mi casa.

Staying with a host family is a fairly typical study abroad experience. Everyone on my program has been placed with a family, and everyone I’ve met here from other study abroad programs has a family as well. The family is responsible for cooking dinner for us, cleaning, doing our laundry, and just making us feel included in the culture here.

The norms of family life are different in Madrid than in the US. First, the apartments in the city are generally very small. Second, it is customary to have “house shoes” or slippers. Since I left my slippers in storage at school, I’ve been wearing a pair of flip flops around the house. Also, Madrileños don’t entertain guests in their homes. While I always had friends over to my house in the States, the people here prefer to keep the home a place for family and rather meet their friends at a cafe somewhere.

My Señora is incredibly nice and usually a pretty good cook, though she does have quite the affinity for oil and salt. She speaks absolutely no English, so it’s sometimes difficult to understand her but she does a good job of explaining it to make sure I understand.

My bed, nightstand and one of my closets

Closet and shelves

The family room, as seen from my bedroom doorway

The family room, as seen from the front hallway. My bedroom door is just left of the TV

The bathroom I share with my Senora

The kitchen, with the washing machine next to the dishwasher

 

hiking in cercedilla.

I’m not big on “nature” or “hiking” or “camping”, so when our school offered a hiking trip on Tuesday to Cercedilla, a mountain town of about 7,000 only 60 km outside of Madrid, I figured I would give it a shot. It’s not something I would ever seek out on my own, but if the school was organizing it and paying for it I could at least show up, right?

If I were a college organizing a trip like this, I would take into account a few important planning points. First, we’re leaving at 9 am. That’s early, especially considering it was a holiday and people didn’t get home until 3 or 4 am the night before. Second, in a group of 26 students, very few of them are likely to be avid hikers. It would probably strike me that this “hike” should be more of a “nature walk” to make sure everyone in the group could keep up.

Wrong. Not only did we HIKE up a mountain for 4 hours, we pretty much sprinted. We’ve never been so sore in our lives, and I fulfilled my life’s quota of hiking. The best part of the hike was when we got lost the first hour and ended up on a gorgeous rock formation overlooking the valley. And then we had to walk even faster to make up for the time we had lost getting lost.

The next time the school offers a “hiking” trip on a holiday, I think I’d rather do homework.

Hiking in Cercedilla

On the rock formation overlooking the valley

The Jen(n) picture! Jen K, Jenn B, and Jen A

We were all still happy since we had only been hiking for an hour

segovia.

Every weekend my school offers day trips to different places in Spain. The first trip we took was to Segovia. Segovia is famous for its Roman aqueduct and its castle. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel lived in the castle. We were able to tour the castle and even saw the room where Christopher Columbus likely asked Queen Isabel for the ship that he used to ultimately discover America.

The Roman aqueduct

The Cathedral in the Plaza in Segovia

The outside of the castle

The view from the top of the castle - looks like a painting

futbol and bullfights.

The first week in Madrid was spent getting to know our host family and getting oriented in the city. We all have monthly Metro passes so we can travel using the bus and/or the subway. The public transportation here is great – efficient, clean and safe. I take a bus to school because it’s quick, but I could also take the subway if I wanted. Both options are located just steps outside my front door.

During the first week, we got to see a friendly match between Real Madrid and Lisbon. It was absolutely incredible. I wasn’t prepared for the magnitude of the stadium and the energy of the fans. It was just a practice game so the stadium wasn’t full, and I can’t wait to go back for a real game!

Before the game started

Kickoff!

Center of the action

That weekend, Max and Josh asked if I wanted to join them to watch a bullfight. They live near the bullfighting stadium, and the tickets only cost €10. I immediately agreed, not fully understanding what a bullfight entailed. I was so in the dark that I didn’t realize that the bullfighters KILLED the bull. As we were walking in, there were a few men holding up a banner advocating the fair treatment of the bulls. I felt conflicted, because I felt like I should be standing up for the bulls too!

Regardless, we grabbed some snacks and went in. Our seats were in the second row, but we didn’t realize that most of the action would take place on the opposite side of the ring. I guess it’s a good thing because I could barely watch as it was!

Opening ceremonies?

The matadors

And.... The End.

end of eurovision.

By the last few days of Eurovision, we were all exhausted and ready to arrive in Madrid. We had spent so many nights in different hotels, living out of a suitcase, and way too many hours on the bus. The good news is that I can now fall asleep in any moving vehicle, which has come in handy.

Luckily for us, the last few days were not too strenuous. We saw a couple of beaches in San Tropez and Sitges, a small town right outside of Barcelona.

The beach in San Tropez

The beach in Barcelona

The nicest hotel in Barcelona (left) and an office building overlooking the beach

The view from the top of Barcelona

After exploring Barcelona all day Saturday, we took a train to the suburbs and hit the beaches in Sitges. The beaches in Barcelona are nice, but they’re smaller and very crowded. Sitges has miles and miles of gorgeous beaches, so it was worth the hour-long train ride.

Miles and miles of gorgeous beaches in Sitges

The cathedral in Sitges

Jess and I after a day on the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean

Gorgeous ocean

Hot sand and cool water

After spending a relaxing Sunday on the beach, we left Barcelona and were on our way to MADRID!

 

chamonix and geneva.

We left the hustle and bustle of Paris for a quaint little mountain town called Chamonix. It’s located in the Alps, and during the winter it is quite the vacation destination for the avid skiier. In the summer, however, it was dead.

Getting there on the bus was terrifying, to say the least. Our bus driver, Gerardo, was a very good driver and manipulated the narrow European streets in a wide bus very well. However, regardless of how good of a driver he is, whipping around the curves while scaling a mounting with nothing but a wimpy rail to stop you from crashing to your death is slightly nerve-wracking. I closed my eyes and held on tight, opening them only enough to notice that I was the only one freaking out about our imminent death.

Needless to say, we made it to Chamonix alive and spent the night in a lodge before heading to Geneva for the day. In Geneva, we stopped by the World Trade Organization and the United Nations before having “the best chicken in the world” for lunch (this is all according to Paul, the director). Both places were equally boring, and after spending the day before sleeping on a bus, none of us were very interested in what each place had to say.

The view of the United Nations gardens in Switzerland

Peacocks randomly roam the grounds at the UN

After our day in Geneva, we raced back to Chamonix to catch the last train up the mountain to see the glacier. After getting there, we were literally able to go INSIDE the glacier. It was a bit difficult seeing as how we were still in our suits and dresses from earlier in the day, but the view was incredible.

The Alps – view while going up the mountain

The Alps, near the glacier

More of the Alps

Standing in my suit in front of the Alps!

After taking a train UP the mountain and climbing down lots of stairs to go back DOWN into the valley, we got to go inside the glacier. Yes, inside, where the body heat inside was causing the ice to drip all over us and we could touch the walls. It was incredible.

Up close and personal with a glacier

There wasn’t much to do in Chamonix at night, except eat. We experienced what an American Burger was – an enormous beef patty on a huge kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, American sauce (aka Thousand Island dressing) and French fries. All on the bun. It was delicious.

 

paris.

After spending a few days in gorgeous Germany, we all piled back onto the bus and drove to Paris for the weekend. Turns out, we didn’t really have a reason to be in Paris – there was no company that we were visiting or anything, but it was in between locations and a good place to spend a few days.

After Paul, the director of the program, prepared us how to deal with French boys, we were all eager to experience their persistence and take pleasure in “swatting them away” (as Paul referred to it). On Friday night we made our way to the neighborhood around the Sarbonne, the famous French university, thinking that we would find a good nightlife with other students our age. The clubs are really expensive to get into in Paris, so we found a fun bar and had a drink. They put glowsticks in each drink and that kept us entertained for a while…

Jess managed to collect some extra glowsticks!

We walked back to our hotel to give us a chance to see some more of Paris, and ran into an unusual sight. As we were crossing the street, nearly 400 rollerskaters appeared and took over the street. There were police officers there to make sure everything ran smoothly, and we chatted with some of them. Turns out, the rollerskaters had created a “flash crowd” a while back (people hear about where to meet up via text message and no one knows where until the day of) and had started taking over the streets late on Friday nights. It became a bit disruptive and dangerous for the rollerbladers, so the police accepted that it would happen and have since monitored the event. I managed to capture some of it on video.

Saturday we woke up and decided to do a little sightseeing. We saw Notre Dame, had a baguette and some wine in a park for lunch, and walked around the Seine.

The front of Notre Dame (I think)

Side view of the Cathedral

Standing on a bridge over the Seine

Saturday night we met up with the rest of our group for dinner at the Louvre. After dinner, we took a boat tour down the Seine. I’m pretty sure there was a tour guide directing our attention towards important landmarks, but anytime you put a group of 35 American college students on a boat with countless bottles of wine, you really can’t expect them to focus.

Standing in the plaza by the Louvre before dinner

After the boat ride, we were dropped off at the Eiffel Tower. Since the European Union is celebrating its 10th birthday this summer, the Eiffel Tower was lit up in blue lights. Every hour or so there was a “light show”, when the whole Tower would sparkle for a few minutes. It was incredible to see. I didn’t think the Eiffel Tower would be SO BIG. It stands out even more in contrast to the rest of the buildings in Paris, which are generally not more than 5 stories high.

The Eiffel Tower light show

On Sunday, we all caught up on some sleep and did the last of our sightseeing. I went with a few friends to see the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed the stairs to get to the top. Climbing that many stories of windy staircase without fresh air is a bit difficult, but the view from the top was absolutely worth it (and the €5 it cost to get up there!)

Me standing in front of the Arc

The view of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc

I enjoyed being in Paris, and I got used to saying Oui and Merci (pretty much the only French words I knew) but I was excited to move on and see other parts of France.

finally in madrid.

I finally arrived in Madrid last Monday, and have spent the week settling into my new home, getting to know the city, and preparing for classes. Our classes started today (hope you all enjoyed Labor Day because I DIDN’T!) and I like the two classes I had today. Everyone is required to take a Spanish language class, and since I’ve taken a fair amount of Spanish at Tufts, I’m taking a class called Advanced Language Usage. Sounds intimidating, but I took the placement exam this morning and it seems like it will be a good match. I want to be challenged in my Spanish so I’m forced to pick it up quickly!

Since I’m in such a high level of Spanish, I’m also required to take a course that is taught in Spanish. I’ve chosen Politics and Economics of the European Union. I’m excited for it because I learned a bit about the EU in one of my Political Science classes last semester, so I’ll know a little bit about which will hopefully help to bridge the language gap. I’m also taking an art history class, Modern Spanish Art, that is taught in Spanish. I’m auditing this class though because I don’t need the credits – I just enjoy art and want to get even more exposure to Spanish.

The last few classes I’m taking are World Economy, Money and Banking, and Peace & Conflict: Practice & Theory. I’m a bit skeptical that the Peace & Conflict class will be a bit “fluffy” and hippie, but it’s the only class that counts towards the core requirements for my major at Tufts, so I’m sort of obligated to take it.

The classes should be good, and they include 4 or 5 day field trips later on in the semester. I’ll be traveling to Turkey, Morocco, and the Basque Country for class, in addition to personal travel. I’m quickly running out of weekends to explore Europe!

But enough with the boring stuff. My first weekend in Madrid was a blast. The night life culture is a lot different here. People don’t eat dinner until around 10 pm, and the young people don’t go out until around 12 or 1 am. My friends and I found a great “cave bar”, which literally resembles a cave on the inside! The atmosphere was great – there were a lot of Spanish 20-somethings there, but they played a lot of American music. I think I heard Rihanna’s “Umbrella” three times before we left!

Around 3 am we left to go to a discoteca called Joy. (I know, parents, it’s past my curfew but my senora is nicer than you are!) A lot of the students in the program were there and it was great to mix in with the Madrilenos (Madrid locals). Spanish guys are quite persistent, and my friend Jessica was definitely the center of their attention! Us girls stuck together though, no worries. Because of the cultural differences, we don’t yet feel comfortable dancing with Spanish guys that we don’t know. Maybe eventually, but not right now. We left late and I got home around 6 am. It was a lot of fun to experience that kind of nightlife, but I definitely can’t maintain that lifestyle! On Saturday night I decided I would stay in and watch a movie with my Senora, but by 11:45 pm I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

On Sunday Jessica and I checked out El Rastro, which is a huge outdoor market. Sunday is a day of rest here, so everything is closed, but people set up little stands and sell homemade jewelry and clothing at El Rastro. It was enormous and crowded and really overwhelming, but it was nice to see. I didn’t buy anything – there were a lot of hippie clothes – but Jessica got a great bag to carry her books for school in.

I know I haven’t updated much on the rest of my Eurovision trip, but I finally uploaded my pictures to my computer so I will backtrack soon and post some great pictures and videos to give you all a visual image of the places I’ve seen. The two weeks spent traveling through Europe were great, but it’s really nice to have a place to call my own. I’ll also be sure to take some pictures of my room and my house and my neighborhood, which is really nice.

It’s always nice to hear from people from home, so make sure you stay in touch with me! Here’s all my contact info -

E-mail: JennInMadrid[at]gmail[dot]com
AIM: jenner220
Skype: jenner220
Madrid Cell Phone: (34) 648.741.860

I have also set up a local US number that you can call from any cell or land line that will connect you to my computer through Skype. If I don’t answer, feel free to leave a message and I can call you back. That number is (847) 852.4656

Talk to you soon!

host family.

Syracuse in Madrid requires that all students studying abroad stay with a Spanish family instead of living in dorms. This is a chance for us to learn the culture and be totally immersed in the language, and I’m glad everyone is required to do this.

Yolanda, our housing coordinator and “chaperone” on the Eurovision trip, shared with me my new family the other day. I’m living with a woman named Esther, she’s 49 years old and divorced. Her 16 year old son lives with her on the weekends so I’ll be able to meet him as well. She lives near the financial district in Madrid and is in a really nice apartment. I got to see pictures of the house, and there are hardwood floors and granite countertops and mirrors everywhere. The photographs were taken before she moved in the furniture, so I’m excited to see what it’s like all decorated!

I also learned a little bit about her and got to read reviews from other students she’s hosted. She said that she really likes movies and theater and going to the gym, so I think we’ll get along well . The other girls that lived with her in previous years say she’s a really good cook and isn’t very strict about showering and such. (Water is generally scarce and expensive in Madrid so many families limit showers to 10 minutes or less). I’m living alone, but even if I had a roommate we would each have our own room and just share a bathroom.

This is one of the nicer housing placements in the program, so I’m excited. Since the fall semester program is much smaller than the spring semester (85 students in the fall, almost 300 in the spring!) we all got great locations and accommodations. The best part about all of this is that she has internet!

I arrive in Madrid on Monday, and will do my best to keep updating on the places I’ve been. So far, in addition to Heidelberg and Amsterdam, I’ve seen Paris, Chamonix, and Geneva. Will update soon!

Love you all!

heidelberg.

Heidelberg, Germany is about a 6 hour drive from Amsterdam, and I slept for 90% of it! I think the jet lag is cured, but we’re all just so exhausted from traveling around so much! There are 35 kids on this pre-semester program right now, and I think only 10 of them are boys! I thought since this was a business thing there would be more, but I guess that was stereotypical of me.

Everyone is nice, and we have a lot of free time and generally stick together when we explore. Our hotel in Amsterdam was kind of a dump, but was in a nice, safe location. Heidelberg is so small that everything is pretty much safe, and our hotel is MUCH nicer!

After arriving here last night, we went on a walking tour where Paul (our professor) showed us all the good places to eat. There’s a university here so there are a lot of students and people our age. After dinner we went to a club/bar where there were a lot of German students. They were all really nice and spoke decent English, which was good because none of us know any German! (Although I did say Gesundheit to some guy at breakfast this morning!) The music was pretty funny – a mix of Europop and old American music. They played some Backstreet Boys which was a fun throwback to 9 years ago! Then some of the German students showed us the spot along the river looking up at the mountains with gorgeous mansions built on them where there’s a castle behind us. Not kidding – it was like a storybook.

Castle in Heidelberg

A square in the town and some traditional style buildings

Overlooking the river and mountain at sunset

Today we toured the Mercedes plant where they make the huge semi trucks. It was interesting but it went on for wayyyy too long. We spent 2 hours touring the production line and learning about their new paint process. We had the rest of the afternoon free, and hiked up to the Heidelberg Schloss, a huge castle that is on top of a mountain. You can see it from nearly all parts of the city but I didn’t expect it to be so pretty! I took lots of pictures and video which I will add as soon as we get to Madrid and I get my laptop back.

On the hike up the castle...

Overlooking Heidelberg from inside the castle grounds

Inside the castle grounds - making the parents proud with my Diet Coke

I definitely didn’t give Germany enough credit before getting here. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I haven’t encountered any saurkraut yet. We’re having an authentic German dinner in our hotel tonight though, so perhaps that will be included (and I will be avoiding it like the plague). Our hotel is actually a microbrewery also, which is kind of a nice contrast after touring the massive Heineken plant the other day. The smell of brewing and fermenting beer is not pleasant though…

Tomorrow we head to France and will be spending the weekend in Paris I know, I know – such a hard life I have! But for now, I MUST get out of this internet cafe because the owners two small children are SHRIEKING and I can’t deal anymore. Also, this keyboard is messed up – the z and the y are switched and it takes me too long to find any of the punctuation keys. Cheap internet is just not worth difficult keyboards and small children poking me.