Exams

18.12.08

¡Ya está! I took my last exam this morning, so I´ve officially completed my academic semester in Madrid. My classes here have definitely been an adventure, but, I can honestly say I have learned some things besides Spanish. Here´s a brief rundown and some interesting tidbits from my classes:

Estudios Internacionales III (International Studies)

My professor was British and there was a heavy mix of international and Spanish students. Some days, the classroom would be full (about 60 students) and other days there would maybe be 20 students. The professor told us his lectures weren´t important and we should just read the assigned articles and take notes on the student presentations…not really sure why the university was paying him! Kal and I had to do a presentation with three other Spaniards about Globalization and Capital Markets and because of it, we spent many hours at one of the guy´s apartments (well, actually, his parents' house, since “kids” live with their parents sometimes until their late 30s). At the end of the semester, I met with my professor to decide when to take my exam. When I went to take the exam, he told me he´d decided to make it a take-home, so he gave me the questions and sent me on my way…

Economía de la Unión Europea (Economy of the European Union)

This is the class that taught me what I had already learned from living in this country: Spaniards prefer to sit in cafés and bars instead of work and, therefore, suffer from low productivity, etc. The professor talked sooooo slowly, it was almost embarrassing, and the Spaniards were falling asleep every class (if they showed up).

Análisis Competitiva de la Empresa (Competitive Business Analysis)

I almost dropped this class at the beginning of the semester, but am glad I stick it out. The first few days, I couldn´t understand anything the professor was saying and I was very overwhelmed and I thought I had to do a bunch of presentations and projects. However, every class we worked in small groups on small case studies, so I was able to meet a lot of my classmates. The one MAJOR downside of this class was that it was at 8 am! (Because of that schedule, I pulled an all-nighter and went to class without sleeping...not because I was studying, but because I was at a club-eek!)

Fusiones y Adquisiciones (Mergers & Acquisitions)

Thanks to this class, I can no longer spell “acquisitions” in either language without looking it up…I mix up the d, the c and the t! This was by far my hardest class and I´m still holding out hope I passed my exam. I haven´t even taken my intro finance class at Marquette, so I was teaching myself the basics (with a LOT of help from Sarah) while trying to understand the advanced stuff the professor was throwing at us. She talked the fastest of all of my professors and was prone to stomp her foot and throw chalk at any chatters-kind of comical when you realize these students are 24 yrs. old and still getting chastised for whispering.

Psicología Social (Social Psychology)

Sarah and I joined this class about a week and a half into the semester after we found out our other class wouldn't count for credit at Marquette. Although my M&A prof. talked the fastest, this lady mumbled even worse than my Competitive Business Analysis professor. She also tended to go off on tangents and get really excited and talk even faster while giving examples! The key was never to make eye contact, otherwise, she´d ask you a question or for your opinion. Kind of difficult to give your opinion when haven´t understood what she´s been blabbing about! Example A: the second day Sarah and I went to class, we were talking about some psych experiment about peer pressure, etc. and everyone “picked” A, so I should´ve been “persuaded” and picked A, as well, but I didn´t catch on. So, when she said “so, obviously, Ashley would then pick…” I was supposed to jump in and say, A, but instead, I said C (thinking I was giving the correct answer). That got a few chuckles from the other students, but whatever, I´ve moved on :) Sarah and I also had to do two group presentations with other Spaniards and those were basically disasters, so it´s a good thing the professor said we couldn´t fail those as long as we did them!

The other comical part of this class was that the professor couldn't speak English and had a very hard time pronouncing my name...she didn't use my "Isi" nickname. She always got this pained look on her face as she was going to call on me, so I always knew what was coming; even before she said "Os-lee."

And, of course, Spanish, but you've already heard about that!

At the very least, I know my listening comprehension improved during this semester! It´s strange to think I actually took six classes in Spanish and managed to figure things out-it´s kind of empowering :) There were some humbling experiences, as well, (see example above) but I´m glad I had the chance to take classes with Spaniards.

Mis mejores amigas en España!

Well, it's official: I have less than a week left of my semester abroad. These four months have flown, so it's no wonder I have lots of activities to cram into these last few days! Most importantly, I will be spending time with these lovely ladies (as they have been my best friends here, I probably should've introduced you a long time ago!):

Sarah...I'll be seeing her at Marquette

Kaleeta...bloody hell, she's from London.

Spanish Exam & Farewell Party

We had our Fiesta de despedida (going-away party) in Spanish class on Wednesday. We got our exams back and then people brought treats and drinks to share. Cecilia (my professor) gave a toast: "Before we didn’t know each other and we drank, now we know each other and we drink and let’s hope we drink until we don’t know each other anymore!" How profound...she's a little bit crazy-she insists she would run and jump on Richard Gere if she ever saw him in person.

Then, we took a group picture and continued to drink and chat with each other.

The majority of these people are French, but the guy in the back, on the far right is from Green Bay and went to UW-Madison

I’m pretty sure a party with alcohol in the classroom at a Catholic university at two in the afternoon would only happen in Spain! :)

Grandma Kennedy Casserole...Spanish Style!

When I got back from Geneva, I made dinner for my roommates. They had a made a traditional Belgian dish for dinner one night, so I was returning the favor. Originally, I couldn’t decide what to make; they wanted an “American” dish, but we eat food from other cultures-nothing too distinct! So, I went with a “family” dish instead and made Grandma Kennedy Casserole. It was an adventure converting recipe measurements and finding all the ingredients. I ended up having to go to Corte Ingles, which is a very popular chain-store shopping center. I usually try to avoid it because it’s more expensive and I like the character of the local shops better.
Anyways, I found the pasta without any problems, and the cream of mushroom soup wasn’t too difficult, either. But, had to buy pre-formed patties to get the ground chuck, my cheese was an interesting blend of emmental (swiss), cheddar, mozzarella and semi-cured (a big fave in Spain and a new fave of mine!) and cream corn does not exist in Spain, so I had to settle for regular corn. After buying all the ingredients, my roommate informed me our oven didn’t work. I had thought of using it in the past, but had never tried because I didn’t know how to turn it on or work the temperature, etc. Well, I figured I’d just use the microwave…but I didn’t have a glass dish! I ended up borrowing a dish from my friend (it didn’t quite fit in the microwave, so it wouldn’t spin). I cooked the pasta and went to open the cans of cream of mushroom soup and realized I didn’t have a can opener! I tried a few different instruments (including, what turned out to be the Spanish version of a can opener) but couldn’t get the cans open. So, I headed across the hall the ask the neighbors…two weren’t home, the teenage boy in the other didn’t know his way around the kitchen and couldn’t find his mom and I could hear the crying baby in the 3^rd apartment on my floor and decided NOT to interrupt! I went downstairs and the old man below me let me in and seemed happy to help (even though I didn’t know the word for can opener and had to say “the instrument for opening cans”)! He proceeded to pull out the same instrument I had unsuccessfully tried in my apartment (but mine was rusted and dull…that’s what I’m telling myself, anyways).

This can opener wasn´t working for me!

After a brief conversation with his wife where I explained that I was not, in fact, German, I returned to my apartment. For the most part, the rest of the meal went off without a hitch, and my roommates loved it. They kept saying it was very rich and delicious, so, regardless of the hiccups, I consider my meal a success!

Chloe and Margaux before enjoying Grandma Kennedy Casserole...yum!

Cramming it all in...

FYI: I fly home in 12 days!! I've already mapped out how I'm going to lug my suitcases through the metro :)

Things to do before Dec. 21:
1) Take (and pass!) 5 exams
2) Try a calamari sandwich
3) Go to my neighborhood "romantic" restaurant for dessert
4) Go out and celebrate with my friends before we scatter...

Paris & Geneva

I'm not quite up for blogging, but I wanted to share some of my photos from my weekend getaway. It was a holiday weekend in Spain, so we had a long weekend, or "puente". Three other girls and I took advantage of the free time and headed to Paris and Geneva!

At the Louvre

Enjoying the Eiffel Tower at night. Trivia: it's blue with gold stars to represent the flag of the European Union.

The original "Lake Geneva"...I must admit, I think the original is better (sorry WI).

Roasting chestnuts!

I had an early morning flight out of Geneva, so I was able to watch the sun rise over the mountains. This was my view from the airplane. The picture hardly does it justice!

Barcelona...Gaudi All the Time!

Thursday night, I caught the overnight bus to Barcelona. The ride takes 8 hours, so I left at 1 am and got in at 9 am. I dropped off my stuff and figured out my game plan; which basically entailed walking around the entire city! I ticked off just about every site in the guide book and on my free tourist map. I started at Placa de Catalunya and headed down Las Ramblas towards the marina. Along the way, I saw Sant Josep, or la Boqueria, which is the giant, open-air market and some interesting street performers. At the end of the street is the statue of Columbus and the sea!

Port Vell...windy, but sunny!

It was a little windy on the coast, so I stayed long enough for a few pictures and then headed to Palau Guell. This mansion was designed by Gaudi for his friend and supporter, Mr. Guell. It’s being renovated, so it was free to enter (yay!) but I could only see two floors (boo!). After the mansion, I walked down a fun side street with lots of inexpensive, little shops on my way to Placa de Espanya. From Placa de Espanya, I headed to Montjuic and the hilly part of town. After climbing the steps to the Catalanian National Museum of Art, I climbed some more to the Olympic Stadium. You have to climb so high that the city has installed elevators!
After that, I headed back down towards the Cathedral. It’s free after 5:15 pm, so I headed to a café for a café con leche and to read my book to kill a few hours. I also had a bollo con chocolate (basically, a chocolate-filled pastry)=delicious.

Saturday morning, I met up with some friends at the Picasso museum. We figured we’d start with an indoor activity since it was pouring. We spent a solid 2 ½ hours admiring his early works (which I actually prefer to his cubism pieces). Then, the rain stopped, so we booked it over to Park Guell. It was great timing because the sun came out, and although it was windy, it didn’t rain the rest of the day!

I called this the ¨Flintstones Path¨-It was actually a carriage path

On Gaudi´s famous benches

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the park and then had a very relaxed, late lunch. Afterwards, they headed back to rest because they were going out that night, but I had to see la Sagrada Familia and a couple other buildings before I left that night. So, I walked past Sagrada Familia and took pictures from every angle (it’s stunning in the dark, so I’m sure it’s great in the daylight, too!) Then, I walked over to Passeig de Gracias to see Gaudi’s Casa Batllo and La Pedrera. I really enjoy his gingerbread style-although when he was first building it, I’m sure I would’ve thought it was strange.