Amer'ca

One thing I've accomplished in being here in Madrid is becoming very patriotic. I don't mean it in the sense that I've acquired a newfound pride for my country (although there are definitely many things and people there that I miss terribly). I have just found what it feels like to be a minority in a different country, and I constantly feel very conscious of the fact that I am American!

Before I continue, I have to warn you that I am going to be very honest and vulnerable with you so please don't judge too harshly. 

My confession: Yes, I have (at times) surrendered to my American instincts instead of exploring Spanish culture. (Eep!) I have indeed eaten at McDonalds more than once in the past two months. I do speak English almost exclusively with my friends here. And believe it or not, I have a jar of peanut butter in my backpack that I bought a few hours ago. 

Now that I've come clean, I just have to say that it is surprising how prevalent American culture is here.  Considering that Spain is a whole ocean away, I assumed that all things American would be pretty foreign to Spaniards, but that is really not the case. Everywhere you go, at every store and restaurant, American (or sometimes British) music is playing. It's to the point where when a Spanish song comes on, it's surprising. Also, American news gets pretty high coverage on the Spanish news channels. I watched a 10 or 15 minute news story on Hurricane Sandy last night, and on 9/11, they devoted a good ten minutes to remembering what happened eleven years ago. My host mother always seems to be caught up on American news. I asked her once what Spaniards thought of Obama, and she said that in general people are disappointed with him because they had hoped for more. (I'm not trying to get political--just wanted to be a thorough witness!)

Also, there are a lot of American shops and restaurants around Madrid! I've already mentioned the "fancy" McDonalds (all of them are very nice actually; the one near my apartment has comfortable leather chairs to sit on and windows all around with a nice view of the city!). There are also chain restaurants called "Hollywood" and "Nebraska" that I've seen around. The most exciting find: Tierra, which is basically the Spanish version of Chipotle! (A burrito bar with Tex-Mex food). It is definitely "authentic" American-Mexican food, and the easiest way to tell: 95% of the people eating there are Americans! 

There are also several American grocery stores, and my friend Erika and I ran into one today! It felt like Christmas: there was a shelf full of Betty Crocker cake mixes, all kinds of Reese's candy and Starbucks bottled frapuccinos. Clearly I got a little excited and couldn't wait before taking a picture!



Anyway, the point of all this is to realize how powerful America's influence is, even though we don't always realize it. I know America doesn't have the best reputation throughout the world, and sometimes I can see why: Americans, especially a lot of those who are here studying abroad, can come off as being very spoiled and ignorant. (I heard a conversation just earlier today between some Americans about how "America is the best!" and how nowhere else in the world can compare with America. For real.) Many of the Americans I have met or seen here don't even know how to speak Spanish. Of course, the view that other countries (in this case, Spain) get from America is definitely not the most accurate representation. Who actually sits around and eats hamburgers every day, watches America football, and parties every night? Regardless, it is important to remember that what we have in America is a treasure and we really need to take care of it! My prayer is that I can use the rest of this time in Spain to show people that America really isn't as materialistic as it seems in the media, and that the innate values of our culture are still strong and vibrant in our lives.

Much love, amigos. I miss you all!

Cold weather and lots of Fun.

It has now reached the "point of no return" as far as weather goes in Madrid. Mother Nature made up her mind finally and decided it's going to be freezing from here on out! (Well, not quite freezing...more like 40's and 50's. But it's a big deal for me!) It has been entertaining finding ways to make the most of the weather and finding different ways to wear the same few cold-weather outfits I have. I'm definitely not used to having to dress warm: in Texas, there may be a few cold days in December/January but usually I can get by because it always warms up after a few days! As the temperature has been slowly dropping, I've passed the time cuddled in my bed reading, skipping instead of walking to class (gets the blood pumping!), stopping for cafés con leche, assimilating to Madrid fashion and wearing shorts with tights (It can actually look pretty cute and it stretches my wardrobe a bit!), and attempting to run at Retiro Park (getting a minor cold as a result; oh well).

My favorite part: the leaves are changing colors!!!!! I'm so excited! Once they change a little more, I'm planning on going out and taking a million pictures. This is a big deal for me since the leaves barely turn in Texas. 

Yesterday, Erika and I went shopping and attempted to go to a library/cafe place recommended by a friend (It was closed, but I'm definitely going back this week so I'll talk about it later). We were able to do some shopping in the Gran Via/Chueca part of town where I had never been before. I didn't buy very much but it was pretty great anyway. There were literally two H&M's on the same street! We also found the fanciest McDonalds EVER. It was extremely nice on the inside and even had a "cafe" section with little cakes and macaroons. 

Another way to avoid the cold: go to a Fun. concert!!! Last Sunday night I went with a few friends to see a concert by "Fun." which, for those who don't know, is an amazing American band that plays indie/pop music. It was surprising how big their fan base is here in Madrid: the concert was sold out and there was barely any room to stand and watch. I had a blast! They actually sound better live than on a CD, which was pretty awesome to me. I tried to take some pictures but I was towards the back so they didn't come out very clear. Here they are anyway: 

Also, in case you didn't catch it, I made a big effort not to use the word "fun" to describe anything in this post! (It may or may not have involved searching synonyms for "fun" on an online thesaurus...) My friends and I realized as we were standing in line for the Fun. concert that it's actually harder to avoid that word than you would think!

One more thing: for some reason, we turned our clocks back today in Madrid (a week before everyone in the U.S. if my research is correct). I'm not sure why we are a week ahead of you guys! Anyway, for the next week it looks like I'll be only 6 hours ahead instead of 7!

Until next time! Ciao!!!

El Escorial

Yesterday, I went with my friends Jenna and Bethany to El Escorial, which is an estate about 45 minutes out of Madrid. I don't really know how to describe it: it has a library, palace, monastery AND basilica inside (it was all one building)! It also has some very pretty gardens. It was very cool to walk where King Philip II used to walk with his children and "admire the view" in one of the rooms, to see the actual room and bed where he died and to enjoy the amazing library with some very old and very important books! (Including one by St. Augustine!) There were also a lot of tombs where past Spanish royals were buried. It was quite an experience!

Also, I'm happy because I just checked my grades and found out that I got an A on each of my midterms in my Spanish classes! It is definitely nice to see how much faster I'm improving being here in Spain. 

Happy weekend!!!

Found a church at last!

It has been a crazy week so far due to the fact that I had three midterms in the past two days! Normally when I'm at Baylor, midterms aren't a big deal (just like another test) because we have several tests throughout the semester. Coming here, however, almost all of my classes are organized so that our only grades for the entire semester are our midterm and our final! So aaahhhhh!
Anyway, now that I've finished the last one for the week I can talk about the fact that I've finally found a church in Madrid! On Sunday, I went with my friend Bethany to a church she had found the week before called Amistad Cristiana Evangélica. It was such a comfort to go to a church that already feels comfortable, with people who act like a family and with honest worship! Again, most of the worship music was music we sing at my home church, just in Spanish. (There were a couple Phil Wickham songs in there and even "How He loves"! It was great!)
Needless to say that was a huge blessing, and I realized how important it is to have a home church wherever you are: I think it is necessary to have that "recharge" time every week and to plug back into community. I'm so thankful!

Al teatro!

I may have mentioned this before but I am taking a class called Modern Trends in 20th century Hispanic Drama. We have read three plays in class so far, and last night was our class trip to the theatre! I have to say it was a pretty interesting experience! 

We saw two short plays: El amor brujo and La vida breve. The best part: music for both by Manuel de Falla! 

It was definitely interesting seeing a play completely in Spanish, and I really enjoyed part of the second play that included an extensive flamenco dance/music scene complete with castanets. I also loved the music--it made me realize how much I miss playing in Baylor's orchestra three times a week! (When I got home, I booked a ticket for a symphony concert in a few weeks!) 

Here are some pictures--sorry they're a little blurry! 

                                    (sorry for the terrible quality but I really liked the ceiling!)

This is to show that the stage was slanted! 

3 días en San Sebastián

Buenos días a todos! I just arrived back in Madrid this morning from an amazing weekend trip to San Sebastián with my friends Erika and Jenna. It was by far the most relaxing travel experience I have had so far! A beautiful beach surrounded by gorgeous mountains and a town known for its gourmet food? Traveling doesn't get much better than that. It was definitely the refreshing weekend I needed!

First a little info: San Sebastián (also known as Donostia) is on the Northeastern coast of Spain--about a 30 minute train ride from France. It is in the Basque Country, so everything, from the street signs to the restaurant menus, is written in both castellano (Spanish) and vasco (the Basque language). It also has a really cool culture! 

On Friday morning, we left Madrid and took a 6 hour bus to San Sebastián. When we arrived, we found our bed and breakfast, called Hospedaje Donostia, unloaded our things, and listened to one of the owners, Amalia, explain everything about the town. Then we decided to do a little exploring! We walked along the beach, took some pictures, and walked around the old part of town. Then we went out for pinchos for dinner! Pinchos are like tapas; there are probably dozens of pincho "bars" in the town, and the idea is to hop into one, try a couple, stay about 10-15 minutes and then go on to the next. They're hard to describe so I'll just show you some pictures:

Then we went back to the Bed & Breakfast and I had the best night of sleep I've had in a month. When we woke up the next morning, Amalia had made us scrambled eggs--they were to die for. I am usually not an egg person but I devoured them! With a cup of coffee and a couple slices of toast, I was good to go for the morning of hiking we had planned. We hiked up one mountain (well, more like a tall hill) to get to the top where there is a statue of Christ that was erected by Franco to be modeled after the one in Brazil. The building underneath the statue is a museum about San Sebastian's history, so we walked through that and then admired the amazing view from the balcony.

After that, we hiked back down and went to the aquarium--which was interesting because the main tank is actually a part of the ocean! Then we went to the main family beach called La Concha, and spent a slightly chilly afternoon there, ate sandwiches and did some homework. For the rest of the day, we did some shopping and had a fancy Basque dinner at a restaurant called Juanito Kojua--my meal totaled about 40 euro, but it was definitely worth it: my rice with clams was delicious, and the veal was amazing as well. (We made up for the expense by buying groceries the first day and eating sandwiches and fruit for lunch each day.)

On Sunday, we checked out of the B&B and decided to scale the other "mountain" by ways of a funicular: an old-fashioned train that felt almost like an old rickety amusement park ride. The view was amazing from the top of that mountain as well, so we went to a cafe at the top and spent some time reading and enjoying the cool weather. Then we spent the rest of the day at the beach. There was definitely a bit of a culture shock at one point: even though it was a family beach and not designated topless, more than a few older women around us decided it was totally okay to take off their tops while we were there. Just slightly awkward!

For dinner, we had pinchos again and were able to watch part of the Barcelona-Madrid game on TV at the restaurant. It was pretty fun to see the crowds in all the bars and restaurants and hear the cheering!

That pretty much concludes my weekend--it was definitely relaxing and refreshing just being around the beautiful water and mountain scenery.

Besos! Ciao!

Un mes!

I have officially been here in Madrid for a month! This past month, I have gotten to know a little bit of Madrid, traveled to five other cities in Spain, eaten paella and loved it, read two novels and 1 1/2 plays in Spanish, visited the Prado three times, and gotten homesick more times than I can count. It has definitely been an interesting month!

This past weekend was pretty interesting as well! On Saturday morning, I finally found the elusive Corte Inglés and did some much-needed fall shopping! (And also found rosin for my violin!! I was very happy about that!) The weather changed drastically a week ago--from about 85 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I realized the hard way that I had only packed two pairs of long pants and one long-sleeved shirt--definitely not enough! I stepped into some awesome, thrifty and cute shops: Promod, H&M, and lefties, and bought a few things to keep me alive in this weather. Have I mentioned that I LOVE the shopping here? But there is too much to say about that... I'll leave it for another blog entry!

Anyway, later that day Tara and I went to the Prado because she hadn't seen it yet. We spent a solid hour and a half there, and then sat and talked for a little while outside of the building. As we were talking, we noticed a crowd forming in the street right by the museum--a protest! Our university has sent us several emails telling us to stay away from large crowds (because the protests turn into riots and someone always gets hurt). So we weren't really sure what to do--our way back to the Metro crossed that very street. We decided to wait it out, but the crowd kept getting bigger and the people were shouting, so we eventually left and took a roundabout way back to the Metro. As we were walking, we noticed another crowd of shouting people heading towards the first one! Sorry to say we missed out on that piece of news--but I'm glad I'm home safe and sound!

Then, Sunday morning I decided to be adventurous and try out a church by myself. I found an Evangelical Baptist church and went to their service. It was a little different from the church I attended in Granada--the pastor was significantly harder to understand, and I didn't like the music as much. There was one notable exception though: Sublime Gracia (Amazing Grace)! I enjoyed singing those lyrics in Spanish.

That's all for now! Adios! :)