By jcapobia
There’s a commercial that I’ve always thought was pretty dumb, but it bears some relevance here. The commercial involves two friends talking about things they can do with their phones and one keeps telling the other friend, “oh there’s an app for that,” referring to the sheer prevalence and variety of applications for mobile phones and tablets. This week I had a certain, “There’s an app for that” experience, or put more simply, “They have that here.”
If on Monday you would of told me that I’d play basketball for La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Basketball team or that I’d perform two songs at a Madrid jazz club, I would call you crazy. However, both of these things did happen, and yes I am still surprised by what I accomplished this week. If you have been reading this blog in the hope of hearing about something interesting happening to me, your hope has finally paid off.
It was on Monday when my Advanced Oral Proficiency teacher, Javier, asked my interests. I told him that, among other things, I enjoyed playing basketball, a sport he shared an affinity for. Without a moment's hesitation, he invited me to a university basketball practice, which was coached by his friend. He told me I could practice with them, and if I was good enough, play in games with them.
And it was Wednesday when I found the Moe Club Jazz Jam online. Not only was the place very close to my apartment in northern Madrid, but it was also featuring Madrid’s finest big band to lead the jam that night. I invited my friends in the GW Madrid program and my host-brother to come to the Jazz Jam by jokingly telling them I would borrow someone's trombone and play (I had my own mouthpiece so it was plausible), although I thought that no one would actually lend me their trombone.
(Jazz Jam: is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp on tunes, songs and chord progressions)
Both the Jazz Jam and the basketball practice went very well. At the Jazz Jam, I borrowed the trombone of a player from Los Angeles, who also put me in contact with someone who said they'd lend me a trombone at a cheap price (Yay!). I played two sets during the Jazz Jam and ended the night talking with other Spanish jazz musicians.The basketball practice ended similarly, with the coach praising my skill and asking me to go back again the following week. I was also finally able to meet Spanish students, something I had been struggling with.
When I was going abroad, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able indulge my interests abroad. I was afraid that a lot of things I liked to do back home wouldn’t be accessible in another country. However, I was very wrong. This week is proof that wherever you go, there will always be an opportunity to enjoy your interests no matter where you go or what it may be.
While I continue to find my way here in Spain, I am becoming less foreign and more local. I am immersing myself in the culture I once found so odd, leaving my comfort zone everyday. Although it hasn’t been a perfect transition everyday, finding places to share my interests with locals has been the best way to make the unfamiliar seem more familiar. Although out of my comfort zone, Madrid is becoming more like home everyday.