Something New Every Day

The best thing about Madrid is that there is ALWAYS something to do or see or be entertained by.  I don’t think the concept of a dull moment even exists in the city, which is really an amazing thing.  I feel so comfortable and familiar with the city, but it’s not getting old because I still haven’t run out of new things to do.  I made a To Do list a while back of all the things I wanted to accomplish throughout the semester, drawing from the advice of my guidebooks, friends, and professors, but just as often as I mark one thing off the list, I feel like I add three more to it.  Thus, the past few weeks have been filled with random and exciting adventures.

For instance, walking through the main streets of Puerta del Sol, the bar/restaurant/shopping hub of Madrid, you are approached by several club/bar promoters (Thursday night we counted 18 that talked to us within about 3 blocks!).  They offer free entry to their clubs, free shots, and even free drinks occasionally, but one time we got talking to a club promoter that ended up offering us free salsa lessons! Every Wednesday night, he holds lessons for whoever is interested.  He’s from Cuba and definitely a talented salsa dancer.   I honestly think that his moves would intimidate Shakira, no joke.  He taught us the basic steps and quickly moved on to some more complicated twists and turns.  It is a lot of fun, but a little frustrating, too; I’ve been back three times now, but somehow I am still painfully awful at it…  He’s giving me some salsa music at the next lesson so that I can practice at home, so hopefully that will help! And that’s just my Wednesday nights…

One weekend there was a huge festival celebrating the Americas with exhibits in museums, various performances, and special events that culminated in an extravagant parade and concert. The parade drew an enormous crowd, but luckily we actually ran into the salsa instructor guy, who led us to the front of the crowd where the parade was just beginning.  The parade was led by Karamba, a reggae band from Cuba.  We danced alongside the moving concert the entire stretch of Paseo del Prado, which took about and hour and a half. We were exhausted from dancing, but we still had the rest of the parade to see! Several Latin American countries participated in the parade, showing off their traditional dances and costumes. They were all so impressive; I couldn't believe how elaborate and beautiful all of the costumes were!  I took lots of pictures, but they really don't do it justice, so you should check out this video: La Marcha 2010

Karamba playing on top of a semi-truck stage

My salsa instructor dancing with my roommate at the parade

As you can see in the video, the last "float" in the parade is another semi-truck stage complete with strobe lights and huge speakers.  This one is carrying Calle 13, a rap group from Puerto Rico.  When they finally made it to Plaza de Cibeles, they held a free concert! My roommate is OBSESSED with the group (actually writing her senior thesis about them), so it was a BIG deal that we got to see them, and for FREE! She'd given me some of their music beforehand, so I was familiar with their music, and could actually sing along to some of the songs. It was so much fun!

The other day, after a nice picnic in the park, I thought I'd partake in a very Spanish pastime, una corrida de toros (bullfight).  It was... interesting. The pomp and circumstance, as well as the costumes and music, were really awesome and intriguing.  All of the toreros (bullfighters) have intricately bright and beautiful outfits, and the way they interact with the bulls is fairly poetic. However, the violence, and the majority of the crowd's response to the violence, were pretty awful... Let's just say there were six bulls, but we only saw stayed for the first two.  I can't imagine how people can stand to watch it over and over again, especially those that are involved with it every week!  It was definitely a one time experience.  Even within Spain, it is a very controversial tradition, and after much protest, they are most likely going to ban bullfighting completely in the next few years. 

At the bullfight

Like I said, there really is something new to see or do just about every day that I'm here, which really makes for a fabulous semester! In the next few weeks, I will be taking a break from Madrid to see some other amazing places in Spain.  I'm really excited to see a different side of the country and dive deeper into the Spanish culture. 

Ready to Learn, to Get Some Knowledge

Almost 6 weeks into my adventures in Madrid (!), I have finally settled down into a routine. The first 2 weeks I spent taking an Intensive Spanish course that covered grammar, conversation, and culture.  We had class 4 and half days each week with homework and cultural activities to complement our curriculum.  But as soon as I was getting comfortable, they uprooted me and a few other students to start our real academic program for the rest of the semester.  This entailed a long journey via metro and bus rides to the other campus along the countryside of Madrid.  Another day of overwhelming information and orientation activities and signing up for classes practically at random left me wondering once again, “What did I get myself into?”  The first week of classes should’ve been called “the first week that you find out the classes you signed up for don’t exist.”  It seems to me that the university likes to offer hundreds of classes and then decides to actually have only about 60 of those classes. 

Thus, the first week I spent more time in the international office than the classrooms trying to sort out my schedule.  Of my original schedule, I kept only one of my classes: 2 didn’t exist, and the other was (surprise to me) in English. Two other classes I ended up in didn’t start until last week, so as of Thursday, I finally completed my first real week of classes.  All of them are in Spanish, and so far, I really enjoy all of them!

I am taking 2 classes at the Berzosa campus, which reminds me a lot of Colorado. It is a quaint, yet beautiful campus nestled in the evergreen foothills just outside of the city.  It looks like a little mountain village to me, with pine needles on the dirt pathways and the fresh smell of mountain air.  

First Day of School! First Day of School!

This is where I take my classes- so pretty :)

Here I have 2 economics courses: Microeconomic Theory and International Economics.  The first is with a very friendly and smart professor and usually 2-3 Spanish students (despite the fact that 8 are signed up for the class).  Apparently it’s not unusual for Spaniards to only go to class for the tests, which happen twice in a semester.  Anyways, I enjoy it because the class is so small and intimate that the professor really gets to know us, and he always makes sure that I’m following everything he’s saying because the class is taught in Spanish.  I was extremely nervous the first few days, but it’s not as difficult as I’d expected.  It also helps that a lot of the class concerns graphs and numbers that don’t require much language to understand. 

The International Economics is coincidentally with international students: 2 from Germany, 1 from Colombia, and 1 from the U.S.  My professor’s Spanish is especially easy to understand, so that is really helpful.  I think that it is really interesting to be learning about International Economics from a European, and specifically Spanish, point of view.  And I love how small the classes are!  Neither of these classes have too much work outside of class, but I have already learned a lot from each just in the first 2 weeks!

My other 2 classes are mostly with other Americans and a few international students because they are Hispanic Studies classes.  I think my favorite class is Spanish Cinema.  The first day, my professor (who is amazing!), said that we should think of the room as a movie theater, and not so much a classroom, because the majority of our time will be spent watching movies.  Granted, we will also be talking about the history and the reflection of Spanish values, beliefs, traditions, etc. in the films.  We’ll be watch 12 in class, plus 6 more outside of class, so I will be well-versed in Spanish film!  I think it will really improve my Spanish listening skills, too. 

Also, I have a Spanish culture class that focuses on the specific characteristics (food, attitudes, folklore, traditions, etc.) of each of the 17 autonomous communities of the country.  I think it will be an excellent complement to my personal exploration of the country, so by the time December rolls around, I should officially be an expert on Spanish culture, or at least I can hope…

Huelga General y Londres

Last week throughout Spain there was a general strike, meaning workers of multiple industries stopped working on Wednesday and took to the streets to protest their working conditions.  Earlier this year, a law was passed making it easier to be fired from a job and restricting the benefits for employees across professions.  At the same time, Spain is suffering from an economic crisis that has left a terrible unemployment rate of about 20%.  Thus, the metro slowed down to minimum services, several stores shut down, and the city centers crowded with rowdy people waving flags, blowing whistles, and handing out flyers.  It was quite the display:

The leaders of the labor unions gave speeches on the stage here. 

They seemed very passionate about the strike and practically demanded that everyone join in their cause.  Throughout the day, crowds of noisy strikers went from store to store yelling until the store owners would shut down their businesses.  Strikes and protests seem to be more commonplace here in Spain, as there have been several general strikes in the past, and across Europe.  There was a metro strike in London this weekend, as well.  Not as chaotic as I imagined, but definitely not something we’re used to seeing in the U.S. 

Speaking of London, I celebrated my 21^st birthday in London this past weekend with Nick! I had a fabulous time, enjoying the sights of London, spending time with good friends, and taking a break from Spanish.  It was almost out of place to me that everything was in English, which impressed me because I’ve become so accustomed to being surrounded by Spanish.  At the same time, it was also a small relief: no need to think about what X means or how I’m going to say Y.

Hyde Park

Although it was rainy, Nick and I practically walked the entire city and visited all the big landmarks, which are all pretty impressive. 

Big Ben

London Bridges

Regent's Park is like an oasis in the middle of the city!!

St. Paul's Cathedral is huge!!

Westminster Abbey

 London is an amazing city full of rich history, glamorous shopping, and interesting people from all over the world!  I was so lucky to spend my birthday there.  Nick treated me to a very special birthday celebration, which included dinner on the top floor of Oxo Towers, which overlooks the Thames River and the beautiful city lights at night. It was an amazing sight! We also celebrated in the proper English way with afternoon tea paired delicious scones, yum! Not too shabby for a weekend getaway, I'd say ;)

Then, back to Spain to finish off my FIFTH week here.  I can´t believe how fast the time is flying by!