Arabic Breakfast....for Dinner???

Hey Guys so the other night my roommate and his sister made us a traditional Arabic breakfast for dinner. It was very very tasty as well as something that I had never eaten before. In my apartment my three roommates and I are all from different areas of the world so we are able to learn about different cultures in our own home. The food was delicious as you can see in the picture I uploaded for you. I hope that you all have the same experience I did by meeting people from all over the world!

¡Hasta Luego!

Are you Hungary???????

If I had to recommend anywhere in Europe to take a weekend trip it would be Hungary. A few weeks ago one of my friends and I traveled to Budapest and we had a blast! The city is full of architecture and culture that, in my opinion seemed to be a mix of Easter and Western European customs. Whether you are sitting at a café, looking at the royal palace, parliament building, or even taking a walk through one of the several parks scattered all throughout the city it is defiantly a place to visit. The food was amazing!!! Goulash & Paprika are key elements to Hungarian foods and now I understand why…they are delicious! Although we were only there for a short time we were able to spend time in both Buda and Pest. As you might not know, Budapest is parted by a river that divides the city into Buda and Pest. Buda is more of a historical section of town, mainly located on a hill (which by the way you are able to see a breathtaking view of the city). As well as Pest on the other side of the river which is a more upcoming city, filled with students and modern areas. Both sections are filled with markets and restaurants that are not too expensive. Can’t wait until our Halloween Party in the next few weeks!!!

¡Hasta Luego!

Galicia

Galicia….that’s it!! What an incredible place to visit. The first school trip was to Galicia, in northern Spain just above Portugal. This area has a large Celtic history and is full of fish! Aside from the buildings being architecturally stunning, the food was incredible too. We stayed in Santiago de Compostela, where every year there are several people who partake in the pilgrimage there, which was nice to see. Also while there we tried one of Galicia’s famous dishes..Pulpo a la gallega, which is Octopus!! I never thought that I would eat Octopus, considering that I don’t usually eat fish, but I decided to try it and it was delicioso!!! One of the days we traveled down to southern Galicia to Vigo a big port city, where we caught a ferry that brought us to the Islas Cíes a nice Island off the coast of Galicia where we were able to go hiking, swimming, or simply sun bathe. This by far was one of my favorite trips that I have gone on and I can’t wait to return so that I can explore more of what Galicia has to offer.

¡Hasta Luego!

Astronomy Trip

The Astronomy class has once again gone to Tenerife, Canary Islands to spend just about a week looking at the stars… My roommate and I were on the trip and it was an incredible time! Although we lost about 2 nights due to bad weather we were still able to see a ton of things. This group was so dynamic and worked extremely well together and because of these efforts we were able to discover (as far as these trips are concerned) the planets of Neptune, for the 3rd time ever, as well as Uranus for the 1st time ever!!!! It was such an incredible feeling throughout the class because it helped us really understand what we were learning about. Professor Raul de la Fuente Marcos came along with us, as usual and on top of that, this year we had a special guest…Dr. W. Johnson, Chair of the Physics Department for Suffolk. I honestly believe that we all had a fabulous time and learned quite a bit of information…now to get the log reports done…..

¡Hasta Luego!

Salamanca

Wow how time is flying by…it seems like the semester just started and it’s already October. First off, my apologies for the long delay, I’ve been so busy that I completely forgot to publish all of my writing…
This year for our Orientation trip we went to Salamanca again, considering that we had already been there, some of the returning students feared that it was going to be boring and quite repetitive, however the campus outdid themselves and added a bunch of new activities. What I felt, as well as most, is that the activities this semester were more orientation-like giving us the opportunity to meet new people quickly. We also made some historic visits throughout the city, visiting the cathedral, the Universidad de Salamanca (the oldest university in Spain), as well as had a walking tour around the quaint city of Salamanca. One day trip was to a farm where we were able to ride horses, go swimming in the pool and learn a little bit about Bull Fighting. All in all I think the trip went quite smoothly and I can’t wait to see what the Spring Orientation brings us.

¡Hasta Luego!

Back in Action

So being a Student Ambassador we are already back on campus to help with the final preparations before arrival day on Wednesday. The campus is looking amazing…especially with the new renovations!! It’s so nice to be back in Madrid at this time because the weather is incredible..HOT in the day and Cool at night..basically the perfect atmosphere. Recently I moved into my apartment with 2 of my flat mates..Natalie & Fares, both ambassadors as well and we have had such a fun time getting to know each other more and more as the days go on. Today we decided to clean up a bit to try and make the apartment our own. We hung up some fotos from last year on our fridge so that we will remember all of the great people that we were able to meet last year, as well as left some space for the new memories that we are to make this year. Tomorrow Natalie and I are planning to go to the park for a picnic and to play some Frisbee…just a little relaxing before the semester begins! I hope everyone has a safe journey over to Madrid and we cannot wait to meet everyone on Wednesday!

¡Hasta Luego!

Summer Update

Wow how long it has been...First of all does everyone like the new layout? Secondly I would like to apologize for the lack of posts over the summer; I've just been so busy. I guess I'll back track a bit and start with when I came home in May. I started with two summer classes, both Government classes taught by Professor Conley. One was an Introduction to American Democracy (GOVT 110) which was a nice transition into the Government track that I have been looking into. Then I also took a Research Methodology class (GOVT 120) where we would look into various surveys and then we would analyze all of the data relating it to current situations. Any who the two classes were incredible and I recommend anyone to take them. While the classes were going on I was working as usual for the summer months to save some money for the school year. I was able to spend some time visiting with friends but considering that I was only home for 3 months, I feel as if it flew by. I also took a weeklong trip to Los Angeles, California with two friends of mine. While there, we explored Hollywood and the Greater Los Angeles area. We had an incredible time and considering that I had never been on the west coast I was able to swim in the Pacific Ocean which was so nice, considering how much I travel. after that I was home for a while and worked a bunch more, then I went to New York City with some other friends, which is something that I try to do every time I am home, considering how close I live to the city, a mere 4 hour bus ride. New York was amazing as well my friends and I saw two different musicals...Next to Normal and Shrek the Musical. Both of them were up for different areas in the Tony Awards and ended up to be two of the greatest musicals I've ever seen. After New York I just work a bit more at home and tried to spend some time with my family before I needed to head out again. My family and I ended up going to Maine for a few days to relax on the beach and then when I got home I packed up all of my things and traveled over to Ireland to visit with another friend of mine on the way to Spain. I am currently in Ireland on my way to Madrid because I will need to start the preparations for Orientation this upcoming Tuesday. That's all I have for you guys now, but be sure to keep checking back as I will be updating on a regular schedule from now on.

¡Hasta Luego!