Tuesday, December 11, 2007

And that's that

It's been 14 and a half weeks, and it's nearly all over. Today was the last day of classes, with only finals standing between me and my departure from this land that has become my second patria. At the beginning of my stay here, I read a newspaper editorial criticizing Americans for their role in the Iraq war, deriding our young soldiers as "sturdy boys" who would rather just listen to their iPods and flirt with Susie Q. With my indignation stirred up, I discussed it with my señora and she told me, "Of course you're upset; it's your country." I never imagined I would feel the same way about Madrid, but at the protest last week in Barcelona calling for Catalonian independence, that same mixture of pride and umbrage swelled within my chest, surprising me with just how attached I have become to my second home.

It hasn't so much been the classes that have left an indelible mark, like they did so memorably for Justin this semester, but instead the process of adaptation - of settling into a city across an ocean and making it a home - that has really defined the essence of this semester. You can bet that the memory of my señora, Olga, easy-going and motherly, will remain with me forever. The same with my host-brother, Luis, party-animal and avid skier. But, most of all, I'll remember the unique experience of stepping out of my American life, if only with one foot, and forging a new path through an unknown terrain. The Vanderbubble, science classes, dorms, rowing, and many more things that are so basic to my life in the US were swept away for a semester to be replaced with bullfights, metro rides, eurotrips, and tortillas, the framework of my adopted Madrileño lifestyle.

From that first silent ride in the taxi from the airport to my new home to the final takeoff from Spanish soil this Sunday, it's been a wild ride for which I couldn't be more thankful.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

La Vida Loca in Barcelona

What a week it's been! With only 11 days left in Madrid (and only 3 days left of classes!), things are wrapping up after a very short semester. And, as I'm sure you all know, the end of the semester means final exams and papers. As such, my life last week centered around writing a paper on the independence of women in the works of Cervantes and searching for a theme from contemporary Spanish history to write about for my Civilization class (currently leaning towards the role of the Church in the Franco regime...exciting, huh?). Luckily, along the way, all the work was punctuated with a ridiculous trip to the bowling alley at "Ice Palace" and a great trip to Barcelona over this past weekend.

In Barcelona, I met up with some friends from Vanderbilt who are currently studying in Aix through Vanderbilt-in-France and some more friends who are in Ireland and Scotland. The day started off a bit late with the last of us not arriving until about 7 pm, so we took it easy the first night, just hanging out and catching up in the hostel lounge and then wandering around the city looking for a good restaurant (we eventually found a great pizza place: always a great standby!), followed by a trip to the Mediterranean beach.

The next day we rolled out of our warm beds trying unsuccessfully to not disturb our random Venezuelan roommate and headed out for some sightseeing. First on the list was the Temple of the Sagrada Familia, a fantastical church designed by Antoni Gaudí that has been under construction since 1882 and is not projected to be finished until around 2030. It's no stretch to say that it is the most unique and most memorable building I've seen as of yet on my European excursions.

La Sagrada Familia: a work in progress

After spending quite a while at La Sagrada Familia, it was time for lunch, which surprisingly even included some smoothies (though not as good as the ones you can get at the Smoothie place in Rand!), and then a trip to a champagne place that sells entire bottles of champagne for about 2 euros. The place was jam-packed with Spaniards and, as we soon found out, if you try to cross the threshold with your glass to get out of the mob, you are promptly pushed back inside by the doorman/bouncer!

The mob for champagne

With our stomachs full, we headed for the Picasso Museum, which featured both the cubist works he is traditionally identified with as well as paintings from his early years (15 and 16 years old) when he was still creating "normal" paintings. It's a bit odd to see the progression of his paintings from very accurate depictions of what he sees to the interpretive pieces he created later on. Being the nerd that I am, I remembered a quotation from him from one of my MCAT study passages where he said something to the effect of "It took me a whole lifetime to learn how to draw like a child." Seeing this transition in person really brought that idea to life.

Museums forbid pictures inside, so this is the best I could do

After a great dinner of tapas, walking through a huge demonstration for Catalonian independence, and enjoying the Barcelona night, we hit the sack to get ready for the next day, which we dedicated to Montjuïc, a huge area near the Mediterranean containing a castle, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, and the Olympic Park where the 1992 Summer Games were held. But, alas, the weekend had to come to an end sooner or later (but not before we stopped for a great doner kebab) and back to Madrid I came to finish up the last full week of classes!

Until next time, when I'll surely be lamenting the burden of finals...


Favorite picture of the Barcelona trip:

Looking at the port from the castle walls