First week abroad complete!
Before I launch into a long narrative, I would like to thank my dad for this experience. Without him, I wouldn't be here among my friends at our residence hall typing away on this blog. So, thank you papa for all your support and encouragement and most of all for believing in me!
Wow…so I am in Spain! I am still trying to get over how
surreal this is. Exactly one week ago, my group arrived in Madrid. We had
excursions planned the moment we stepped off the airplane—no time to rest! We
went on a walking tour to Palacio Real, where Ferdinand and Isabel lived at one
point. As it was my first time visiting a castle, I was very impressed! We
walked through many rooms in the palace and were able to walk through the
armory. Needless to say, the knight armory and swords caught my eye. The next
day my business program visited Toledo, Spain, a beautiful and historic city
that is amazing. UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site, a title that is
given to locales in the world with major historical and cultural significance.
We visited the place that makes the swords for Hollywood (specifically Lord of
the Rings!) and a beautiful cathedral in the city. Prior to the excursion, I had
no knowledge of this place but am so happy we got to visit it especially since
the river and castle were reminiscent of Hogwarts! Check out this link for
pictures and more information on Toledo: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/379/. Our last day in Madrid was spent at the
Museo del Prado where I was able to put my college art history knowledge to
work. Their selection of Velázquez and Goya paintings is impressive and vast especially
since they have Las Meninas and the
Black Paintings.
I enjoyed our visit to Madrid but the scorching 100+ degree
weather combined with Madrid’s cold and detached city vibe was not for me. We
jumped on a bus to head north through the mountains and valleys for Bilbao. As
we neared Bilbao, the mountains and grass became greener and more lush. My
anticipation for the city and my feelings of relief and excitement after
getting a glimpse of it is indescribable. This city is in a valley surrounded by
colossal green mountains with a river running right through it! Imagine my excitement, especially after
lugging my belongings up to our residence hall nestled in mountains. The view
is breathtaking but the climb up is torturous. I am waiting for my legs to get
used to this!
So, for the past few days we have been taking tours of the
city and university (more detailed posts to come). We drove to Plentzia, a town
on the water about 20 minutes away from Bilbao and although it was cold, the
beach was still beautiful. The next day we visited the Guggenheim Museum. I
didn’t realize the significance of this museum until I spoke with a woman who
traveled from Australia just to see it. The architecture of the building is
incredible and the art inside is worth a trip halfway across the world. That
night, I got to have an authentic Spanish experience! My friends and I went to
a festival in Sopelana, another beach town. There were people in the streets
drinking and dancing to nearby bar music and the streets were packed with
people. My friend compared it to Mardi Gras in the states, but this is incomparable
and the energy was infectious! We left “early” because natives finish their
partying as late as six in the morning.
Flash-forward to today, I have completed my first day of classes!
Not much to report on since the first day is always syllabus day, but I got
placed in the advanced Spanish language class and am taking the International
Business course. So far the Spanish class has been manageable since I can
follow what my instructor is saying and I just finished my reading for intntl
business…ask me about globalization!
So now I can surely say that this first week has been great! I [think] I
fit right in and am looking forward to the next four weeks. Stay tuned for more
posts about random musings! Hasta luego!
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