I have been in Madrid for almost a month, though I cannot decide if it has seemed much longer or much shorter than that. Because of the nature of constant learning that is part of studying abroad, time has felt blurry. Each day, I learn new Spanish words, customs, and mannerisms, and because a couple classes I plan to take will not start until next week, I have yet to fully figure out my schedule. I still feel far from…
This semester, the Vassar-Wesleyan Madrid program started on January 7. Due to the polar vortex that hit most of the U.S., which manifested as a blizzard with “Arctic cold” temperatures in Western New York, my original flight out of Buffalo was cancelled. Rescheduling my flights was stressful and tedious—I spent about eight hours trying to reach someone at JetBlue. (Thousands of people’s flights had been cancelled, and the lines were so busy that the phone operators generally cut you off after a…
As I write this, the familiar scent of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie is probably filling up your house, inspiring you to be nice to your parents even though they’ve already asked you too many questions about school and your love life. Or maybe you’re bickering with your sister. Or maybe someone forgot about the vegetables roasting in the oven. In any case, I’m sitting in class in Spain right now, and the only thing I smell is my own unpreparedness for…
Time is escaping me, Vassarinos! Here we are at the beginning of November. In Madrid the leaves have finally changed, the temperature has cooled down, and everyone can calm down because my mom finally sent me a bag of pumpkin spice coffee. This post marks the halfway point of my abroad experience, further amplified by the spring housing applications and pre-registration reminders sitting in my inbox. However, these are realities I choose to ignore. Since I’ve last written, the most surprising thing about being in…
Happy fall, Vassar friends! Unfortunately, it still doesn’t feel anything like fall here in Madrid, and even more unfortunately, there’s no pumpkin spice coffee for me to at least pretend that it does. Though it’s getting cooler, on most days the temperature reaches 90°. I love the summer more than anything, but I must admit that Madrid has me begging for some brisk autumn days. Since my last post, I’ve arrived in Madrid, settled in with my host family, and started classes…
As part of the Vassar-Wesleyan Madrid program, I’ve spent the last two weeks in Galicia’s capital, Santiago de Compostela. Galicia is one of Spain’s seventeen states, something I embarrassingly didn’t know until I arrived. However, after living here since August 18, touring a ton of cathedrals (some multiple times), frequenting way too many bars, and eating way too many tapas—I’m basically an expert. Just kidding. However, I have fallen into the rhythm of everyday living here, and all of us…
A kiss on the left cheek, a kiss on the right cheek—that’s how people greet each other in Spain. Not just old people; everyone. So when I showed up at the door of my new host family’s apartment as a complete stranger with a big suitcase and funny pink hat, the first thing we did was kiss. But that was two months ago. Now, we greet each other with a casual, “¡Hola!” or “¿Qué tal?” It’s a strange reversal of…