29-S and other notable events

These past three weeks have been nothing but travel. Having finished my intensive course, I have been traveling throughout the peninsula and even making it over the Germany.

Lisbon

My parents and I traveled to Lisbon for the weekend of the 24th of September and had a fantastic time taking in the city. Immediate impressions of Lisbon were that the air is quite different than in Madrid which is because of its proximity to the ocean. In many ways, Lisbon looks and feels like Valparaiso, Chile with its multicolored buildings, expansive plazas along the waterfront, the hillsides that surround the city on each side, and even the hillside elevators which take you to the castle and the Barrio Alto. Beautiful. Dined on some delicious seafood in an old Moorish mansion.

Another impression is that the Portuguese generally speak English better than Spanish which is because it is required, as it is in most countries, for students at an early age to learn English. Furthermore, I learnt from our tour guide the extensive history and alliance between Great Britain and Portugal – the same cannot be said for Spain and Portugal. To take in more history and views, we traveled into the countryside and into the mountains to visit the village of Sintra, basically northern Italy on the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pena Palace – the old summer retreat for the Portuguese royalty until the revolution in the early 20th century. Look at the pictures to understand how beautiful it was.

Back to Madrid

So we celebrated my mother’s birthday in Madrid as we did for my 21st. Traveling through the old city to see my parents off on the 28th of September was truly one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had. We ended up eating Italian food that night as my palate for the Spanish cuisine is slowly wearing off. (not to say that I dislike the food here but I miss the variety!). We went to a super cool terrace bar in the heart of the city called Urban – has a pool and the best views of the city. Made friends with some Mexican tourists there. It was great.

As we were wining on the top of this building, we began to hear people gathering outside in front of the nearby Congress. The general strike throughout Spain had begun before I eyes on the day following my mother’s birthday. The strike continued to affect our plans in that my parents had to wait until two days later to be able to leave. Quite a mess over here for a few days. But nothing to severe in that everything returned to normal after a day or two.

So there you have it: more Madrid madness. I must continue in another entry my luck at Munich and my past trip to Barcelona. Until then.

The Times - They Are Golden

You would think that due to my absence from my blog that I have had either too little going on to write on or too much to share. The latter choice is the best way to sum up my life here in Europe over the past three weeks. Let me break it down for you:

1) Adjusting to my new apartment (more like no adjustment at all)
2) Parent’s come to visit for my 21st birthday and to celebrate my mom’s as well
3) Trips across Europe from Lisbon to Munich
4) Completing my September Intensive Course and starting school with Spaniards
5) Political turmoil and strikes
6) Continuing to get to know this amazing city

I’m going to have to break this down in a couple of entries to give justice to these past three weeks. Some might say they have been the best in my life so far.

THE VALLEY

On September 15th, I moved from my wonderful dormitory to an even better living situation, THE VALLEY. I live in an apartment in the center of the town on a street called Vallehermoso – the beautiful valley. In the apartment we have 8 different kids: Pablo the head of the house, Spanish from Galicia, Eoin, our token Irish man from Dublin, Matilde, equally as nice as she is cool Italian from Genova, Salva, a super chill Spaniard from the Ciudad Real, Dani and Danielle, both friends from California and also very chill, and Leticia, our newest member from Segovia, Spain. This hodgepod of people makes for an always lively living environment and I love it. I am proud to call the Valley home to date even if the space is nothing to brag about. It is sure to be a lot more to come about my new home away from home in the following entries. *pictured is eoin on a night out*

PARENTS ARE IN THE HOUSE
So I can officially drink in the states as of September 21st, 2010 (though its never been a problem before with very few exceptions). My golden birthday. However seeing that I am Europe, it loses its significance, right?? WRONG. My favorite people in the world, Bud and Stephana Dean, traveled thousands of miles to make sure I had a special day and they did so immensely. Upon their arrival, I went to visit them in their hotel and began to tour them around town. Serving as a guide and a fellow travel was a very special feeling on a very special week including both my mother and my birthday.

On September 21st 2010, Spain saw the invasion of the Dean family. A full moon night and amazing breezy weather set the tone for my special day. The views of the Royal Palace in the Plaza de Oriente over wine and cava wowed me as much as my parents. The birthday dinner was at Botin, the oldest restaurant in all of Europe where we enjoyed gazpacho and lamb – there was even a birthday cake involved. Afterwards, we walked through the Plaza Mayor to Sol to meet up with my friends that were ready to party with me that night (mind you it was a Tuesday – nevertheless there is always a party in Madrid!) Birthday shots and making new friends was a great way to spend my first night as 21.

So not to give away too much I am going to end this entry. I am so thankful for this past couple of experiences – spending time with the people you love in a new and exciting place is priceless. Look forward to exploring Lisbon the Deans, stressing on tests, nationwide strikes and missed planes in the next couple of entries.

The Night in White

The night in white here in Madrid is a huge celebration where the whole city goes out and parties all night long, young and old. All the prestigious museums of the Paseo del Prado open their doors for free for the celebration of the Noche en Blanco. A couple of friends and I began this city wide party by checking out the contemporary art at the Reina Sofia – works including Dali and Picasso – and got all philosophical and what not. Reina Sofia is an enigma – how can a wall with three lights on it be art or, my personal favorite, the lonely brush stroke on the empty white canvas. But with the right mind set, we had fun hypothesising what the hell the art on the first floor could mean but marveling at the works on the second floor – your more recognized works such as Guernica.

Moving on from the museum, we walked all the way from Atocha back to la Ciudad Universitaria – from one side of the city to the other. Zigzagging through the windy streets of Madrid is its own adventure. If ever in doubt, go north. During the noche en blanco there is always some kind of event going on in every plaza throughout the city. We saw many a live band and thousands of people rocking out. We met some Spanish kids our age in the Plaza de Dos de Mayo not too far from my new apartment who taught us the Spanish "de la puta madre" (don't repeat this at home kids).

Tomorrow I move into my new apartment – currently considering my game plan with all the luggage I have. I’m going to have to make two trips but it’s all good. Tomorrow night I am taking a high speed train down to Toledo to meet up with my Spanish friend Alba. I met Alba in the residencia – she helped me get used to the new rules and stuff over here. Two friends of mine, JT and Amelia will be accompanying me – we plan on staying the night tomorrow and check out all the historical stuff Wednesday. Toledo is one of few towns that is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site – the whole city is full of history. Until later.

Scene from Gran Via during La Noche en Blanco 11-9-10

Baptism by Fire

Let me get the point across that our program sticks to the titled method. September in Madrid is a hectic time for American and international students for the following reasons:

1) You must find an apartment.
2) You must brush up on your Spanish BIG TIME
3) You must become oriented to, perhaps, the largest city you have ever lived in (at least in my case)
4) You must travel because, hey, you’re in Spain!

Balancing these four things is an art – and especially due to my summer of nothingness – I am getting back into overdrive mode. However, I’m thriving off this pressure.

THE SEARCH

I have seen eleven different apartments in Madrid, all in different areas of the city. Adding insult to injury, I was required to call different landlords and Spanairds over the phone to ask questions, set up meetings, and tour facilities completely in the Spanish language. Let’s just say I could find you a mean apartment due to the vocabulary I have been using everyday here. It was not without challenge but this process has been a rewarding one. I found a place with three Spanish students, one Italian, and the other to be rented soon. It is in a very nice and quiet area of the city called Arguelles/ Chamberi and very close to my university. Many other program participants are living in this area as well. More to come on this once I move in on the 15th!

SPANISH

Because my Spanish is nowhere near fluent, the kids and I in the program are required to complete a September course with an intense focus on Spanish grammar. My grammar teacher speaks very fast but is perfectly coherent – unlike many people you’ll find on the street or in the bar. I started school this past Monday and I am already learning colloquial phrases that I have been incorporating into my everyday language. It’s a good thing because I have met a lot of Spaniards with my new and improved Spanish. I’m even using vosotros for those that are familiar with the language!

THE CITY

The best way to get the know the city is to get lost in it. Through my search of apartments from all the way in Salamanca to as close as Ciudad Universitaria, I have been slowly orienting myself to the city. The center of the city, Sol and La Latina areas are a strange creature – you’re typical windy roads and small cafes. Its easy to get lost down there, and a lot of fun to. The public transportation here is the best I’ve ever used so there is no need for long walks because there is bound to be a metro stop half a kilometer from you.

TRAVEL

I traveled to Segovia this past Sunday with my group from the program. BEAUTIFUL. Imagine a quaint town with old Roman churches made out of stone, golden rolling fields surrounding, architecture and city plan to match, and a huge castle looking over the whole thing. Gotta see it to believe it. We were guided by my professor of art here at La Complu. He focused on the mix of Roman/gothic/Moorish style of architecture in the city. Trying to soak in all the history of the old seat of power for Castilla is a daunting task but nonetheless a memorable one.

This weekend I’m going to take it easy here in Madrid. We have La Noche en Blanco which is a huge street party where they open all the museums here in Madrid for free with open bars in all of them. I will have to check it out. Homework has begun but I have enjoyed taking advantage of all the outdoor cafes and parks in the area to make it less painful. Retiro Park is by far the most scenic point in the city – you can easily spend a day picnicking out there and that’s exactly what I did yesterday! Gotta run but more to come as always!

Retiro Park with American friends Jeremy and Allison

More pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052793&id=1206150007&l=337848b2f3

Disorientation

Before Leaving

Tonight there are about 100 Spanish newcomers to school – novatos (freshman) –making a fool of themselves by force outside my window getting ready for a new adventure in their lives. I am lucky to have made friends with one of such novatos as he begins a new journey in his live – the trails of university. My friend David is dealing with his new situation as all new freshman do – in my university in Madrid, all novatos are required to submit to their superior upperclassman’s every wish be it yell at the top of their lungs at the dinner table ‘Soy el rey del mundo’ or take multiple shots in one night – similar to hazing. There is a common connection that I share with the fellow novatos that share my residencia with me – we are all starting something new and exciting, yet impossibly intimidating.

Spain is all of these things to me. I have been in Madrid for more than five days and the roller coaster of emotions has already begun. First of all, I feel like I have left an already great situation at for a great unknown in a foreign land. I have wonderful friends and family across the pond that have made a great home for me in States. A year feels so permanent. These hesitations have been hiding in my subconscious for some time yet I have refused to recognize them.

With this admitted, the transatlantic flight was just what I need to confront the most freighting of hesitations. Something like spending a year alone in a foreign country doesn’t quite hit until you are 30,000 feet in the year and there is no way back. However, I was fortunate to sit next to a wonderful and beautiful Spanish woman name Mabel from the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. We spoke in Spanish during the flight which gave me more than peace of mind but complete anticipation for the experience to come. While the overnight flight would not permit me to sleep or even doze off (which I paid for dearly), I was overwhelmed with excitement about all the things I had seen and read about in Spain.

That being said, arriving in the country was an exhausting affair as I had to stay up for over 36 hours during the course of two days. My Spanish was terrible the first day – I could barely hold a conversation with the fellow Spaniards that I met. If I initiated a conversation in Spanish, they would respond in English. I thought this may be due to the level of my Spanish but it really was just because Jet-Lag sucks! I have learned that if I don’t get good rest, my Spanish begins to become worse and worse. So therefore on my first day in Spain, I hung out with the new program participants and spoke English most of the day. This would soon change as my program’s motto is “Baptism by fire.” Spanish had become my primary language since day two!

A digression – I love my program here in Spain! The program consists of four different universities, The University of Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue, and of course Tulane belonging to a consortium of other American universities at La Universidad de Complutense. My fellow classmates are terribly nice. These kids don’t have a mean bone in their body and don’t seem like that have anything to prove to anyone – how refreshing. The program directors are amazing as well as they come from Spain. More description will be available on them later but lets just say that when I get the eye from my director, I know that I have learned something crucial to not only my Spanish vocab but to life in general.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have been terribly busy: speaking Spanish like I have always wanted, meeting tons of new people, and falling in love with a new country all over again. The roller coaster of emotions is climbing a high hill right now without a drop in sight. However intimidating Spain will be, I am confident that it will remain exciting and new! Cheers to hoping it stays that way!

Pictures to follow whenever I have more time. Must to tell yall about Segovia, my first night out, my new Spanish predicament, and the beginnings of school. Until then. hasta luego.

In Honor of a Fourth Grader

The fourth grade is a milestone year for many. You learn how to long divide. You receive your first Bible at church. And you finally reach the double digits. It seems to me that kids begin to figure out what truly excites them. While most kids I knew were wild about baseball or football in the fourth grade, you could find me exchanging a baseball for a globe or a Sports Illustrated Kids for an atlas. I guess you could call me a lover of geography. Others kids chose to peg me as “The Atlas Boy.” Though I’ve been called many things in my life, Atlas Boy is the truest moniker that has ever been bestowed upon me.

During the sermons at church, I would grab a prayer card and draw maps of different countries and mark a star on the position of their respective capitols. I would sketch the skyscrapers that I read about in National Geographic. I could name the capitals of the world long before it was a requirement for school. Call me what you will but an aspiring world traveler has been in the making since I can remember.

My passions have evolved over time – becoming ever more interested in all things Spanish related. Some have even said that a SPANISH DEMON has been growing in me ever since I first picked up the language two years ago. I have decided to submit to my demon and live and study in Madrid for the year. I will continue to study Economics and develop an Honor’s Thesis topic based upon political and economic relationships between the EU and their members. I believe that being in Spain will give me a clearer perspective about my hopeful topic and force me to become fluent.

So here I am today, two days before I take off to Spain for a year. And you ask me what’s on my mind? My teeth! Having visited the dentist twice and an oral surgeon thrice in the past three weeks, you may confuse me as a Brit rather than an American. Looks as if I’ll be visiting some more dentists in Madrid – so stay tuned to see if a root canal is even more hellish across the pond!

Teeth aside, I certainly am not disappointing those small dreams of the Atlas Boy from the fourth grade. And for that I am proud. This blog will be my journal in Spain – I don’t have any clear plans for it other than to inform those that I love back at home on my adventures. Join me, if you’d like, as I travel, stumble, and pick myself up again through Spain and Europe. ¡Hasta pronto!

Me, fourth grade, at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas: one of many "exciting" travels of my youth