The Iberian Experience: Part II

No me gusta

So I am sick, as is the majority if not all of the program, professors, and our host families. I think something is going around Spain and due to intense partying on the weekends, I may just have a weakened immune system. I am feeling feverish and my body temperature is volatile with a headache, runny nose, watery eyes, swollen and tender lymph nodes, and a slight cough. Any Web MD scholars or future doctors/nurses have any advice? Unlike back at the states, one can pick up most prescription drugs at the local farmacia (thanks to socialist medicine?), so give me the cocktail of choice and I'll throw capitalism in the wind.

Keeping Myself Busy

Classes are all in Spanish and they range in difficulty solely based on whether or not the professors want to slow down when he or she speaks. Due to my lackluster Spanish capabilities, I am also taking Spanish Conversation and Composition, however, with only one other student. That is fine by me; I have never received as much attention in a Spanish class as I do now. Perhaps I’ll come back fluent after all.

My internship that I also begin this week is at the Sport and Cooperation Network (http://www.redeporte.org/quien_en.html) an NGO that "promote sports and physical education countries as a social integration tool both in developing countries, the United States and in Spain." As you may know, as an IR student looking for an IR career, international experience is gold, so I am excited.

Obama and the Kennedys at AU? Tight.

BTW, my laptop/hard drive is fixed and all my information was salvaged. I am so damn relieved but I need to find a means to back it up, just in case it happens again.

I just finished my first in depth conversation with my host parents (actually, it was them talking and me saying "Sí" most of the time) on the topics of Spanish presidential elections, the Spanish party system, United States Democratic primaries, and my political affiliation.

I was just handed a cup of tea consisting of garlic, onion, and tomato as a home remedy for my illness I don't know, but it isn't as bad as it sounds.

I am feeling a little bit woozy so I think I'm going to call it a night.

¡Hasta Luego!

Chris

Coming Soon

• Future travel plans
• More notes on cultural adaptation
• Posting pictures at changbang.smugmug.com
• International drunk dialing

PS: Go Giants.

Edit: Using the Spanish version of Blogger is ridiculous.

The Iberian Experience: Part I

I don't blog.

I have no motivation to do so and I have failed to finish at least five times. However, I have a suspicion that one or two of you may be interested in what I’ve been up to in the last week or so.

Flight and Luggage

A 9 hour trip (including layovers) turned into a 24 hour mess. Everything was easy until we arrived in London's Heathrow Airport. Due to a plane that crashed on Jan 16, the airport was chaotic. Our first flight to Madrid was cancelled and we were offered a consolation prize of an extra five-hour wait. I flew with Katie and we were fortunate enough to meet two other students in our program, Casey and Steve, whose original transfer was also cancelled. Lo and behold when we finally arrived in Madrid, our bags did not come with us. We filed a the right paper work and hoped they would arrive the next day. Unfortunately, they did not. British Airways continued to try our patience and our temper as our bags slowly trickled in. I received my last bag on Tuesday night and Katie received hers Wednesday evening. One can imagine what wearing the same clothes for four days can do to a person. On the bright side, however, British Airways will: 1, owe me plenty of compensation and 2, will never have me as a customer again.

I have never been so happy to unpack my luggage.

Technology

So on the second day of my semester abroad, my laptop ceased to function. I soon learn my hard drive is malfunctioning, so years of pictures, music, and documents may just disappear. I took it to a local computer shop and they advised me that they will attempt to salvage the information and reinstall Windows but they'd have to do it in Spanish. Ay, I just want all my stuff back.

The free cell phones the program provides are not exactly eye candy and is a difficult and cumbersome product to use. They are pay as you go, but I wonder if it would make more sense for the program to buy a yearly plan and just incorporate it into a program fees. I've already spent 40 Euros this week on minutes.

Life and Language

As you may know, I am living with a host family. My Senora's name is Carmina and she is wonderful so far. I have my own tiny room in their apartment and she has been nothing but nice to me. She cooks every meal, packs me lunches, cleans my room, and does my laundry daily. Carmina and her husband have one dog (a young yet massive German Shepherd) and five children (four sons and one daughter) and two of the sons, both 21, live here. They took me out my first Saturday night and it was a typical Spanish weekend:

• Drink outside the apartment until about 12 to 12:30 AM
• Drive outside the city to a park and drink outside
• Go to a bar until it closes
• Head to a club until 6 or 7 AM
• Look for chocolate caliente con churros
• Crawl into bed.

Life here is all about No Pasa Nada, which is kind of analogous to "Don't worry, be happy." Spaniards tend to live long lives with less stress (Probably due to long naps and the healthy Mediterranean diet).

One of my primary reasons for doing this program is to be fully immersed in the language to finally learn the damn thing after years of not paying attention in Spanish class. Lucky for me, my host mother cannot speak a word of English and all my classes are in the native tongue. The language barrier is pretty tough, but my host family tells me I have gotten better within a week. I’m interested to finally learn the words to ask what they do for a living.

The Real World: Madrid

With a program group so small (12 students), the dynamic will surely be interesting. Consisting of nine women and three men, it is very much an AU demographic. Everyone’s a different character but they all seem nice. Of course, things may change, much like one’s first weeks of freshmen year, but I have high hopes for everybody. We’ve already made a group trip to Toledo, Spain. Traditionally a steel forging town for weapons, Toledo is a mix of intercultural influences, engrossing art, and an awe-inspiring cathedral.

So in conclusion (ooh, a writing no-no), I am enjoying my time on the Iberian Peninsula. Though this post was rather long, future posts will be substantially shorter as I blog my travels and my adventures with adapting to a new culture. I will also be posting pictures at www.changbang.smugmug.com just as soon as I get my computer in working order.