Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is as green and grand as I had imagined. My adventure began in Navan, Ireland, just northwest of Dublin’s city center where a friend of mine lives. Between Navan and Dublin City Centre is a wonderful balance between the beautiful countryside, intricate architecture and a pride for Guinness beer.

Navan

Slane Castle (Slane, Boyne Valley): Constructed in 1785, Slane Castle overlooks the Boyne River of Meath County. The owner, Lord Henry Conyham lives there to this day. In 1991, a fire in the castle caused an estimated 2 million pounds worth of damage. After a ten-year restoration, it reopened in 2001 and continues to offer tours. Although I didn’t take an inside tour, the exterior alone is very impressive. Since 1981, the grounds are often used for rock concerts, since it’s landscape creates a natural ampihiteatre with an 80,000 person capacity. Artists including The Rolling Stones, Queen, Madonna and David Bowie have performed on the grounds.

Bective Abbey Ruins (Bective, Meath County): Bective Abbey is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne that was founded in 1147. Although there isn’t much left of the structure it’s still a cool place to explore. It’s known as one of the locations for shooting the film Braveheart in 1995. 

Trim Castle (Trim, Meath County): Trim is the most touristy attraction of the castles I visited, but for good reason. Trim is a Norman castle built in the 12th century on the south bank of the the Boyne River and it’s the largest Norman castle in Ireland. The bridge that leads to the front gate over a moat makes for a grand entrance to the inside area of the ruins. This castle is also well known as a film location for Braveheart. After visiting the castle, the surrounding town is worth a walk-around. The streets and buildings are quaint and colorful. It’s a great place to grab lunch at a local Irish pub after visiting the castle across the street.

Dublin City Center

For tourists who aren’t able to check into their accommodations until later in the afternoon, I highly recommend dropping your bags off at the Tourist Center on O’Connell street. For only 5 euros per bag, it saves time and money to conveniently check your bag in at the office and explore the city without the hassle of carrying around your luggage. 

Guinness Storehouse: We started our tour of the city centre with the Gunniess Storehouse, which I highly recommend for the start because it’s one of the furthest attractions of the centre. It was more than I imagined it would be with its 5-story high self-guided tour from production to restaurants, and a stunning view over the city. The tour starts at the center where the 9000-year contract signed by Aurther Guinness himself sits beneath your feet inside a glass display. An orator gives you some background to the Guinness history and your self-guided tour begins. It’s an amazing display with signs and visual effects to paint a picture of the process from cropping, fermentation, and maturing, all the way to bottling and advertising. My favorite parts were The Tasting Room and the Guinness Acadamy, both of which are interactive tasting sessions. In the tasting room are four stations, each with there own aroma that combine to make the Guinness scent. You receive a sample-sized glass and proceed to a room where an orator explains the different sensors of your taste buds, and how it combines to give your to stout taste of a Guinness. After the tasting room, we headed to the Guinness Academy, where your ticket comes with a free pint of Guinness. But this is not just a beer that’s handed to you. In groups of about 10 people, an expert explains the steps to pouring a bereft pint from the tab. One by one, everyone gets the chance to pour their own pint of beer and you receive a printed certificate with you name on it, proving you’ve taking the “course” to pour a perfect pint. Overall, the Guiness Storehouse was one of my favorite experiences in all of Dublin.

The Brazen Head: After the Guinness Storehouse, we headed over to The Brazen Head for lunch. What’s special about Brazen Head is it’s the oldest pub in all of Ireland, dating back to  1198. What I enjoyed about the atmosphere of the pub was walking through an archway and that opens into a small courtyard with both indoor and outdoor seating, and multiple bars on all four sides of the courtyard. It was cozy, authentic and very decently priced.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral: What makes St. Patrick’s Cathedral unique is the beautiful park that’s situated directly in front of it. The inside of the cathedral is beautiful with stainglass, detailed architecture with arches, and an ornately-decorated alter. Although it costs about 6 euros to go inside, the park is free to stroll through. From the back of the park is a spectacular view of the cathedral with flowers, greenery and people lounging in the sun. It’s a great stop to read a book or have a picnic.  

St. Stephen’s Green: The historical park and garden is comparable to Central Park in NYC. It’s a 9-Hetacre square of greenery in the middle of Dublin Centre. The middle of the park has a roundabout walkway the splits in different directions of the park with shady trees all around. Many student from Trinity College, along with locals and tourists alike take a break from the hustle and bustle of the urban landscape. There are ponds with plenty of ducks and swans to feed and benches for reading or naps.

Grafton Street: We stumbled upon Grafton Street, which is a well-known pedestrian shopping street in the city centre. It was full of people listening to street performers, eating ice cream and browsing the shops. It’s a nice area to walk through on your way to Trinity College which is just on the other end of the area.

Trinity College: Right next door to St. Stephen’s Green is Trinity College — the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin that was established in 1592 — is well worth a walk through. The architecture is something like no other, with cobble stone pathways and a open green recreational field that gives it a campus feel separate from the city centre. Two buildings in particular that are worth touring are the chapel and the library. Built in 1798, the chapel’s interior reflects the college’s Angelican heritage, with tall stainglass as the backdrop of the alter on the far side upon entering. The Library is the largest research libary in Ireland and impressive in size. It contains about 5 million books, along with manuscripts, maps and printed music. 

Temple Bar: Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey and is known as the cultural quarter of Dublin. It’s a great place to get dinner and enjoy a few drinks into the night. It’s full of restaurants and pubs with outdoor seating, music and the like. It’s great even just to walk through as it depicts what many imagine when they think of Irish nightlife.

There is plenty more to do in Dublin than the few highlights I was able to get to. Here are some other well-known sites that are worth checking out: Kilmainham Gaol, Christ Church Cathedral, Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin Castle, and the General Post Office.

Foreigners Explain America’s Culture and People

Every country has a very unique culture and an interesting perspective of American culture and it’s people. I’ve asked some of the the other international students during my study abroad to get an inside view of what other cultures really think about the big USA. I wasn’t able to put in all of the content that everyone wrote me because it came to be too much, but I put in the main points whether good or bad. So prepare for some funny, accurate, or outrageous responses from people all over the world!

Sean, Ireland
“Our perspective of Americans is they are very image based and can be quite loud. They are also fun at parties cause they want to get as drunk as the Irish!”

William, Spain
“Americans are very proud people, very patriotic. America is the most powerful country in the world. Everyone sees it as two states: California and New York.”

Tim, Slovenia
“People still find America as something special. I know a bunch of people who are dreaming about living in America… My friend ordered special beer and chips for the Super Bowl just to feel more American. Everything we know is from TV, it doesn’t really represent you in a good way I think. We think you are nationalist and that you think you are better that anybody… You dictate wars (Vietnam, Iraq) you are the leaders and nobody really likes leaders/dictators. I don’t think partying in Europe is really different than America but we just don’t make a movie about all the shit we do (ex: Project X). ”

Charolette, UK
“Americans use ‘awesome’ all the time. Portion sizes are a lot bigger in America: a large portion in Britian is extra extra extra large in America. Every one in America drives an automatic car and never a manual car. Roads must be unsafe when 15-year-olds are driving sports cars on the road. Everyone has perfect white teeth… Everyone drinks elaborate Starbucks with really long names. You could easily get lost in Wal-Mart! It’s so big!”

Sara, Italy
“In Italy we think that American people eat a lot in McDonalds and so most of them are fat. There’s a strong gap between rich and poor. Teenagers are like in the films…they do extreme sex and have a very bad relationship with their parents. The idea we have is them with the red glasses (solo cups). On the coast people are always in the swimming pool or in the gym to show their perfect body during the summer and attract men.”

Rob, UK
“I think you are all nasally but a good stereotype is that you’re really enthusiastic.”

Kimberly, Belgium
“Americans tend to be the loudest in the room but once you get over that fact, you can see how hospitable and kind they are. If I had to base myself on Erica and the other American people I met during Erasmus and not just on what I learned in books and Uni, I would say that they have big hearts, will help you no matter what, and are eager to learn about new people and their culture.”

Farah, Egypt
“In Egypt, most people might think that americans are ALL like the characters we see in movies but of course they’re not, they’re normal people with normal lives just like us, maybe a bit different but I think we are all alike in a way!! I won’t say that americans are all the same, but somehow, most of the americans that I’ve encountered, happen to be some of the nicest, sweetest, whole-hearted & kindest people that I would like to say, I am lucky enough to have in my life.”

Pippa, UK
“With the enthusiasm everything is done on a larger scale, like everything is bigger and more celebrated and more of a big deal. We also think British people are more subtle. If you compare comedy we use hints of sarcasm a lot more whereas American comedy is more upfront.”

Alvaro, Spain
“The stereotype is fat people with guns who think Spain is Mexico. But that’s just the mega stereotype version, no offense.”

Anonymous, Germany
“American people are very open-minded and friendly to foreigners. We experienced that they don’t know a lot about other countries and cultures but that could be because their own country is so big. Well, I don’t know much about American food but I can only think of fast food and greasy stuff.”

Poppy, Irish
“I get the impression that the food culture is a bit different. Obviously America is a melting pot and you have so much variety but also lots of weird variety that I feel shouldn’t constitute as food. Like all the weird candy, etc. Even for example peanut butter (except that stuff is great). Americans dramatize everything, everything is exaggerated. Look how big Christmas and Thanksgiving are and the stores.”

Lin, Taiwan
“Taiwanese people admire American culture, music, tv, education system, economic development and political status. It’s like an icon that we would like to achieve. And for me, the EE. UU. (United States) is all about freedom to be who you are, do what you want, because they accept all the differences which I love the most. Among all the American people I know, they are confident, direct and open minded.”

If you’re reading this and have anything else to add, please feel free to comment (all in good fun of course)! And if you enjoyed this post please share on your timeline!

I’ve had the time of my life abroad. This is my last post before heading back to the states. I just wanted to take the time to say that everyone I’ve met here has impacted my life in one way or another and I’ve made life long friends who I will keep in my heart until the next time we are reunited!

How to Survive Public Transportation in Europe

I have to say, it’s been quite and adventure going from using literally no public transportation in America to relying solely on public transport in Europe. Not only do I want to share with you the best ways to use public transportation in Europe, but also the cheapest ways for a traveler on budget.

Bus Systems:

The majority of local buses I’ve used have been in the city I study in, Oviedo. For those planning on study abroad or au pairing, I recommend checking out the city bus station for a card. I have a student card that is cheaper than the normal bus fair and there are also other offers for buying a certain amount of trips on your card. In Paris I saved myself from an expensive taxi ride by asking the locals for some help finding the bus that stops closest to our hotel. There are even night buses in cities like Paris that run really late so you don’t have to worry about the subway closing down for the night. I also used a public bus in Italy. Don’t get confused when the bus driver doesn’t ask you to pay getting on. In Italy and even in Paris, people would hop on and off the bus without paying the fair, but please realize that it’s not legal just because the majority does it.

The next step up are buses that transport from city to city. The most common used in Spain is Alsa. Depending on the destination distance, it can be a good option for traveling a city or two over. The prices have a wide range from really cheap to not-so-much, but I’d only recommend it for distances within a couple hours or else you could find better options.

Trains:

There are high speed trains that are more common for cross-country use and then there are the normal ones that are great for getting across the state. Check out Renfe while you are in Europe, they are more spacious than the bus and a lot quicker since they don’t deal with traffic. I’d recommend this for further distances to major cities like from Barcelona to Madrid, or Madrid to Sevilla.

Metro / Underground Subway

My highest recommendation for in-city travel is the Metro. Warning though: I do not recommend the metro for those carrying around more than one carry-on sized suitcase. You have to hop on and off different lines and there are a ton of stairs to climb from one line to the next so wait until you’ve dropped your bag off at you accommodations to use this method. One app on my phone that has been a life saver is MetrO. Look for the app with the symbol at the right. In wifi or with data you can download the city of pretty much any metro in the world and it will download all the connections. From that point on you don’t need wifi to access the routes when you’re down in the subway. I can type in any two metro station points and it tells me what line I need to get on and in what direction, the lines you need to change and at which stops, how many stops are in between a single line and an estimated amount of time it takes to get from the two stations. I used it in Paris, Italy and Madrid and couldn’t be more thankful.

BlaBlaCar

For my fellow non-EU readers, you may be thinking ‘what in God’s name is BlaBlaCar?’ I myself was very weary to this concept when arriving but it’s my number one recommendation to everyone when traveling from city to city. This system works better in some countries than in others: highly reliable in Spain, not too reliable in Italy. Basically there is a website where a driver registers themselves, their car, their experience and they have a profile where people can rate and write reviews on their trips with the driver. I can create a profile and search for blablacars that are departing from any city and going to the destination I desire. You can write a public inquiry about that specific journey on the forum and if you decided to reserve a spot the company will hold your money. They send you an email with a code and the drivers phone number for personal contact about meeting points, etc. The driver doesn’t get paid until you give them the code after arriving safety to the final destination. It’s very legitimate and the absolute cheapest way to travel. I’ve used this method the most for in-country distances and it works great.

European Planes

The reason I’m including this section is because if you plan to travel from country to country and use a European plane company you should know a few things. Iberia and Vueling are good companies among others, but not necessarily the cheapest. The cheapest by far is RyanAir but you need to be extremely careful when using this company, especially for non-EU citizens. If you chose RyanAir for in-state flights it’s a little easier because you can skip the “check-in” step. But for traveling state to state be mindful that you have to go to the check-in before passing security and get your boarding pass stamped by a passport check. For any passengers of RyanAir, EU citizen or not, you need to print out your boarding pass before hand or else you are charged 70€ (I kid you not). There is absolutely no order for boarding the plane even though you are assigned a seat number and the lines for boarding any RyanAir flight starts forming as soon as the gate details are released. So please get there as soon as possible because if you’re in the back it will be harder to find overhead space for your bag. And just about every time, half the people in the back have to check their carry-on bag for free because there isn’t space on board. All of these factor into the most stressful of traveling situations but it is the absolute cheapest. I flew round trip from Spain to Italy for only 61€ on RyanAir compared to a pricey 200€ round-trip ticket to Paris with Vueling. So it may be worth your while when traveling on a budget!

Trial and error is how to become an expert of public transportation, but in the end you can make a trip extremely less expensive if you drift away from the typical touristic way of traveling around.  If you enjoyed this post, read up on my top reasons to study abroad for a semester!

The Education System in a Different Continent

You may be wondering, does Erica even go to classes? I realize that, yes, none of my posts have pertained to the principle reason I ventured here. So to mark my “half way” point (already?!) with my semester in an entirely different continent, I’ll expand on the major educational differences I’ve experienced.

I’d like to start off by saying that I’ve decided American students are unadventurous and comfortable people. Many of the Erasmus students come from all over Europe. Studying in another country is very much the norm. For them it seems to not be a matter of if they will go abroad, but when. I have met less than a handful of American students here, yet I cannot tell you how many German and Italian students I have met in Oviedo. For them, it’s a cultural thing to study in another European country and take classes in a new language. Americans seem to be impressed when a student is trying to master a second language, whereas many European students know three: English, their native language, and working on a third of their choice. I’m vastly impressed by the passion these students have for becoming trilingual and I wish that it was more culturally ingrained in American students.

The building I go to for my Business and Marketing classes.

In España particularly, the college life is rather relaxed and so are the teachers! None of my professors have taken attendance, not once the entire semester. If you don’t go to class, the teachers don’t really care as long as you’re turning in the assignments and doing something to learn the material on your own time. Americans are so punctual, that on time is late. Last semester I had a teacher that started taking attendance before class even started because there were 80 students! Every class she would take attendance and she started early so that by the time class was suppose to start she would be nearly done with attendance. Also, in America, missing more than two unexcused classes counts against your final grade. Attendance here doesn’t factor into your grade and the only person accountable of your presence is you. One of my classes here doesn’t start until ten minutes after the scheduled time because the teacher never comes before that; being tardy is no big deal at all. Another reason why classes are lenient on punctuality is because the overwhelming majority of students take the public bus to school. Buses can be late, stuck in traffic, extra slow at busier bus stops, etc.

Another grand difference is the workload. In past semesters I can’t tell you how many tests, homework assignments, mini group projects and in class work, I would have on a day-to-day basis. It worries me a little that I’ve only had one test between all the classes I am taking. And this one test just happened in the middle semester with only ten questions. At least in America I felt like I was actually preparing the entire year for the final exam. My classes are hardly interactive here and the lecture styles are very traditional.

I’ve talked with some of my friends in other places of Europe and have learned a little about the cultural structure of their schooling as well. For one thing, go to Germany for college! My German friends tell me how it hardly cost more than a couple hundred Euros a semester (if that) because they don’t pay a tuition there. In some countries of Europe it only is three years to get a bachelor degree; furthermore in Spain particularly it’s only one year to get a master’s. Another popular concept in Europe is a gap year. I wish this was more encouraged in America! Many of the secondary institutes here graduate high school at age 16. From there they can go to another type of schooling that “preps” you for college and then you go straight into a university from there. Or it is also extremely common to take a gap year when you graduate and travel around or do whatever else you want to before going back into school. Speaking of graduation, my Irish friend was telling me how it isn’t really celebrated when you’re done with high school. They just say they got their certification and they go to a Mass in Ireland with all the graduated students. She thought it was pretty different how Americans have family fly in from all over to go to the graduation ceremony, throw a party and take an insane amount of pictures.

Aside from proper education, there is an extremely high demand here for teaching children English. Many of my native English speaking friends have jobs either in an elementary school (no certification, training or test needed) or as private tutors. And the pay is really well too! I just started this week teaching two of the most precious kids! The ten-year-old boy already knows English rather well and takes some elective classes in English, whereas the five-year-old girl knows words here and there. Both of them seem eager and happy to learn another language (although that’s not always the case with children).

Nonetheless,  I am thoroughly enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere of learning and so excited to be helping kids learn English!

How to Be a Native Spaniard in One Month

I’ve been studying here a little over a month and I’ve been told that I’ve adapted extremely well considering it’s my first time in Europe. But to be a Spaniard on top of being European came even more as a challenge considering it’s a more “traditional” state. Below are some issues I’ve encountered and integrated into my lifestyle since living abroad.

• Use Cash Everywhere
  • You would definitely look like a foreigner if you used your credit or debit card everywhere, especially for anything under €20. In America, it’s super typical for me to use my card for everything, I hardly carry cash on me. It’s normally for Americans to never use their coins and even stash a jar of collected coins to later turn in for bigger bills because they are so unused. But here, you use down to every last cent.

• Use a Bus Pass and Walk Everywhere
  • Normally the public bus costs €1.05 if you don’t have any sort of pass. But being a student, I get one of the biggest discounts per trip and only have to pay €0.77 every time I use it. I have a card that I load money on, usually about 20 to 30 trips and that will last me about 3 weeks. But don’t get too comfortable with the bus system because the best way to learn the map of a city is by walking. When I first got here I didn’t know the roads at all so I just took the bus everywhere no matter how close or far. It wasn’t until I started walking to get to places that I really came to know every turn of the city. It took me a solid 3 weeks to feel like I knew the city rather well. I only use the bus to go to and from school campuses because I’m on a strict timeline. If not, I’m fine with walking to the center of city to meet with some friends that take around 25 minutes (if the weather is bearable).

 

• Don’t Buy More Groceries Than You Can Carry
  • This is a big one. In America we drive to the supermarket and have this huge rolling cart to fit enough food to last too long for my taste. But here the food is very fresh and has much less preservatives so you only buy for what you need the next couple days to a week. The Alimerka store is only a 2-3 minute walking distance from my apartment but coming back from the grocery it’s uphill. I always bring my school backpack and upon checkout fill it up so I have to carry less. Also, it’s extremely uncommon to spend €50 or more in one trip. Whereas in America, it’s easy to spend anywhere between $150 to $300 in one shopping trip.

• Actually Relax on Sundays
  • Spain is a very traditional country but it did surprise me when I first arrived here that everything is closed on Sundays. Yes, even the groceries, sorry mom. So I am basically forced to rest on Sundays and catch up on whatever work I have. I love it but at the same time it can be frustrating. Oh, on top of that most stores here are closed between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. So make sure you actually use “siesta” time to your advantage.

• Stay out Late on Weekends
  • They eat dinner late here and party until even later. Dinner is between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The outting here are ridiculously late compared to America. Clubs in America close by 3 a.m. and usually no one is partying after that point. But here, bars and “Discos” are open all hours of the night or until most the people have gone home. Apparently here in Oviedo there is a disco that doesn’t even open until 5 a.m. because it’s the after party place. But most nights that I am out, no one even considers going home until 3 a.m. and usually we are home and in bed by 4:30 or 5 a.m. But for those reading this freaking out that I am out all hours and how dangerous. Tranquilla, because Oviedo is one of the safest cities in all of Spain. And actually the cleanest, every time I walk home late at night there are workers spraying down the streets with water. Every night.

So now, if you ever have an extended stay in Spain, you know what to expect and how to semi blend in with the locals. It’s so much more fun to be a local of a foreign community than the typical tourist. Enjoy the culture and embrace it to it’s fullest!

Foreign Friends with Common Interest: Amigos Extraños con Intereses Similar

I came to this country not knowing a single person, besides my native flatmate I talked to virtually. I was most worried about not doing any of the things I wanted because I wouldn’t find good friends to go out with. The first two weeks I was a little bummed because I was staying home with no plans on the weekends. But it was just a matter of time before no friends became a sea of familiar faces when I went to Tapas Tuesday this week.

It all stared because of this beautiful oxymoron we call social media. Many today believe social media is actually making people antisocial but depending on how you use it, it could be the only way to begin being social in a foreign place.

Someone posted on the ESN (Eurasum Student Network) Facebook page that they wanted to go hiking on the weekend. An great response of people suggested we meet up the day before to prepare the details of the trip. I decided to meet with this group of strangers whose only common interest established was hiking. And it was the best decision I’ve made. I met ten people, none of which were from America, and we planned out the trip to Mieres, a city 25 minutes south of Oviedo. Afterward a gentleman made small talk with me about school here as an international student. Somehow this led to an invite of a party he was attending that night. Now, yes we all know not to ‘go out with random strangers’ but I feel in this situation it was quite different. He was a fellow international student who I would be hiking with the following day so it made sense that I would accept my first night out to this party. We met up and he introduced me to some others that he’s met, which was a girl from Portugal and the other from China. We went to this party where I met more students from Ireland and the UK. It was a great beginning to my week of new friendships.

My hike up the asturian mountain!

The following day at hiking, the 12 of us made the most gorgeous hike I’ve ever endured. It was a six hour hike on the Vegalafonte trail and although my foot’s blister worsen, it was beyond worth it. I mingled with students from Germany, Whales, Czech Republic, and of course Ireland. We packed a lunch and sat at this small meadow that overlooked the asturian mountain range. The pictures don’t even give justice to the view that I saw for hours. I would highly recommend this trail to anyone planning to visit Asturias, Spain.

Aside from hiking, the past weekend still commenced the festivities of San Mateo. There were fireworks Saturday evening down at Parque Inviernes (where I took that breaktaking hike I mentioned in a previous blog). Sunday the girl I met from Portugal invited me out and it was one of the last days of the festival. I was so excited to realize that someone wanted to hang out with me. That night we met up for drinks and she introduced me to some friends she met that are from Turkey! How incredible is it that there are so many foreign students and yet we all become such great friends and find so many common interests.

Through ESN, I signed up to go surfing Monday at San Juan de Nievas. We had school off that day because it was the official Day of San Mateo. I went there already seeing a few familiar faces, even though when I signed up I didn’t plan on knowing anyone. One girl was from the UK that I met at the first party I attended and two German girls that are in my project group for one of my classes! From connections they have made, I continued to meet new friends from Italy, Belgium and another Irish girl. I can’t believe I can say that I’ve been surfing in Spain, how cool is that! It was extremely difficult, rained the entire time and was pretty cold. But weather aside, it was such a fun and exhausting experience. I can see why people have such a passion for it.

All of these events lead me to the Tapas Tuesday night where I saw I little bit of everyone from who I’ve encountered over my past few excursions. Never had I imagined that I would be out so often (and so late) with people who are all over the world, yet all so similar to myself. The coolest feeling ever was being with a group of people and conversations were held in four different languages in the same sitting. And the beautiful thing is the majority of students know more than one of these languages so no one is left out. Sometimes people don’t even realize they started talking to me in a language that I don’t know!

Really and truly I never imagined to meet and befriend so many people so quickly. I can’t believe this is just week three of school and already so many events have happened. Let the festivities of studying abroad official begin!

My surfing buddies, Kimberly from Belgium and Jenny from Ireland.

Adjusting to a Spanish World & Culture: Ajustando al Mundo Española.

What an adventure these past two weeks have been! After coming as a tourist for a week visiting Barcelona, Oviedo, Gijón and Madrid I have finally been knocked in the face by reality as an exchange student.

Enjoying the abundant amounts of Sangria found here.

After waving goodbye to my family as they rushed away in a taxi my whole world came crashing in the realization that I’m alone. 100% truly alone in another country across “The Pond” called the Atlantic. Anxiety put my heart through my chest traveling back to Oviedo from Madrid by a five hour train ride. Once getting back I mapped out my schedule for the semester since class started the next day. It was a hard pill to swallow when finding out all three of my classes were at different campuses and one was even outside of the city! I had no idea that Marketing would be in Gijón and I couldn’t find a way to justify going all the way out there while having other classes in the same day.

That’s when I met my first angel (besides María, my amazingly helpful roommate). Alan Wall, the director who handles the exchange students of economics, calmed my fears when he told me there was another Marketing class that was in the close campus, in Oviedo. Only this class is in Spanish and hadn’t been approved by my director at home. I quickly got in contact with my Director at home and got my class approved by the department head and my academic advisor. I had no clue I would encounter so many difficulties upon arriving.

So two of my classes are in Spanish: Marketing and Español Normativo. My third class, Business Management, is in English. But things just couldn’t be that easy for me, now could it? After my first day of class I was working on my computer when it died. I plugged it into my converter (that a friend so generously lent to me) and it wouldn’t charge. The converter works fine for my phone and ipad but my computer was utterly useless, extremely strange.

My gorgeous view from the walk I went on in Parque Invierno

So week one went by rather slow and I encountered some difficulties, academic and personally. I’m not accustomed to being in solitude for large quantities of time. But the weekend was the most painful because I had no plans and finished the entire second half of a book. Looking at the map, I had seen a huge park that I wanted to walk through. Oviedo is in the mountains and nothing makes me feel God’s presence like when I see mountains. I spend 3.5 hours just walking this seemingly endless trail that winds through the mountains and streams. I just put my headphone in a praised God the entire time. I spent time self reflecting on my weaknesses and what I really want to get out of this trip abroad.

Parade from the San Mateo Festival

The other highlight of my time here has been the wonderful festival happening called San Mateo that lasts for ten days. Last weekend was the beginning of it so Saturday my roommate, her boyfriend and I headed down to the central park “Parque de San Fransisco” where rows of booths are set up selling authentic food and wine of different Spanish dishes. The amount of pedestrians here, and Spain in general, is dumbfounding. I have never walked so much in my entire life. The festivities continue into this weekend and oddly enough today was the “Día de America en Asturias” and there was a fantastic parade that marched down the central shopping street, Calle Uría. It was so neat to see how they celebrate my country and the different floats that interpreted their idea of our culture.

Parade from the San Mateo Festival

When the parade concluded I met with a group of Erasmus Students (name for exchange students within Europe) to make hiking plans for tomorrow. My favorite part was that there were ten of us and no one else is from the US. People from Poland, Germany, Whales, Ireland, and even Czech Republic were there! I’m so blessed that the ESN Organization (Erasmus Student Network) has helped me find people with the same interests and going through the same thing I am. It was because of that meeting that a new friend helped me find a working adapter that, praise the Lord Jesus, works!

And that, my friends, is how I came to be where I am at this very moment. I’m still getting settled but nonetheless better every day. Below are some pictures of my highlights so far. I can’t wait to keep you posted on the next crazy adventure! Hiking tomorrow and maybe surfing Monday. Also I’m official signed up for a trip to León next weekend. I can’t wait to travel and meet as many new people as I possibly can in my short four months here.

Read about the major differences I found between Europe and America.

Madrid, Spain. Inside the Royal Palace

Grandest Church in the world, inside of La Sagrada Familia

The most amazing site of Barcelona Skyline is at La Iglesia Tibidabo!

European Culture from the Eyes of an American

I have been in Europe for only one week and there are already so many differences between the culture and the way of life. I am studying abroad in Spain for a semester and the first week I have traveled with my family all over the country.

Transportation:
First, in Barcelona I immediately noticed how the culture has embraced and adopted the public transportation system. The subway in Barcelona was built about 20 years ago for the Summer Olympics. The system is very easy and it’s the most common way to get around the entire city. In America, we consider ourselves very independent and own at least one car in a family household. Pubic transportation systems in America could be implemented and transform our culture in the way it has created such efficiency in Europe.

Housing:
I also noticed there that although there are houses in Barcelona, many people choose to live in apartments. Many more people flock to the inner cities since it’s close walking distant to all. Which leads me to my next point, you walk EVEREYWHERE in the cities of Spain. I’ve never seen so many pedestrians in my life. America has far and few cities that are modeled in a similar light as Europe. New Orleans, New York City and Boston are one of the few.

Food:
Bread and Ham are eaten all the time and can be found almost everywhere. Jamón is eaten here the way chicken is eaten in America. There are bakeries and meateries all over. The food in general is so much fresher here: instead of grocery shopping once a week or even once every other week like us American, the Spaniards shop for fresh food a couple times a week. Therefore their fridgerators are much smaller in comparison.

After Barcelona, we took a flight to Oviedo. This is the small town in which I will call home for the next four months. There I learned a few more things about the culture.

Living the simple life:
Once leaving the big cities, you will come to find that the smaller places enjoy living the simple life. Both in Gijón (a beach town half an hour from Oviedo) and in Oviedo the buildings are old and have been preserved in that manner to keep the culture and history. But because of this, the apartments and hotels run a simple lifestyle. I moved into my apartment and met my Spaniard roommate Maria. I discovered that I have no air conditioning, I have no dryer, and I have no dishwasher. All are things most Americans would consider a necessity.

Nightlife:
Us Americans seem like duds compared to the lifestyle Europeans live out at night. Most stores close during the day, anywhere between 2pm-5pm. This is meant to be a “siesta” time of rest and relaxation. At night all the stores open back up until well past 11 p.m. Dinner for the locals can range anywhere between 9:30 p.m. and 11p.m. On another note, the bars and “discos” (which are clubs) are open and busy until around 4 a.m.

I’ve only been here a week and not only have I started to appreciate the American cultures, but also learned to embrace and enjoy the European culture. Next I am headed to Madrid to learn and see more of what this country has to offer.

Follow me to keep up with my adventures abroad at my Abroad Category.

Making Connections: Estilo Español

I have met a few amazing people who have helped me tremendously on my preparation journey for Spain. The director of exchange students at USF gave my email to two girls currently in the same program that I will be attending in the fall. Both of them have recently emailed me, and I must say, I would be quite lost without them!

One of the girls has been emailing back and forth with me from Spain about all the problems she ran into in preparing for her departure and what I should be doing at this point in time. She told me that she had researched about 20 different apartments in Oviedo and is currently living at one that she highly recommends I live at considering it’s only 5 minutes from school, 10 minutes from nightlife and right around the corner from the bus and train station. How perfect! Que perfecto!

She also helped me a TON with the process of attaining my visa. I am preparing to book my appointment to the Spanish Embassy in Miami, FL for the end of June. She said I should do it 8 weeks prior to my departure so I have plenty of time to get it before I leave. She said she almost couldn’t go because of having troubles with her visa.

Aside from advancing in my preparations, one of my friends from a mutual club mentioned to me that she knows a guy studying here at USF, who comes from Uni Ovi (Universidad de Oviedo) where I’ll be studying. Tell me, what are the odds?!? So crazy! She connected us in a Facebook chat and we made plans for lunch to talk all about life in Oviedo. He was born and raised there, a good portion of his family is there and he even went to school for undergrad at UniOvi. We met up for lunch today and spent an hour and a half switching off from Spanish and English about all of Spain. He showed me where the girl’s currently in Oviedo are staying at and how the apartment was right across the street from the main inner city of Oviedo. Looking at a map of it now, I am so much more comfortable about the city since I actually can tell where things are located. I still can’t get over how you can walk everywhere in Europe cities and there is public transportation to take you near, far, here or there.

Making these connections have only made me more confident and more excited about my travels to Spain and that I will do well there. It’s a scary thought that I will be doing this all alone over there, but my heart is overwhelmed with the opportunities God has blessed me with. This will be the most memorable and note-worthy experience I’ve had in my life and I can’t wait to get it started!

Until next time! Chao 🙂

Como se dice “Countdown to Spain”

Now that my finals are over, I have lots to tell you about the update on my study abroad program. Last week I got my final class approved for Spain. So the four classes I have approved are Basic Management, Intro to Marketing, Expository Writing (Spanish) and Advanced Grammar/Composition (Spanish). I had to go to each of the department heads to get their approval. One of them was so funny, I went to get Management approved and the guy had been to over 50 countries so we sat for a half hour talking about everything Europe. I went to my academic adviser last week to get her to sign off that they count toward my degree and now it’s in the hands of my exchange program director.

I’ve been to two sessions the past couple of weeks: Financial Aid and Well

ness. Both were very informative and make me want to leave abroad sooner than August. My director, Rene Sanchez, is amazing! He sent off my application to Spain but apparently I won’t get my acceptance letter until June. I just about freaked out when he told me that. My parents and some of my extended family wants to come up with me a week early to travel and get me settled in. But my mom was suppose to ask off her days for the year in January. I can’t wait until June to tell her. So today I emailed UniOvi (Universidad de Oviedo) to see if anyone could give me the internationals orientation date to give me an idea of when we need to book our tickets.

Speaking of, one of my friends knows the guy who is ambassador of UniOvi and studying abroad here at USF! She connected us on facebook and we are going to meet up so he can tell me all about the college and city there. He’ll even be back in his home country when I am studying there so I may actually know someone while abroad! It’s very comforting to know so many people are willing to help me as I freak out in preparation for my trip.

Also, there are two girls from USF that are studying abroad there now so my director gave me their email and hopefully they can give me the low down of everything since they are going through everything I will be in the fall.

I’m so excited for whatever comes next in this process and I will keep you more updated, now that final exams are over for the semester. Every advancement in my preparation process takes me one step closer to Spain. I can’t wait! Four more months untill I leave, let the countdown begin!