Made It To Madrid

Before coming to Spain, I often heard of the beauty Spain holds, but seeing it for myself has been spectacular. On Tuesday afternoon I  landed on Spanish land, ready to soak in Spain and start my semester at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M).Even prior to stepping outdoors onto the beautiful Spanish land, I took the metro and train from Madrid-Barajas Airport to the Fernando de los Rios residence hall (one UC3M’s dorms). My first thoughts upon taking the metro were, “Why can’t New York City’s train system be as clean as this one?” and “So this is what advanced train systems look like!” For the record, the metro is the inner-city train system and what I call “the train” is really the Renfe, a system like the Metro-North, which travels through outer-Madrid. From my town, Getafe, to central Madrid, the Renfe takes about 30 minutes ( a pleasantly smooth train ride if I must say.)

Enough about trains.

I’ve been here for about three full days and I’m still recovering from jet lag. Madrid is six hours ahead of New York, which explains why I’m not tired at 2 AM (here) and can’t wake up at 9 AM.  But TGIF! I’ll have the weekend to recover! Wednesday was the first day of the Spanish-intensive course I enrolled for (and SUNY New Paltz covered!); for every weekday the next couple of weeks, I’ll have four hours of Spanish with two alternating professors, both of which are super nice and fun. Classes don’t actually start until September 9th, so students who normally live in the residence hall during the year move in the weekend before classes begin…so although it’s a bit lonely in the hall, I’ve been able to get to explore Getafe, use the in-hall gym, and utilize my free time to do homework, work on my trip budget ,among other things. I’ve also made some new buddies from class who I’ve gone out to walk and eat almuerzo (lunch) with. Yesterday, we trekked to a Hipercor (a Walmart-like store) about 20 minutes from campus in order to find some good deals to stock up on food for our kitchens (I don’t have a meal plan and the others live in apartments). With this being my first time in another continent fully reliant on myself and the little bit of money in my bank account, you should know how much label-reading and price-checking I did: a lot. Nonetheless, I spent under 37 euro (~$50) and made myself some yummy pasta for lunch today.

For a lot of the food-bragging I’ve heard and read regarding Spain, I have yet to really  have a meal where I’m completely blown away by my food. For the most part I’ve come across a lot of ham and sandwiches and ham sandwiches…but I’ll cut them some slack since I’ve only been here a few days. I’ll update you all on my inner-foodie adventures soon 😉

Tonight, I’ll be meeting up with my new Australian buddy in Sol (located in central Madrid) to hang out and meet with the other girls here through SUNY New Paltz to have tapas in the evening. I can’t wait! Pues, ¡hasta la proxima amigos! Until next time!

Montaditos and sangria from 100 Montaditos, a Spanish chain of restaurants.

Montaditos, salad and sangria from 100 Montaditos, a Spanish chain of restaurants.

The Renfe train from the city to Getafe. Nice, sleek, and clean!

The Renfe train from the city to Getafe. Nice, sleek, and clean!

Me in front of the Palacio Real de Madrid! This is after we had lunch at 100 Montaditos. It is beautiful!

Me in front of the Palacio Real de Madrid! This is after we had lunch at 100 Montaditos. It is beautiful!

Intuitive Decisions

 

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I have been in Peru for about two weeks.  When I first got to the airport everything seemed so unreal. I felt like all the strings around me had been cut.  I felt as if I had been given a new life.  Some would shy away from traveling because they are afraid to be alone, but from the moment I left my family at the gate in the airport, I had an unusual feeling of confidence.  Sure, I was physically alone because there wasn’t anyone else beside me, but I didn’t feel lonely because I knew I had myself.  And really, being there for yourself is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.  It’s amazing–the depths you can reach when you know that you can no longer go back–that you have to grow–that you have to experience life.

I chose to study abroad because I knew it would be a life-changing experience.   I wanted to be completely thrown out of my comfort zone and immersed in a different language to prove to myself that I could find my way.  There is only so much growth that can be done in one place.  When you are in a new environment, you start to notice more and more of the world around you, but you also notice your own habits (and maybe even how they aren’t helpful for you anymore).  While venturing into unknown territory with a bag full of habits and fears, it is harder to hold on to them than it is to make a change for the better.  You have to adapt to the world around you.  You have to let go of the way things used to be–the way you think they “should” be.  But that doesn’t mean you lose yourself.  It actually gives you more room for creativity to be yourself.  As you grow aware of the world around you, you grow more aware of yourself.

I wanted my trip abroad to be completely different than anything I was used to before.  I have always wanted to go to South America.  It always seemed like a place of mystery to me.  Something inside of me knew I would visit someday.  When I first started looking at programs, I was open to all of them.  I scanned through lots of study abroad programs all over the world.  Greece.  India.   New Zealand.  None of them felt right for me.  I decided to stop resisting this feeling deep inside of me and began looking at programs in South America.

I have taken one year of Spanish in college, and all of the programs that I saw in South America only offered classes taught in Spanish.  I wasn’t at that level of proficiency yet.  I eventually found one program that offered classes taught in English: Cusco, Peru.

The program that I chose was through IPSL (International Partnership for Service-Learning).  Part of the program involves living with a Peruvian family, and another part involves service-learning projects within the community.  I knew both of these would help me (or anyone) learn more about the culture and language.

During my time in Peru, I hope to learn to speak Spanish, to visit ancient ruins, and to visit the Rainforest!!  I’m sure I’ll be adding more to this list as time progresses.

So I guess to end this post, I’d just like to encourage anyone who has a dream that seems so unattainable to never give up hope.  Keep going, keep working toward it.  Things don’t happen instantly, but eventually they DO happen.  They take time, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit around waiting for “someday”.

Creating dreams and watching them turn into reality is what life is about.

Someday is everyday.

 

 

 

 

France, Presque

Nothing is safe from the movement of time, though humanity has a habit of attempting to encapsulate the moments.

Here across the suburban sprawl of Long Island, plum colored leaves and old trees are pushed forward into Autumn by the seasonal wind. Cul-de-sacs and grid like streets with replica houses stand still watching over the nine to five, dinner at six migration.

There’s a comfort in knowing that tomorrow can be the same as today, and yet, the illusion is our creation.

A week from now I’ll be on a plane to Besançon, France. Another place in the world with it’s own foundations and culture. I know this will be one of the biggest challenges in my life at the moment; speaking another language and adapting to local customs isn’t easy. Though if I was looking for something facile I would have stayed behind.

I used to suck at speaking a foreign language. I had to take six years of spanish and the only thing I could say after it all was “Yo hablo solamente Poco”. I cringe at my adolescence and lack of motivation to learn. Some habits die hard though; I still struggle to get up for 1050 classes (I’m workin’ on it)

I remember my apprehension in taking my first French class. I had a lot of doubts, but something in those thoughts had changed.

Two and half years later of French and  I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’ve fallen on my ass countless times in the process – struggling through a semester of all French classes to trying Spanish and French in the same schedule. I needed every bit of the beating because without it, I wouldn’t know what to improve.

Studying abroad is the next step. It’s an amazing experience for anyone willing to leave behind all of their known comforts.

The world’s a dark beautiful place, like walking through a vine entangled jungle with strange exotics noises permeating the canape walls. Everyone should travel and experience existence – it’s a reflection of who we are and what we can be – our struggles, dreams, and creations…

Last Month and Beyond

The climax of my trip was during this month. Time went by fast and I was already at the last month. By then, I knew I needed to wrap up things I have not done.  One of which was travel. I completed my exploration of  Tokyo after going to Odaiba with my Canadian suite mate that month. We wanted to go somewhere together before I left.

A smaller Statue of Liberty at Odaiba
A smaller Statue of Liberty at Odaiba

I went outside of Tokyo four times this month as well. First, I took the bullet train to Osaka to visit my friend who goes to New Paltz for a few days.  Then my senior from high school stopped by Tokyo for four days. We went together to Mount Fuji on one of those days but never got to climb the mountain because it would require us to stay there for a night and I still had school. Then my suite and two people who from the unit across from us went to Yokohama together. We checked out the Chinatown there and somehow ended up riding a roller coaster by the end of the day. Finally I revisited Kawagoe to meet the friend who picked me up from the airport. I biked with him around Kawagoe, met his childhood friends, and went into the hot spring with him.

View of Mt.Fuji from Level 5

View of Mt.Fuji from Level 5

Another thing I had to do before leaving was basketball. One of my friends made a basketball club at the new campus. By the time the club was approved and formed, there was less than a month left of school. During that month, everyone was busy with their finals, so we could not play most of the time too. At least there was one day that we got to play some full court games with the team from the other Meiji campus.

Yokohama

Yokohama

During the summer in Japan, there are Hanabi Daikai or firework festivals all over Japan. I attended the biggest one at Sumidagawa with my yukata that I bought from Donki. We waited for hours until it began, and when it did, it rained soon after. It was a memorable day for me, but terrible for some of my friends. The train station was closed and we had to walk to the next train station.

I had less than 4 hours of sleep on my last two days. I spent a lot of time packing those two days too. I bought an extra small suitcase and still could not fit everything I had.  For my last meal in Japan, my unit and the unit across from us ate at a nearby Indian restaurant together. Before leaving, I locked up my bicycle so that I would always have something else in Japan besides my friends. I think of it as a proof of my existence there. One of my friends I met in Japan drove me to the airport. Thanks to him, I was able to spend a little more time with my friends. We were stuck in Tokyo traffic until we got to Chiba though.

So that ends my story in Japan. It took me a long time to get home because I had a 7 hour layover at Los Angeles. I still remain in daily contact with all my friends from dorm.My summer vacation has just begun, but it will end in two weeks. It makes up for my long winter vacation since school started later for me. Even though I will come back as a junior in New Paltz, I still feel like a sophomore. I have not seen my friends at New Paltz in half a year. There are some lost times that I need to make up for.

One last thing. Before leaving I saw a poster saying  “Tokyo: Olympic 2020 Candidate city.” Then I came up with the idea that if Tokyo is chosen to be the site for the Olympics in 2020, we should all meet again then. But now it does not matter if Tokyo is chosen because we will meet wherever the Olympic will be held. By then we will all be working and doing what we each aspire to become. As for me, I wanted to become a lawyer. Now I want to become an international lawyer.

-Sampson

 

 

The Day I Crossed Into North Korea

Contrary to the title of this post let me make a disclaimer: no, I have not defected to North Korea; however, I did have the privilege to step a few feet into North Korean territory (while escorted by the toughest looking South Korean/U.N soldiers you’ve ever seen in your entire life) during my trip to the DMZ. For those of you who are unaware, the DMZ stands for the “Demilitarized Zone,” which serves as a no-arms 4 km wide territory that just so happens to be the border between the Republic of Korea (aka ROK/South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (aka DPRK/ North Korea). The trip started with the touring of excavated tunnels North Koreans dug under the DMZ going into South Korea under the ruse of being a “coal mining shaft” (in reality, they were built for impending NK  invasion plans, which were foiled upon their discovery in 1974). The trip 300 meters underground (which could be accessed via a trolley system or walking down a very steep ramp) was certainly not for the claustrophobic. The other major component was traveling to the JSA, the area within the DMZ known as the Joint Security Area (specifically “Panmunjom” –a complex of U.N and North Korean buildings that overlap the technical boundary of each country, also the location of the infamous Panmunjom Axe Murders in 1976). The shuttle ride between each area was surprisingly the only “nerve racking” component of the trip; perhaps it was due to the “WARNING: ACTIVE MINEFIELD” posts that outlined the wooded areas to each side of the road we were driving on? Panmunjom itself seemed more of a ghost town–one that had North Korean guards on the opposite side of the border, glaring at you through ridiculously large binoculars. We were escorted by our UN/ROK guards into a UN-controlled building that historically housed [failed] South-North Korean reunification efforts/peace negotiations. Then came my venture into the communist North–simply by standing on the far side of the building, I had entered the land of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un (some buildings exist on each side of the border, this is how I technically entered North Korea). Of course, relaying this experience to my mother (via Skype) earned me a scolding, but who at New Paltz can say they have been to North Korea? At least one person can now.

Pictured: (Top Left) Yours Truly accompanied by a ROK solider during my “border crossing”;  (Top Right) Panmunjom, blue buildings are controlled by UN, building in the center is the North Korean headquarters of Panmunjom; (Middle Left) UN Guest Badge, sadly I was unable to sneak away with it as a souvenir (I was NOT going to go against the UN soldiers who looked like they could snap my neck with one taekwondo kick); (Middle Right) UN Consent Form, essentially a contract stating that I was aware that I could be kidnapped or killed by NK soldiers at any time and my family could not sue the UN over my death, fun times right?; (Bottom Left) DMZ Sign, self-explanatory; (Bottom Right) Wall of Well-Wishes,  a series of ribbons with notes from separated family members on SK side, peace advocates, war veterans, etc.

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Pohang: City by the Sea and “Love Motels”

Just an hour north of the aforementioned historic Gyeong-ju lies the city of Pohang, a destination for many tourists (not of the Western variety mind you) that exudes a unique charm. The beach of said city was surprisingly clean (I for one am accustomed to the litter-ridden sand of Atlantic City, Virginia Beach, and the like). As I said in my previous post, once you exit the Seoul metropolitan area and head southeast, you encounter Koreans who have little experience with (Western) foreigner encounters; Pohang was no exception to this rule. Having braced ourselves for negative if not quizzical glances from the locals, my group was not all too surprised that when walking by outdoor seafood restaurants our presence would make the locals literally stop eating their food and stare at us (mouths still agape from chewing their food). Not to be deterred, a few of us headed toward a patio restaurant that had a direct view of the ocean/beachfront. The moment we stepped onto the pavilion, the other patrons started. . . cheering. If only you could have seen the confused looks on our faces as the restaurant erupted into whistling, cat calls, and laughter–I think it was a positive response, seeing that our table was given free drinks thanks to generous diners.

Above (Left-Right): Friend and I on Pohang Beach; Pohang City

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Above (Left-Right): Pohang Pavilion, had a walkway that led to the pavilion which was quite a few yards into the ocean; View of Pohang from the Pavilion

As the night went on, a select number of the group opted to stay on the beach for the entire night (in other words they decided to not sleep and catch the bus back home at 10am); and since I have not the endurance for such shenanigans, some of us made our way into the city to find a cheap hotel. Something we couldn’t help but notice when we would pass a hotel was the fact that the parking garages had these ropes dangling from the top, obscuring the view of the cars inside. love motel garage(The above photo is a stock image I found on Google, it was too dark to take a picture of the actual garages that we saw, but they had the same coverings).

We immediately asked our coordinator (of the English Village, who planned the trip and accompanied our group) what the deal was with the garages. She plainly stated that the majority of hotels in Korea are “love motels” aka the place that you take your significant other for. . . bonding. Seeing as that many young Koreans still live with their parents until they themselves are married, the purpose of the motel makes sense, but that didn’t clear our confusion as to why the view into the parking garage was obscured. Apparently, “love motels” are where you take your mistress, and the obstructed garage view ensures that any passersby would be unable to recognize who you were fooling around with. This emphasis on privacy was further demonstrated when we went to get rooms (not for funny business, the rates were very cheap compared to American hotels and we were too tired to look elsewhere) and the welcome window was completely blacked out save for the money slot. The speaker box that you spoke through also distorted your voice (creepy much?). To add to further strangeness, with room purchase you received your key, two toothbrushes, a razor, and a . . . ahem . . . contraceptive. The hallways leading to the rooms were adorned with vending machines that dispensed. . . ahem. . . “adult toys;” I think it is safe to say that love motels are not where vacationing families make reservations. A really interesting (albeit slightly creepy) feature of the rooms was you had to insert your key into the wall as you walked in (note that the keys were traditional keys that had large pieces of plastic attached, the latter of which you slid into a wall crevice) and boom lights suddenly go on (and then dim for mood lighting. . . ). Needless to say, I avoided touching all surfaces that I didn’t need to touch, slept in my clothes, and refused to use the provided bathrobes/ shower gels (thankfully I brought my own soap). I think the experience was fascinating considering the general “hush hush” vibe regarding sexuality in Korea (the maximum of PDA you see is holding hands, even then my students said it could be “scandalous”). So the next time you ever need to slink away to a private location with your mistress, you could book a 14-hour flight to Korea and settle into one of the many swanky (and sketchy) love motels the country has to offer (for just $40 a night with a beach view!).