So far I have been in Spain for one and a half weeks and all I can say is that I am so happy I chose this place as my study abroad destination. At first I was concerned about the language barrier; however, it hasn’t stopped me. I have been taking a 40 hour Spanish Intensive Class for the past week, and still have two weeks left. The class is very helpful and very different compared to how Spanish is taught at New Paltz. The whole class is taught in Spanish, no English is allowed. My Spanish classes in New Paltz were never like this. Thus, I am learning more 🙂 Classes technically do not start until September 7th, so the residence hall has been pretty empty. Only a few international students are here. This week more students should be arriving, especially for the welcome event for all of the international students this Wednesday.
So far the food has been quite different. Dinner is from 8:30 to 10:30 at night. Very, very, very different from back home. So far I have also noticed that everything– rent, food, drinks, clothes– are cheaper here. For example, shots and beer are only 1 euro each.
The past few days I have been adjusting to the environment around me. It is so hot! Around 90 or so degrees. However, I have noticed that it gets colder during the night until the early morning. So far I have navigated the train and the metro in Madrid. It takes 20 mins by train to reach the metro station Sol, in the center of Madrid from my dorm. It is super easy, and the train is very affordable around 3.70 euros roundtrip. I’ve been to Parque el Retiro. A beautiful and massive park. The picture above I took their the other day. So far it seems like Spain has a lot of parks, museums and plazas. People were rowboating in the pond, hopefully I will have a chance to do it. It was so hot that day I treated myself to a little ice cream. I had a SandÃa, which is a flavored ice pop that is shaped like a slice of watermelon. It was tasty 🙂 Parque Castilla La Mancha- Getafe. A park right near my residence.
Picture of a flower I took in El Retiro
I am excited to start my second week in Madrid. I have a lot coming up, welcome days, class registration, and I need to catch up on some sleep.
Tiffany will be studying Business and Spanish at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain. She hopes to improve her Spanish skills during her time abroad, meet new friends, try a lot of new and exotic foods, travel, and experience different cultures while taking many photos along the way.
One week in and loving it
So far I have been in Spain for one and a half weeks and all I can say is that I am so happy I chose this place as my study abroad destination. At first I was concerned about the language barrier; however, it hasn’t stopped me. I have been taking a 40 hour Spanish Intensive Class for the past week, and still have two weeks left. The class is very helpful and very different compared to how Spanish is taught at New Paltz. The whole class is taught in Spanish, no English is allowed. My Spanish classes in New Paltz were never like this. Thus, I am learning more 🙂 Classes technically do not start until September 7th, so the residence hall has been pretty empty. Only a few international students are here. This week more students should be arriving, especially for the welcome event for all of the international students this Wednesday.
Parque Castilla La Mancha- Getafe. A park right near my residence.
So far the food has been quite different. Dinner is from 8:30 to 10:30 at night. Very, very, very different from back home. So far I have also noticed that everything– rent, food, drinks, clothes– are cheaper here. For example, shots and beer are only 1 euro each.
The past few days I have been adjusting to the environment around me. It is so hot! Around 90 or so degrees. However, I have noticed that it gets colder during the night until the early morning. So far I have navigated the train and the metro in Madrid. It takes 20 mins by train to reach the metro station Sol, in the center of Madrid from my dorm. It is super easy, and the train is very affordable around 3.70 euros roundtrip. I’ve been to Parque el Retiro. A beautiful and massive park. The picture above I took their the other day. So far it seems like Spain has a lot of parks, museums and plazas. People were rowboating in the pond, hopefully I will have a chance to do it. It was so hot that day I treated myself to a little ice cream. I had a SandÃa, which is a flavored ice pop that is shaped like a slice of watermelon. It was tasty 🙂
Picture of a flower I took in El Retiro
I am excited to start my second week in Madrid. I have a lot coming up, welcome days, class registration, and I need to catch up on some sleep.
Hasta luego!
Tiffany Larson
Tiffany will be studying Business and Spanish at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain. She hopes to improve her Spanish skills during her time abroad, meet new friends, try a lot of new and exotic foods, travel, and experience different cultures while taking many photos along the way.
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