Me with a Picasso
Author: Carson Haller | Majors: Environmental, Soil, & Water Science and Psychology
From the first moment I arrived in Madrid, the vivacity of city-life has been coursing through my veins. Cacophonously honking horns, chirping crosswalks, and humming metros have seamlessly integrated into my daily routine. Additionally, hearing intricate conversation, eating scrumptious food, and sweating in blistering heat is a daily occurrence. I am grateful to have experienced some of the nearly one millennium-long history of this multifaceted city. In this blog post I plan to tell you about the things I learned in my courses, what I learned about Spanish culture while in Madrid, and to give you some tips if you too are planning on studying abroad in Madrid, Spain.
Firstly, I chose this program because I wanted to bolster my understanding of the Spanish language with the help of a language immersion experience. I think I successfully achieved this goal. While at the University of Nebrija I was enrolled in two classes: Spanish Language, and Spanish Culture. In the Spanish language class, my professor spoke solely Spanish, which was, at first, jolting. I had to adjust. It was either understand Spanish, or risk falling behind in class. After a few days, I had become more comfortable with being immersed in the language, and life became easier.
The professors at Nebrija are very expressive communicators. For instance, in my Spanish Culture class, my classmates were almost always laughing at our professor’s antics. Even though attending class was like going to a comedy show, I found the classroom experience highly conducive to learning. In my Spanish Language course, the professor allowed people to talk while she was talking, which cultivated an amicable atmosphere. I feel like I have learned a lot from the classes at Nebrija and think that I am a couple of steps closer to completing my Spanish minor. I came to Spain to study Spanish, so going to classes in the morning comprised a large part of my day, but I still managed to immerse myself in the culture of Spain too.
There are a multitude of different foods in Madrid: here you can find anything from barbeque to ramen. Spanish cuisine is also present in full force, so I was able to indulge myself with patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce) and types of ham whenever I wished. As a part of the study abroad package for this session, we toured cultural sites around Madrid such as Museo del Prado, the Reina Sofia, the Senate, the Royal Palace, and more. At the museums I saw works by Picasso, Goya, and Dalí to name a few. My favorite work was Guernica, which was painted by Pablo Picasso in preparation for the World Fair in 1936. Guernica is of Cubism style and is massive: it fills up an entire room. It’s also painted without color and is a depiction of the Nazis bombing a city in Spain.
Outside of faculty-led activities, I visited the former royal hunting grounds with other University of Arkansas students, where we hiked for three miles and rode on a gondola. I made a friend from Hong Kong in my class, and she invited me to a traditionally prepared dinner at her AirBNB with her friends.
Learning to navigate public transportation in a big city was a new experience for me. Upon my arrival I was given a month-long metro pass that permitted me free travel by metro and buses. Riding the metro was at first confusing, but once I got the hang of navigating, it became a convenient mode of transportation.
As I have said, Spanish in Madrid was a great program. The problem I had with Madrid is that I didn’t assimilate fully with the culture of the city. This is because most young people eat a late dinner and go out to the clubs and bars each night. I don’t find these activities particularly stimulating, so I didn’t go, and as a result, I missed out on a large part of the nightlife. Students considering this program should understand that Madrid is one of the most populous cities in the world, and so is full of life at every moment of the day. This also means that the drawbacks of city life are in full effect and should be taken into consideration. As soon as I return home, I’m going to take a walk in my garden and experience the quiet and peace of nature.