Last week I finally met Doctora Ana Bueno. I say finally because it felt like I had known her for a very long time. I spent almost 2 months prior to coming abroad speaking with her about this volunteer opportunity. Along with this correspondence came many challenges. The first was that it was difficult to find a doctor who would allow me to work with them. As the Spanish healthcare system is public, opportunities in hospitals for foreigners are slim, especially with my level of education. I started by contacting the GW Madrid Resident Director, Carmela, and with her help she put me in touch with one of her friends who eventually found a doctor that would work with me. ...continue reading "Volunteering in Madrid"
Tag: GW Madrid
Anxiety and Thrill
By crstein1
A few weeks before I left for Madrid, I went rock climbing with a few friends. Rock climbing is one of my favorite things to do. There’s a certain degree of thrill and exhilaration of heights. When you’re high up and you look down, it’s definitely scary, but I still love it. An extremely similar feeling has carried over to my experience in Spain. I’m scared and anxious all of the time, but it’s all so amazing.
I clutch my bag very tightly when I’m out in the streets, I get flustered while I’m trying to decipher metro signs, and I feel my cheeks turning red whenever I can’t figure out how to phrase something in Spanish. But I’ve never been happier.
I am absolutely obsessed with the city and the people here. This week I attended art history classes at the Prado museum, ate the most delicious food, saw an adorable movie at the cinema, attended an exhibition at an art gallery and hung out with friends at discotheques. 
The architecture of the city is absolutely marvelous and I’m positive that I could spend hours and hours just staring at buildings. Madrid is filled with little neighborhoods that are each unique and stunning. I’m so excited to visit more of these neighborhoods and to experience more of Madrid. Every day is a new adventure and I’m learning so much.
An Almost Post-Study Abroad Manifesto to Myself
By asthaa
Based on Things I’ve Learned/Observed/Reaffirmed in Spain
On the subject of friends:
- You never know where you will make a friend and how quickly he or she might bring out the best in you.
- You may not see a friend often or for long, and she may not know it, but she will be the person that lifts your spirit on any given day.
- You will have moments of friendship with someone or just a few hours and that will be it. And that’s okay. The time spent together is still a something that’s yours to keep.
- You may not consider yourself a cat person, but just wait until you have two cute ones waiting for you at the door in the afternoon, wanting to play and just hang out near you.
- Sometimes a three-way friendship also involves switching between three languages.
- People’s smiles. They can become embedded in your mind, something about them you never forget.
- A hug. It can work wonders. ...continue reading "An Almost Post-Study Abroad Manifesto to Myself"
Finding Refuge in La Fugitiva
By asthaa
There’s a precious little bookstore/café in Madrid called “La Fugitiva,” or the fugitive. It’s up the street from the famous Reina Sofia museum on Calle Santa Ysabel (yes, Isabel with a “y”). The wooden floors squeak as you walk in. The door needs an extra push to close completely. Antique wooden toys decorate the store windows along with a collection of works on philosophy and a seasonal selection of Christmas books. The little tables and chairs around the shop don’t match and no customer gets the same coffee mug. The guys who work there are friendly and seem to be able to offer recommendations to even the most obscure reading questions. The walls are filled with posters for art shows coming and past, lectures, and offers of dance and language classes. There are some corners where little flakes of paint fall in your lap if your chair happens to scratch the wall. If you come into chat with a friend, it’s quiet and easy to sip coffee and share a muffin in peace. If you’re there to study, there are enough people searching through books, working or chatting so that it’s not too silent, but people keep voices low so that it’s conducive to writing borderline major papers. This quiet and lovely little shop I discovered a month ago upon recommendation of my host mom is my favorite place to study outside my home and I only have eight days left to enjoy it. The woes of the sun setting on my semester here in Madrid. ...continue reading "Finding Refuge in La Fugitiva"
Thanksgiving in Madrid
By asthaa
Thanksgiving in my family has never involved turkey, as we are vegetarians, but like for most people in the US, it’s a time for us to meet with loved ones and enjoy a couple of days off from school and work. I knew Thanksgiving was not going to be a major affair here in Madrid, and I fully expected to go along my Thursday as per usual – class and the rest of the day to explore the city. However, Thanksgiving this fall and the days leading up to and following it ended up being extraordinary and reminded me of just how much I have to be thankful for. ...continue reading "Thanksgiving in Madrid"
On academics and professors
By asthaa
Most people will tell you academics tend to be secondary when studying abroad; secondary to traveling, to learning the language by practicing, to meeting people from the region you are staying, and to generally being immersed outside the classroom. This is all definitely true. I’ve learned more about Spanish customs from sitting down for meals with my host family and friends than from classes. ...continue reading "On academics and professors"
Sit, down, relax…and eat
By asthaa
One of Spanish customs I have had to adjust to but appreciate the most is eating, rather the manner of eating. We often take it for granted at home, but sitting down to share a meal with family or friends daily is an important part of the day I in my experience in Madrid these past couple of months. In the United States when everybody is home, we do eat dinner together and enjoy sharing our days but often in the rush of work, plans at night with friends, or exhaustion we quickly wrap up and head in our own directions. ...continue reading "Sit, down, relax…and eat"
“Who’s going to be our President?” and other concerns in Spain…
By asthaa
I woke up early on November 7th, Wednesday morning, and immediately refreshed the web page of The New York Times that I had up on my laptop screen to find who would be the next president of my country. And then, because I am in Spain, I checked elpais.com, one of the country’s major newspapers. The headlines were basically the same at 7 am. In one of the hallways of La Autónoma, we GW Madrid students talked excitedly about the outcome before class. Who stayed up until 4 am? How was the U.S. embassy election-watch party? Who made it to the Democrats Abroad party? How did the students hoping to see Romney win feel? ...continue reading "“Who’s going to be our President?” and other concerns in Spain…"
Easier said than done…Midterms
By asthaa
Studying for midterms in Madrid has been more difficult than I anticipated. It’s not because the classes I am taking are unusually demanding; in fact it’s quite to the contrary. I’ve been able to keep up with the papers I’ve had to write in Spanish. Despite accommodating professors and a variety in structure of the assessments, my mind wanders and concentrating my energy on studies in one of my new favorite cities is difficult. ...continue reading "Easier said than done…Midterms"
Palacio Cristal – Loud and Clear
By asthaa
On a recent Saturday afternoon, after a few hours of both procrastinating and studying, I decided to enjoy the beautiful day and get a breath of fresh air. Luckily for me, El Retiro, what I think of Madrid’s version of Central Park, is less than a ten-minute walk from my host family’s home and is the perfect place for a stroll. Every Wednesday, in order to get to my art class in the Prado I have to walk from the east end of Retiro to the west, and for some reason because of this 15 minute walk I thought I knew much of Retiro. Oh, how I was wrong. This Saturday, as I headed in a direction away from my normal route, I came upon the Palacio Cristal and the most delightful pond that sits close to the steps of the massive glass structure. At first I stood staring at the fountain in the center of the pond, where a couple of families of ducks and swans swam. When I finally pulled myself away from the water, I decided to step inside the gorgeous glass, “crystal,” structure behind me. ...continue reading "Palacio Cristal – Loud and Clear"