The Real World - Madrid

My new blog:

2009-11-27T19:50:00.006+01:00

Hey everyone,
I am continuing my blog from Boston, but it has a new adress: go to
http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/joana1986 to read it!

This is it !

2009-05-18T22:57:00.003+02:00

I'm sorry for those boring past few weeks you guys had to spend without getting any news from THE REAL WORLD MADRID! But I really did not have much time to take a breath - in the days after the fare well dinner I had to pack up my entire life from the last two years into three suitcases (and four boxes) and attend several good bye parties.

Anyway: I must say, the ceremony was a beautiful way to reflect over and conclude the past two years. The student speakers and the Dean held wonderful speeches, we received nice blue stoles with the Suffolk symbol, and we finally got to see a slide show with pictures from the past two years. I saw quite a few tears running down several cheeks that night! Afterwards we hopped on our trusted Yolcar buses and drove to the restaurant in the outskirts of Madrid. With its beautiful gardens, we had a nice setting to take pictures and chit chat a bit before the dinner. We ate in a huge ball room on large round tables with our closest friends next to us. Afterwards the ballroom turned into a dance floor, and everybody (especially Tom) enjoyed the music to the fullest!
Overall: una noche de diez!
It was the perfect good bye to this wonderful experience we had in Suffolk Madrid.
We learned a lot and we grew pretty close toward adulthood and independence as anyone can possibly grow in only two years. Congratulations to us!

But, don't worry, the next journey will start soon. Only a few months to go and we will all be in Boston together...

San Sebastián

2009-04-27T13:17:00.003+02:00

We are back from our trip to San Sebastián!
(The last trip for this semester, and for some of us the last trip with Suffolk.)
San Sebastián, to me, is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. This small city by the beach surprises with so much sophistication and flair that for a moment I thought I was somewhere in Switzerland or Austria (also because of the architecture). We ate "pinchos", we drank "sidra", we climbed up the mountain "Urgull" and we took long walks on the beautiful avenue along the beach.
The only bad thing about the trip was the terrible weather; but with umbrella and Converse you can make it happen!

Sir! Visit to the N.A.T.O. Headquarters, Sir!

2009-04-23T14:46:00.007+02:00

You know how it's always quite beneficial to know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody?
Well, the students in our Government class "Politics of the Middle East" are lucky enough to have a professor with connections to the Spanish Ministry of Defense. Pretty nice! So, not only do we get to learn fresh and interesting viewpoints when discussing international politics in class, but we also get to go on quite remarkable field trips. Today, we went to visit the N.A.T.O. headquarters for "Chain of Command - Land" (if that means anything to you?!), which are located about 30 minutes outside of Madrid (the headquarters for Air and Maritime are in Turkey and Italy!).
We were allowed to sit in the conference room on one of these giant U-shaped tables with microphones in front of each seat. I don't know about the others, but I definitely felt like a president!
After the Commander welcomed us with a short speech (and our professor with a kiss on each cheek, of course), we got to listen to three really interesting presentations about the Madrid Headquarters and the current political issues N.A.T.O. is dealing with (you know... Somalia, Darfur, Georgia, Afghanistan, and so forth). In between we had some coffee and some cake, and took a group picture with the Commander at the end. Everyone around us was wearing military outfits and all kinds of hats. It was really an interesting environment, and a great way to finish our Politics class for this semester!

Oh, I forgot...

2009-04-15T14:00:00.004+02:00

... to tell you how my Spring Break was. Well... see for yourself!

(Lagos, Portugal)

Counting Down

2009-04-15T12:56:00.004+02:00

After a week and a half of spring-breaking all over Europe, everybody found their way back to Madrid safely.
What's next on the program? ...Oh right: FINALS!
In pretty much three weeks we will be out for the summer. And for some of us, this means our time in Madrid will be over. I know, it's pretty sad, but luckily our student council thought of something really special to complete this year: a commencement ceremony AND a nice dinner with dance afterwards! How much better can it get? We will even get picked up by buses that escort us to the restaurant.
The whole thing will end at midnight, of course, just like in all the good fairy tales.
Everybody is pretty excited and I'm sure it will be a great night.

But before that, we will have an amazing trip to San Sebastián!

I'll keep you posted...

Dude, where is my backpack?

2009-03-26T11:39:00.004+01:00

We are very close to legendary Spring Break here at the Suffolk University Madrid Campus. It's the time when everybody is nervous about finding cheap offers for spending those eleven days visiting all the places they haven't seen yet. Road trips, cruises, or backpacking - we are being very creative this year.
No matter if on water, in the air, by foot, or on wheels, people are getting around somehow!
From what I have heard so far, Morocco, the Azores, Switzerland, and Greece are some of the most popular destinations.
Last year I flew all the way to Argentina for my Spring break, but this year I will take it easy and just go visit our small but friendly neighbor: Portugal!
What can I say - LIFE IS TOUGH! We gotta work on that tan, don't we?

Frühling! Spring! Primavera!

2009-03-09T13:41:00.007+01:00

I am so happy that the depressing days of winter are pretty much over! Here is another thing about Madrid that I'm going to miss: the winters are much shorter than in other cities (cough, BOSTON!, cough).
Bye bye boots, hello ballerinas!
The spring started just on time with the end of midterms (and I must say: being boring and staying at home studying really pays off.) So now, everyone can fully enjoy the first days of t-shirt weather. Although, I have seen some crazy people around campus wearing short sleeves these past weeks!
So yesterday, some friends and I officially welcomed the cutest time of the year with a "hanging-out-on-the-grass-on-a-Sunday-afternoon"-session in Retiro. Apparently, about 5 million other Madrileños had the same idea, because the park was packed. It was such a nice day!
Too bad it's Monday already...

Carmen

2009-03-05T11:14:00.003+01:00

Last week a group of staff/faculty/students (including me) decided to be cultural for once.
So we dressed up and went to the theater Lope De Vega on the Madrid-version of the Broadway, Gran Via, to watch a flamenco interpretation of the opera Carmen by George Bizet.
IT - WAS - AMAZING!
The theater was sold out, of course.
For two hours we watched the fascinating choreography together with the sounds of the typical flamenco guitar and songs.
It was sensual, emotional, and passionate. I didn't now you could use fans and ponchos for dancing - but apparently you can! And it looks hot!
The main dancer, Sara Baras (a famous Flamenco personality in Spain), wore several beautiful, long dresses in bright red or black and incorporated the long fabrics into her dance moves.
The audience, which probably consisted of 99% Spaniards, couldn't hold back their fascination. In between the scenes, somebody always screamed "Vamos!", "Olé!" or "Guapa!".
It was really a fantastic show!

Granada Excursion

2009-02-25T13:41:00.012+01:00

One of the exciting excursions Suffolk Madrid had organized for this spring was a weekend trip to Granada - a beautiful little city in the South of Spain, at the bottom of the Sierra Nevada. We were a cozy group of around 40 people and we stayed in a cute hotel within walking distance from the city center.
We had a great weekend with lots of sun and amazing food! The Moroccan restaurant we ate at the first night was incredible - homemade mint/lemon/orange-blossom lemonade, spicy tomato soup, couscous with meat and cinnamon, and some delicious mint tea at the end. We all loved the crazy mix of different flavors!
The next day we spent the entire afternoon visiting the Alhambra. Located on a hill overlooking Granada, this old fortress is an incredibly impressive piece of Moorish architecture. We spent the day wandering around in its several buildings and beautiful gardens.
At night we watched a Flamenco Show, once again, that turned out to be a very entertaining experience. Apparently, women of all ages, sizes, and talent-levels are allowed to be on stage. Luckily, the second group left us absolutely speechless with their dancers, and especially with the cute guitar player...

Brownies Brownies Brownies

2009-02-18T12:54:00.004+01:00

We've had some busy days at our cute little Suffolk Madrid Campus lately...
Not only is it almost time for midterms, so you see nervous students running around everywhere, but our amazing Student Council came up with some great ideas to keep us entertained and at the same time raise money for a good cause (that good cause being
either a Ping Pong table or a Spring Formal - or both!)
For example, for Valentine's Day last week, we got the chance to buy a beautiful carnation and write a lovely little message to our friends, crushes, roomates, or even professors! It was a great success, and everbody went home with at least one flower.
Yesterday, the Student Council organized a Bake Sale - with apple pie, lemon cake, rice crispy treats, and BROWNIES!! They were definitely the bestseller among all the homemade delicacies - juicy, sticky, and delicious! The demand was so high, that they even raised the price towards the middle of the day.
With all those Brownies that got sold, I'm sure we moved a large step towards realizing our Ping Pong/Spring Formal goal.

Muchas Gracias Desiree & Co!

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone...? + 10 Reasons Why We Love Madrid

2009-02-04T12:44:00.005+01:00

A few days ago I was being lazy and decided to take a taxi to school instead of the metro. Watching the city and its people during that 20 minute ride made me remember that after the summer I won't be coming back to this place that has been my home for almost 2 years. And I'm not the only one to realize this.
The Spring Semester 2009 is not even half way through, and there is already a melancholy mood in the air. At least among those who are finishing their second year at Suffolk Madrid - because next Fall we won't enter the white gate of Calle de la Viña numero 3. Instead, we will walk around in Beacon Hill with thousands of other Suffolk students, freezing, and most definitely eating something from Dunkin' Donuts (I will, for sure!). Change is good, and we are all excited to go to Boston! But, I'm sure we will miss certain things about Madrid that we will only realize when we are not here anymore.

My friends and I did some brainstorming, and these are some reasons why we think Madrid is fabulous:
- the weather!
- lots of people everywhere, all the time
- the beautiful Royal Palace
- having lunch at 4pm, dinner at 11pm, going out at 3am
- PDA
- "Hola Guapa!"
- having a metro every 2 minutes to take you everywhere you want for 1€!
- SUMC professors/staff
- thoe whole having-a-coffee-thing
- Gran Via at night

Orientation Trip 2009 to Andalucia

2009-01-25T15:06:00.004+01:00

And this is where our amazing university staff brought us this time for the orientation trip: Sevilla! Very charming, small city in the heart of Anadalucía - covered in orange trees and partet by a small river.
We visited the countryside surrounding Sevilla and saw things you sometimes forget about when you live in such a concrete-jungle like Madrid. For 3 days we were escorted through wide open fields, watched bulls sing and horses dance flamenco (I kid you not!), tasted the sweetness of Sherry, and enjoyed the comfort of a four-star hotel in the heart of the city. I must say, the semester couldn't have started off in a better way.

once again: Bienvenidos a Madrid!

2008-12-17T16:49:00.004+01:00

The Fall semester 2008 is officially over my friends!
Classes, Finals, Papers: done!
Everyone is hopping on their plane now to fly back home to spend christmas with their families. Some will be coming back after the break, and some won't. But to say bye to those who won't join us again for the Spring semester, we had a delicious fare well dinner in an Arabic restaurant. Pita bread, hummus, a bunch of sweet stuff pastries with meat or vegetables... it was a great mix of tons of different delicacies. Kinda like Suffolk Madrid.
Feliz Navidad and see you in 2009!

(Plaza Mayor and Gran Via all dressed up in Christmas. Photos taken by: Janet Girardot! Gracias!)

I was just writing on one of my papers, when...

2008-12-03T10:49:00.005+01:00

... John Mayer sang the following lines into my ear:

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something's better
On the other side

I wanna run through the halls of my high school
I wanna scream at the
Top of my lungs
I just found out there's no such thing as the real world
Just a lie you got to rise above

I am invincible
As long as I'm alive

I like him! Maybe I should call him and ask him out for a coffee...
:D HAHA

T.G.I.Turkey-Day

2008-11-28T00:13:00.002+01:00

So, I just came back from our Suffolk Thanks Giving Dinner...(or rather: I just rolled back) and the only thing I can still move are my fingers.
We had a reservation for a little over 50 people in a restaurant that decided to make a special Thanks Giving Menu for all the poor souls who were unable to spend this day in the States. On the menu was:
New England Clam Chouder
Turkey with mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberry sauce, some green stuff with raisins, and a bread-herb-butter stuffing!
(Yeah, I know!)
OH, and of course Apple or Pumpkin pie for desert.
Now, I'm not an expert on this, but as far as I am concerned it was delicious. The feedback from the real Americans was also excellent, so all in one: I think it's safe to say, that we passed a perfect Thanks Giving meal as a Suffolk-Family!

Lisboa, meu amor!

2008-11-25T15:15:00.006+01:00

Here you go, just as I anounced, some highlights about the 3 beautiful, sunny days we spent in Lisbon last weekend!
Actually, I have to exclude me from that "we", because due to acute procrastiation, and wrong priorities on the weekend of my birthday, I had to make the decision to stay in Madrid and face my workload. But I'm lucky enough to have friends with a good eye, and even better: a good camera! So I can provide you with gorgeous images of the trip to one of the most B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L cities in Europe.
The Suffolk students took a tour to the smaller towns surouding the Portuguese capital: Cascais, Sintra, and Cabo da Roca (the most western point of the European continent - as close to the States as you can get by foot!)
In Lisbon itself they had dinner in a traditional Fado restaurant, hidden in the small streets of the famous Bairro Alto. They went to Belém to observe the beautiful sights and OF COURSE to eat many many delicious Pasteís. The last afternoon was used to take a tour around the castle São Jorge, located on a hill in the center of the city: perfect to have a panoramic view of the river Tejo with the Golden-Gate-Look-Alike Ponte 25 de Abril and the cute colorful Baixa (downtown).

Ok, enough vocabulary. Here are my three favourite from the eightysomething pictures my friend Antonio took:
Torre de Belém

Pedro and Max enjoying the beach in Cascais.

View on the old town from the Castelo de São Jorge.

...but you have to go see for youself!

2008-11-11T11:21:00.002+01:00

Hmmm... I am sitting in the admissions office right now, trying to think of something interesting to share with you guys, but my brain is blocked (probably because I'm busy thinking about the best way to get done all the work I've been carefully procrastinating).
Well, let's see. There must have been something going on since my last entry on Halloween...
The election! Of course!
Thank God this drama has come to an (happy) end. I think I have never been that nervous about politics - and I'm neither American, nor can I see the U.S. from my house! But I thought it was cute how people on campus congratulated each other the next morning; it somehow felt like it was everybody's birthday.

So, this was pretty much the highlight of the last two weeks.
Soon, we will come back with highlights from "Lisbon Trip Vol. II", Thanks Giving Din-Din, and a careful observation of Madrid's Christmas Outfit.
Stay tuned ...

Boo?

2008-11-01T22:30:00.011+01:00

Last night was that one particular night, when it is actually considered a positive thing to look scary: Halloween!
Even though it is not as big in Europe as it is in the States, I was able to spot some interesting looking inviduals in the metro on the way to the Halloween party on our Madrid campus.
I must admit, I was being boring, because I didn't dress up. But last night I just didn'f feel that Halloween vibe that I felt two years ago when I was in Boston.
To my surprise, the US-students at SUMC managed to bring that real Halloween spirit all the way across the Atlantic. Good Job!
And since we are a young, positive crowd; the millenium generation, that wants to make this world a better place, nobody looked mean or spooky. Everyone looked funny and cute!
There were grown ups in pink Baby costumes, guys dressed as girls, indians hanging out with cowboys, Barbies, cats, cows, ladybugs, Blues Brothers, and Fred and Barney from the Flinstones - PLUS car. Yabadabadoo!

Spanish Diet

2008-10-20T21:14:00.006+02:00

It usually takes me much longer than everybody else to find out about certain things. For instance, if two people are dating, the news will get to me by the time they already broke up again. So it is probably not surprising, that after 1 year of living in Madrid, I discovered CHURROS only yesterday.
Yes, it's true!
And I'm embarrased.
I mean, I knew what they were - in theory: Some greasy dough sticks that you dunk into chocolate! But after trying them, I know that they are much more than that! Churros are elegant, crunchy, pastries, that are served with a cup of hot chocolate. And I don't mean Nesquik or any of that... I mean dark 100% pure cacao chocolate, melted into a white porcelain cup, ok? It is amazing!
But that's still not what makes the whole Churro-experience. What you need in addition (and what is usually always included) is a small table with 2 or 3 loved ones next to you, a tiny little street in the center of Madrid, people watching deluxe, and the sounds of a street musician's guitar. Voilà!
Now I understand why Spanish women don't get fat: Churros don't go to the hips, they go right to your corazon. <3

2008-10-05T19:25:00.002+02:00

Do you know this TV show, where they randomly pick a handful of people from all over the place, throw them into an amazing, colourful apartment in one of the 10 coolest cities on earth, provide them with everything they need, so that all they have left to do is party, gossip, eat, and sleep? Hm??
Exactly, the REAL WORLD!
Since my living situation freshman year at SUMC somewhat resembled the concept of that TV show (except for the fact, that a certain amount of our time was also dedicated to studying), I had decided to name this blog after it. The whole first year basically felt like a summer camp, and everything was too good to be true. We were living in a shiny little bubble…
Right on time for my second year in college the bubble exploded! But the name of my blog still fits, because now I actually live in the REAL world. Yes, 3 brave people and I, we found an apartment on our own! Like, a real one! Without a person to clean your room or cook for you. Now WE clean, WE cook, and the worst of it all: WE pay for gas, water, and electricity! It is shocking, but you can’t live in University housing all your life, so you might as well just get it over with and jump into the cold water. We dedicate every Sunday of the week for cleaning. It is crazy how dirty everything gets in just 7 days. Or grocery shopping: you have to go like 3 times a week, cuz something is always missing. And now you actually start looking at prices! I’d rather walk for 20min to a different supermarket, than to pay double.
I turn off all the lights when I leave a room, and I don’t let the water run while brushing my teeth. And hot showers for half an hour? Forget about it!
However, the apartment itself is perfect for a second episode:
We have a red fridge, a rainbow colored chandelier, and a view on the Palacio Real. It’s not too bad out here in the real world…

Bienvenidos!

2008-09-11T23:32:00.004+02:00

I'm sorry, I know it's ABOUT TIME for some news... I mean, it's September!
So, this is what's been going on here:
About 2 weeks ago tons of new students entered the gates of the SUMC mansion; some of them tired, others angry (about lost luggage, etc.), but most of them curious about the upcoming semster.
After gettin a little crash curse in spanish language + culture in the orientation sessions on campus, everybody hopped on the bus that drove us to SALAMANCA for our "Welcome-to-Spain-and-Let's-Get-to-Know-Each-Other"-Trip!
The University dorm we stayed in was not THAT thrilling, especially not food-wise. But that didn't matter, since most of our time was spent outside: riding horses, fighting bulls, or exploring Salamanca's nightlife. Not to mention eating medieval style and watching Jethro Tull live on stage!
After all, the welcome trip to Salamanca was a great success and reveiled many people's hidden talents.
Among us are brave-hearts, cowboys, dirty-dancers, clowns, rockstars, and some princes and princesses.

It's gonna be a good semester...

Could you be loved?

2008-07-23T16:57:00.005+02:00

Okay, this has to be quick, cuz its too nice outside to be stuck in a greasy internet-cafe!

Who? Great friends
What? Extreme vacationing
Where? Lagos (Portugal)

...and some more details:
Weather: Amazing!
Water: clear, fresh, salty
Food: Home made, delicious
Activities: Tanning, dancing, eating
Accessories: Coconut oil, sun glasses, ice box
Tan: Caramel with tendency to chocolate
After-Beach: Coconut beverage (wink wink) + Pinapple juice + Cranberry juice + straw!
Soundtrack: Bob

... See you in September! :D

the -REAL- world?

2008-06-11T13:24:00.005+02:00

By popular demand, I was asked to continue writing my blog over the summer break. (Sorry A. and T., for the long dry period. But I guess life outside college dosen't give you quite as much to write about...)
SO!
The first year of college is over (already?) and 4 months vacation are ahead. It's the time when we either want sun lotion on our faces, or mon€y in our wallets! In my case, I wanted both. So I decided to work a little, and then go on vacation. After all, some work experience looks better on a resume, than a postcard, right? So last monday, after a month-long search, I magically found myself starting an internship in the PR department of a bank (it's just a tiny little internship - I'm gonna be out of here in 4 weeks). Enough to get a little idea, of what life outside college might look like and what I certainly don't want to do. PR is fun - BUT not when having to talk about a bank. Anybody studying finance here? Certainly not me! But my eyes + ears are open for new experiences, and I am happy I actually have important things to do here. Interns are often used to do busy work and make coffee. But in my case, my help is actually needed. So even though I'm at the lowest point of the office hierarchy, I'm a little proud of myself. When I will finally go on vacation in 4 weeks, my suitcase will be filled with summer clothes and self-esteem.

The Age of Exploration

2008-04-21T22:08:00.004+02:00

This past weekend my friends and I went on a little road trip for 5 hours. 8 people on 8 wheels! When we got out of the car, we found ourselves in Lisboa. (Well, we didn't just happen to end up there, it was actually planned!)
Two nights and two days with a lot of rain, a little bit of sun, great umbrellas, amazing food, and 7 friends - it was a small, yet great vacation.
It felt great to see the Ocean again, since we are living in the center of Spain with no river or lake around it. Lisbon is so close to Madrid, but it seems like it is a completely different world. Time is slowing down, and everything is suddenly easier. It is an amazing, very laid back European city, with gorgeous monuments, churches, and old houses. It is often compared to San Francisco, because of its "copy" of the Golden Gate bridge, its many hills, and the Trams that take you through the old town.
So, bascially, if you are studying abroad in Europe, you HAVE to come to Portugal; to sing Fado, eat Pasteís de Nata, go to the Praia, and drink Vinho do Porto.

Our explorers Kelly, David, and Jared, in front of the "Monumento dos Descobrimentos" (Monument of the Discoveries).

Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid

2008-04-21T21:51:00.004+02:00

Stop, think, breathe in, breathe out, go.

2008-04-09T16:16:00.005+02:00

Today I had a talk with a certain person (who will remain anonymous) about the struggle many people of our generation go through (at least in Germany and most parts of Europe):
You start university and after the first semester you realize that you absolutely hate what you are doing. You hate it with a passion! And you wish you had had more time to think about how you are going to spend those few years that will determine the rest of your life. That's a pretty tough decision, I would say.
This very person went to university to study something you native English speakers would call International Business & Finances. Now let's look at the classes he's taking in both 1st and 2nd semester:
Communicative Processes, Decision Theorie, Accounting, Controlling, Finances, Investments, Maths (oh really?), and good old Statistics. Well, that sounds like fun! That's like forcing you to eat potatoes, chips, and french fries for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 6 months. But not only that, your class-"halls" are overcrowded, nobody knows your name, nobody hears what the professor is saying, and nobody cares if you are there or not. But you better stick to this, or you will have to start from zero again!
Now, I really don't want to sound like I'm doing cheap advertizing here, but the American system is so much better! Like in Europe, kids go to university immediately after high school, BUT you are given 2 years of time to figure out what you actually want to do. You have room to breathe and try around. Anthropolgy, Statistics, Public Relations, World History, whatever you want to take, take it! Just because your major is Psychology does not mean you have to take 15 different variation of Psychology classes for the next 4 years. Oh, and you don't have 400 classmates, you have maybe 20. So when you come out of University, you will have a degree of whatever your major was, plus a little experience in every other topic that interests you.

It is important to be sure of what you want to do. And when going to college still allows you to think about your choices while you are studying, it is definitely much easier to stick to your decisions.

Me tiro ... en Retiro!

2008-04-07T23:36:00.006+02:00

One good thing about the stressful final weeks of the semester is rewarding yourself with an afternoon of laziness. It is the time when 'doing nothing' is actually a hard earned luxury for once. And luxurious as we are, my roomates and I decided to hang out in Madrid's biggest park - Retiro - and let the Saturday afternoon pass by in slow motion.

Salamanca

2008-04-01T22:50:00.004+02:00

Wow, I must say, we are rockstars. Spring break is just over and the next trip was already waiting for us: Salamanca! There are 3 trips organized by the university per semester; and this was one of the choices besides Granada and Barcelona.
Since the majority of the students signed up to visit Barcelona and Granada, only a tiny little group of 9 went on the trip to explore one of Europe's oldest university cities. 150,000 people live here, one third of them being students from all over the world. So you can only imagine how much fun Salamanca must be.
We had a great time and got to see imporatnt monuments such as the cathedral, the library, or the old university with the famous frog hidden among the many figures on the front wall. The Plaza Major is extremely impressive, and the perfect spot to meet people.

One sunny afternoon was used to drive 1h outside of Salamanca to go hyking.
Living in such a large city like Madrid one easily forgets how good it feels to walk on something else than concrete; to see more green than gray; and to listen to the silence.

(Sadly, you also realize how much out of shape you are, when walking DOWN the hill makes you tired...I should probably sign up for the gym immediately!)

Camel, Croissant, and Colosseum, anyone?

2008-03-25T18:37:00.008+01:00

Sorry, haven't posted in a while, but for a good reason: like every person my age at this time of the year - I was on vacation! That's right, we had SPRING BREAK!
Usually 10 days seems to be a short period of time, but if you live/study abroad in Europe 10 days are technically enough to see 10 different countries. This is pretty much what a lot of the students here did. We don't do Cancun! Our little community spread out throughout the continent to explore spots such as Barcelona, Rome, or Amsterdam! Other popular destinations were Dublin, Berlin, or Lisbon. But also Prague, Paris, and Milan! Oh and not to mention Tanger, Brussels and Zurich... did I forget anything? Probably... the list goes on and on.
Europe is great to travel because its relatively small and incredibly diverse. And luckily: affordable! Get on a plane for 30€, stay in a hostel for 15€, drink espresso for 0,80€ and have the time of your life.

Now the question remains: where did I go? Well, since Europe is my home, and its always good to leave sometimes, I decided to go to a land far far away... Argentina!

Plaza Mayor

2008-03-10T22:13:00.001+01:00

United Nations

2008-03-03T20:41:00.005+01:00

In every good family things can get a little heated from time to time.
Just like tonight at the dinner table: Javi, our 24 year old, tall, dark, and handsome Spanish roommate from Castellón, and Jared, our 21 year old, athletic, Jewish frat boy from Cincinnati (sorry, i always use the same adjectives for you) got caught up in a little cultural argument.
"You Americans always think you're the best!"
"And you Spaniards beat your wifes!"
"At least I don't shoot my classmates!"
"But you wear our clothes and you listen to our music!"
" $%&##$*!°§ !!!"
" §%'# *~&%% !!!!"
...
Of course the argument was not that serious, and soon we all laughed about it. But in a surrounding like this, with that many nationalities on so little room, arguments like this develop easily. But you learn with it. Facing people from all over the world, you are constantly forced to look at your own culture. You finally get to compare the things you learn from other people to what you learned at home, in your country. And this is one of the most enriching qualities this study abroad program has to offer. Both Europeans and Americans learn a lot from each other here, doesn't matter in which topic: soccer, food, geography, music, or vocabulary. Every possible issue is suddenly looked at from more than one side.

I think that's pretty cool and I as well suddenly learned facts about my country that I had no idea of before: Thanks to my American roommates I now know that all Germans appearantly are obsessed with David Hasselhoff. Thank you guys! :)

HALF TIME

2008-02-27T14:31:00.006+01:00

Midterms?
I can't believe how time flies. It is almost March, almost spring break, too much stuff to do, too many trips to plan, and not enough time (or so it seems). What happened to the last 6 weeks? Where did they go?
I guess that's what always happens when you're having fun... you don't realize how time passes.

So, we basically just reached the half time ot the semester. We are looking back on 6
weeks with big jackets and scarfs, many essays, valentine's day, and for those who had to wake up early for their 9am classes (like me): darkness!
But this is slowly changing. Has anyone noticed? It is getting NICE outside! And spring break is knocking on the door!
My suggestion: Put on your sunglasses, meet up with your friends, and book your flight tickets!

8-)

(Our beautiful models Katrina, Brando, and Travis are wearing Funky Stuff. Location: Mundaka, in the north of Spain.)

Bag Lady, you gon' hurt yo back...

2008-02-20T21:50:00.005+01:00

I just realized in this very moment how lazy I am!
I have known for more than 3 weeks that I had this paper due tomorrow for Prof. ******* (you know who you are!) and i only started TODAY! Two hours ago, to be precise. So, the problem is the following: It is 10pm, i would LOVE to hang out in the living room with my roommates, but I guess I will be stuck on my laptop for another one or two hours. It is only a 5 page paper, but it has to be good, right? So it takes me like one hour to write a single page... luckily Erykah Badu is right here with me.

*One day all them bags will get in your way
so... pack light! uuuh uuuh!*

Alright ladies and gentlemen, all I wanted to say:
Learn to manage your time! Do not procrastinate!

...I'll get back to work now...

Una Ensalada mixta, por favor!

2008-02-14T14:41:00.009+01:00

This is what i realized: without great roomates, you will only have half as much fun here!
I remember when I filled out my application form for the housing before coming here last September...
Do you consider yourself shy? - Nope.
Are you easy to get along with? - I guess!
How long do you stay out at night? - uhm... 2? (that was a lie!)
Filling out that form and answering all these questions, I started being scared of getting stuck with a messy, smelly, loud, annoying, stupid person I had absolutely nothing in common with. That was my greatest fear when I came here and I was terrified of the day I would eventually meet the girl I was going to live with for the next 4 months. However, when I finally met her I felt the greatest relief: From our hair color to our clothes obsession we had absolutely everthing in common. It was great. Not only was I glad to have her as my roomate, but also of the fact that I was placed in a small residence with no more than 10 other students. It took a couple of days to memorize each person´s name and get to know them a little bit and by the end of the first month we had grown together like a family.
3 girls vs. 6 boys. 4 Europeans + 1 Canadian vs. 4 Americans. The mixture was perfect and we quickly realized how lucky we were to be living together. We had crazy nights out and amazing dinner conversations. It was such a fun time for all of us, we couldn't help but wonder: is this really happening or are we in a tv show? is this the new episode of THE REAL WORLD? Sometimes we caught ourselves looking at the ceiling, thinking we would find cameras somewhere...

Living with a group of people who all come from different places and have different stories to tell has been one of the best experiences for me. You simply learn to adapt to others and not always put yourself first. If there is a problem, it will be discussed and you will have to respect the other person's opinion. And even if my roomate would have been messy, smelly, loud, annoying, and stupid, I would have found a way do deal with it. This is what you learn living with others. It's not always about you.

This was last semester. This semster our constellation changed completely. We are 6 girls living with 4 guys. So instead of angry screams over the playstation you might rather hear heels clacking... it's something new and different. But just as enriching as the experience last semster. Again, we are like a randomly composed salad that just happens to taste absolutely amazing!

Arrriiiba!!

2008-02-07T14:57:00.000+01:00

This week´s highlight: we organized a soccer match! A precise selection of talented athletes, the crème de la crème of Suffolk boys, challenged a group of Erasmus exchange students from France and Italy.
The match took place on the campus of San Pablo CEU University on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The field was not big, there was no grass, but on each side we had a goal - and that was all we needed!

It was incredible how many fans showed up to cheer for our team. Lined up in a row, the girls and boys were sitting behind the fence to watch our boys play.
We had a strong Canadian standing in our goal and a wild mix of Italians, Germans, Swiss, Albanians, Venezuelans, Americans, Domenicans (and i dont even know what else) substituting each other on the field.
The first goal was scored by the Erasmus students, but we quickly fought back and scored one goal after the other. At one critical point a little fight broke out, but nobody got hurt. It was just a quick outburst of adrenalin mixed with a lot of testosterone, in combination with team-spirit.
When the playing time was over the score was 4:4! The series of penalties in the end unfortunately decided the match in favor of the Erasmus students...
Anyways... that could not kill the mood. Everyone had a great time; the players and the fans!

After hugging our exhausted, soaked athletes everyone made plans for the night and then slowly went back to campus.

I love college!

2008-02-05T18:04:00.000+01:00

... yes, I said it!
I guess that makes me officially a geek.
But it's true, going to university here is just so much fun. Our school is like a miniature universe in the middle of this crazy, loud, and turbulent city of Madrid.
I have been here since September and it immediately felt like home. Our orientation workshop in Asturias helped to quickly get to know each and every one of my fellow students, who were just as curious and excited for the semester as I was. We stayed in cabins in groups of 5 or 6, had endless bus rides, countless tours, lots of food, and quite a few funny evenings in the town's bar. We even appeared in the local newspaper...(or so they say. I personally never saw the article, and neither did any of my friends here. But it would be pretty cool!). So you can imagine, when we all met again in Madrid for our fist day of classes we only saw familiar faces which just made it all much easier. Everything was alredy set up: rumors, skandals, couples, break-ups, roommates, surfers, clowns, smokers, nonsmokers. Alright, the semester could start!

I really enjoyed all of my classes and was motivated to work for them. Freshmen Seminar, English, Intercultural Communication (something we are faced here on a daily basis), and Finite Math. I learned things I have never heard of before and became familiar with my new environment and its history: Spain.

So, the first semester was a great success. The second one just started and it surely will be just as much fun...