La Vida Universitaria

ENTRESEMANA: The Wednesday night cena tradition lives on.

I haven’t had a quiet moment to myself in months. Studying for midterms, going to international student events, competing in sports, and teaching my girlfriend English (fruitlessly, I might add) all make up the university lifestyle at UC3M which leaves very few moments for meditation and reflection. I’m glad Facebook is keeping a steady record of my study abroad experience because the time is flying by and sometimes I don’t even know what day of the week it is. I’m halfway through my stay and I leave in nine weeks, though it feels like I just got here.

     Having survived midterms, I can offer a few tips for students who are planning on studying abroad. At this university, there exists a treasure trove of solved problem sets and exhaustive study guides that is guarded carefully by a network of Spanish guardianes. I would say it’s well worth your time to befriend your classmates, especially those wearing a Castilla-La Mancha emblem on their right shoulder (see right). Just kidding! Look for the kids who get called on to solve problems in front of the class and end up with the right answer without doing the right preceding steps.

     Another point to consider is what you want to get out of your time abroad. For me, this is my first and likely last extended stay in Europe, so it’s worth my while to travel almost every weekend. This is practically impossible if you take notoriously difficult classes like international trade and econometrics. Matt studied his butt off for 2 weeks and got a 60 and 45 percent on the midterms for those classes. He’s a smart kid, so this was likely due to A) not being a part of the Spanish Knights Templar Inner Circle of Solved Problem Sets and B) there’s not a lot of help to be found outside of the classroom, especially for the extremely challenging classes. By contrast, all my midterms were “tipo test,” which means multiple choice, and they were definitely manageable except for tricky Spanish vocabulary from which the professor prohibited me using a Spanish-English dictionary.  

     In other news, I had the chance to give a presentation in a bilingual high school about why one should study abroad. The kids were really funny and it was an awesome experience. I will post the video once it’s uploaded to the website.

     Also, an exceptional opportunity to consider if you’re studying abroad in Spain is the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera, otherwise known as the DELE, which is a Spanish language certification. I recently finished my preparation course and am currently touching up my written and oral exposition skills before taking the exam on April 11. I will be taking the C1 exam, which is the second highest level and is the minimum that is required to work in the Spanish government. It’s fairly difficult, which has motivated me to study my grammar like never before. I have often complained that what one learns in a university language course has little to do with how native speakers actually converse. The irony is that now I find myself striving to avoid the beloved slang I’ve painstakingly learned and instead use exclusively formal, academic language. But let me tell you, come April 12, I’ll get right back to my reggaetonero roots, güey!

     This past Saturday, there was a noteworthy riot in the heart of Madrid. I saw the demonstration during the day when it consisted of thousands of mostly sane, slightly elderly people protesting loudly but peacefully. However, as night fell, the violent hooligans descended like a hive of agitated wasps upon the city and the resulting chaos is something to behold:

     To conclude, one pattern that I’ve observed here in Madrid is the fact that America is in fashion. Everywhere I look, I see NBA and NFL jerseys, sweaters embroidered with the American flag, t-shirts of The Ramones and Jack Daniel’s, hats with NYPD… the list goes on and on. This contradicts the notion that Spanish citizens don’t like Americans, because in reality our culture pervades theirs on many levels and representing the stars and stripes is trendy. It’s rare that I don’t hear at least one comment anytime I wear my Boston Celtics t-shirt, and it’s always a great conversation starter. So even though advisors will tell you to leave your loud American clothing at home, I suggest you be proud of where you’re from and represent your home colors, because the people here admire America and appreciate our culture.

PRIMOS: My best friends from Asunción, Paraguay and my fiercest fútbol competitors

Segovia

LA MURALLA: This massive wall defended the city from the invading hordes for over 15 centuries until its intimidating defenses finally succumbed to the overwhelming waves of tourists. Here we sit victorious.

I had a midterm in International Finance on Friday that tested the picky mathematics of currency trading, so it was a relief to spend Saturday touring the city of Segovia, which dates back two millennia. The trip was organized by the residence hall association, which is one of the benefits of living in the dorms, so the one-hour bus ride cost just three euros round-trip. The weather was perfect and I made some cool friends in the afternoon. Madrid’s central location makes travelling effortless and going on daytrips to the surrounding historic cities has been one of the best parts of living here.

COCHINILLO: Segovia is famous for its piglet roasted whole and chopped into four massive hunks. It was unquestionably the best pork I've ever eaten in my life.

EL ALCÁZAR

EL ACUEDUCTO ROMANO

LA CATEDRAL

Guide to Studying Abroad in Madrid

Classes

The classes at Carlos III University are no more demanding than those at USC. The professors are known to go easier on exchange students, and there are office hours and tutoring to help you out in case you have to take one of the bruiser classes such as Econometrics. The credits transfer back to USC as pass/fail, and you need a five out of 10 to pass, which is manageable but should not be considered a walk in the park. The grading scale is less forgiving, and since most of the final grade depends on the final exam, passing isn’t just a matter of completing the in-class group assignments. Classes meet for 90 minutes twice a week. The first session is a lecture with roughly 50 students and the second is a practical with just a 25-student class that requires participation and turning in homework.

     I’m taking classes in Spanish, but most of my international friends are taking them in English. From what they’ve told me, some classes are a breeze, such as History of Spain, and they only go to the practicals (where attendance is taken) and not to the lectures. My best friend is taking International Trade, which is based heavily on microeconomics, has pop quizzes and two midterms, and the German professor with an uninterpretable accent doesn’t help matters. The key to the class selection process is to attend all of the classes you’re considering taking in the first week to see how they are, and then adjust your schedule accordingly. Additionally, note that the third and fourth year courses require less homework and in-class assignments than first year courses.

     As for business and economics classes in Spanish, the obvious advantages are the opportunity to practice academic Spanish and meet other Spanish-speaking students. I highly recommend this route because even if you’re not very fluent, the professors are understanding because most of them have studied English and know how hard it is! The Spanish professors often seek out exchange students because we offer a new perspective during class discussions, and this leads to an authentic student-professor relationship that I have found to be refreshing and useful. Also, most of the business classes that IB students need that are taught in English (International Management, etc.) fill up right away during registration, leaving only spots in the Spanish-taught classes. So far this semester, I’ve given a class presentation for 10 minutes, taken a midterm and written a 750-word essay all in Spanish, and though it was time-consuming to prepare in a different language, it was also more interesting and fun.

Location

Carlos III University is located  in a dungy city called Getafe, which is 25 minutes outside of the heart of Madrid by train. Approximately 90% of the exchange students at my university live in the city and commute to school, though I am doing the opposite. I live in the dorms, which has been awesome for meeting people, using the university gym and library, and it makes getting to and from class a lot less stressful. There are two dorms, and I live in the one with all single rooms called Gregorio Peces-Barba. I have my own bathroom and the shower is the best I've ever had in my life, with great water pressure and piping hot water. There is a cafeteria, an awesome caged basketball/soccer court outside, ping-pong table, PS4, projector TV, tons of study rooms, and a dinky gym. The other dorm is a lot more fun since it consists of all double rooms, but it’s really noisy and always smells like cigarette smoke. I figure I have the ideal situation because I get to spend the night socializing at the other dorm, and then return to my clean single room to sleep without the hooligans skateboarding in the hallway outside my door. The dorm is really expensive and the food isn’t very good, but the community is priceless.

     Living in downtown Madrid is perfect if you plan on going out to clubs a lot. The train stops at midnight and doesn’t start again until 6AM, so I have to take a night bus back to Getafe, which can be inconvenient. I have slept at friends’ apartments in the city several times, and it’s a lot easier to walk five minutes to their apartments and crash after a long of night of dancing instead of having to make the long hike to the bus station and wait in the cold for 30 minutes. That said, it’s equally inconvenient for them to take the train to campus every day and wait around in between classes. This is often an excuse for skipping class, so for those who aren’t very punctual or motivated, beware. If I were going to live in the city, I would try to find cool roommates via Facebook beforehand and seek out a roomy 5-person apartment near to Sol metro station (look for it on Google Maps).

Culture

In my opinion, Spanish people are more laid-back, less punctual, take more cigarette breaks and siestas, and don’t take themselves as seriously as we do in the States. It’s really easy to make friends because everyone wants to know what life is like in America. The more Spanish you know, the more you will be able to delve into the local culture because the language opens doors. For example, two kids in my dorm have invited me to visit their homes in Extremadura and the Canary Islands respectively, which would be virtually impossible to do if I didn’t speak Spanish. If ever you needed a motivation to study the irregular verbs in the preterite, let a weekend spent surfing and eating seafood in Canarias be it!

     If your Spanish is sketchy, don’t fret because there are 400 international students studying abroad here and a huge chunk of them are from European countries where English is the second language. It’s funny how my Polish friends speak more English here in Spain than they do Spanish. Truly, English is the language of international business and everyone constantly picks my brain for new vocabulary. Coming from the US and speaking somewhat passable Spanish, you will make a ton of friends and I guarantee you will have the semester of your life- I know I am.

     Everyone is absolutely wild about soccer here, so definitely bring your cleats if you're a player. The bars are packed anytime Real Madrid, Atlético or Barcelona plays, and going to a game is high on my list of priorities. I've found that sports are an awesome way to make friends, and you'll find leagues for everything here except hockey. Later this month, there will be an intra-campus sports tournament, and I'm representing my dorm in tennis, which should be a riotous event. Let me finish with one last piece of advice: Learn the basic steps of Salsa and Bachata before you come and you will be top dog in any club you step foot in. Think less "Wagon Wheel," more Romeo Santos, and you'll be well on your way.

PARQUE DEL BUEN RETIRO: A beautiful Saturday afternoon spent in
 this enormous park in the center of Madrid

WEATHER: The constant rain of February has finally given way to glorious spring.

DAY'S END: An artificial lake in front of the impressive Monument to Alfonso XII

Salamanca

TEAM: The crew that traveled to Salamanca

Last weekend, I went with all my Mexican friends to Salamanca, an historic university town. I seem to bring rainy weather everywhere go, but the churches were spectacular despite the constant drizzle. Erasmus exchange students from all over Spain were there for a big reunion, and the dinner party was really fun. The highlight was the extremely entertaining Flamenco show. One of the best parts of being in Madrid is its central location within Spain, which makes it painless to take trips to see all the spectacular cities that dot the country.

DINNER PARTY: We didn't get the memo about formal dress, so good thing my really
 good Puerto Rican friend Gabriel was able to keep it classy on our behalf.

FLAMENCO: Folk music and dance from Southern Spain

PLAZA MAYOR: One of Spain's most charming architectural designs

CATHEDRAL: Awesome view from atop a tower

SPENT: Taking a nap in the bus station after a draining weekend