Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Spring Break!!!


First off this past weekend I traveled to Holland & Belgium and they were both AMAZING! I had a lot of fun indulging in the culture of both historic places (especially all the free chocolate samples) and enjoyed traveling with two good friends of mine, Simon and Natalie. Now I’m trying to finish up some last minute projects so that this week I will be able to relax on Spring Break…or Semana Santa as the Spaniards like to call it. For Spring Break I’m traveling with a few friends to Palma Mallorca (an Island off the coast of Spain); Hamburg, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; and Milan, Italy…I’m soooo excited! On another note, I am still trying to decide which classes I would like to take in the fall. There are too many decisions for my Spanish major and I still don’t know how I want to approach that…but hopefully with time I will be able to figure something out. I’m also trying to look at some language schools here in Madrid to see if a friend as well as myself can take some classes in another language for fun and so that we have something nice to do. Way too many decisions to make right know…but at least we have SPRING BREAK!!!!! Talk to you soon!

¡Hasta Luego!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Bake Sale

It’s so strange how time is passing by, it seems like there is hardly any time let in the semester! The Astronomy class is observing from the Canary Islands and the Student Council is having another Bake Sale. The Astronomy class traveled to Tenerife one of the Islands that is part of the Canary Islands just off the coast of Africa so that they will be able to use Europe’s largest land telescope for their lab requirement. While there the students will make several visits to see various parts of the island as well as use their newly acquired astronomy skills to try and discover what is above them in the universe! The Student Council held another bake Sale today to help raise more money for the end of the year Spring Fling dance that will be held after the graduation ceremony in May. It makes me sad when thinking about all of the friends I have met over these past few months and the fact that I have to leave them from the summer. Although I cannot wait until we are back in the fall to start off fresh again!! But I have to go catch a flight to Brussels so I’ll talk to you later!!

¡Hasta Luego!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

El Rastro

Today to take advantage of the nice weather, my friend Amanda and I went to the Rastro. El Rastro is a huge open air market where many different people gather together to see various items such as bags, scarves, food, and various other items. In my opinion it is a staple to Madrid’s culture because you are able to find some great things at a very low price. El rastro is every Sunday, rain or shine usually between 10 – 2 in the morning. After we bought some presents, we decided to walk around because it was about 60oF today. We walked all over the place from la Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Cibeles, and all around making a huge circle. It was nice to finally get out of the house and enjoy Madrid again, after Mid-Terms were last week. I can’t believe how fast time if going by yet again! I feel like we just arrived and now we’re halfway done…I guess I’ll have to start picking classes for the Fall semester and enjoy the rest of the semester!

¡Hasta Luego!

La Alhambra


The second trip of the semester was to Granada, a very well preserved town in Andalucía. There we saw some flamenco dancing as well as La Alhambra, basically a town inside of Granada that was used during battle times in case the city was under attack so that the royal family would be safe. There was a beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada or “Snowy Mountain” which has the highest peak on mainland Spain, and all throughout the city you were able to see this picturesque view. Granada has a large Moorish influence on it because for hundreds of years it was under Moorish control and it was nice to see the different ways that things were converted to be Christian after the city was taken back by the Catholic Kings. The tombs of Ferdinand and Isabel are also located in Granada with their daughter, Juana, and grandson, making Granada the burial place of the royal family until on king decided to build El Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial which is the current burial place for the Royal Family. We also had the opportunity to eat at a Moroccan restaurant to experience another culture as well and it was delicious. I feel that Andalucía has a lot to offer and I would really enjoy going back again!

¡Hasta Luego!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Midterm!

Hey everyone, sorry it has been soooooo long! It has been very hectic here on campus with the Granada trip, presentations & Midterms! I can’t believe how time if flying by…it seems like we just arrived to Madrid and now we are already half way through the semester. The weather has been getting gradually better since mid February and that definitely helps make Madrid a nice place to study (compared to the rough winters of Boston, where I am from). Well I have to go finish studying for my Spanish midterm but I have more to post this weekend…so keep checking!

¡Hasta Luego!