It is Day 4 here in Alcalá de Henares and so much has happened since our arrival. I wish I would have written a post Saturday night to solely explain the series of events Maddie and I underwent our first day in Spain. When I say it was THE stereotypical American lost in a foreign country situation, I am not kidding. We fit the role perfectly, haha. Let me give you a quick recap:
We landed in Madrid around 8:00 a.m., give or take, and made it to Alcalá about 10 a.m. Our first destination was the Plaza Cervantes, the main plaza in town, where we met our host mothers. Our host mom greeted Maddie and me with a kiss and lots of enthusiasm. She is awesome...she is so animated, energetic, and uses sounds to describe what she is trying to say whenever our limited Spanish fails us. From the plaza, we walked to our home (about a 20 minute walk from the plaza and school) and got acquainted with our new family. We took a nap, ate lunch, and then explored the town. We felt fairly confident with our memory and sense of direction, but we got pretty turned around...several times. After asking for directions, we made it to Plaza Cervantes and just took in its beauty. The plaza has beautiful architecture, lots of flowers, shops/food stands, and sitting areas. After that, we attempted to go back home, but we couldn't find the right path. We retreated back to the plaza after searching for about an hour and just happened to see our teacher! After chatting and hanging out with him, he helped us find our way home. It was quite an afternoon. I forgot to mention the fact that I attempted to get money out of the ATM multiple times and I couldn't seem to get it to work. Foreign country problem right there. AND the best one of the day was when Maddie and I had a freak out moment about our adapter/converter/outlet situation. There was a point in time that night when I thought the only thing I could charge was my phone (maybe)...it was "tragic". Of course, after a good night's sleep and some sense talked into us, we resolved our issue and have access to the electronics/technology we need the most.
Side note: That particular instance most definitely taught me a lesson. The Lord showed me that I heavily rely on technology and prioritize it way too much. People have lived (and have enjoyed life!) without a phone, computer, camera, whatever for thousands of years...who says I can't either? It was a learning experience for sure, but one of which I am very grateful.
Moving on to Sunday: Our entire Mississippi State study abroad group (there's 14 students, 1 teacher) took a day trip to Madrid. We left Alcalá about 10 a.m. and got back about 9:30 p.m. that evening. We packed a lot into our day and walked what felt like everywhere! During our time in the big city, we visited several plazas like Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol, walked through a very pretty park, ate lunch together, went to "El Prado" museum, and just enjoyed ourselves. Anna Trundle and I even got icecream....muy delicioso! Although we were all exhausted, it was a great day. I cannot wait to go venture back out to Madrid soon.
One thing I failed to mention about our day trip to Madrid is my foot situation. I am still not sure what caused it to happen, but towards the end of our day, my right foot began to give me trouble. I could walk fine at the beginning, but I was having more difficulty when we headed back to Alcalá. I ended up taking a taxi home Sunday night and soaked my foot in hot water. Since then, I have been taking ibuprofen and elevating my leg, but it still hurts. Brian, our teacher, is taking me to a clinic tomorrow for a little check-up. It is nothing major at all, but I just want to be on the safe side of things. All of this to say, if you could keep me (and my foot) in your prayers then I would greatly appreciate it. Y'all are the best :)
Okay, back to the Spain adventures. We started school Monday morning at 9 a.m. We took a placement test in the morning and then went on a short tour of the city with a professor. The placement test consisted of 100 multiple choice, a writing section, and an oral examination. They used our scores to place us in our class for the rest of the month. Once the school day ended, we grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant and a small group of us ventured out to another part of Alcalá. We searched for and finally found the local mall ("el centro comercial")...I even bought a sweater! For those of you that know me really well know I am not a big spender, but the ever-changing weather inclined me to get one. The mornings here in June are fairly cold and people tend to wear jackets and blue jeans. As the day progresses and afternoon hits, it is very sunny and feels great. There are hardly any clouds and no humidity...and no bugs! It's great. However, a sweater was greatly needed for my long walks to school. After the mall, we went back home and just hung out for the night.
Today, we went to school and found out which classes we got placed in. We have two classes total, one from 9-11 a.m. and the other from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with one break in the middle. There are two other Mississippi State students, Matthew and Allison, and about 7 or 8 Chinese students in my class. My teachers are also really nice. One big rule: "no se puede hablar inglés". Basically, no English is allowed...only Spanish. Although very difficult at times, this rule will help and refine my Spanish in the long run. I am really excited to see how these classes will benefit both in the immediate and distant future.
One last thing: the food. "La comida" en Spain is pretty standard. They eat a lot of potatoes, meat, eggs, and fruit, just cooked and prepared in different ways than the United States. Two of my favorite Spanish dishes are "patatas bravas" and "tortilla española". They also have a lot of "tapas" in Alcalá and Madrid, which are kind of like mini-restaurants that serve smaller portions of food (like à la carte) with a drink. Their drinks like Coke and Fanta taste the exact same here...again, very pleasantly surprised! Another characteristic of their food is their meal times. Breakfast is served at a fairly normal time (we eat at 8 a.m. before school), but lunch and dinner are much later in the day. I will usually eat lunch, "la comida", around 2 or 3 p.m. and will eat dinner, "la cena", anywhere from 8 to 10 p.m. The sun goes down very late here and Spaniards take afternoon naps, "siestas", pushing the day's schedule back a couple of hours as a result. My body has adjusted to these changes fairly easily which is a blessing and I kind of like the concept of a "siesta"...it's a nice little break! But back to the food...I have liked almost everything I have tried so far. I know there are a lot more dishes out there to try and I hope to stay open-minded about it. If I am feeling homesick, it is nice to know that hamburgers can be found here as well. ;)
All in all, the beginning of this journey has been wonderful. There have been moments of stress, anxiety, and worry, but the fun, adventure, and newness of this country have ultimately drowned out the bad. I look forward to the rest of this week, as well as the weeks ahead. Our weekends are open for travel and we have been planning out different weekend excursions...super excited about those! I have also enjoyed getting to know the people in my MSU study abroad group, as well as other international students at school. And I cannot leave out my wonderful family. Maddie and I are so fortunate to have been placed in this home. My hope and prayer is that we can become very close with each and every one of them during our stay.
I want to leave y'all with some pictures. I have taken these over the course of my trip thus far and plan to post even more with each new blog post. They are mostly of the Plaza Cervantes and different sites in Madrid. Enjoy!
We landed in Madrid around 8:00 a.m., give or take, and made it to Alcalá about 10 a.m. Our first destination was the Plaza Cervantes, the main plaza in town, where we met our host mothers. Our host mom greeted Maddie and me with a kiss and lots of enthusiasm. She is awesome...she is so animated, energetic, and uses sounds to describe what she is trying to say whenever our limited Spanish fails us. From the plaza, we walked to our home (about a 20 minute walk from the plaza and school) and got acquainted with our new family. We took a nap, ate lunch, and then explored the town. We felt fairly confident with our memory and sense of direction, but we got pretty turned around...several times. After asking for directions, we made it to Plaza Cervantes and just took in its beauty. The plaza has beautiful architecture, lots of flowers, shops/food stands, and sitting areas. After that, we attempted to go back home, but we couldn't find the right path. We retreated back to the plaza after searching for about an hour and just happened to see our teacher! After chatting and hanging out with him, he helped us find our way home. It was quite an afternoon. I forgot to mention the fact that I attempted to get money out of the ATM multiple times and I couldn't seem to get it to work. Foreign country problem right there. AND the best one of the day was when Maddie and I had a freak out moment about our adapter/converter/outlet situation. There was a point in time that night when I thought the only thing I could charge was my phone (maybe)...it was "tragic". Of course, after a good night's sleep and some sense talked into us, we resolved our issue and have access to the electronics/technology we need the most.
Side note: That particular instance most definitely taught me a lesson. The Lord showed me that I heavily rely on technology and prioritize it way too much. People have lived (and have enjoyed life!) without a phone, computer, camera, whatever for thousands of years...who says I can't either? It was a learning experience for sure, but one of which I am very grateful.
Moving on to Sunday: Our entire Mississippi State study abroad group (there's 14 students, 1 teacher) took a day trip to Madrid. We left Alcalá about 10 a.m. and got back about 9:30 p.m. that evening. We packed a lot into our day and walked what felt like everywhere! During our time in the big city, we visited several plazas like Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol, walked through a very pretty park, ate lunch together, went to "El Prado" museum, and just enjoyed ourselves. Anna Trundle and I even got icecream....muy delicioso! Although we were all exhausted, it was a great day. I cannot wait to go venture back out to Madrid soon.
One thing I failed to mention about our day trip to Madrid is my foot situation. I am still not sure what caused it to happen, but towards the end of our day, my right foot began to give me trouble. I could walk fine at the beginning, but I was having more difficulty when we headed back to Alcalá. I ended up taking a taxi home Sunday night and soaked my foot in hot water. Since then, I have been taking ibuprofen and elevating my leg, but it still hurts. Brian, our teacher, is taking me to a clinic tomorrow for a little check-up. It is nothing major at all, but I just want to be on the safe side of things. All of this to say, if you could keep me (and my foot) in your prayers then I would greatly appreciate it. Y'all are the best :)
Okay, back to the Spain adventures. We started school Monday morning at 9 a.m. We took a placement test in the morning and then went on a short tour of the city with a professor. The placement test consisted of 100 multiple choice, a writing section, and an oral examination. They used our scores to place us in our class for the rest of the month. Once the school day ended, we grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant and a small group of us ventured out to another part of Alcalá. We searched for and finally found the local mall ("el centro comercial")...I even bought a sweater! For those of you that know me really well know I am not a big spender, but the ever-changing weather inclined me to get one. The mornings here in June are fairly cold and people tend to wear jackets and blue jeans. As the day progresses and afternoon hits, it is very sunny and feels great. There are hardly any clouds and no humidity...and no bugs! It's great. However, a sweater was greatly needed for my long walks to school. After the mall, we went back home and just hung out for the night.
Today, we went to school and found out which classes we got placed in. We have two classes total, one from 9-11 a.m. and the other from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with one break in the middle. There are two other Mississippi State students, Matthew and Allison, and about 7 or 8 Chinese students in my class. My teachers are also really nice. One big rule: "no se puede hablar inglés". Basically, no English is allowed...only Spanish. Although very difficult at times, this rule will help and refine my Spanish in the long run. I am really excited to see how these classes will benefit both in the immediate and distant future.
One last thing: the food. "La comida" en Spain is pretty standard. They eat a lot of potatoes, meat, eggs, and fruit, just cooked and prepared in different ways than the United States. Two of my favorite Spanish dishes are "patatas bravas" and "tortilla española". They also have a lot of "tapas" in Alcalá and Madrid, which are kind of like mini-restaurants that serve smaller portions of food (like à la carte) with a drink. Their drinks like Coke and Fanta taste the exact same here...again, very pleasantly surprised! Another characteristic of their food is their meal times. Breakfast is served at a fairly normal time (we eat at 8 a.m. before school), but lunch and dinner are much later in the day. I will usually eat lunch, "la comida", around 2 or 3 p.m. and will eat dinner, "la cena", anywhere from 8 to 10 p.m. The sun goes down very late here and Spaniards take afternoon naps, "siestas", pushing the day's schedule back a couple of hours as a result. My body has adjusted to these changes fairly easily which is a blessing and I kind of like the concept of a "siesta"...it's a nice little break! But back to the food...I have liked almost everything I have tried so far. I know there are a lot more dishes out there to try and I hope to stay open-minded about it. If I am feeling homesick, it is nice to know that hamburgers can be found here as well. ;)
All in all, the beginning of this journey has been wonderful. There have been moments of stress, anxiety, and worry, but the fun, adventure, and newness of this country have ultimately drowned out the bad. I look forward to the rest of this week, as well as the weeks ahead. Our weekends are open for travel and we have been planning out different weekend excursions...super excited about those! I have also enjoyed getting to know the people in my MSU study abroad group, as well as other international students at school. And I cannot leave out my wonderful family. Maddie and I are so fortunate to have been placed in this home. My hope and prayer is that we can become very close with each and every one of them during our stay.
I want to leave y'all with some pictures. I have taken these over the course of my trip thus far and plan to post even more with each new blog post. They are mostly of the Plaza Cervantes and different sites in Madrid. Enjoy!
Dinner on the plane...it actually wasn't that bad! Oh, and it is an 8-hour plane ride from Chicago to Madrid, I forgot to mention that earlier.
View of Plaza Cervantes from our table. Muy bonita.
There are so many roses in the middle of the plaza. The next several pictures show the different colored flowers.
I thought about my mom and dad when I took this. They would love these at our house.
Multi-colored. God is so creative with his creation.
Me, Anna, and Haylee in Madrid!
Okay...I forgot to talk about this earlier in the blog post. So, Maddie, Haylee, and I were trying to meet up with our group in one of Madrid's parks and we saw this street entertainer along the way. We were just simply watching in the background when he called me out of the crowd all of a sudden. I said "no no" and signaled that I didn't want to participate, but he pulled me into the middle of the circle anyway. About ten minutes later, the rest of the MSU group found us and had the pleasure of watching me embarrass myself in a foreign country. It was actually hilarious. I will definitely remember that for the rest of my life.
Photo courtesy of Maddie Covert :)
Lots of "calles" (streets) look like this in Alcalá and Madrid. I think the architecture is awesome.
El Plaza Mayor.
And of course, a taste of America in España: "Dunkin' Coffee" and "Starbucks".
I hope you enjoyed my first blog post from Spain. I will probably post again after this weekend. Thank you for reading and especially for your prayers. Y'all are the greatest. :)
Until next time...
Bethany
I think it is so super awesome that you're studying abroad! Really enjoyed your post and can't wait to read more!
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