It is hard to believe that already a little over a month has gone by since I first arrived in Madrid. At the same time, it feels like I have been in Spain for 6 months already but somehow, I am still shocked by how quickly time is passing. I have to forever remind myself that I am in Spain, in Europe, and each time I am overcome with mounds of excitement. Maybe I can convince the school to let me stay for the summer, who knows!
View in Granada, Spain
I have made more friends at the Funway Resort-- I have met students from France, Spain, Russia, and Italy. Mainly, the girls and I have become very friendly with another group of Americans from the Boston area. The comradery came easily between us all, as we often eat dinners together and plan weekend excursions. Additionally, I have become friends with a girl from Spain here as a part of the exchange program at Complutense. The Spanish girl, Ari, took us to the famous Spanish market called El Rostro in Madrid, only available on Sundays. The market was jampacked with people, shop keepers selling everything from clothes, bags, posters, shot glasses, and children's toys. A lot of the products were cheap and the purchases I made that day were for friends and family back home. Later, she took us to a place that sold drinks and food for only 1 euro. We are making plans to hang again soon!
Additionally, I have already visited 2 huge historical cities in Spain: Toledo and Andalucía (Cordoba, Granada, and Sevilla). We toured the churches, palaces, and streets so quickly, that I felt like I barely had any time to absorb the beauty I was seeing. It it not only until I relook at the photos do I realize how amazing the places really were. I saw so many churches with incredible decorations and artworks, that I became almost desensitized to them. However, one that stood out to me the most in Granada; it was called the "Alhambra." It was once a huge Arabic palace and place of worship, but was later converted into a Christian palace and religious site. However, the Arabic architecture, writing, and fountains were left behind for us to examine and marvel over. Staring at the beautiful artwork, left me in a sort of awe. There was once people who took hours working on this building-- cried and died over this artwork. It felt like I was walking through history in real time.
View of the Alhambra at night
Sevilla, Spain
Some other pointers that I picked up about the language here is that in greeting, people will say "Hola Buenas" as a shortened version of "Buenas noches/ dias." They also shorten the word "Por favor" and instead say "Por-fa," which confused me so much at first when I heard the locals using it. Overall, I am happy to inform readers that my Spanish has improved immensely. Still, it is no where no at the place I want it to be. I still have to pause at times to think about the correct phrase to use. In those moments, I am incredibly hard on myself, cursing myself for not using the correct grammar form. It is important, though, to recognize the small accomplishments. Now, I am not as afraid to ask questions in Spanish, order food, or even raise my hand in classes. I am proud of these improvement and look forward to where my language skills will be next month.
Until Next Time--
Morgan Kasabri
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