Tapas, Travel, and Textbooks

Hola! I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but a lot has happened in the last few weeks. To start off, Valencia was an amazing day trip to the beach where I ate paella and drank orange juice by the sea. It was the perfect day for the beach as the sun was shining and the water was the perfect temperature. The drive was long and tedious, but we did get to stop at a diner type place where I got a cafe con leche and a croissant the size of my head.  Once we actually arrived in Valencia, we immediately headed to the beach and we played some volleyball, swam in the ocean, and sunbathed for a bit. We even got to see dolphins in the distance which was a really cool surprise. And true to the European beach experience, we did see some people who were more appropriately dressed (or rather undressed) for a nude beach. Regardless, I had a lot of fun at the beach and really enjoyed my day there. After another uneventful week of classes, we stayed in Madrid for the next two weeke...

Hola! I have officially completed my first week of school in Madrid and I am looking forward to my classes. I am taking a majority of nursing classes with a couple of honors requirements, which is exciting because I'm finally starting to learn how to be a nurse.  My Health Assessment professor, Prof. Buckley, is probably my favorite professor for the semester which is good because she teaches three of my seven classes. She is teaching my health assessment lecture and lab along with my IPE course. Prof. Longeway is also a really good professor who teaches a very engaging lecture where he relates all of the ethical concepts we talk about to stories from his career. My physiology professor, Prof. Boal, is a 25 ish year old physical therapist who works mainly for sports teams in Madrid. His class will be difficult due to the amount of material we need to learn, but it'll be fun. My last professor is Prof. Nelson who teaches health promotion and she is probably my least favorite pro...

Hola! Saturday was my first weekend trip to Toledo! We took an hour and a half long bus ride to the old town where we then proceeded to get a small tour from a local tour guide about the history of Toledo. Toledo, often called the "City of Three Cultures," is a historic city in central Spain known for its rich blend of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish heritage. Its history dates back to ancient times, and it has played a significant role in Spain's cultural and political development.  Toledo's history begins with its founding by the Carpetani, a Celtic-Iberian people. It was later conquered by the Romans around 193 BCE, becoming an important administrative center. The city was known as   Toletum   during Roman rule and prospered as a hub for agriculture, metalworking, and trade.  In the 6th century CE, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Toledo became the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom. It was a crucial religious and political center during this time, particularly un...

 Hola! It's been a while since my previous post, but quite a lot has happened over the last few days. Last Saturday we went to the Sofia Reina which is more of a modern art museum which, I'll admit is not my favorite style of art because most of the art looks like either a five year old made it or it just doesn't evoke meaning. For example one of the displays was an empty room that held 4 stone walls/ bricks and it was called a "Masterpiece of Mystery". The only mystery is how the artist convinced a renowned art museum that is home to some of Picasso's art to display it. Regardless there are some famous pieces in the museum such as the Guernica.  Guernica is one of Pablo Picasso's most famous works, created in response to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. On April 26, 1937, Nazi German forces, supporting Francisco Franco's Nationalist faction, bombed the town, killing hundreds of civilians. The attack was one of t...

Today has been a much better day that allowed me to better explore the center of Madrid, the Palacio de Madrid, Plaza Mayor, and the Galleria. I am happy that the older parts of the city provided me with that European charm that I was looking forward to experiencing on this trip. We started out the morning at 8:30 AM where we figured how to use the metro system which is very clean and accessible. For breakfast we got Starbucks and I thoroughly enjoyed my ham and cheese croissant. After experiencing the Spanish Starbucks, we went over to the Palacio de Madrid.  The Palacio de Madrid is as grand and imposing as one would expect and I thoroughly enjoyed walking through all of the gilded rooms filled with all of the luxuries you could imagine. The interior of the Palacio Real is impressive, with lavish decorations and a vast collection of art, furniture, and historical artifacts. Some of the most notable rooms include one of the many throne rooms adorned with red velvet walls, a grand ...

Today was probably the longest day of my life. Starting at 6 AM on the 21st, I headed to the airport and had two uneventful but cramped flights from SFO to DFW to MAD. Unfortunately sleep evaded me for both flights and I only watched one movie even though I have at least 5 movies and a couple tv shows downloaded. After finally landing at 9 AM on the 22nd, I felt like a zombie. We were able to hop on a taxi and head right to our hotel where I proceeded to then sleep for 7 hours. I will admit that the jet lag has hit me like a rock and I no longer know whether it's time for lunch, dinner, or breakfast. At least I'll have a few days to settle in before my classes begin.  Many people have told me of the phases that I would go through while studying abroad: the honeymoon phase, homesick phase, and the phase where you finally gain a sense of belonging. Now that I have finally begun my adventures abroad and I can confidently say my first impression of Madrid was very different from wh...