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.

Weekend in Madrid

Although I live in Madrid, I haven't stayed here for a weekend in three weeks, so I didn't really know what to do with myself at first! My cousin, Julie, and her friend, Ryan, stayed with me for the weekend, so I cleaned the apartment and did laundry on Friday (big day!) I've also been studying because I have my very first test of the semester on Monday...

I hadn't been to any of the art museums, yet, so I fit those into my not-so-busy schedule. Every museum has a day with free entry or certain hours during the day when it's free, so I managed to get very cultured for free :) I went to the Prado on Friday (with Julie and Ryan) and saw the painting, "Las Meninas" by Diego Velázquez. I studied this painting Junior year of high school in Spanish and never realized it was this famous! It´s the main attraction in one of the bigger galleries in the Prado...

Sitting in high school Spanish class, I never knew I´d see this painting again!

Friday night, a few of us went to a botellón (basically, young people drinking outside) at one of the residence halls and then we went to a club called, Pachá and danced the night away. Saturday was gorgeous-60s and sunny-so a few of us headed to a giant park for a picnic lunch and to study a bit. Today, I went to the Reina Sofia, which is one of the modern art museums. I mostly wanted to see "Guernica" by Picasso, but also saw some works by Dalí.

"Guernica"

The museum also had lots of pieces by Joan Miró (he´s from Barcelona). I know his work because when I work at the front desk at Techline, I stare at one of his paintings!

Oviedo

Friday morning, Kimmy and I headed to Oviedo. It’s the capital of the province of Asturias, about 20 minutes from the coast and the home of Mary Kay, Diego & Oscar! The area is an eclectic mix of Spanish, Celtic and Dutch backgrounds, so at times, it looked very similar to Ireland. There are also lots of Celtic symbols in the culture (including bagpipes!) but they also wear the wooden shoes like the Dutch and speak Spanish (although they have their own dialect, as well).

When we arrived, Diego picked us up from the station and drove us to their apartment. We set up our beds and unpacked a bit and then headed out to meet Mary for lunch. The three of us ate at one of their favorite restaurants; a place that serves traditional food (like Fabadas, which is basically a bean stew). After our 2+ hour lunch (typically Spanish in that respect!), we walked around the city and eventually met back up with Diego and Oscar. We drove to the top of a hill to see Oviedo’s version of the statue of Jesus with his arms spread wide on a mountaintop. It’s not quite as famous as the one in Rio de Janeiro…

On the hilltop...it was a little windy!

We had Diego´s “Asturian Big Mac” for dinner, which is grilled ham and cheese and then a mix of tuna, lettuce, eggs, olives and mayo in between another piece of bread. It was delicious! After dinner, we watched an Asturian film…at least there were subtitles! :)

Saturday, Kimmy was feeling under the weather, so Diego, Mary, Oscar and I went on a driving tour of the region. We stopped in a little village and ate some traditional pastries (no complaints here) and then stopped in a store to see the traditional cheeses of Asturias. We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant and then continued on our journey. We headed up the mountain to see a cave where they built a shrine because the Virgin Mary appeared to the first king of Spain before a battle. Since the Visigoths beat the Moors in that battle, they also constructed a church. There is a waterfall that trickles down the mountain and falls into the lake under the cave-the view was stunning.

Afterwards, we headed to the coast. The Cantabrian Sea was very pretty, although a little windy…definitely would not be going for a swim at this time of year!

Cantabrian Sea

Sunday, I wasn´t feeling well, so I passed on the morning stroll and slept until I had to pack for the bus. The five-hour journey home on the bus and through the mountains was less than entertaining on a queasy stomach! Oh well, at least I got to watch Sahara in Spanish-Matthew McConaughey looks good in any language.

All in all, a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Many thanks to Mary, Diego, Oscar AND Kimmy!

Granada and Córdoba

Thursday night/Friday morning, Lauren and I boarded an overnight bus to Granada. We arrived at about 7 am, so we couldn’t check-in to the hostel. We left our bags and headed to a café for coffee. We then proceeded to walk around the city until the Royal Chapel opened at 10:30. We didn’t realize it, but we ended up walking up Sacromonte (Sacred Mountain) and got some pretty good views of the city and the Alhambra as the sun was rising. We saw the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabel-which was pretty crazy. Then, we walked around the cathedral and saw a few other plazas, etc. We headed back to the hostel around 1 pm to check-in and nap for about an hour.

View of the Alhambra from Sacromonte

Then, we headed up to the Alhambra. The Alhambra was breathtaking and I have about 100 photos! I loved the Generalife and the intricate carvings on every column. Also, the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas in the background were pretty picturesque.

Pretty proud of this picture!

In the Alhambra gardens

Friday night, we took full advantage of the Granadian (maybe made that word up) tradition of serving a free tapa with EVERY drink. So, for less than two euros, we got a beer and a little bagel sandwich with ham, patatas fritas and a little salad. At another bar, we got empanadas and at another, it was tortilla española! Definitely, could get used to that!

Saturday morning, we went on a walking tour of the neighborhood called Albayzin. It’s on a hill as well, so we were winding our way up, listening to our American tour guide. It was pretty informative and we took some more photos. It’s a really artsy neighborhood with lots of character and great views.

Lauren and Me

We took a bus to Córdoba Saturday evening and met up with some friends for tapas...

Sunday morning, we got up bright and early, but decided to wait until the afternoon to see the Mezquita. Once again, we walked around the city…I think we went everywhere on our map! We saw the Roman bridge and tower, the Castle, many churches, the main plaza and the synagogue. Then, we headed back to the Mezquita and got there in time for mass at 1 pm, so we got in free! The columns looked exactly the same as the slides Sra. Fischer showed us in Spanish III. After chilling in the sun in the Orange Garden for a bit, we got some ice cream and headed to a park…it was a very full, but relaxing day.

Just like Sra. Fischer's slides

On the bus ride back to Madrid, they played two completely horrible, B movies: "Peacekeeper" and "Deadly Water." Lauren (she´s English) commented that these movies are why people have terrible impressions of Americans…great!

Random new food from the trip: the Ham flavored ruffles…surprisingly, not too bad!

Grandpa

We all love you very much and know you´re happier now that you can be with Grandma. I will always remember your after-dinner shaves and your nightly rosary sessions. I´m sure you and Grandma are enjoying a Brandy while watching "Wheel of Fortune" or "Murder, She Wrote!"

Thank you for the memories. I love you very much!

Barack Obama, AKA Mr. President!

It is now 6:30 am here in Madrid and I have yet to sleep tonight! I was at a viewing party hosted by "Democrats Abroad", so was able to watch live as the good news came in. Am of to bed now, but just wanted to say hello to America :)

Halloween

Well, I survived Halloween. It’s not AS big of deal here, but people definitely dress up. The one major difference is that people go scary, not slutty here. Our outfits were pretty low-key since we didn’t have the time or energy to get creative. We bought horns and tridents and went as devils…it worked. We headed to Wasabi, because it was the COMITAS party and we could get in free! The club had a couple different groups of dancers-a group danced to Thriller and then there were some break dancers.

"Thriller" dancers

Kaleeta, Sarah & me in our devil outfits

Saturday, I headed to Alcalá de Henares to surprise Kimmy for her birthday. She was having friends over, but I told her I couldn´t come because I would be in Sevilla. That was fun; she had friends over to her apartment and then we went out.

With the birthday girl!

Classes

I’ve been promising information about my classes, etc., so here it goes! First off, I’m studying at la Universidad Pontífica Comillas in the Business school-also know as ICADE. All of my classes are in Spanish and the majority of my classmates are Spaniards. There are a few classes, such as, International Studies and the Economy of the European Union, where most of my classmates are other exchange students from Europe. In addition to those two classes, I am taking Spanish (I don’t think I’ll ever understand the preterite and imperfect!), Competitive Business Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions and Social Psychology.

There is a lot a more in-class group work, etc. here, so I’m having to work with the Spaniards a lot more than I anticipated. So far, it’s working out well, as I’m forced to converse in Spanish and (hopefully) make friends. A couple of my friends and I went for tapas with a few of the guys, and that was really fun and it’s always great to bump into people when you’re out at the clubs, etc. Even though it’s a city of 4 million people, I usually see somebody I know every weekend.

Other differences between here and Marquette: when students’ cell phones ring, they actually get up and leave the classroom to take the call…and then they come back! Definitely not going to try that move when I get back to MKE! Also, nobody is on time (including the teachers), the students chat a lot during class and the professors seem indifferent to the noise…whereas I want to shush everyone so I have a chance to understand the lecture. The single largest annoyance: the fact that there are only 3 printers for the entire university. Students print from three different labs and then have to go and load their own paper into the printers…it’s quite ridiculous, actually.

Many days, I am completely lost and I have lots of blanks and question marks all over my notes, but it's not too bad. On these days, I head to a cafe with a friend and we try to hash out what just went on for the past hour or we just have a glass of wine and move on!

Valencia

While a large group of the Kennedys were dancing the night away in Asheville, I headed to Valencia. I was really excited for this trip because Valencia is the home of paella and trying the dish was top on my priority list! A group of us went to a small restaurant near the beach and experienced homemade paella. The minimum order size is for two people and you have to wait 40 minutes (standard) while they perfect the masterpiece!

My first paella experience...it did not disappoint!

We saw the cathedral and climbed to the top of the tower to see some views of the city. We also saw the City of Arts and Sciences, which is a group of buildings including, the opera house and the "Eye." Most of the buildings were designed by Santiago Calatrava-the same guy that designed the Milwaukee Art Museum...Valencia is his hometown.

On the left is the opera house and in front is the Eye.

We saw the indoor market-which is huge-as well as the museum of Fallas. Fallas are giant floats that are made every year in the spring. There is a giant festival, and all but the 1st place float are burned at midnight on the last day of the festival.

Ham legs hanging in the market.

After touring the city, we headed out towards the beach and saw the giant Aquarium. It was a combination of outside exhibits and indoor tanks, etc. The best part was walking through the tunnels and having the fish swim right at you...I've got some nice pictures of shark mouths! Then, we had a little R & R time at the beach, so I got to stick my feet in the Mediterranean Ocean! Not too shabby...

Congratulations!

Just wanted to say "congratulations" to Erin and Jason, who got married over the weekend!

More Salamanca Photos

The House of Shells...the little protrusions are in the shape of conch shells.

The frog is the object on the left of the column...you mean you can't see it?!

Trip to Salamanca

Last weekend, the international student group on campus organized a trip to Salamanca. Over 100 students loaded up the buses to make the two and half hour drive to the city of 160,000. One of the most famous sights of the city (besides the Cathedral) is the University of Salamanca. It’s about 600 years old…so, at 125 years old, Marquette is just a young pup! The whole group had to stop and stare at the outside of the university because there is a legend related to getting good grades. There is a frog on the façade of one of the buildings and if a student can spot it without any help, he or she won’t have to study and will get good grades. No one could find it but that’s not surprising since it looks like a bird! Our guide said we didn’t have to worry since we’re all exchange students we won’t be studying anyways!

We also saw the House of Shells-which is adorned with conch shells and was supposedly built by a man as an expression of love for his wife (or something of that nature…all the facts and dates start to run together after hours of touring).

By the second day, some of us decided we wanted to do a tapas tours instead, so we broke off from the group and spent the afternoon/evening/night hopping from bar to bar. I even tried morcilla, which is blood sausage. It is made of blood, rice and something else…can’t remember, but I thought it was actually tasty. So far, Salamanca has had some of the best tapas in Spain.

More Pictures

La Capea-Pictures

Alejandro, Kaleeta, Hugo & Me

Waiting for the charge...