Tag: Marianna Sotomayor

By msotomayor12

I think many American iPhone users take for granted the treasure that is the Maps app. Yes, Siri may direct you down an inconvenient route every once and a while, but at least she navigates you towards your destination and can joke about her mistakes.

In Spain, Siri is as lost as I am. While exploring in Toledo and Salamanca this past weekend, an old-fashioned map became my best friend. What is greatly underappreciated about maps, or planos, is how they manage to pinpoint all the historic buildings in a city. However, tiny European streets are either impossible to find or are not drawn on the map at all. As always, getting lost makes for some good memories.

On Friday morning, my friends and I visited Toledo. Only 30 minutes away from Madrid lies the ancient city, famously known for its fusion of religious cultures and military presence. The heart of the city is small. Realistically it should take a native 45 minutes to get around it, but as tourists it took us about 3 hours. The winding streets were filled with tiny trinket shops, which sold medieval swords and knives to Spanish tiles. Yet, the narrow streets made it difficult to find one’s way around. Especially when a car decides to drive through, in which case you find yourself up against a wall, mostly because you don’t have any other choice.

We spent most of our day visiting the city’s famous religious monuments. Toledo is nicknamed the “City of Three Cultures” for once housing Catholics, Jews, and Muslims before the reformation. Our trip would have gone to waste if we did not visit them. For only 8 euros, we were able to go into six churches, synagogues, and mosques, which is quite the deal for a college student’s budget.

While each building is architecturally unique, they are all linked by the Catholic faith. After the reformation, the mosques and synagogues became Catholic churches. Both buildings are now named after Jesus and Mary respectively and house Christian symbols. The juxtaposition was the ultimate game of “what doesn’t belong here.”

In a way, the whole city is like that. The modern world functions within the centuries old landscape. One could easily eat some churros and watch a fútbol game on TV in a café just across the street from an El Greco painting. While I was walking on the cobbled streets I kept wondering what life would have been like centuries ago.

From one time vortex we stepped into another in Salamanca. Although it is primarily known as a university town, trust me when I say it does not look anything like the University of Alabama or Florida. Salamanca gets its charm from being an impressively clean and organized inner city. Around the university, the area looks romantic. Tall birch trees line up against the streets and black gothic fences accent wells, balconies, and doors. As the most prestigious university and Spain, one can almost feel the stimulation of thought bouncing off the walls. Remember when you visited Harvard for the first time and suddenly felt smarter? That’s what its like walking around Salamanca.

Our first stop was to visit the Salamancan Cathedral. For about five seconds we were hesitant about going in, but thank goodness we ended up doing it! The Cathedral is separated into two parts—La Vieja and La Nueva. The Old Cathedral was built in the 12th century and is somehow still standing. It was insane to think that my footsteps were matching up with someone’s who lived an inconceivable amount of years ago. It was amusing to see how short the doors were and how tiny the keys were on the first musical organ. Not going to lie, I felt like a giant for the first time in my life standing next to most things (I am 5’2).

The New Cathedral looks like any other Gothic church in Europe. It is massive, overly ornate, and divided into three sections: the altar, the choir, and devotional rooms. By this point, I had already seen a ridiculous amount of Catholic churches in Spain, but this cathedral intrigued me. The way it was built reminded me a lot of the cathedral in Cuzco, Peru. They are almost identical. In protest against the new faith, Peruvian builders would carve what was common for them into Christian narratives. In between the chorus chairs, they carved Incan-looking characters instead of angels. It’s quite comical how symbols change.

For the rest of the day we managed to trudge through some extreme wind gusts to visit other popular monasteries and historic sites. However, what I noticed the most about Salamanca was their Spanish language. They do not have a strong Spanish accent, which was refreshing since in Peru our accent is so soft its considered not to have an one. They also speak without using “vos” and instead say “usted,” which is something else Peruvians do. Because of this, Salamanca was a comforting place to be in.

By msotomayor12

While there are many things I have come to love about the GW Madrid program, the most unique is that it offers a weekly art history class at El Museo del Prado. While I have never been an art aficionado, I love learning about any new subject through a historic lens. Identifying an artwork’s historical time period reveals a solid interpretation of what the artist tried to evoke. It is truly a hidden time capsule.

The first two weeks of class have been devoted to the Renaissance. One of the main values of this era is anthropos, which is the idea that man is the center of the universe. Humans are portrayed in ideal physical shape, representing the strength and heroism needed to conquer future battles. Man began to understand that he was given with the capabilities to succeed in society.

This new ideology made people feel empowered. In the 14th century, kingdoms were eager to fulfill their destiny by discovering “new worlds.” Europe was extremely rich in culture, technologically advanced, and highly influential. They were the world’s powerhouse.

For this reason, Europe was drawn in the middle of map scrolls. Since ideological thinkers believed that the universe rotated around the earth, it can be inferred that Western Europe was drawn as the center of the universe.

It only took several centuries and researchers later to accurately determine where continents lie on a map. However, some inaccurate diagrams, as seen in class, place the United States at the center of it since it is considered the most powerful country in the world. There is a common though—especially amongst American—that says: when the U.S. decides something, the world follows. That belief is far from the truth for several reasons.

Growing up in Florida, I have met many people who forget that other countries also make a political, economical, and social impact on international relations. There are ignorant people who believe God should bless the U.S. “and no place else,” while others do not bother learning about international affairs. Mainstream politicians and news cycles do not discuss it as often as necessary, which could explain why there is a growing lack of interest. Whatever the reason, there is a problem with thinking that one’s country is superior to others. And worse, that we can survive without them.

While I have always been aware of this, living in another country adds a new and realistic perspective. I realize more and more everyday that there are functioning and healthy societies that lie beyond the U.S. borders. Even though one can claim to know much about a country, I do believe that one cannot fully understand a country’s dynamics until they experience it themselves. Even then there will be some bias, but at least arguments will be more justifiable.

This past week I have found myself discovering the side streets of Madrid. While abroad I have had a natural impulse to go out and try to consume everything that defines the city. Taking advantage of this, my friends and I decided to seek out places to shop. We spent more time getting lost on the streets than actually browsing through seasonal sales. Eventually we found our way, which unfortunately marked the end of our (mis)adventures.

On Saturday, I took it upon myself to walk around my neighborhood alone (sorry Mom and Dad.) It was then that I was able to take in Madrid’s beauty. It is amazing how much one can learn from just sitting down at a park bench and people watching. Discovering the world all by myself made me feel as if my worries and “fast-paced” life was anywhere, but here. Given my Hispanic looks, Madrileños probably did not notice how I was observing everything with detail. I felt like I was walking with them, rather than among them.

I caught myself thinking, “I could live elsewhere than the U.S.”

While my adventures in Europe are not clearly mapped out, the one thing I can guarantee is that the sun shines in the exact same way everywhere. It is the best form of comfort that connects us all.

By msotomayor12

There’s nothing like reading a good book on a plane. Whenever I am completely immersed within its pages, I manage to forget about reality. The problem is that when reality hits, sometimes it shakes.

A few weeks before I left for Spain, I was on an airplane that left me traumatized. The plane was cutting through the clear December skies, when out of nowhere it dipped on its right side. As it did so, the cabin shook like a seesaw, causing the woman next to me to squish me against my mom. A loud boom sounded as if part of the airplane had tore off. Now, I have travelled on airplanes before that did crazy things, like drop numerous feet, but it never scared me. However, the spontaneity of this particular turbulence made me fear the unexpected.

I kept this in mind during my turbulent flight to Madrid. For about an hour, it was obvious that strong winds were rubbing against the underbelly of the plane, causing it to shake mildly. I still clenched onto the armrest with dear life, even though I knew nothing tragic could happen at 30,000 feet. I was anticipating the worst since it was out of my control.

This was not the way I had envisioned starting my study abroad experience. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the weeks ahead and it is nerve wrecking. For the past three years I have learned to master the GW grind. I feel in control because I know what to expect both socially and academically. It is only normal for me to feel insecure of what is to come.

Although I have only been here for four days, there have already been ups and downs. So far, I have indulged myself in Spanish food and seen the main points of the city, ranging from the most historic to the most modern. I credit my ability to speak Spanish fluently with making me feel comfortable in my new surroundings. However, difficultly adjusting to the time change gave me a miserable migraine one afternoon. Let’s just say it was not the last time I saw the food I ate that day.

While moments will be out of my control, I have learned to not fear the unexpected. It seems that my trip has started off with some turbulence, meaning that there must be some clear skies ahead.