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.