Tags
Ciudad Universitaria, Dehesa de la Villa campus, exchange student at Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Moncloa, Spanish courses, student life in Spain, studying as an exchange student in Spain
The last time I saw Guille was at the Romanian restaurant in New York in late May/early June. Greg and I took him there to celebrate his birthday and his last days in New York as an exchange student.
Me: I didn’t write you a goodbye letter.
Guille: You WILL come to Madrid. If not, you will have to send me that letter.
I was about to apply for the exchange program as well. Guille and Maite – the other exchange student from Madrid – were right. I did. And I only have one thing to say: dreams do come true, as cliché as it may sound.
After all the stress regarding accommodation and courses, everything worked out perfectly. The puzzle came together.
The first days were a bit odd in trying to settle down and determine all the aspects regarding the day-to-day life in Madrid, including getting used with living with two restless cats, one of which is behind my every move. I call him bad pussycat, even if his name is Diego. While he appears to be innocent, he is far from it. He is extremely talkative. I realize this every morning around 6 or 7 am when he likes to wake everybody up. I’ve never heard a cat miau so much. Rrrrrr…..
The apartment I share with two other girls is in a neighborhood called Moncloa. It’s very near my campus. It’s very clean, quiet, surrounded by the Dehesa de la Villa park and Ciudad Universitaria. It’s also very near the city centre. The atmosphere is relaxed, not the least bit crowded. The university is up on a hill, near a forest/park, and similarly to the entire area, it’s very pleasant and peaceful. It’s resourceful and intimate.
1st of October marked the first day of school. It consisted in a placement test (speaking and grammar), an orientation session and sorting out the schedule. Needless to say that I resulted as advanced. In the orientation session we were given very useful information and advice. “Don’t pronounce yourself sick while you’re on vacation in Paris.” Hmm, yeah…you read my mind.
The classes I’m taking are absolutely fabulous. There is not one that could seem boring or not interesting. I am taking Business Spanish, Advanced Conversation and Composition, The Contemporary Spanish Society and Diverse Spain (referring to the multitude of Spanish regions, languages, traditions, influences and history). They are all advanced courses in Spanish. The teachers are real nice and fun and the classmates are from all over the world. Not only this, but Nebrija organizes many museum visits and outside of Madrid trips, as well as an upcoming party for all the international students. What can I say besides that we are all very well taken care of?
As for Madrid… it’s great. One day I walked through the centre until I could walk no more. I recognized everything from my trip five years ago. It’s very easy to get around. The transportation system, to me, is flawless, both subway and bus. It’s clean, obvious, reliable, not crowded and very convenient.
Cuando tomes tu café, toma tu café con cana. Cuando tomes tu café, toma tu café en España.
Pictures soon.