I’m finally settled back in New Paltz and being that it’s “Throwback Thursday” , it seems like the perfect time to wrap up my blog with some reminiscing.

As I had correctly predicted, this homesickness I would feel in regards to Madrid wouldn’t kick in until now that I’m settled back in New Paltz. Allow me to vent a little bit:

I feel this emptiness within me. Almost everyone around me speaks solely in English, I have no choice but to get back into the routine of juggling work, the Oracle, clubs, and classes. I miss walking around Getafe, I miss my roommate and the friends I made, I miss  spontaneous traveling, I miss everything around me feeling so new and fresh, I miss the food, I miss my siestas!  I feel it every time I get asked, “How was studying abroad?” I feel it when I look at the photographs I took.  I feel it when I speak to friends on Facebook/Skype.

But it’s time to move forward. It’s been great running into familiar faces around campus, seeing their eyes light up, and hearing some variation of “You’re back!” As much as I miss UC3M and Madrid, I understand it’s time to get back into the swing of things here in my other home: New Paltz! I’ve already spent a couple late nights working on assignments at the library and the honor’s center ( last night I braved my first Oracle production night back on board!)

There’s no way to truly do justice in describing the magnitude of my semester abroad within the few minutes of chit chat in passing with people so I’m absolutely happy I got to blog about it all. Madrid–and Spain in its entirety–was so enchanting.

Hanging out in Alex’s flat, enjoying the view of La Alhambra, walking around Parque Güell, drinking tea in Granada and celebrating at an outdoor Mexican festival. I had a blast with my best Aussie friends!

Flamenco shows, street bands, gardens, soccer stadiums, churches, tea houses; Some of the greatest moments of my trip 🙂

A peak at the UC3M Fernando de los Rios residence hall, which quickly felt like home ♥

A simple sample of the Getafe sights I could never get tired of.

There wasn’t a single place that I went that was not touched by beautiful art , regardless of fame or style.

All I can say is that my time at UC3M and in Madrid was so remarkable that I plan to visit again within the next year or so. My collages are only a small portion of the many photos I took. It’s safe to say that I accomplished the goals I had initially hoped to work up toward: learning more about the Spanish culture and perfecting my fluency. I also learned so much about myself and other people, which is a whole other reward in itself. I can’t thank my family, my professors, advisors, and the Center for International Programs enough for supporting me and catapulting me into what is now this amazing story that I’ll be able to tell for years and years and years to come.

I’m incredibly lucky and blessed to say that everywhere that I’ve traveled within the last year has brought to amazing places, whether familiar or completely new. On December 25th, only a few days after I returned to New York City, I was told I didn’t have much under the Christmas tree…because I received a plane ticket to the Dominican Republic! “Can’t you stay in New York for more than five minutes?” said one of my friends when he heard of my new trip. This lovely trip down to my second homeland has been nothing but relaxing (70-degree sunny weather, hello!).

A sweet treat in one of my favorite places.

Having gone from one Spanish-speaking country to another has been immensely helpful in reaching my goal of perfecting my fluency. I often find myself caught between each country’s respective vernaculars, but even still I feel a whole lot bolder when I speak; My family and friends here like to pull my leg about pronouncing words with the Spanish lisp (which I don’t but I now know when to switch from zeta to “theta” haha!).

In my last week in Madrid, I met with the other New Paltz girls who attended UC3M and we bonded over some cheap, yummy tapas.  I already miss some of the traditional Spanish food, but the girls and I agreed we would try our hand at some tortillas, huevos rotos, and patatas bravas once we get back to New Paltz.

Truth be told, I still have my laptop set to Madrid-time, partially because it makes talking to friends over there easier and partially because I’m sort of in denial that I need to settle back at home.  In the short time I was at home in N.Y., I really missed taking my siesta—it’s more than just a nap in the middle of the day, it’s a fresh start to the rest of the day you have ahead of you. I also missed the sense of community and “mom and pop” shops—the sense of “mi casa es su casa” that all-too-busy New Yorkers seem to have forgotten. In Spain, hanging out in groups and in public spaces is encouraged as opposed to the very individualistic N.Y./U.S.A.  

I would be lying if I said that studying abroad wasn’t stressful at some points, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything, everything was so so so worth it. A few people expected me to be really sad upon returning and admittedly, I wasn’t. In the last year, I’ve traveled enough to say that it’s okay to miss people and miss places, but the best direction to move is forward. As much as I miss Spain, my mind is already set on having a successful semester back in New Paltz and saving up money to go back to Europe!  I made amazing friends that I miss a lot, so it’s time for me to work hard to make some new memories. Could it be that I’m in a daze because I haven’t really settled back at home? Maybe or maybe not…so I’ll check back with you all in a few days 🙂

My truest apologies for not posting in a while, I’ve face a brutal past two weeks of final exams, final projects, and saying my good-byes to my Spanish friends dispersing back to their homes around Spain. If there’s one thing I would definitely have my future study abroad goers know is that academics abroad are as easy as you choose to make them. Thus, my finals period was serious crunch time. The semester turned out to be more challenging than I expected due to the rigor and high standard the professors expect, but I found that even the Spaniards found their courses less than easy. Around the end, I visited my professors during their office hours and they were helpful–but it definitely took effort on my part to reach out to them when I needed advice on assignments. All of that aside, my semester has been able to wrap up really, really beautifully.

On December 13th, the two  UC3M Getafe residence halls hosted the Fiesta de Navidad. Most importantly to mention, all the residents who chose to attend the fiesta fancied up in suites and dresses. The evening started with a gala in one of the auditoriums where we watched a band play a set of holiday songs and then watched videos that were entered as part of a residence-wide competition. I figured this is what famous people at the Oscars felt like 😀  After the gala, we all headed back to our respective residence halls where a full dinner banquet awaited us. The in-residence cafeterias were converted into fancy dining halls, with wine, ham and cheese as the appetizer, yummy pasta as the starter, steak as the main course, and traditional Spanish treats and cake for desert—all served to us by waiters. The dinner was such a lovely experience. Lastly, the night was just beginning as coach buses awaited outside to take us to a  beautiful, private tent party. Being dolled up and dancing the night away with these awesome people was nothing short of amazing.

A shot from above the cafeteria: can you find me in the sea of people?

All dressed up for a night to remember with friends for a lifetime!

The already beautiful fountain located right outside is lit up and decorated (the lights change color too.)

At the beginning of the semester, I was nervous about living in Fernando de los Rios (UC3M’s main residence hall) because many of my study abroad counterparts had chosen to live in flats in central Madrid. Sure the proximity to city life is nice, but I got to live with and interact with a lot more Spaniards (as opposed to solely socializing with other internationals), enjoy Spanish culture (what beats homemade Spanish food cooked by your friends?) and I was less than five minutes from class. After all the cool , fun and friendly people that I met in the residence hall, I have absolutely no regrets living here.

On the evening before my roommate left, we went out to Sol to take a stroll and enjoy the beauty that is Madrid in Christmas decor. She’s now back on her warm Spanish island of  Tenerife.

Drinking a nice, hot cup of coffee on Callao with Gran Via in site!

Plaza Mayor turns into a mystical place during la temporada navideña. There was even a carousel, of course we had to get on it!

Yesterday, I spent a really lovely day in Madrid with my friend Juan, who’s already on his way back to his home in Andalusia. I had a list of places I wanted to see before I leave tomorrow; we got to all the sites and had time for some extra spots! So I had heard rumors of it, but yesterday I finally got to see the mini-habitat in the Atocha train station! It’s as if Grand Central Station were to have beautiful, large trees planted right in the middle of the famous terminal.

The amount of turtles in this area was unbelievable! Look at these cute ones 🙂

We then strolled on over to El Retiro, Madrid’s Central-Park-esque park located right by Golden Art Triangle in Atocha.

El Palacio de Cristal,a beautiful, open space located in El Retiro, it’s free to walk around & take a look.

Then a walk over to Plaza España.

Posing with a statue of the famous Spanish character from the novel of the same title, Don Quijote de la Mancha, and Sancho Panza.

Then a further walk over to Parque del Oeste.

Templo de Debod, an Egyptian gift to Spain for assisting in the salvation of the Nubian Temples.

And finally, we landed back in Plaza Mayor and Sol.

Plaza Mayor’s beautiful hanging lights.

You can’t miss this huge Christmas tree located right in the middle of Sol. You’re even allowed to walk through it!

I had an amazing second-to-last day here in Madrid. I’m going to ridiculously miss living in Madrid. If anyone has ever said that studying abroad is overrated,  he or she is wrong. In no way was this just a vacation from New Paltz or home; sure it felt surreal, but I feel like my life continued here and new flowers have blossomed in my life. I want to come back. I know Spain has even more to see and even though I didn’t eurotrip to other countries, I’m so thankful for the places and people I did get to encounter. I’ve grown here and it’s been a beautiful time. ♥

Hey everyone! It’s been a short while since I last posted but I’ve been slipping slowly under the iron sea that is HOMEWORK.  It’s been a very busy past couple of weeks but once my Thursday classes are over, a wonderful four-day-weekend awaits (the perks of being ahead in your degree!) In the midst of all the uju7ujhyyhj get difficult, I find it a lot less stressful than the questions that plagued my mind leading up to this semester abroad:

Is it intimidating? Is it right for me? Is it worth it? Is it possible? How do I apply? Will I fall behind in my degree? What if my friends forget about me?

But there is hope and relief on the other side–for me that other side is Madrid and that will be my focus in this post.

1. Decisions, decisions, decisions. The fact that, as a SUNY New Paltz student, I can choose from any SUNY program anywhere in the world blew my mind. Pursue your wanderlust and go where you feel led to. Madrid was the perfect choice for me because even though I had never set foot in Europe, I have the advantage of speaking both English and Spanish. Located in the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula, it’s easy and affordable to travel anywhere in the country and to other parts of Europe. It’s also the capital city, the perfect place for a journalism-public relations major like myself to keep up with the most current events (UC3M is one of  the Top 50 Under 50 universities in the world, talk about prestige).
2. Lifetime investments. This is probably about as carefree as you will be able to travel on your own, so make the most of it!  I could be the poster-girl for the poor cheap broke college student and even though I didn’t come here with rolls of cash to blow, financial aid and help from friends and family definitely went a long way. Almost every adult that I spoke to on campus, in my neighborhood, and at my summer internship jumped on the opportunity to tell me how much they wished they took time in college to study abroad and the few who actually did were super open to sharing their tips. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Madrid on its own has so much to offer historically, visually, educationally and more; Madrid’s world-renown golden triangle of art, the 5th-Avenue-esque Gran Via, amazing cuisine, and too much more to mention in such a short post.
3. Life goes on. Sure, things might change while you’re away, but you’ll be meeting people from all corners of the world–and that is invaluable. I went out to dinner with some friends this week and four of them said that in their four months here, they had yet to actually befriend Spaniards. What. 😯 It just doesn’t make sense to me. One thing I’m extremely thankful about living in a residence hall is the amount of Spanish friends I’ve been able to make–a couple of whom I would return to see in a heartbeat. On top of these wonderful mates are the people I’ve met from around the world, further expanding my social network. Don’t be scared to face the unknown, there’s so much to take in.

The rest of the questions that I mentioned at the beginning can be answered by our resourceful Center for International Programs (at one point, I visited my advisor one or two times for tips and advice.)

P.S.

If you didn’t immediately think of the pirate from Spongebob Squarepants, you might be a bit too old or mature for the reference. Last week, my roommate and I went for a Saturday walk around Sol and as usual, the street performers were in abundance. They typically hassle you for money if you take a photo of or with them, but I’m a bit sneaky.

Feeling sneaky around the many Sol street performers. This is a gif, so click-through!

Halloween ended October with a bang and somehow it’s already November 5th. Autumn has hit Madrid full force: chilly breezes, crunchy leaves, and the brown knits are here for the season. As is the case with many other students, the library has become my second residence–the best place to productively get some work done because my toasty dorm room beckons me to drink hot coffee and watch movies online with friends. Halloween in Madrid was amazing: the hundreds of dressed-up, costume wearing people made Sol feel like one huge open-air fiesta. According to my Spanish friends, Halloween is only recently increasingly popular,”Us Spanish people love a reason to go out and party,” joked one of my girl friends.

These “nuns” insisted my friends and I take a photo with them. Oh, the kindness of festive strangers!

The week leading up to Halloween was even more exciting because one of my friends from New Paltz who is studying in Kingston, London this semester came to Madrid! She spent a good five days here and I got to play the expert and show her around “my city.”  After not having seen each other since April of spring semester, we raved about how as sophomores last fall, we would have never thought we would be spending time together in another country, less so another continent. It was as though my worlds were colliding as we caught up over tapas in an old cave/basement of a bar and spoke about our time studying abroad.

Reunited and it felt so good! After an evening at the two world-famous Prado and Reina Sofia museums, we hung out in Atocha.

Along with other New Paltz faces, a few weeks ago I participated in Spain’s first Holi Run (very similar to the American Color Run) with a couple of other girls from New Paltz! Every now and then I would see them on the path and get a face-full of holi powder thrown at me by them. Although Madrid is a big city, we inevitably run into each other at events–day and night!

Casually running the same 5K with Gunsel and Pauline! 😀

Though we go to the same university, we wind up seeing each other more at different going-ons in Sol. With the semester in full gear, it’s also easy to lose track of time  but even though days become weeks,  I know we’ll have plenty of stories for each other when we get together. Well, this is just a quick recap of the last couple of weeks…I have a good amount of homework to tend to. Granted, I chose to take 3/4 courses in Spanish and even as a native Spanish speaker, taking classes in one of the most rigorous universities in Spain is no joke. I do not regret this, though, not one bit 🙂

Two months from today, I’ll be back on a plane headed towards New York City and that is something I cannot wrap my head around. It seems like a lot of time, but essay, assignment, and application deadlines mark the time a little too neatly.

The Spanish sense of time is very, very different from that of New York City. The past two summers I have had the honor of interning at organizations in downtown and midtown New York, respectively, and receiving an hour lunch breaks. In both of these areas, you cannot go one block without at least two or three food establishments and a few shopping stores. Those hour-long lunch breaks fragment into: 30 minutes for eating, 15 minutes for walking, 5 minutes for window shopping. Every second that you wait at the crosswalk is a second you’re losing on your lunch break or a second that you could be late to an important meeting; this explains the hoards of business-attire-wearing men and women scurrying past honking yellow taxi cabs during green traffic lights. This is New York City, 24/7, 365 days a year.

At most pedestrian crosswalks in Madrid, you have to play a game of “who’s going to cross first?” with the cars and buses, but, thankfully, drivers show a lot of respect, so no need to really worry. This being said, there’s an obvious difference in patience and pace of life, but understandably so: I’m no longer at the center of corporate America. Even though the economic situation isn’t so good in this part of the Eurozone (Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece), even though Spain is “less happy” than it reportedly was five to eight years ago, the picture painted in the media is a bit more bleak than I see it before me. Here’s a day a Madrid as I’ve come to know:

In the morning, bar tenders are really your average, friendly restaurant servers, serving porras (big churros) with Cola-Cao (Nesquik-like chocolate milk) and/or zumo de naranja (fresh orange juice) to other adults stopping by on their way to work. While the employed are working and the young ones are at school, tourists, street entertainers, college students, and the non-employed make up the hustle and bustle of the city. Even during the work day, the madrileños are out and about. For lunch time, bars offer their menú del día: an appetizer, a main course, desert, some bread and your choice of wine or water–all for usually 10-12 euro. Whether this is too much food or totally worth the “bang for your buck” is up to you, but remember, your Spanish friends won’t want to get dinner until past 9 p.m.  If you’re lucky, you’ll have time to enjoy the siesta either in your own bed or laying down out in a nearby park, probably El Retiro (the “Central Park” of Madrid). We’re almost at the end of October and it’s only just starting to get chilly, so bring a light sweater if you plan on staying outdoors. Come evening, you’ll have finished your homework (right? 😉 ) and will be able to enjoy the night outdoors. Dinner in it’s cheapest form are the sacred tapas (small, inexpensive portions of food), raciones are a step up in portion size, and if you’re really hungry you can just buy a meal but that might cost a bit more. When the clock strikes midnight, the young adults pour out to the city. Nightlife in Madrid mainly consists of bars , some with live music, and discotecas/clubs. The night typically extends to 4 a.m., even as late (or early) as 6 a.m….a phenomena I have not gotten accustomed to after my two months here., but props to my foreign exchange counterparts  who have. I’m not saying it’s sustainable to live this way every day as a college student, but you’ll find yourself adapting to this schedule sooner or later (except getting home so late.) Just like at home, there are pizza shops open for when you get a bit hungry on your way home. My roommate calls it re-cenar (second dinner), sort of like Taco Bell’s “fourth meal.” 😀

Churros con chocolate is the Spanish breakfast-treat equivalent of pancakes with coffee in the U.S. This was at the reknown Chocolatería San Ginés, right off Calle Arenal.

This is what a porra looks like, a delicious enlargement of the delicious but smaller churros. Porra smiley!

A delicious plate of huevos rotos: homemade potato chips topped with eggs sunny-side up and ham bits. This was the TASTIEST plate of food I’ve had in my time here in Madrid. The place is called Taberna Almendro 13 located in La Latina, definitely check it out!

After walking past this place so many times, my friends brought to my attention that this is the oldest restaurant in the world. I peered in the window of Sobrino de Botín and saw the Guinness Book of Records certificate, dating the establishment back to 1725! Check out Yelp reviews to see if you’re interested 🙂

“We may not have much money, but at least we’ve got enough for our bread, wine and cheap tapas,” joked on of my Spanish professors. Though it’s very difficult to keep financial struggles from affecting one’s daily outlook I’m pleased to see how Spaniards strive to make the best of their days. History is splashed all around me leaving me no choice but to dive in and join them. Whether it’s walking around Getafe to take in the olive oil aroma in the air around lunch time or sitting on the cobblestone ground of Plaza Mayor or scoring free sangria around Calle de las Huertas, there is a lively calm in the midst of Madrid that makes it a place like no other.

The past couple of weekends have involved some major movements for me: two weeks ago I traveled south to Granada and this past weekend I traveled north to Zaragoza and Barcelona. Both trips involved seeing some REALLY beautiful sites, both historic and modern.

Granada

Five and a half hours south of Madrid (by bus) awaited the lovely Andalusia (the most populated autonomous community in Spain!). To keep our spending at a low, a couple friends and I decided to stay in a hostel and truth be told, this was my first time ever staying at a hostel. To give you a sense of location, our hostel was located right in the center of Granada, about five minutes from Granada’s famous cathedral.

On our way to Calle Reyes Católicos, the main street to get to the historic quarters, we saw this stand of delicious “frutos secos” (dried fruits, dried vegetables, even dried squid!).

These delicious, fluffy and creamy treats are a dessert delicacy in Granada, but can also be found in parts of Latin America.

By simply looking around and walking through the streets, it’s clear to see Granada’s still-present strong Arab influence. There’s all sorts of beautiful jewelery, tapestry, scarfs, and clothing to pick from! (Definitely plenty of harem or “hippie” pants, which I now own a pair 😉 )

A beautiful mountain-top view of La Alhambra.

A world-famous, guidebook-worthy photo of a reflective pool inside La Alhambra.

Barcelona

I hopped on a bandwagon of friends headed away for the weekend and wound up on an overpriced, not-so-organized “organized” erasmus bus trip to Barcelona. Although I absolutely do not regret visiting this beautiful city, I definitely recommend skipping out on randomly-organized group trips. The service/person who took us on this trip wasn’t a good event planner, making for a messy trip that we (the travelers) had to take control of for ourselves. One of the things that I did like about this trip was our stop in Zaragoza, the midway-point between Madrid and Barcelona, for the Fiestas de Pilar: one of Spain’s biggest festivals, dedicated to the patron saint of Zaragoza, Pilar! The old and young alike celebrate the saint with festivities the week of October 12th, with musical presentations, contests and other events put on the day of the holiday.

Crowds of people in the streets with the Basilica de Pilar in the background.

We made it to Barcelona in the evening, rested a bit at our budget hotel and then went to the boardwalk for the evening, which was cool! The following day a group of us visited La Sagrada Familia, a Catholic church designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. The interior and exterior were both amazing, providing a mix of awe and tranquility.  We walked around to see some other historic sites and made it to the famous street called La Rambla. The street livens up at nighttime when street vendors open up shop and sell unique-crafts. If you keep walking straight down this street, you’ll eventually hit the beach! But beware, although it didn’t happen to me, I’ve heard this street is famous for pickpockets.

The older facade of La Sagrada Famila, which has been in continuous construction since 1882. It’s totally worth getting the cheap audio-tour at the entrance to learn about this beautiful place!

La Rambla at any point in the day is nice for a stroll. Be sure to try one of the waffle treats at one of the vendors.

This was in Gaudí’s famous Parque Guell, a fantastical park with all sorts of twists, colors, and cool architecture. We took a photo with this famous Salamander–the tiles are signature to Gaudí’s work–but I especially get a kick out of the older man’s face in the background. Oh, us tourists.

In case you guys would like to see more photos, I’ll be working on setting up a link for you. The awesomeness of these two weekend trips do not fit into one text post.  I 100% recommend that wherever you’re studying, make the most out of getting to know the country you’re in. I don’t know if my budget will allow for a full-on Eurotrip but at the very least, I’ve visited some astounding places in Spain. That being said, get to know the city you’ll be in. Get lost. You’ll find amazing restaurants, cafes, street art, shops and maybe even people (what a concept!) along the way.