Wednesday, September 29, 2010
September 22nd through the 29th
Well, this has been a pretty uneventful week. I had one more class last Thursday but I haven't been to a class since then. The rest of my classes start this week, but this is how its gone down so far:
Friday night I went out with about 100 people from the residence hall. It was pretty crazy. They has this thing called a botellon where a large group or kids get together at a park in the middle of the night in Madrid and drink, then around 3 or so they disburse, some go home, some go to clubs. Our group took one of the last trains from the UAM campus to Madrid. The train is free every night after 10pm or so, so we waited till then so we could "take advantage of it", as they all said. We hung out at the botellon for a few hours where we just talked and i met some people. Then, the group of people i was with decided to go to this club called the Inn afterwords and we were there till about 5:30 am. We waited at the entrance of the metro station until it opened back up at 6 am and took the metro and train back to campus. It is free in the early morning too. We got home around 7:30/8 am. I slept the next day and a half.
My Monday class was canceled because the teacher has a conference.
I had a class yesterday but I couldn't find it because the teacher switched classrooms but didn't post it anywhere. I was in the department Monday looking for the professor who taught the class (I found her name on the syllabus) because I need permission to take the class. When I got to her office she told me that she was only the professor for the second half of the semester and that I should come back tomorrow to find the professor woh teaches the first half. So i did, and i couldn't find him. After looking for a half hour I went to the department and asked the other professor where he was again because I couldn't find him. She said " of course you can't find him because he is not in his office, he is teaching." I said " I went to his classroom and he wasn't there. I waited for him for 20 minutes and he never showed up." And then she said " I don't know why you are coming here asking me questions i don't know the answers to. I'm just a professor, how am I supposed to know!" I got upset so I walked out of her office, I guess at the same moment she had a change of heart and told me to come back, she will help me find the classroom. She looked on the computer and confirmed that the classroom I went to was the right one. She then walked me to the classroom and on the way there said "Well, sometimes the professors change classrooms..." So, we got to the classroom I was originally at and sure enough the professor wasn't there so she asked some people where he was and they told her his new classroom. By this time the class had been going on for about 20 minutes (its only a 1 hour class) and i didnt feel like interrupting the teacher so i waited till the class was done to talk to the professor. He was really nice and said he would give me any permission i needed to take the class and if I had any questions, just call him.
Last night I went shopping because I needed some clothes to wear out to the clubs and stuff. I was also going to go to a cafe with this international student organization but I left my wallet at home so I couldn't make it. I put some money in my pocket before i left my dorm, that's how i payed for my clothes. On my way back from shopping in Madrid, I walked to the Sol train station. People were rallying up preparing for the Huelga General that has been going on all day today (September 19th 2010). The Huelga General is a Strike where basically all the workers are striking because they don't agree with some of the changes that the government is making. Due to the economic crisis here in Spain the President has decided to cut wages and raise retirement age and things like that. (http://www.huelgageneral.net http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/09/29/espana/1285714883.html) So everyone was preparing to protest last night. Here are some pictures:
Basically, today, the entire county is paralyzed. No one went to work. many people rely on public transportation and about only one train an hour was running today and only about 80/800 buses were operating. I have been watching some of it on the news and the people starting getting violent and so far I haven't heard if they have come to an agreement or not, but many people think that the President will not give in.
All my classes were canceled today but they will start again tomorrow. I have 4 classes tomorrow so that will be the first full day of classes I have had since I got here!
Friday night I went out with about 100 people from the residence hall. It was pretty crazy. They has this thing called a botellon where a large group or kids get together at a park in the middle of the night in Madrid and drink, then around 3 or so they disburse, some go home, some go to clubs. Our group took one of the last trains from the UAM campus to Madrid. The train is free every night after 10pm or so, so we waited till then so we could "take advantage of it", as they all said. We hung out at the botellon for a few hours where we just talked and i met some people. Then, the group of people i was with decided to go to this club called the Inn afterwords and we were there till about 5:30 am. We waited at the entrance of the metro station until it opened back up at 6 am and took the metro and train back to campus. It is free in the early morning too. We got home around 7:30/8 am. I slept the next day and a half.
My Monday class was canceled because the teacher has a conference.
I had a class yesterday but I couldn't find it because the teacher switched classrooms but didn't post it anywhere. I was in the department Monday looking for the professor who taught the class (I found her name on the syllabus) because I need permission to take the class. When I got to her office she told me that she was only the professor for the second half of the semester and that I should come back tomorrow to find the professor woh teaches the first half. So i did, and i couldn't find him. After looking for a half hour I went to the department and asked the other professor where he was again because I couldn't find him. She said " of course you can't find him because he is not in his office, he is teaching." I said " I went to his classroom and he wasn't there. I waited for him for 20 minutes and he never showed up." And then she said " I don't know why you are coming here asking me questions i don't know the answers to. I'm just a professor, how am I supposed to know!" I got upset so I walked out of her office, I guess at the same moment she had a change of heart and told me to come back, she will help me find the classroom. She looked on the computer and confirmed that the classroom I went to was the right one. She then walked me to the classroom and on the way there said "Well, sometimes the professors change classrooms..." So, we got to the classroom I was originally at and sure enough the professor wasn't there so she asked some people where he was and they told her his new classroom. By this time the class had been going on for about 20 minutes (its only a 1 hour class) and i didnt feel like interrupting the teacher so i waited till the class was done to talk to the professor. He was really nice and said he would give me any permission i needed to take the class and if I had any questions, just call him.
Last night I went shopping because I needed some clothes to wear out to the clubs and stuff. I was also going to go to a cafe with this international student organization but I left my wallet at home so I couldn't make it. I put some money in my pocket before i left my dorm, that's how i payed for my clothes. On my way back from shopping in Madrid, I walked to the Sol train station. People were rallying up preparing for the Huelga General that has been going on all day today (September 19th 2010). The Huelga General is a Strike where basically all the workers are striking because they don't agree with some of the changes that the government is making. Due to the economic crisis here in Spain the President has decided to cut wages and raise retirement age and things like that. (http://www.huelgageneral.net http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/09/29/espana/1285714883.html) So everyone was preparing to protest last night. Here are some pictures:
Basically, today, the entire county is paralyzed. No one went to work. many people rely on public transportation and about only one train an hour was running today and only about 80/800 buses were operating. I have been watching some of it on the news and the people starting getting violent and so far I haven't heard if they have come to an agreement or not, but many people think that the President will not give in.
All my classes were canceled today but they will start again tomorrow. I have 4 classes tomorrow so that will be the first full day of classes I have had since I got here!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sep 13th through the 21st
Hey everybody, unfortunately nothing really exciting happened this week. I was sick for a good 4 of 5 days, i missed one day on my immersion classes and didn't participate in any of the events :( I am feeling better tho. I had some sort of sinus infection. Everyone here keeps saying it was because the climate here is so dry. I went to the pharmacy and explained to the pharmacist what was wrong with me and he gave me some medicine that really helped.
My immersion classes were fun. I got a certificate too! I am glad they are over tho, because that means that my classes at the university started! (which is why I'm here) I had my first class yesterday. I arrived to class 30 minutes early and just sat in the classroom and waited for people to show up. the class was supposed to start at 1:30. Around 1:25 I started thinking that maybe I'm in the wrong place, of maybe we didn't have class today. I waited till 1:30, no one showed up so i packed up all my stuff. As soon as i stood up to leave 2 girls walked in. they asked me if i was here for the Geography of Spain class, i said yes and they said they were too. Then Katya showed up. all we were waiting on was the professor. She showed up 15 minutes later like nothing was wrong :) We has a short class and I think I'm really going to like it. There are about 5 to 8 of us so we are a small class. the teacher said that because of this we are going to get to take trips during cl;ass time to see the geography of Spain first hand. The teacher is very nice and understanding of the international students (Katya and me).
I had a class today but i think I'm not going to take it because it has nothing to do with secondary education. The class is called Juego, Ritmo y Movemiento. I thought it was something completely different than what it actually is but it is actually a class that teaches you rhymes and dances to teach to kids from infant to 6. The good thing about the University system here is that I have until the end of October to decide on the classes I want to take. All i have to do is attend different classes until i find ones i like and then turn in a form at the end of Oct that tells the classes that I have decided to take.
I have meet a few people now so i have some friends. I have also joined Spain's version of facebook. Its called tuenti (pronounced "twenty"). you have to be invited to join so the girl across the hall invited me because she said that all the people here have it and its how everyone communicates and makes plans. It pretty interesting but it is basically like facebook in Spanish with a different layout.
The rest of this week should be pretty interesting tho because i have lot of welcome meetings and parties and trips going on so ill have a lot to update you guys on later in the week, probably on Sunday :)
My immersion classes were fun. I got a certificate too! I am glad they are over tho, because that means that my classes at the university started! (which is why I'm here) I had my first class yesterday. I arrived to class 30 minutes early and just sat in the classroom and waited for people to show up. the class was supposed to start at 1:30. Around 1:25 I started thinking that maybe I'm in the wrong place, of maybe we didn't have class today. I waited till 1:30, no one showed up so i packed up all my stuff. As soon as i stood up to leave 2 girls walked in. they asked me if i was here for the Geography of Spain class, i said yes and they said they were too. Then Katya showed up. all we were waiting on was the professor. She showed up 15 minutes later like nothing was wrong :) We has a short class and I think I'm really going to like it. There are about 5 to 8 of us so we are a small class. the teacher said that because of this we are going to get to take trips during cl;ass time to see the geography of Spain first hand. The teacher is very nice and understanding of the international students (Katya and me).
I had a class today but i think I'm not going to take it because it has nothing to do with secondary education. The class is called Juego, Ritmo y Movemiento. I thought it was something completely different than what it actually is but it is actually a class that teaches you rhymes and dances to teach to kids from infant to 6. The good thing about the University system here is that I have until the end of October to decide on the classes I want to take. All i have to do is attend different classes until i find ones i like and then turn in a form at the end of Oct that tells the classes that I have decided to take.
I have meet a few people now so i have some friends. I have also joined Spain's version of facebook. Its called tuenti (pronounced "twenty"). you have to be invited to join so the girl across the hall invited me because she said that all the people here have it and its how everyone communicates and makes plans. It pretty interesting but it is basically like facebook in Spanish with a different layout.
The rest of this week should be pretty interesting tho because i have lot of welcome meetings and parties and trips going on so ill have a lot to update you guys on later in the week, probably on Sunday :)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Update from Weds september 8th through Sat september 11th.
Wednesday night was really fun! I went to my immersion classes like usual and then after class i met up with 20 people from the immersion school and we went to a free salsa dancing lesson in Madrid. The teacher was hilarious! He is a guy from Cuba and he was really able to get all of us into the salsa dancing.
The guy in the white shirt is the teacher:
The guy in the white shirt is the teacher:
On Thursday I didn't go to my immersion classes because i had a Welcome meeting at La Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. I met one of my teacher and the woman who is in charge of the international students. The meeting was very informative and all the faculty seems very supportive :)
On Thursday I also learned that My classes start later than I thought. The university is in the process of changing their system to be part of a standard European system. Because of this they are running 2 different degree tracks. They are still using the old system so that the students who are currently in this track can finish their studies, but at the same time they have started the European system as well. So, the classes I chose to take are from the old system, which starts later. So, since i have 2 weeks to kill, I'm going to take at least 1 more week of immersion classes at Inhispania.
Thursday night I meet up with a group of 20 or so students from Inhispania and we all went to a famous tapas bar called SIDRERIA El Tigre. The inside was really small but very authentic. If you pay 2 euro you get a beer or cider and a plate full of tapas! its a really good deal and the food is really good! I didn't stay for long though because smoking is not prohibited in the bars and restaurants and it was staring to bother me.
Friday I went to my immersion classes and then I went home. I was so drained of energy from the week that i didnt want to do anything. When i got back to my dorm I did some laundry for the first time since i have been here and then the WIFI in the dorm building broke. So, I had to go down to the reception to get an internet cable and a piece of paper with instructions on how to set up a cable connection (in Spanish). It took me about an hour to figure it out but I got it! The internet problem is something that has to be fixed by the building headquarters in Barcelona so it wont be up and running till sometime next week.
Saturday (yesterday) I had to be up early to meet up with the Inhispaina group for our day trip toToledo. We took a train from the Sol station to Toledo. The train there cost 8 euro and it was a half hour ride south of Madrid. Toledo was the original capital of Madrid built by the Romans so it has a lot of history.
I had a really good time sight seeing and we ate at an authentic, non tourist Spanish restaurant where I had paella for the first time in my life. The restaurant is called Restaurante la Custodia.
After we ate lunch, we did a little more walking around. Toledo is know for its gold and metal/ sward making. we stoped by this factory where they hand make all the gold embroidered thinks
After that we headed back to the train. We weren't in Toledo for very long and we couldn't see everything so I'm definitely going to have to go back. I think I will bring Sean there when he comes to visit!
We ended up getting lost on our way to the train station. (Our tour guide for the trip was a teacher from Inhispania, he wasnt a really tour guide.)
We were lost for about 1 hour and once we figured out where we were we had to get a bus to take us close to the train station and from the bus stop we ran to the train station. I cant imagine how funny a group of 20 people running through the streets of Toledo looked haha! we were all laughing hysterically the whole time. We ended up missing the train by 1 minute. we tried to change our tickets for a later train but they wouldn't exchange them, they we had to buy new ones. The return trip home was 10 euro. we opted to take a bus back instead. The bus tickets were only 5 euro.
We had to walk about 1/2 a mile from the train station to the bus station. our tour guide bought the bus tickets for us because he felt it was his fault that we missed the train because he got lost. Then , when we left the ticket counter at the bus station to find our bus we went to wrong way. By the time we figured out where we were supposed to be, we were really late and had to run to the bus again. As we got to the bus, it was pulling away. we all waved and shouted for the bus driver but he didn't see us. we had to wait an hour for the next bus!
We finally made it back to Madrid. However, there was something very interesting going on in Madrid that night. Every year since 2006 Madrid has something called La Noche en Blanco. http://lanocheenblanco2010.esmadrid.com/lneb/en/index From 9pm Sat night until 8 am Sunday morning the city completely shuts down. All the roads are blocked off :
and all of the museums and art galleries are open to the public for free, there are concerts and performances, movie showings and activities that are all free to the public. Plus many of the shops are open and all night. The purpose of this event is for all the citizens to celebrate their culture, have fun and feel connected to the city of Madrid. It was really cool but there were people EVERYWHERE.
After I got back from Toledo all i wanted to do was go home and sleep because it was a long, hot day with a loot of walking up and down big hills and running through the streets. however, everyone from Inhispania kept telling me that I had to go because it is really interesting and its a cultural experience. So, I decided to stay out for a little bit. I met up with a friend for dinner and just walked around. After that I headed to the train station to go home and believe it or not, i missed my train! I asked a guy at the train station what i should do and he basically told me i was screwed because there were no more trains to where i needed to go tonight. He gave me directions to walk about a 1/2 mile to a bus station and ask them if they could take me to my dorm. on my way to the bus station i ended up calling Sean crying because i didn't know what to do, i was tired, lost and it was midnight bu this point. on top of that, the directions I was following to get to the bus station were literally: Go up that set of stairs, then that set of stairs, then the next tes ot stairs. when you get to the top walk straight in that street for about 100 meters until you get to the bus station. Somehow I made it but when i got to the bus station it was closed because all the streets were closed down and there we no taxis anywhere for that same reason. So, i walked back to the train station and asked this nice older couple for help. They told me to take a different train north to get me a little closer to where I needed to be and then take a taxi from there. They actually got on the same train as I did and helped my get a taxi when i got off the train. I finally made it home! thank god!
Here are a few more pics from La Noche en Blanco:
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
My first week in Spain
Spain is going really well :). I was miserable the first day i was here because i had no luggage, i couldn't shower or do anything really. I felt so discussing. But all is well now. My mom left Sunday morning (i took her to the airport) and over the past 2 days i have had some time to myself to organize my room. Everyone here is so nice. they aren't mean when i screw things up in Spanish and everyone is very helpful.
All the shopping i have done so far has been at this place called El Corte Ingles. It is basically like a gigantic Macy's and they have everything you could every imagine there. there is even a supermarket attached too. The prices are a little high but there having a huge sale this week so i got some good deals. Also they have so many teapots! I was in heaven when i walked through the teapot section :) so i bought myself one :) ant loose leaf tea is readily available so that works out nicely :)
the prices for food in the grocery are very low, I was really surprised. The food there is really good. you will find some of the same brands of food that we have (Nabisco, Kellogg, Coke, Heinz) but there are definitely a lot of unusual things. All the produce is really fresh and they even have an organic food section. I bought some veggies and chicken broth and made a veggie stew for the first time in my life, it turned out really well :)
Aside from the grocery store i have only eaten a turkey sandwich with french fries and a cafe con leche at the cafeteria at El Corte Ingles. The cafeteria is interesting. you sit down and a waiter brings you a menu. The menu has burgers, sandwiches, paninis, pastas, and some authentic Spanish dishes that i have not been courageous enough to try. on every table there is this small electronic device that is used to communicate with your server. you press it when you are ready to order and the server comes to you. he then puts your order in on a PDA type thing and the food comes out really fast. then when you want your check there is a button for that. you press it and the waiter brings the check. I don't know if you are supposed to tip... i havent figured that out yet..... my mom and i left a tip when we were there but she said she didn't think we needed to . I went to the same restaurant today and didn't leave a tip bc i didn't see anyone else do it. I didn't know if i was going to get in trouble or not so i just put money on the table and booked it out the door.
I am started my 1 week of immersion classes on Monday to help me feel a little more comfortable with speaking spanish. The classes are not part of the University that i am going to, they are at a small institute about 30 minutes away from where I am staying. Its something i am pursuing my self to help me feel better before i start classes at the university. The institute is called Inhispania: http://www.inhispania.com . i study at the puerto del sol school.
The classes are really fun and the teachers are awesome. they are very patient, knowledgeable, and friendly. I really couldn't have asked for a better experience. At the institute there are students from all over the world there studying Spanish for different reasons. The common language amongst everyone is Spanish so I have had the opportunity to talk to people that i would not normally be able to communicate with bc i dont speak there language. However I have spoken with people from China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Russia, Germany, Hungary, England, Serbia, Bulgaria, Switzerland and France.
Also they have activities after class for all the students. Today We took a walking tour of historic Madrid. we visited El Puerto del Sol, La Plaza Mayor, El Mercado de San Miguel, La plaza de San Andres, Las Cavas, La plaza de la Puerta Cerrada, El Jardin del Principe Anglona y La Plaza de la Armeria.
Tomorrow we are having salsa dancing lessons, thursday we are going to a Tapas bar and Saturday is a day trip to Toledo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain
Inhispania's Facebook page that talks about the trips we are taking this week: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=
general Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/
So far the city seems really safe and i am not afraid to walk around by myself. the crime rate is very, very low in madrid.
All the shopping i have done so far has been at this place called El Corte Ingles. It is basically like a gigantic Macy's and they have everything you could every imagine there. there is even a supermarket attached too. The prices are a little high but there having a huge sale this week so i got some good deals. Also they have so many teapots! I was in heaven when i walked through the teapot section :) so i bought myself one :) ant loose leaf tea is readily available so that works out nicely :)
the prices for food in the grocery are very low, I was really surprised. The food there is really good. you will find some of the same brands of food that we have (Nabisco, Kellogg, Coke, Heinz) but there are definitely a lot of unusual things. All the produce is really fresh and they even have an organic food section. I bought some veggies and chicken broth and made a veggie stew for the first time in my life, it turned out really well :)
Aside from the grocery store i have only eaten a turkey sandwich with french fries and a cafe con leche at the cafeteria at El Corte Ingles. The cafeteria is interesting. you sit down and a waiter brings you a menu. The menu has burgers, sandwiches, paninis, pastas, and some authentic Spanish dishes that i have not been courageous enough to try. on every table there is this small electronic device that is used to communicate with your server. you press it when you are ready to order and the server comes to you. he then puts your order in on a PDA type thing and the food comes out really fast. then when you want your check there is a button for that. you press it and the waiter brings the check. I don't know if you are supposed to tip... i havent figured that out yet..... my mom and i left a tip when we were there but she said she didn't think we needed to . I went to the same restaurant today and didn't leave a tip bc i didn't see anyone else do it. I didn't know if i was going to get in trouble or not so i just put money on the table and booked it out the door.
I am started my 1 week of immersion classes on Monday to help me feel a little more comfortable with speaking spanish. The classes are not part of the University that i am going to, they are at a small institute about 30 minutes away from where I am staying. Its something i am pursuing my self to help me feel better before i start classes at the university. The institute is called Inhispania: http://www.inhispania.com . i study at the puerto del sol school.
The classes are really fun and the teachers are awesome. they are very patient, knowledgeable, and friendly. I really couldn't have asked for a better experience. At the institute there are students from all over the world there studying Spanish for different reasons. The common language amongst everyone is Spanish so I have had the opportunity to talk to people that i would not normally be able to communicate with bc i dont speak there language. However I have spoken with people from China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Russia, Germany, Hungary, England, Serbia, Bulgaria, Switzerland and France.
Also they have activities after class for all the students. Today We took a walking tour of historic Madrid. we visited El Puerto del Sol, La Plaza Mayor, El Mercado de San Miguel, La plaza de San Andres, Las Cavas, La plaza de la Puerta Cerrada, El Jardin del Principe Anglona y La Plaza de la Armeria.
Tomorrow we are having salsa dancing lessons, thursday we are going to a Tapas bar and Saturday is a day trip to Toledo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain
Inhispania's Facebook page that talks about the trips we are taking this week: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=
general Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/
So far the city seems really safe and i am not afraid to walk around by myself. the crime rate is very, very low in madrid.
Friday, September 3, 2010
First day in Madrid
Wow, What a day! My mom and I arrived in Madrid at 11:30 in the morning only to find that all 4 of our suitcases were lost :( we filed a claim and hopefully they will appear in the morning. I checked into my dorm, went shopping for a few necessities and then took a nap. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful. we are planing to go shopping and hopefully we will get our suitcases back! Here are some pictures of the flight in and my dorm!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The night before departure
I just finished packing most of my stuff. I really don't know how to pack for a year.... So I just packed as if I was going on a really long vacation.
After lunch with Sean's grandma, hanging out at Starbucks for the last time with Craig, Melissa, and Stephanie, dinner with Sean's family, and hanging out with John, Kerianne, Sean and my sister tonight, I think I'm ready to go!
Everyone has been asking me how I feel. If I'm excited or sad or scared or nervous. The truth is, I have been trying not to think about it, I'm just letting it happen. I feel all of those emotions and if I think about it I'll just make myself crazy.
After lunch with Sean's grandma, hanging out at Starbucks for the last time with Craig, Melissa, and Stephanie, dinner with Sean's family, and hanging out with John, Kerianne, Sean and my sister tonight, I think I'm ready to go!
Everyone has been asking me how I feel. If I'm excited or sad or scared or nervous. The truth is, I have been trying not to think about it, I'm just letting it happen. I feel all of those emotions and if I think about it I'll just make myself crazy.
Im going to miss everyone but I'm excited to go :)
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
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