If I could create classes at SLU-Madrid...

Classes I would like to see SLU-Madrid offer next semester:

El Corte Ingles 201: Course Description - A class covering the history and set-up of the famous Spanish department store. Material includes learning the 7 floors and their departments, memorizing the store locations within Madrid and Spain, and learning how to best navigate within the store.

The Mysteries of the Tobacco Stand 101: Course Description - A class offering the student information on the many offerings of the tobacco store (other than tobacco), the cultural evolution behind buying metro passes at a tobacco store, and how to ask for international stamps.

Churros Con Chocolate 389: Course Description - A course for the advanced churros con chocolate eater, including the history of the dessert, where and when to buy it in Madrid, with a final project culminating in a student collage of pictures of the student eating churros on several different occasions. Class also includes a creative writing contest with pieces inspired by the dessert.

McDonald's in Spain 220: Course Description - A class that answers the following questions: Where did McCafe come from? How do McDonald's Playlands differ between the U.S. and Spain? Why is McDonald's helado en cono (ice cream cone) so good?

Student Trip Planning 399: Course Description - A class offering students information on how to fit in everything they want to see in one semester... the class includes several class field trips in various parts of Spain and Europe, a power-point presentation comparing the wide range of student hostels, and a research paper on unforgettable/interesting/weird/amazing travel experiences.

Hmm... maybe I should pitch my curriculum ideas to the dean? What do you think? :-)

Strasbourg!

I went to Strasbourg, France this weekend to visit my cousin, Andrew. We had great weather and I got to see a LOT in 2.5 days! Here are some pictures from the weekend:


Here are Andrew and I at the top of this observation tower in Kehl, Germany. Kehl and Strasbourg are neighbor cities on the Reine River... which is the border between France and Germany. The view was amazing...

Of course, being from Milwaukee, we had to eat bratwurst in Kehl! It was GOOD... and I'm not always a huge bratwurst fan.

Here is a view of the Reine from the observation tower. To the left is Strasbourg (France), and to the right is Kehl (Germany). To the far right (farther than the picture shows) is the Black Forrest.

Strasbourg is known for their Christmas markets... they are in the town squares, and they consist of lots of booths and tents like this filled with vendors of candles, Christmas ornaments, chocolate, jewelry, etc.! It was so fun to walk around there, especially at night... there were LOTS of people.

I thought this was funny... in the Euroairport in Basel, Switzerland... you can enter either France, Germany, or Switzerland... from the airport! Crazy, huh? Here's the France/Germany exit.

The Christmas lights were everywhere... and it really made the city look like a Christmas fairy-tale. In the backround is the Strasbourg Cathedral.

Here's the Switzerland exit!!

It was a fast, but great weekend. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to Strasbourg earlier in the semester when I could have stayed longer due to high flight prices... but it turned out well to come this weekend, and it was especially fun to see all the Christmas stuff!

Basically, I spent the weekend hanging out and catching up with Andrew, one of my Milwaukee cousins who is studying at the University in Strasbourg. I got to see the campus, meet some of his school friends, bike over to Germany (it's only about a 20 minute bike ride, hehe), check out the city, and relax. It was fun to stay with Andrew and see his apartment there... and I got to watch movies for the first time this semester on his computer! I finally can say I've seen "What About Bob?" and it was hilarious. It was probably the most laid-back of my trips this semester, and that was great...

A few things I will remember about Strasbourg: eating amazing pastries and food in general(baguette flambee, apple streusel tart, banana/nutella crepe...), walking around at sunset with the Christmas lights and the roasted chestnut vendors, biking to Germany, and just spending hours talking about anything and everything with my cousin!

Only about 3 weeks left in Europe! I can't believe it. I am already sad to think of leaving...

Interfaith Retreat

This past weekend I went on the Saint Louis University Interfaith Retreat. It was awesome! Seriously, it was one of the best experiences I've had here. The retreat was held at a Christian retreat center in Loeches, about an hour from Madrid. Here are some pictures from the weekend:


The sun was setting when we arrived late Friday afternoon. The view from the place was beautiful.

Here are Peter and Priyam. Peter helped plan the retreat... he's a student studying here for the semester from the Saint Louis U. home campus in Missouri. We've traveled a lot together this semester and have become good friends! Priyam is a permanent student here from India. He gave a presentation on the Hindu faith, and I had fun talking with him about yummy Indian food!

Here are Tadzoka, Amal, and Nick. They lead a Bible study on Sunday morning...

Here are Caley and I... lying on the floor before we started the "Imaginitive Prayer." It was a prayer lead by Peter... and it was cool to think that all of us were praying in our own way, yet together, as people from several different religious backgrounds!

I signed up for the Interfaith Retreat pretty last minute, but I'm so glad I did! We had people representing several different faiths: Islam, Hindu, LDS, Catholic, Baptist, non-denomonational Christian... the goal of the weekend was to learn about each others' faiths and to get to know each other. I've been on retreats before, but this one was special... we all shared very personal feelings about our faith with people we barely knew, and of course, we all bonded quickly! It was awesome to hear about Islam from people from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen... they explained their faith and as we all shared our own backgrounds, we really discovered how similar our religions are in many ways. We talked about the difficulties of living our religions in today's world, the misunderstandings among our faiths, etc.

We were woken up in the morning by the call to prayer... a Muslim song that is played in the morning to signify that it's time for morning prayer. We also had a Catholic mass on Sunday, and for many, it was their first experience in a mass. Father Reck, the Jesuit who lead the retreat, explained the mass to everyone, which was great. And he said he knew of my great uncle, Joseph Sheehan, who was a Jesuit. Small world!

I am sad to think that I am leaving in a month, and some of these people I may never see again after that. However, I'm so glad I took advantage of this chance to get to know all of these awesome people. If only we could all get together under similar circumstances... perhaps our world would not be so full of hate.

Another day in Madrid comes to a close...

As I'm sitting here, I can hear the faint back-drop of honking car horns, my roommate talking to a friend on Skype, the radio buzzing as my host brother winds down after a day of work, and a baby in a nearby apartment crying. The sounds of the city... it's funny how they seem less distracting as they used to. I guess living in a city, your senses are bombarded every day with sounds, sights, and smells. After a week or so, I think I began to automatically filter out these things, as a natural process of getting used to it all ... but of course, when I sit back and let myself notice it, I realize how much is constantly going on around me. It's an inclusive feeling, being part of such an ocean of constant human movement, and at the same time, it can be almost overwhelming. At times, the crowded subways and city air makes me long for a stroll in an empty country field or something, but thankfully, Madrid has great parks, which help when I need some nature.

Despite the controlled chaos of living in a big city, I notice the longer I'm here, the more things I can pick out that suggest Madrid is much smaller than it really is. For example, I often see this one man sitting on the same bench with his German Shepard at his feet as I walk to school. The dog is a puppy, and I've seen him get a little bigger over the semester. The same homeless man sits on the same busy street corner, with a slight smile on his face as he watches the people pass by, hoping for a coin or two. The garbage truck comes down our street every night between 1-3 a.m. The same store keepers run their cash registers and greet customers. The same crowd at Luchana's piano bar every Monday night dances and enjoys familar songs. The same group of locals and missionaries play soccer on Saturday nights at 9 p.m. at the field across the street from the chapel. This city may be huge, but each person has his or her own routines and community, which, if you notice it, you can be a part of.

I'm enjoying this acclimation, and it's already hard to think of leaving this small shared bedroom, my nightly "cena" (dinner) with my housemates and host-lady, my small SLU community, the Church members I've met, and my new-found routines and enjoyments. However, I knew when I came that this semester would someday end. Luckily, I still have over a month to enjoy my life in Madrid. I'm glad I had to chance to see my family and two of my good Milwaukee friends over here and introduce them to my temporary but real existence in this city. I'm realizing now why everyone says you should study abroad for at least a semester... anything shorter than that, and it's hard to ever really feel like you "lived" here. I know I'm not a Spaniard, but I'm grateful for this chance to learn what it's like to be one and to experience life as one.

Ok, I'm going to step back into my world here and get ready to eat dinner and study... and whatever is the backdrop of your world right now... the daily sights, sounds, smells... the nice and not-so-nice... I'd love to hear about it.

Retiro Park - A Haven in the City

Some pictures from Retiro Park outings:


Sara studying in the park one day when we had a picnic.

The gardens are amazing.

Sara, Dan, Chey and Caley when we had a picnic a month or so back. Chey brought some wine and chocolate (don't worry, I just had the chocolate!) and we relaxed on some towels (we don't have blankets) and talked and studied.

Today, Jeannette, Marisa, Luis, and I went to Retiro to show Jeannette and Marisa (my Milwaukee friends!) around. You would never guess it was Nov. 10... it was sunny and warm and a perfect day. Here Marisa took a shot of Luis and I when we all ate some tortilla de patata (Spanish omelette) and some sandwiches at a cafe in the park. Notice Luis has just a t-shirt on!! It must have been in the 60s for a while today... according to Marisa and Jeannette, Wisconsin is very cold right now. I must say, this weather is preferable!

One of the many beautiful fountains in the park. I decided today that if I ever run for president... I'm going to create a law to promote more fountains. :-)

Marisa, Jeannette, and I in front of the pond in the center of the park. You can't see it, but there were people boating around on row boats...

So, El Parque de Buen Retiro ("Retreat/Seclusion Park") was originally royal land... and it was later opened up for all of the public to enjoy. It is HUGE... think Central Park in NYC... and it has tons of pathways and trees and statues and fountains and flowers and accordian players and little dogs and people.... I got excited when I heard birds chirping as we walked in the park. I guess I hear "wildlife" less than I realize! I see dogs all the time, but beyond that... not a lot. Anyhow, Retiro is my little wilderness in the middle of the city!

Things I love/Things I miss

Now that I've been here in Madrid over half of the semester... I'm thinking it's a good time to take stock of all the changes that have happened in my life in the last 2 months... of course, I've experienced a lot of new things, but surprisingly, life also feels pretty normal and comfortable over here. Everyone always talks about how study abroad changes you... makes you open up your perspective, makes you experience the unfamiliar and make it familiar... it does. Yet, I feel like the same girl I've always been. With that intro... here are a few things I've discovered here in Spain that I love, and a few things I miss about the U.S./home.

A Few Things I Love About Spain:

-people are a little more chill sometimes
-churros con chocolate
-speaking Spanish
-meeting lots of new, interesting people
-the small class sizes I have here at SLU-Madrid
-the tightknit Institute program at Church
-people seem to live healthier lifestyles in a lot of ways... more exercise, better eating habits, etc.
-seeing/learning about so much history... it's completely integrated into the culture
-small, neighborhood grocery stores
-cute, well-behaved dogs everywhere!
-having so many amazing places to visit so close to where I live... in Madrid and outside of Madrid
-my Madrid friends (from my SLU program and Church)
-doing new, interesting things, all the time

A Few Things I Miss:

-watching movies (I'm not a huge movie buff... but I don't have any DVDs and I never watch movies... I miss that)
-being able to have people over
-being able to cook my own food (just once in a while)
-feeling like I can communicate what I really want to say sometimes
-my family and friends!
-alone time (just once in a while.... overall I am a social gal and love being with people, but once in a while, I'd like to have a little retreat house... where I could veg out, sing out loud without people hearing me, hehe, write, think, etc.)
-my guitar/violin
-Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream from 31 Flavors :-)

Well, I can't complain, life is amazing, wherever you are, and it's interesting to see what things you enjoy about the changes or miss from before. I'm trying to just soak it all in here and enjoy it, since I'll get to enjoy the things I miss soon enough, but this my one chance to enjoy life in Madrid. Entonces, a toast to Madrid!