Without Struggle There is no Success
Hola Todos!!
It is very VERY frustrating knowing what you want to say to someone but not knowing the words to say it… From buying a cell phone to ordering at a restaurant to going grocery shopping talking has been a struggle. It is physically draining trying to have a conversation. However, I can tell my spanish is improving! I am remembering not just vocabulary but little things like the difference between “A mi tambien” and “Yo tambien” both meaning “me too” but a spaniard’s face with scrunch up in a second if you use the wrong one. In other news, I planned a trip to Paris last week, but could not go because I got the Flu! It was quite sad..but I got to catch up on my TV shows and lost a few pounds.
The “study” part of studying abroad is actually pretty difficult. Learning a new language is NOT easy, true it is not Accounting or Finance, but it is not a walk in the park. We have class every day for 2 1/2 hours and a bunch of homework. I have to say it is much different then taking spanish in the States because I can practice what I am learning with anyone. I am also taking a cooking class! The chef does not speak english so we get to practice our spanish while learning to cook traditional spanish cuisine. Friday the USAC group went to Toledo! It was just a day trip, but we got a tour of old Toledo, a synagogue, and a cathedral. Toledo is very different from Madrid. Madrid is a fast paced city while Toledo is a small beautiful town with a beautiful landscape, and amazing architecture. The city of Toledo goes back to B.C. and has Christian, Muslim, and Jewish influences.
Alright now for my little realizations and experiences portion of the blog.
I mentioned the staring in my last blog. I decided I had enough and just stared back at someone, BIG mistake. They do not stop looking at you just because you look at them.
Spaniards are the healthiest people I have ever seen. A girl in my class tried to describe cheesy bread to our professor and she had never heard of it! She made a “that is gross” face at the thought of cheesy bread. They cook everything in olive oil. EVERYTHING even french fries. Oh, and the french fries are not out of a bag, french fries are freshly cut and fried. I am a big gelato fan and there are not very many gelato or even ice cream shops open during the winter, which makes me sad. My stomach has definitely shrunk adapting to the spanish eating style.
Single working moms and working women are the main people on the metro.
I learned a little bit about their health care system
-Money for health care is taken from everyones pay check
-There is private and public healthcare
-For public, when you need to schedule an appointment all you have to do is call and they will set you up for free. The problem is that it could take up to a month to get an appointment unless it is an emergency. Everything is free and all prescriptions are up to 60% off. Everything is free, even prescriptions, for old people. They have the best equipment and the best doctors in public because everyone is paying for it.
-For private, when you need to schedule an appointment all you have to do is call and they will set you up for an appointment the next day. You have to pay a certain amount per month for the quick service.
-The only difference between public and private is the amount of time you have to wait to get an appointment, that is what my host mom said. And the public hospitals have better equipment and sometimes better doctors.
Most people would rather walk then drive
It is common to live with your parents until you get married, no matter how old you are.
Spaniards party hard. I have never seen anything like it. They start going to bars around 12 or 1am and go to clubs around 3am and catch the first train at 6am back home. I found out they have “after hour discos” that open at 6am!!
Well that is all I have for now!! Stay tuned! 🙂
Hasta Luego!
Tyler Monroe
