That was basically my catch phrase on Sunday. I got to Madrid with a thankfully uneventful flight. Actually, it was beautiful because when the plane took off from the Philadelphia airport, the sun was just setting, and when we arrived in Madrid, the sun was just beginning to rise. The sight was wonderful both times, and it melted a little bit of the fear away.
Anyway, on Sunday my host father and the oldest sister picked me up from the airport and brought me home. I slept for a couple of hours and immediately went with the older sister to her friend's birthday barbecue party. We took the bus to get there and we had to run really fast to the bus station because we were very late. In all, it was an interesting first experience with the transportation in Madrid. Everyone at the barbecue was super nice and patient with me. They all laughed whenever I tried to say something because I kept mixing up the little Spanish I knew with Italian, English, and French. I also didn't (and still kind of don't) know how to conjugate verbs in the past, so I kept saying I didn't know how to talk in the past and I talked all in the present with wild hand gestures to indicate that I wasn't actually describing the present. Who knows, they laughed a lot. And despite all that, I managed to have some intense conversations, I loved it!
Then on Monday I tried to go to the university where I will be taking classes starting on October 4th. But since I'm really not into asking people for directions, especially in a language I don't know, I tried to figure out the train system by myself... huge mistake, also considering the fact that I have absolutely no sense of direction. I ended up taking a million wrong trains and when I finally got to the university, I found out (after a while of walking around aimlessly, asking myself whether I had the courage to go up and ask someone where I was) that this university campus wasn't the main campus, it was the "external" one. So basically, I spent three hours trying to get to this place just to find out that it wasn't where I wanted to go in the first place. But at least I got to know the train station, and I'm very happy with it. The transportation system in Madrid, and probably just generally in Spain, is very well-organized and clean. The trains are on time and there is logic to everything. It's funny, when you get on the train, everyone is super quiet. When people start talking, it sounds really weird. Usually, the only sound you can hear are people flipping pages in their newspapers. It's peaceful though... and a perfect ambience for sleeping.
Today I finally got to the right place, and I LOVED it. Madrid is a city with a very urban feel: the buildings are new and modern, inside and out. Instead, the little city, called Alcalá de Henares, where my university is located, is much different. It's about an hour away by train and it is much more rural. The buildings are visibly older and very beautiful. There is a hint of medieval architecture as well as some Arab architecture, and the mix is wonderful. My university, Alcalingua, is part of the larger Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, but it is located in a old-looking building about ten minutes away from the central campus. Inside, the building is full of classrooms with smartboards and foreigners - today, I heard people speaking Italian, Russian, Chinese, and English. It's just amazing! On Monday, I have to go to Alcalingua to take a placement test, both oral and written, for my level of Spanish. I'm nervous! But I'm still really excited, everything about the school is very positive. I think I accomplished a lot today: I even got up the courage to ask people questions along the way, to make sure I was going the right way!
As for other adventures, today I was stalled by a gypsy who read me my fortune and then demanded that I pay her 50 euros, which I obviously didn't have and didn't want to give her anyway. She managed to get 6 euros out of me though.. Also, I started my daily three hours of working - from 4:30 to 7:30 I talk in English with the youngest daughter of the family. I teach her piano, do some reading with her, and then we go to the park. It's pretty relaxing work, I like it. Also today, I helped the second youngest son do his French homework and then he explained some Spanish grammar to me. Who know the "b" and "v" sound the same? No wonder I get so confused! He's so funny though, I love it. And the second to oldest daughter, who's sixteen, showed me these drawings she did.. she's so talented! I told her that she has to teach me, so maybe I'll come back a talented artist too haha, except probably not. She also showed me these two short poems from Bécquer, a Spanish poet, which I really liked:
"¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras
clavas en mi pupila tu pupila azul.
¡Qué es poesía! ¿Y tú me lo preguntas?
Poesía... eres tú."
"Por una mirada, un mundo;
por una sonrisa, un cielo;
por un beso... yo no sé
que te diera por un beso."
Anyway, I should probably get to bed. Apparently, tomorrow there is going to be a strike because the parliament just passed a law about working and the labor unions are trying to get everyone, especially the transportation system, to go on strike tomorrow. I picked up a pamphlet today to see what it was all about, but it'll take me a while to read it and understand it. We'll see what happens though. Tomorrow's adventure for me is to go to a phone store and get a SIM card. We'll also see how THAT goes.
Right now, I feel very much at home. I'm having some difficulties with the language barrier, but I feel fortunate to feel at ease within the culture and the European atmosphere. I love walking around in the city and knowing that I'm not a complete stranger. In my room, I stuck a large bright orange post-it on my bulletin board that says NO TENGO NINGÚN MIEDO (I have no fear). :)
Pictures aren't uploading right now - my Internet is sometimes slow here. I'll get them up when I can!
miércoles, 29 de septiembre de 2010
sábado, 25 de septiembre de 2010
The Beginning
"The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.
'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'"
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
This is the beginning, a new chapter. I have finished IB, graduated high school, and had an incredible summer full of new experiences. Today, I leave for Madrid, Spain!
I have deferred my acceptance to NYU Global Liberal Studies for one year. During that time, I will be living in Madrid with a host family and studying Spanish grammar and culture at la Universidad de Alcalá Henares. As is the deal with my host family, I will be speaking English for three hours with their children every weekday. On the weekends, I will have time to study, travel, and experience Spain and Europe. I'll be coming back to my family in the States for 'winter break' from December 10th to January 7th. For the rest of the year - the end of September to the end of May - my home will be Madrid, Spain.
I am excited beyond anything words could express. I can't wait to board the plane. I've been planning all my travels in the next few years, and I can't believe how lucky I am, to be able to make the world mine. My desire to see new people, learn new languages, and absorb new cultures is boundless. My dream is to be as big as the world.
I'm also way, way scared. It isn't my first time traveling around the world or traveling alone. I have been traveling since I was six, when my family and I first came to the US from Italy, where I was born. I've been to distant places, I've been in situations where I could not contact my parents for a few weeks.
Yet, this is my first time being almost completely independent. This is my first time packing up my room and going to a place foreign to me for months on end. This is my first time going to a country where I do not know the language. I went to Mali, West Africa two years ago, and even there, I had a group of students with whom I could talk in English. I had translators who could help me express myself in Bambara, the village's dialect. But I don't speak Spanish. I've only ever studied French throughout school; I've never taken a Spanish class. I speak Italian, which will help me, but I couldn't hold any sort of conversation in Spanish past the "hello, how are you, my names is..." part.
I'm sure it isn't as scary as I'm imagining it. I'm sure that as soon as I get over the culture shock, I will be as comfortable as can be. Once I realize that I can find the words to make my way around the country, I'll be okay. I am reassured by the thought that I'm going to Europe, and, what's more, to a place that is close to Italy, which I know well. I'm not going to a country where the culture is the opposite of mine.
But beyond fears, I am ready to go. I have a huge list of things to buy and things to remember and things to pack, but I am ready to begin my studies and my travels.
A little bit more about me: I love to learn. I'm extremely energetic. I love to travel, to learn languages, to read, to write, to volunteer, to meet new people, to converse, to listen to music and sing loudly off-key, and to dream. I love sunflowers, balconies, the ocean, exclamation points (I get made fun of constantly by my friends about how many exclamation points I use), and being around children. I love poetry above all things, besides my family and my friends.
I also have never actually kept up a serious blog before, so excuse my sounding so conceited - I usually dislike writing about myself. I just want to give you a picture of me before I start blogging about Spain!
I also have a plan for the next five years, which I know it sounds crazy, but just listen for a second. I have it all loosely figured out, mostly because of the requirements and rigidity of my program at NYU. I know I'm about to sound like an NYU pamphlet, but bear with me - I ADORE my program and NYU in general. The Global Liberal Studies program is one in which students take specific classes each year and study the cultures of the world, including their literature, politics, history, philosophy, and more. The program is rooted in sending students abroad junior year, after they intensively learn a language their sophomore year, so as to immerse themselves in both the language and the culture of the country, thus truly becoming one with its people. Also, the students all pick a region in the world and study, in-depth, its history, culture, politics, etc. Basically, this is the best program in the world.
So anyway, as for my plan: this year, I'm spending a gap year in Spain. The year after, I'm going to be a freshman at NYU... in Paris! (The Global Liberal Studies program in which I'm enrolled allows students to go abroad their freshman year.) My sophomore year, I'll be in New York, and my junior year, as my program requires, I'll study abroad once more - I'm thinking of learning Chinese and going to China, but that could change and I have plenty of time to decide thankfully. Then, as a senior, I'll live in New York and become part of the class of 2015. After that, I would love going to the Peace Corps for two years, but we'll see where life takes me.
In any case, the point of this blog is to write about these next few years. It's mostly for my family to know what I've been doing (phone calls won't be enough to cover everything!), but you're welcome to keep up with my adventures! I'm a bit of an over-talker and over-writer, meaning I could go on for days talking and writing about what I've seen and thought and learned and read, so please bear with me!
I'd love comments on where to go and things to do, for people who have been to these countries before. I've never been to Spain, Paris, or China, for starters, so I'll let you know what my first impressions are. Or if you just want to give me general feedback on what I said, please go ahead! Respond to what you'd like, tell me about your own travels, give me titles of books and poetry to read, or movies to watch.
Finally, here is where everything starts, the beginning of this coming year. At the end of the year, everything will come to an end, and a new year, a new chapter, will begin. Since this is not the first chapter of my life, as I've had many, many others previous to this one, and since, in my mind, every passing year is a chapter, I'll call this Chapter 18.
So, welcome to Chapter 18!
I'm including a picture of a beautiful Plaza near my host family's house called Plaza de Castilla. The two buildings you see in the picture are really cool, I can't wait to actually see them.
_02.jpg)
I'm so excited!
:)
'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'"
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
This is the beginning, a new chapter. I have finished IB, graduated high school, and had an incredible summer full of new experiences. Today, I leave for Madrid, Spain!
I have deferred my acceptance to NYU Global Liberal Studies for one year. During that time, I will be living in Madrid with a host family and studying Spanish grammar and culture at la Universidad de Alcalá Henares. As is the deal with my host family, I will be speaking English for three hours with their children every weekday. On the weekends, I will have time to study, travel, and experience Spain and Europe. I'll be coming back to my family in the States for 'winter break' from December 10th to January 7th. For the rest of the year - the end of September to the end of May - my home will be Madrid, Spain.
I am excited beyond anything words could express. I can't wait to board the plane. I've been planning all my travels in the next few years, and I can't believe how lucky I am, to be able to make the world mine. My desire to see new people, learn new languages, and absorb new cultures is boundless. My dream is to be as big as the world.
I'm also way, way scared. It isn't my first time traveling around the world or traveling alone. I have been traveling since I was six, when my family and I first came to the US from Italy, where I was born. I've been to distant places, I've been in situations where I could not contact my parents for a few weeks.
Yet, this is my first time being almost completely independent. This is my first time packing up my room and going to a place foreign to me for months on end. This is my first time going to a country where I do not know the language. I went to Mali, West Africa two years ago, and even there, I had a group of students with whom I could talk in English. I had translators who could help me express myself in Bambara, the village's dialect. But I don't speak Spanish. I've only ever studied French throughout school; I've never taken a Spanish class. I speak Italian, which will help me, but I couldn't hold any sort of conversation in Spanish past the "hello, how are you, my names is..." part.
I'm sure it isn't as scary as I'm imagining it. I'm sure that as soon as I get over the culture shock, I will be as comfortable as can be. Once I realize that I can find the words to make my way around the country, I'll be okay. I am reassured by the thought that I'm going to Europe, and, what's more, to a place that is close to Italy, which I know well. I'm not going to a country where the culture is the opposite of mine.
But beyond fears, I am ready to go. I have a huge list of things to buy and things to remember and things to pack, but I am ready to begin my studies and my travels.
A little bit more about me: I love to learn. I'm extremely energetic. I love to travel, to learn languages, to read, to write, to volunteer, to meet new people, to converse, to listen to music and sing loudly off-key, and to dream. I love sunflowers, balconies, the ocean, exclamation points (I get made fun of constantly by my friends about how many exclamation points I use), and being around children. I love poetry above all things, besides my family and my friends.
I also have never actually kept up a serious blog before, so excuse my sounding so conceited - I usually dislike writing about myself. I just want to give you a picture of me before I start blogging about Spain!
I also have a plan for the next five years, which I know it sounds crazy, but just listen for a second. I have it all loosely figured out, mostly because of the requirements and rigidity of my program at NYU. I know I'm about to sound like an NYU pamphlet, but bear with me - I ADORE my program and NYU in general. The Global Liberal Studies program is one in which students take specific classes each year and study the cultures of the world, including their literature, politics, history, philosophy, and more. The program is rooted in sending students abroad junior year, after they intensively learn a language their sophomore year, so as to immerse themselves in both the language and the culture of the country, thus truly becoming one with its people. Also, the students all pick a region in the world and study, in-depth, its history, culture, politics, etc. Basically, this is the best program in the world.
So anyway, as for my plan: this year, I'm spending a gap year in Spain. The year after, I'm going to be a freshman at NYU... in Paris! (The Global Liberal Studies program in which I'm enrolled allows students to go abroad their freshman year.) My sophomore year, I'll be in New York, and my junior year, as my program requires, I'll study abroad once more - I'm thinking of learning Chinese and going to China, but that could change and I have plenty of time to decide thankfully. Then, as a senior, I'll live in New York and become part of the class of 2015. After that, I would love going to the Peace Corps for two years, but we'll see where life takes me.
In any case, the point of this blog is to write about these next few years. It's mostly for my family to know what I've been doing (phone calls won't be enough to cover everything!), but you're welcome to keep up with my adventures! I'm a bit of an over-talker and over-writer, meaning I could go on for days talking and writing about what I've seen and thought and learned and read, so please bear with me!
I'd love comments on where to go and things to do, for people who have been to these countries before. I've never been to Spain, Paris, or China, for starters, so I'll let you know what my first impressions are. Or if you just want to give me general feedback on what I said, please go ahead! Respond to what you'd like, tell me about your own travels, give me titles of books and poetry to read, or movies to watch.
Finally, here is where everything starts, the beginning of this coming year. At the end of the year, everything will come to an end, and a new year, a new chapter, will begin. Since this is not the first chapter of my life, as I've had many, many others previous to this one, and since, in my mind, every passing year is a chapter, I'll call this Chapter 18.
So, welcome to Chapter 18!
I'm including a picture of a beautiful Plaza near my host family's house called Plaza de Castilla. The two buildings you see in the picture are really cool, I can't wait to actually see them.
_02.jpg)
I'm so excited!
:)
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