ESPAÑA

On Today's Menu: Catching Up....

I can't seem to get it to stick in my head that I'm in Spain. I'll be reading or brushing my teeth or doing any number of normal activities and all of a sudden I remember: "Oh right, I'm in Spain!" It's an odd feeling...I've been dreaming, planning, saving, working, etc. for so many months now, it's an indescribable sensation to actually live out a dream. 

On my way here I had a seven hour layover in Boston and another shorter layover in London. The whole experience was nerve wracking: I had to switch airlines, find my way around two very large airports I had never been in before, and try my best to suppress the anxiety mounting in my chest. The flight from Boston to London helped to ease my nerves as I ended up sitting next to a girl about my age who is a student at Yale University and is also studying in Spain for six weeks. We took turns expressing our true feelings on the situation and eventually found some level of peace as we moved on to other topics such as: favorite movies, music, and our thoughts on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody".

I arrived in Madrid Tuesday morning, local time, beyond exhausted and more than ready for a shower. I met another API student as I was going through customs and we eventually met our program directors at a small cafe inside the airport. There are fifteen people in the API Summer 2 program, seven of us arrived on Tuesday and the other eight are students participating in both summer sessions, so they were already in Granada. 

My little band of seven stayed in Madrid through Friday and left for Granada late that afternoon after a brief visit to Toledo, which is located just outside Madrid. It was a good couple of days...very busy and exciting. We went to the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Palacio Real, Museo del Prado, Plaza de La Cibeles, walked La Gran Vía, ate lunch in Jardín Botánico, and more. It really is a beautiful city...

My hotel was located right in the heart of the city, next to Puerta del Sol, which I was facing when I took the above picture from the balcony of my room. There was a lot of construction going on so it wasn't too pretty, but still exciting to see. I thought the hotel was in a great location since we could get anywhere we wanted rather quickly. Most everyone here either walks or uses public transportation, so we walked everywhere we went and I really started to regret only bringing sandals. 

Palacio Real

Since I have only been here a couple days and have only experienced touristy activities, I'm still in the 'Honeymoon Phase' as my API directors call it. Now the honeymoon is over and I have moved on to Granada where I will jump into the next phase: settling into my dorm, beginning school, and dealing with the inevitable experience of culture shock. Stay tuned because I have a feeling things are about to change in the coming week...

Into the garbage chute, fly boy!

On Today's Menu: Becoming a Princess!

A couple weeks ago, I was introduced to a gentleman who lives in Madrid and is currently training to be an ambassador for Spanish students interested in studying at Western Kentucky University. I was fortunate enough to sit down for a meal with him and two of his Portuguese friends and learn a little bit about Spain and the European lifestyle in general. He was most informative...so much so that by the end of the conversation I felt my head was reeling and I that I would need to take a day off in order to sort through all the information rolling around in my brain. 

It was fun...I love new experiences, new people, new cultures, new restaurants (that was some good eating). Carlos must have felt the same way because he was curious about my lifestyle as much as I was his. He was fascinated by my name. Leah. Pretty simple name, I think. Apparently not that common in Spain. I'm not sure how common it is over here...now that I'm thinking of it, I guess it isn't one you hear too often. He kept saying it over and over, with a slight chuckle each time. It was, of course, said with a Spanish accent; so the pronunciation isn't what I am used to hearing. Instead it's amazingly close to the pronunciation of the one and only Princess any Sci-Fi lover, movie goer...well pretty much anyone who has been around since the year 1977...knows and loves. He went on and on describing the enormous obsession Spaniards have with Star Wars and then told me that: should I run into trouble, I should just shout out my name and "everyone will stop in awe of you." What makes it even better, he said, is the last name Powers...that's just going to blow them all away. Good stuff, I told him, but I seriously doubt that anyone will mistaken me for Luke Skywalker's twin sister. I just can't get my hair to stay in those bun thingies.

Well, Carlos is back in Spain now but I took his phone number and address with the hope that I can meet up with him at some point while I am there. It's comforting to know that I have someone to contact if I need to. He told me a lot of things, shared a few of his culture-shock stories, encouraged me to visit certain places and try out certain foods...but his best advice, which came out of experience, was this: studying and preparing is good, but the only way to really learn and grow is to just jump in. "Don't go back, just jump in and go for it. Remember this princess. That's what she would do." CLICK ME.

*Special thanks to George Lucas for making this metaphorical moment possible.

Say What??

On Today's Menu: Diagnosing

 

Yesterday I took my diagnostic language test online. I've been needing to take it for some time now but I was putting it off until I felt that I had found a moment of true bravery....yeah, well, that moment didn't come, so yesterday I decided to just go ahead and take it so I could get it off my mind. Apparently this test is designed to help API determine my level of understanding so that they can place me in the right classes once I get to Granada. For me, however, all it did was encourage the unrelenting flutters of the butterflies existent in my stomach. Fortunately it wasn't a long test, but it did include an ample amount of grammar and vocabulary I am not familiar with. 

I felt relatively comfortable with the reading portion. My orientation packet from API included a list of links to Spanish websites, so I have been following some Spanish newspapers online for the past few weeks and have found that I can translate enough to understand what's going on. (Take a look if you like: http://www.granadahoy.com/ is the site for Granada's local paper; and http://www.marca.com/ is a sports page I have glanced at a time or two). 

The verb conjugation and listening exercises were the two areas I really fought with. For one thing, there were no directions regarding the exercises. I was only given a list of sentences and I assumed I had to fill in the blanks with the correct conjugation of whatever verb I believed best fit with each sentence. Second of all, I'm not used to the Catalan Spanish dialect where 'c' is pronounced as 'th' and 'z' sounds more like 's'. I'm more accustomed to the Hispanic dialect that we hear in the States, which is spoken slower and with less slurring. Basically what I'm saying is, I can't understand spoken Spanish for anything...which I'm thinking could be a problem in the coming weeks...

Well, one thing is for sure - this is going to be an interesting adventure!

Two Weeks Notice

On Today's Menu: Orientating.

As of today, I have exactly two weeks left before I leave for Spain. That's right. Two weeks. This week I am working my way through an online orientation program and will be taking a diagnostic placement exam after completing orientation. 

So far there has been a massive amount of information on culture shock and adjustment. It sounds a little overwhelming. According to the speaker, (the program includes interactive video!) it typically takes a student a minimum of three to four months to adjust to a new culture and to begin to get a grip on the language. I will only be there until August, which is not even two months...so...I don't really know what to think about that. 

My advisor told me last fall when I applied to API that a six week class is the best way to begin a language program like the one I am interested in. These six weeks are good exposure and will help me decide if this really is the direction I want to go in, she said. I thought that was good advice, and I still do. I know myself well enough to know that I love to travel and experience new culture, people, language, etc. That being said, I already plan to begin applying to the various schools that offer such programs upon my return in August. I suppose it is still possible that I would hate this experience and completely change my mind, but I kind of doubt it.

Life Underground

On Today's Menu: Reminiscing

 

Lower Glide. That was the name of the hall on which I was assigned to my freshman year at Asbury College. It's pretty plain. Gray carpet. White cinderblock walls. Wooden doors. It can get pretty cold in the winter months. It can get pretty gross when the silverfish decide to come out for the spring season. It has a funky, moldy, musty smell that isn't afraid to hit anyone who dares to open the entrance door; and it certainly isn't considered unnatural to find a furry friend or two.

It's called Lower Glide because it is one of many halls in Glide-Crawford dormitory and it is technically considered a basement; which explains its slight situation underground. The halls above look completely different. More natural light. Less cinderblock. No weird smells and each room has their very own thermostat. At first glance Lower Glide doesn't look like much. And it certainly generated no valuable impression on me when I arrived as a freshman. Even now it really isn't all that impressive. Not much has changed, mostly just the students living there. 

When I was a student, my hallmates and I took so much pride in our hall. We did things like, decorate for the holidays by building Christmas trees out of Ale8 bottles, make a few too many hall t-shirts and devote possibly a little too much time to intramural football. We made the best out of the cinderblock and carpet; and the funky moldy stink became the smell of home.

But this isn't about a hall. It's about the people that made the hall. 

I hate sounding so commonplace, but it must be said. I spent last weekend in Louisville reuniting and reminiscing with my hallmates, my fellow "Undergrounders," as we still call ourselves, even though most of us probably haven't stepped foot on that hall in years. But it wasn't really about a hall. It was about the friendships made, the bonds forged, the knowledge that our unity can't be broken. 

I spent most of the weekend watching everyone around me. It was obvious that we have and are all moving in different directions, trudging down our own paths, pursuing our individual passions. It seems like a sad thought, but in actuality it isn't. It's captivating and magnificent that we can continue forward without loosing what we once had. My favorite moment came when we all sat down in a big circle and each person shared a little on what they have been up to since our last meeting. It was a unique experience, sitting with these wonderful women, looking back at what we were, looking presently at what are, and looking forward to what we are to become.