of everything I can.
Last night my friend Rachel and I were waiting outside the metro station for another friend of ours, and there was a group of four or five drunk American college students and 2 drunk and creepy American men in their 40s. Being the dumb Americans that they were, they thought we might have been Spanish, and decided to ask us where the nearest bars were. And being the pain in the ass that I am, I lied and told them we were Spanish and that we spoke no English. Clearly that will teach them a lesson.
But when I'm not being a horrible bitch to dumb Americans, I'm usually in class or exploring the city. I started my AL (a regular university class with real Spaniards), history of film, this week and it's awesome. The professor talks a little fast and I usually have trouble understanding what the Spanish students are saying, but I love the class. I think it's going to be really helpful and the topic is so interesting. On Thursday we watched some of the first short films ever made, including the first sci-fi film, which was completely ridiculous. The only bad thing about the class is there's an oral presentation that's worth 20% of our grade at the end of the semester. That should be... interesting.
I also went for a run yesterday with Rachel through the Parque Oeste (West Park), which is all of 2 blocks from my apartment and is really pretty. We ran for 15 minutes before we realized that the unseasonably warm 60 degree weather shouldn't be wasted on running. So we decided to sprawl out on a hillside, which lasted for about 5 seconds before I realized we had sat down in a series of anthills. A couple old men walking through the park were pretty entertained as we tried to swat all the ants off and generally freaked out. After that, we walked to a grassy ant-free hill and actually got to relax that time.
Also, for anybody who's been trying to check out my pictures and wondering why there aren't any new ones, I'm really sorry. I've been trying to avoid looking like a tourist, but I think I'm just going to suck it up today and go take pictures of everything I can.
lunes, 18 de febrero de 2008
Whoa whoa whoa!
Not only are the words different in Spanish, but most of the noises are too. Take the title of this blog for instance. When you make that noise in English, it generally means "stop!" or "damn!" or something along those lines. So when I came into the apartment last night and Luis made that noise, I assumed I had almost hit him with the door and apologized. But whoa means something very different in Spanish. When I said "lo siento" he said "no no, como un perro!" (like a dog!). So now I know that "whoa" is the sound a dog makes, and also that my Spanish family is crazy in an endearing sort of way. It makes me feel right at home.
Que más... oh, Toledo! Toledo was jam packed with tours of churches, mosques, and a synagogue! It was surprisingly emotional being in the synagogue after seeing so many churches. The synagogue itself was small but pretty, and no flash photography was allowed inside, so what few pictures I did take are nothing stellar. Toledo also has a lot of silversmiths and other people who work with metals (I feel like there's a word for this, but I'm at the point now where both my English and Spanish are horrible). Not only do they have lots of pretty jewelry that I didn't have time to shop for, but they also sell lots of swords. Our tour guide told us that the swords in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were actually made in Toledo. Pretty cool (or, in spanish, superguay!).
After we got back to Madrid on Saturday, I went out with my friends and we ended our night with churros con chocolate at a 24-hour chocolateria. It was mind blowing. There's nothing better than fried dough dipped in a cup of melted chocolate at 4 in the morning.
Classes started today, and I really like the two classes I had, español coloquial and my language class. The profesoras are so nice, and after just one day I feel like I've learned a lot. Mónica, the profesora for my language class, told us that the first 5 minutes of every class will be reserved for questions we have that are non-grammar related, like "My señora organizes and goes through my things when I'm not home. How do I ask her politely to stop?" which is pretty cool.
Also, I was talking with Pepa, one of the amazing monitores, today between classes, and I'm going to help her cousin Maria with her English conversation skills. And get paid 12.50 euros (about $18.50) per hour, which is awesome because Madrid is not a cheap city. ¡Fantástico!
And finally, if you all are still reading this, feel free to write back to me by clicking on the comments button at the bottom of each post or just sending me an email. I want to know how everybody back home/scattered across the globe is doing too!
Que más... oh, Toledo! Toledo was jam packed with tours of churches, mosques, and a synagogue! It was surprisingly emotional being in the synagogue after seeing so many churches. The synagogue itself was small but pretty, and no flash photography was allowed inside, so what few pictures I did take are nothing stellar. Toledo also has a lot of silversmiths and other people who work with metals (I feel like there's a word for this, but I'm at the point now where both my English and Spanish are horrible). Not only do they have lots of pretty jewelry that I didn't have time to shop for, but they also sell lots of swords. Our tour guide told us that the swords in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were actually made in Toledo. Pretty cool (or, in spanish, superguay!).
After we got back to Madrid on Saturday, I went out with my friends and we ended our night with churros con chocolate at a 24-hour chocolateria. It was mind blowing. There's nothing better than fried dough dipped in a cup of melted chocolate at 4 in the morning.
Classes started today, and I really like the two classes I had, español coloquial and my language class. The profesoras are so nice, and after just one day I feel like I've learned a lot. Mónica, the profesora for my language class, told us that the first 5 minutes of every class will be reserved for questions we have that are non-grammar related, like "My señora organizes and goes through my things when I'm not home. How do I ask her politely to stop?" which is pretty cool.
Also, I was talking with Pepa, one of the amazing monitores, today between classes, and I'm going to help her cousin Maria with her English conversation skills. And get paid 12.50 euros (about $18.50) per hour, which is awesome because Madrid is not a cheap city. ¡Fantástico!
And finally, if you all are still reading this, feel free to write back to me by clicking on the comments button at the bottom of each post or just sending me an email. I want to know how everybody back home/scattered across the globe is doing too!
viernes, 15 de febrero de 2008
Chuck Norris doesn't learn to speak Spanish. Spanish learns to speak Chuck Norris.
This morning (ok, afternoon) when I was cleaning up my breakfast Luis was watching a Chuck Norris movie dubbed in Spanish. It was a good note to start the day on.
I'm settling into Madrid now and it's so amazing. Today I went to the Reina Sofia, an art museum, and visited the Picasso exhibit. It was really incredible and I can't wait to go back and explore more of the museum, especially since the program will reimburse us 100% for all museum visits. I also had my first real night as a madrileña last night, leaving the house at midnight and staying out until 6 when the metro reopened (It closes from 1:30 to 6. It blows). If Spaniards know one thing, it's how to have a fantastic time.
On the academic side of things, classes start Monday, and being the gigantic nerd that I am, I'm really excited for them. Somehow I managed to place into level 2 out of 5 for my language class (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest), and I'll be in the same language class as Melanie, my roommate from Granada. We're both pumped to have made it to avanzado (level 2), because now we can take colloquial spanish, a really useful class with a fantastic professor. Aside from my language and colloquial classes (CEHs), which are with other foreign students, I'll also be taking classes with Spanish students. My full semester class (AL) is history of film, and my two half credit classes (CHs) are about social movements in Spain during the 20th century and Spanish nationalisms. Everything sounds so interesting, and aside from wanting to learn a whole lot, I'm ready to settle into a schedule and know what I'll be doing for the next 4 months.
Other random things:
1. We have a new group of monitores here in Madrid who go to the Carlos III too. They're our age and are also extremely cool.
2. Spaniards know a lot about American politics. This morning Pepita bought me a copy of The Economist with Barack Obama on the cover.
3. I love Pepita. Tonight we had a conversation about art while she was standing in her pantyhose. She doesn't like Picasso, but she likes Velazquez. I know Velazquez is famous, but have no idea what he's done. I'll have to look into this.
4. Tomorrow the program is going to visit Toledo, a town about an hour and a half away. We will be visiting a synagogue. Yes, you read that right. Toledo used to have Jews.
5. In Spain beans are called judías (Jews). I have a couple ideas why, and none of them are especially flattering.
6. Spain has a smarter way of running presidential campaigns. Campaign season is strictly regulated to run from January of February until the elections in early March. Before then, there is no campaigning allowed.
And finally, I love Madrid. Come visit me.
I'm settling into Madrid now and it's so amazing. Today I went to the Reina Sofia, an art museum, and visited the Picasso exhibit. It was really incredible and I can't wait to go back and explore more of the museum, especially since the program will reimburse us 100% for all museum visits. I also had my first real night as a madrileña last night, leaving the house at midnight and staying out until 6 when the metro reopened (It closes from 1:30 to 6. It blows). If Spaniards know one thing, it's how to have a fantastic time.
On the academic side of things, classes start Monday, and being the gigantic nerd that I am, I'm really excited for them. Somehow I managed to place into level 2 out of 5 for my language class (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest), and I'll be in the same language class as Melanie, my roommate from Granada. We're both pumped to have made it to avanzado (level 2), because now we can take colloquial spanish, a really useful class with a fantastic professor. Aside from my language and colloquial classes (CEHs), which are with other foreign students, I'll also be taking classes with Spanish students. My full semester class (AL) is history of film, and my two half credit classes (CHs) are about social movements in Spain during the 20th century and Spanish nationalisms. Everything sounds so interesting, and aside from wanting to learn a whole lot, I'm ready to settle into a schedule and know what I'll be doing for the next 4 months.
Other random things:
1. We have a new group of monitores here in Madrid who go to the Carlos III too. They're our age and are also extremely cool.
2. Spaniards know a lot about American politics. This morning Pepita bought me a copy of The Economist with Barack Obama on the cover.
3. I love Pepita. Tonight we had a conversation about art while she was standing in her pantyhose. She doesn't like Picasso, but she likes Velazquez. I know Velazquez is famous, but have no idea what he's done. I'll have to look into this.
4. Tomorrow the program is going to visit Toledo, a town about an hour and a half away. We will be visiting a synagogue. Yes, you read that right. Toledo used to have Jews.
5. In Spain beans are called judías (Jews). I have a couple ideas why, and none of them are especially flattering.
6. Spain has a smarter way of running presidential campaigns. Campaign season is strictly regulated to run from January of February until the elections in early March. Before then, there is no campaigning allowed.
And finally, I love Madrid. Come visit me.
martes, 12 de febrero de 2008
I Have Internet Access! (And have officially given up on lyrics as titles)
There is so much to tell you all about Madrid and my past four days, so be warned, this post is going to be really long. Maybe take a minute to stretch or pop some pills before you try and read this all.
First, my host family. I love them so so much. I'm living with a woman named Pepita, who's 60 years old, and her husband Luis, who's 67 years old. Pepita talks very, very fast, which usually results in a lot of smiling and nodding on my part. Her son José came over to visit the first day I was here and told me (in English) that sometimes she talks too fast for even him to understand and not to worry. Also, Pepita is clearly the one who wears the pants. Whenever she tells Luis something or leaves the room, Luis salutes her or says ¨¡Sí, jefa!¨ (yes, boss!). Also Luis doesn't have his front teeth, I assume as a result of his smoking. Lots of people have really bad teeth in Spain since they smoke all the time. The concept of not smoking genuinely confuses some Spaniards. Oh, and I also met their nephew when he came over to install the internet (my hero!). He came over wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers sweatshirt courtesy of his American girlfriend and told me how he was in Philly once and ran up the Rocky steps. It's a small world after all.
Also, Pepita is a fantastic cook and serves me obscene amounts of food. Her food has also been much healthier and tastier than what I was eating at the hotel- I haven't had anything fried or stuffedwith ham in her house. She also has an orange juicer and makes me fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning. It's like living with a Spanish speaking grandmother. Last night we watched TV and the news together for a couple hours before dinner while she made some kind of repairs to a dress. We talked about transsexuals at one point, by which I mean she talked about them and I sad nothing, because I didn't really understand what she was saying and didn't want to say something offensive.
As for the city itself, it's awesome and big, but the metro system is a huge help- it's so clean and safe and easy to navigate. I haven't gotten to do a whole ton of sight seeing yet since I'm dealing with orientation now, but we went to the Retiro, a huge beautiful park, on sunday and I´ve explored my neighborhood, Moncloa, a little. The city is still a little overwhelming, but I'm learning fast how to get around and enjoying exploring the city.
And then there's the university I'll be attending, the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, which is actually not in Madrid proper, but Getafe, one of its suburbs. It's about a 20 minute metro ride followed by a 25 minute train ride followed by a 10 minute walk. Commuting seems pretty cool now, though I doubt it will seem so new and exciting once classes actually start on Monday. The campus itself is small but pretty and modern, and we're working on placement exams and picking classes now. Again, it's a little overwhelming, but I'm sure that once orientation week is over and I can just dive into classes etc. it'll seem a little more manageable.
Finally, as I mentioned before, I do have internet now in my apartment, so anytime you want to chat, skype, etc. just let me know!
First, my host family. I love them so so much. I'm living with a woman named Pepita, who's 60 years old, and her husband Luis, who's 67 years old. Pepita talks very, very fast, which usually results in a lot of smiling and nodding on my part. Her son José came over to visit the first day I was here and told me (in English) that sometimes she talks too fast for even him to understand and not to worry. Also, Pepita is clearly the one who wears the pants. Whenever she tells Luis something or leaves the room, Luis salutes her or says ¨¡Sí, jefa!¨ (yes, boss!). Also Luis doesn't have his front teeth, I assume as a result of his smoking. Lots of people have really bad teeth in Spain since they smoke all the time. The concept of not smoking genuinely confuses some Spaniards. Oh, and I also met their nephew when he came over to install the internet (my hero!). He came over wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers sweatshirt courtesy of his American girlfriend and told me how he was in Philly once and ran up the Rocky steps. It's a small world after all.
Also, Pepita is a fantastic cook and serves me obscene amounts of food. Her food has also been much healthier and tastier than what I was eating at the hotel- I haven't had anything fried or stuffedwith ham in her house. She also has an orange juicer and makes me fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning. It's like living with a Spanish speaking grandmother. Last night we watched TV and the news together for a couple hours before dinner while she made some kind of repairs to a dress. We talked about transsexuals at one point, by which I mean she talked about them and I sad nothing, because I didn't really understand what she was saying and didn't want to say something offensive.
As for the city itself, it's awesome and big, but the metro system is a huge help- it's so clean and safe and easy to navigate. I haven't gotten to do a whole ton of sight seeing yet since I'm dealing with orientation now, but we went to the Retiro, a huge beautiful park, on sunday and I´ve explored my neighborhood, Moncloa, a little. The city is still a little overwhelming, but I'm learning fast how to get around and enjoying exploring the city.
And then there's the university I'll be attending, the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, which is actually not in Madrid proper, but Getafe, one of its suburbs. It's about a 20 minute metro ride followed by a 25 minute train ride followed by a 10 minute walk. Commuting seems pretty cool now, though I doubt it will seem so new and exciting once classes actually start on Monday. The campus itself is small but pretty and modern, and we're working on placement exams and picking classes now. Again, it's a little overwhelming, but I'm sure that once orientation week is over and I can just dive into classes etc. it'll seem a little more manageable.
Finally, as I mentioned before, I do have internet now in my apartment, so anytime you want to chat, skype, etc. just let me know!
viernes, 8 de febrero de 2008
When She Goes She's Gone
It's almost 3:00 AM over here in Spain, but I wanted to get one more post up before I go to Madrid, where I won't have internet access in my house (at least not at first, though my host family is considering getting it).
Tonight was our good-bye dinner with the monitores, our professors, our tour guide, and the program director and assistant director. It was a wonderful festive meal and we all went out afterwards to a couple bars (yes... with our professors and program director!) and celebrated the past 2 and a half weeks. That's one of the truly incredible things I've learned about Spain during the past few weeks- everything is a celebration. 35 years of military dictatorship and oppression makes you value your freedoms a lot more apparently. This is also the reason why couples are so physical in public, in addition to the typical European PDA. Kissing in public was illegal until the end of the dictatorship in 1975. It's been more than 30 years and people are still making up for lost time.
It's weird to be leaving already, and it was so sad to say good-bye to the monitores. They're all such awesome people and they've made the past two and a half weeks in Granada such an amazing experience.
OK, I should go to bed now so I can form semi-coherent sentences when I meet my host family tomorrow. I'll let you all know how Madrid is going as soon as I find an internet cafe.
Besos
Tonight was our good-bye dinner with the monitores, our professors, our tour guide, and the program director and assistant director. It was a wonderful festive meal and we all went out afterwards to a couple bars (yes... with our professors and program director!) and celebrated the past 2 and a half weeks. That's one of the truly incredible things I've learned about Spain during the past few weeks- everything is a celebration. 35 years of military dictatorship and oppression makes you value your freedoms a lot more apparently. This is also the reason why couples are so physical in public, in addition to the typical European PDA. Kissing in public was illegal until the end of the dictatorship in 1975. It's been more than 30 years and people are still making up for lost time.
It's weird to be leaving already, and it was so sad to say good-bye to the monitores. They're all such awesome people and they've made the past two and a half weeks in Granada such an amazing experience.
OK, I should go to bed now so I can form semi-coherent sentences when I meet my host family tomorrow. I'll let you all know how Madrid is going as soon as I find an internet cafe.
Besos
miércoles, 6 de febrero de 2008
Jesus is Just Alright With Me
Time is disappearing here in Granada and it's been another few fantastic days. We've had a few more free afternoons recently, and Monday night we took a trip to the baños arabes (Arab baths). It was this amazing spa-like setting with a bunch of hot pools and one cold pool that you would alternate in and out of. They also served us tea, and the program covered all of this since it was a "cultural experience." I love my program.
Tuesday afternoon we visited the Granada's Cathedral and Royal Chapel, which were impressive, beautiful, and overwhelmingly Catholic. Ferdinand and Isabelle are entombed in the Royal Chapel along with one of their daughters and her husband as well as one of their grandchildren. It was a little creepy to see five caskets in this little underground room and know that there were dead bodies in there. Aside from the dead bodies, the chapel also had several depictions of the Muslims handing over the keys to Granada to the Catholic king & queen (Ferdinand & Isabelle) as well as the forced conversion of Muslims to Catholicism. It was a grandiose and important building, but left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. After that we went to the Cathedral, which was a lot less creepy and very, very big. They also had a lot of paintings of the Virgin Mary, they really seem to dig her. But I guess that's understandable, there's a lot to dig about Jewish girls.
I've also started running with another girl on the program who is also named Rachel and is from Vassar. Today we went for a 45 minute run along the Genil, this little river in front of our hotel, as well as through the city a little. I have to say, running along a riverbank with the mountains in the background, wearing a tank top and shorts in early February is pretty fucking cool.
Friday and Saturday will be busy days, as Friday we take "final exams" (which are a big joke) for our orientation classes, have a farewell dinner, and get a bunch of information about academics in Madrid. Saturday we fly back to Madrid and go our separate ways for the night to meet our host families and settle in. It should be quite the adventure.
Tuesday afternoon we visited the Granada's Cathedral and Royal Chapel, which were impressive, beautiful, and overwhelmingly Catholic. Ferdinand and Isabelle are entombed in the Royal Chapel along with one of their daughters and her husband as well as one of their grandchildren. It was a little creepy to see five caskets in this little underground room and know that there were dead bodies in there. Aside from the dead bodies, the chapel also had several depictions of the Muslims handing over the keys to Granada to the Catholic king & queen (Ferdinand & Isabelle) as well as the forced conversion of Muslims to Catholicism. It was a grandiose and important building, but left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. After that we went to the Cathedral, which was a lot less creepy and very, very big. They also had a lot of paintings of the Virgin Mary, they really seem to dig her. But I guess that's understandable, there's a lot to dig about Jewish girls.
I've also started running with another girl on the program who is also named Rachel and is from Vassar. Today we went for a 45 minute run along the Genil, this little river in front of our hotel, as well as through the city a little. I have to say, running along a riverbank with the mountains in the background, wearing a tank top and shorts in early February is pretty fucking cool.
Friday and Saturday will be busy days, as Friday we take "final exams" (which are a big joke) for our orientation classes, have a farewell dinner, and get a bunch of information about academics in Madrid. Saturday we fly back to Madrid and go our separate ways for the night to meet our host families and settle in. It should be quite the adventure.
domingo, 3 de febrero de 2008
It's been one week
Hopefully this doesn’t bore you all to tears, but before I get into the good stuff, I figure I should talk some about my classes.
I just finished my first week of orientation classes, and they’ve been going really well. And by really well, I mean we never have homework and this course is pass/fail. Every morning we have two hour-and-a-half classes, one on Spanish history from 1931 onwards and the other on Spanish lit. I really love my history professor and my lit professor is just OK. It’s funny to look back now and think that I used to want to be an English major.
OK, I think that counts as enough about my classes.
After classes we generally have some kind of tour to go on, and we’ve seen some really cool places like the Alhambra and Generalife (Hen-er-all-ee-fey, not General-life as some of us thought). Thursday we had the day off though and I took one of the best siestas of my life. We’re all so exhausted from our very full days, and free time for us very often ends in a nap.
Friday night the monitores took us to a free outdoor rock concert literally right across the street from our hotel. I think that more free outdoor rock concerts would make the world a better place. Also, this past weekend we took a two day trip to Ronda, another town in southern Spain about 2 hours from Granada. As everything seems to be here, it was breathtakingly beautiful, complete with mountains, rolling hills, blooming flowers, and olive groves. Looking out from the edge of a cliff and seeing land for miles and miles is one of the most beautiful views imaginable. It’s a shame that America is losing what natural beauty it has to shopping malls and housing developments.
If I tried to tell you a coherent story about all the other things that have been going on this past week, this post would end up being obscenely long. So instead, I’m just going to tell you all the things I’ve learned during my first week and a half in Spain.
Spaniards smoke all the time and everywhere. People are allowed to smoke inside in most places, so going to a restaurant or a bar generally leaves my hair and clothes smelling like smoke. Spaniards also really dig ham, even in their vegetables.
Also, there are very few Jews in Spain. I guess expelling us all in the 1400s left a lot of Jews looking for real estate elsewhere. I ended up telling Cristina (the monitor) that I was Jewish, and she asked me whether Jews really had a lot of money or if it was just a stereotype. Clearly this wasn’t meant to be derogatory, she just plain didn’t know. It definitely took me aback a little though. Similarly, Spaniards have very different ideas about what is racist or offensive and don’t seem to have the same concern with political correctness that Americans do. One of the monitores made a comment about people of color that would be considered very offensive in the U.S. but is pretty socially acceptable in Spain. Another student on the program and I spent a good ten minutes trying to explain race relations in the US and why comments like that aren’t socially acceptable for us. Clearly, the language barrier wasn’t very helpful with that.
Personal space isn't really as big here as it is in the States either. If you're in someone's way, they will likely touch your waist or your shoulder to move you out of the way in addition to saying the Spanish equivalent of "excuse me." Acquaintances are greeted with a kiss on each cheek at the very least, friends will walk down the street holding hands, and lovers make out all the time in public. Spain is a very sociable and physically expressive place as far as I can tell.
Also, moving to a country with a different language is hard and scary as hell sometimes. It really gives me a whole new perspective on what it must be like for immigrants who come into the U.S. and often don’t speak English. Sometimes it’s difficult just knowing that I’ll be here for four months, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to know that you’d never go home again.
Overall things are still going great here in Granada, though most people (myself included) are ready to move to Madrid so we can finally settle in. Granada is beautiful and really fun, but it’ll be nice when I’m no longer living out of a suitcase and sharing a tiny hotel room with two roommates (even though I couldn’t have asked for two nicer people to live with).
I just finished my first week of orientation classes, and they’ve been going really well. And by really well, I mean we never have homework and this course is pass/fail. Every morning we have two hour-and-a-half classes, one on Spanish history from 1931 onwards and the other on Spanish lit. I really love my history professor and my lit professor is just OK. It’s funny to look back now and think that I used to want to be an English major.
OK, I think that counts as enough about my classes.
After classes we generally have some kind of tour to go on, and we’ve seen some really cool places like the Alhambra and Generalife (Hen-er-all-ee-fey, not General-life as some of us thought). Thursday we had the day off though and I took one of the best siestas of my life. We’re all so exhausted from our very full days, and free time for us very often ends in a nap.
Friday night the monitores took us to a free outdoor rock concert literally right across the street from our hotel. I think that more free outdoor rock concerts would make the world a better place. Also, this past weekend we took a two day trip to Ronda, another town in southern Spain about 2 hours from Granada. As everything seems to be here, it was breathtakingly beautiful, complete with mountains, rolling hills, blooming flowers, and olive groves. Looking out from the edge of a cliff and seeing land for miles and miles is one of the most beautiful views imaginable. It’s a shame that America is losing what natural beauty it has to shopping malls and housing developments.
If I tried to tell you a coherent story about all the other things that have been going on this past week, this post would end up being obscenely long. So instead, I’m just going to tell you all the things I’ve learned during my first week and a half in Spain.
Spaniards smoke all the time and everywhere. People are allowed to smoke inside in most places, so going to a restaurant or a bar generally leaves my hair and clothes smelling like smoke. Spaniards also really dig ham, even in their vegetables.
Also, there are very few Jews in Spain. I guess expelling us all in the 1400s left a lot of Jews looking for real estate elsewhere. I ended up telling Cristina (the monitor) that I was Jewish, and she asked me whether Jews really had a lot of money or if it was just a stereotype. Clearly this wasn’t meant to be derogatory, she just plain didn’t know. It definitely took me aback a little though. Similarly, Spaniards have very different ideas about what is racist or offensive and don’t seem to have the same concern with political correctness that Americans do. One of the monitores made a comment about people of color that would be considered very offensive in the U.S. but is pretty socially acceptable in Spain. Another student on the program and I spent a good ten minutes trying to explain race relations in the US and why comments like that aren’t socially acceptable for us. Clearly, the language barrier wasn’t very helpful with that.
Personal space isn't really as big here as it is in the States either. If you're in someone's way, they will likely touch your waist or your shoulder to move you out of the way in addition to saying the Spanish equivalent of "excuse me." Acquaintances are greeted with a kiss on each cheek at the very least, friends will walk down the street holding hands, and lovers make out all the time in public. Spain is a very sociable and physically expressive place as far as I can tell.
Also, moving to a country with a different language is hard and scary as hell sometimes. It really gives me a whole new perspective on what it must be like for immigrants who come into the U.S. and often don’t speak English. Sometimes it’s difficult just knowing that I’ll be here for four months, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to know that you’d never go home again.
Overall things are still going great here in Granada, though most people (myself included) are ready to move to Madrid so we can finally settle in. Granada is beautiful and really fun, but it’ll be nice when I’m no longer living out of a suitcase and sharing a tiny hotel room with two roommates (even though I couldn’t have asked for two nicer people to live with).
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