This week was extremely special for me. On Wednesday, my parents arrived in Madrid to spend some time in Spain with me. My brother is currently at basic training to become a U.S. Marine at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, so I was sad he was unable to come too, but I know he would’ve if he could. Having my family here to witness my study abroad experience alongside me was really incredible. I’ve been in a constant state of “go, go, go” for the past two months that I haven’t really had time to stop and reflect on how far I’ve come since I first got here, and this weekend I was finally able to do that.
Tag: GW Madrid
Putting the "Study" in "Study Abroad"
Since I was busy taking my midterm exams this past week, I thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss the school aspect of studying abroad, which is something important that I surprisingly haven’t touched on much yet. In the GW Madrid program, we take classes at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), which is about a forty-five minute commute from the center of the city (about thirty-five minutes from where I live). What’s unique about the GW Madrid program is that we take classes specifically with GW Madrid students, rather than regular university classes. This aspect of the program allows us to have very small class sizes and ample time to establish relationships with our professors and gain a more individualized understanding of the material we need to learn. Also, if a student desires to do so, he or she can enroll in classes directly through the university (UAM) and take courses alongside native Spanish students. The GW Madrid program also offers a few courses in English, too, such as International Economics and Comparative Politics of Western Europe.
"But You’re Blonde!" – Reflections on Identity
Now that it’s almost midterms (yikes, where did this semester go?!), and I’ve really started to get into a routine here, I want to reflect on a topic that has become considerably more apparent for me each week that I’ve spent in Spain. I want to talk about my identity, and how studying abroad has immensely impacted my understanding of my uniqueness. To sum it up, I am a blonde-haired, green-eyed Jewish adoptee. Obviously, I am much more than that, but those three things (my looks, my background, and my religion) are what tie together to make me really stand out in this country.
...continue reading ""But You’re Blonde!" – Reflections on Identity"
Expectations vs. Reality
It’s been yet another eventful week in Spain, full of endless discoveries and adventures. I just got home from a three-day weekend trip to the beautiful southern cities of Córdoba and Seville, two places filled with interesting history and charm. I could talk about all the enchanting things I saw, recommend places to go, etc., but I actually want to discuss something on a deeper level that I have discovered about myself this week.
Being a Woman of Color Never Changes
By bmnobles
Before going abroad I didn't really know anyone in my group, I had met one guy Max one time last year. Thus, I was pretty nervous that I wouldn't fit in or find people in my group that I really clicked with. On the day of our at-school abroad orientation, something really stuck out to me. At the end of the GW Programs specific orientation, the person leading the orientation said "Oh, and if you're a minority student or a woman you should probably look up how your host country treats those groups of people". I sat there astonished, not only that the possibility of my oppression (being both a woman and a person of color) was treated with such nonchalance, but that when I then took the time to look around the room, we were few and far between. That was when I realized that I, simply by existing and doing the things that I love and am passionate about, am revolutionary.
...continue reading "Being a Woman of Color Never Changes"
Reflection
By bmnobles
One of my most memorable moments of my abroad life is the moment I realized I really can speak Spanish. I was sitting at a restaurant with my GW Madrid group in Barcelona and we had asked the waitor for pitchers of water. The waitor returned to our table with individual bottles of water for each of us. Things like this happened to us a lot because Spaniards assumed that since we're American that 1) we have tons of money to just blow on random things and 2) that we wouldn't have the courage or the skills to correct him. ...continue reading "Reflection"
Reflection
By bmnobles
While I think that my greater outlook on life has changed since coming to Madrid, I don't think that the way I identify myself has changed. If anything, my experiences here have solidified my ties to my identity. Now more than ever I feel myself clinging to my identities of color. We are currently in a time in America where being a black girl is like being part of an exclusive club filled with goddesses, and Native American people are becoming more visible than ever. Since being in Spain I've noticed that the struggle for visibility and equity is a constant one. We, as women of color, will probably get to take a break from these struggles in out lifetime.
Creating Community
By bmnobles
I think that it's important to start off this post by first saying that I define community as being a group of people. I don't personally consider community for myself to be a specific place or thing, but more the people I choose to surround myself. In terms of GW Madrid, there are only twelve of us, so I have personal relationships with each person in my program. However, there are certain relationships here that touch my heart with more significance than others. Friendship for me is an extremely deep connection that I have with another person, and below are some photos of a few of my new, wonderful friends. ...continue reading "Creating Community"
the puzzle of identity
By bmnobles
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and lived in the same house my whole life. I was born to an Italian mother, and a black and Apache Native American father. Until studying abroad I had never defined myself as American. I call myself multi-racial and in the past referred to myself as bi-racial. When my parents got divorced my black and Apache family disowned me, thus I consider myself to be culturally Italian. However, I am visibly a person of color.
The One-Month Mark
Happy October! I had to stop for a second while I was dating this blog post because I was shocked at the realization that I’ve now been in Madrid for over a month. I seem to have very little concept of time here. The days all start to blur together, and the entire month of September feels like it went by in one short breath. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned, grown, and become accustomed to in such a relatively short period of time. I can’t say that I can call this country home yet, nor do I feel entirely comfortable with the language and customs, but I am definitely on my way there. And that’s something I never thought I could have accomplished before I came here.
For the first time since I arrived, I was able to spend this entire week enjoying the city of Madrid, including the weekend, since I had no travel plans. I thought it would be beneficial for me to actually get to know the city that I am living in, since that’s a huge part of studying abroad. I spent a lot of time with my host mom this weekend. Yesterday we went to a market in our neighborhood (Chamartín) filled with authentic Spanish food – all the fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, and pastries you could ever want and more. My host mom is an amazing cook and she’s very passionate about her dishes, so it was exciting for her to be able to show me how she makes Spanish food and what types of foods work together, etc. We spent almost two hours at the market just browsing (we only bought a few things for lunch that day). It made U.S. grocery stores look overpriced, low-quality, and altogether inferior. I’m definitely going to miss always having fresh food when I get back to the states!
Today, like every Sunday, my host mom’s daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters came over for a family lunch. It’s a nice little break for me because my host mom doesn’t speak a word of English but her daughter speaks a little, so if I don’t know how to say something, she can help me. I’ve noticed that although the importance of family is universal, Spaniards have even more of an attachment to family than is common in the United States. It’s common for children to live with their parents until they’re in their mid-twenties, and though some argue that it’s for economic purposes, it is also just a cultural norm. From what I’ve seen, there are no dorms at the university I go to here – everyone still lives at home with their parents, and they commute to school every day on the train or by car. They usually go home in the afternoon (as I do) for lunch, and return to school after for the rest of their classes. During the day, often times grandmas will take care of their grandkids and grandparents in general have a significant role in raising their grandchildren. When their mothers get old, sons and daughters are usually responsible for taking care of them, and they sometimes even have their mothers come live with them. Every time my host mom’s family comes over for lunch on Sundays, they stay until at least 7:00 or later and Skype with family that are out of town, or watch a movie, or just talk. I think it’s a wonderful family ritual and I’m very inspired by the importance of family that I’ve found here in Spain.
Although I don’t want to get too political on this blog, something else came up this week that had an impact on me because of the profoundly different experience I had with the issue in Spain as opposed to what I would have in the United States. I was in the shower on Thursday when my host mom knocked on the door of the bathroom and said in Spanish, “Something has happened in your country.” I quickly dried off and went into the hallway, where we listened to my host mom’s radio in silence as I learned yet another shooting happened at home. My roommate and I listened sadly as we heard the numbers of dead and wounded at Umpqua University in Oregon, expressed our concern, and then casually went back to what we were doing, which was getting ready to go out for the night. When I walked out of my room to leave, however, I saw my host mom sitting in an armchair with the radio next to her, tears in her eyes, shaking her head and muttering, “Qué horror… Qué horror…” (“How awful”). In that second, I understood the real tragedy that’s facing Americans today. After witnessing Spain’s horrified response to the shooting, I see that Americans, including myself, have become numb to mass gun violence. I’m not saying we don’t think it’s absolutely horrific and tragic, but we have grown accustomed to hearing these things on the news. For Spaniards, this is not something they’re used to hearing, so it has a bigger impact, as it truly should. I don’t want to make this a political statement, but I do feel that seeing such horrors happening in my own country from an outsider’s view really makes me think about my perspective of the United States. This realization has been one of the most profound experiences I’ve had abroad yet. I continue to wrestle with the idea (for the first time in my life) of how my country is perceived by the rest of the world. It’s something that I believe Americans should take much more seriously.
In all, I’m having an experience here that I never could have dreamed of. Though I sometimes get homesick, I wouldn’t trade my time in Spain for anything, and I know I will return to the United States with a better sense of the world as well as a better sense of myself.