Este Verano en España

I'm having a hard time believing that our time in Salamanca has come to end. I have had so many cool and rewarding experiences this summer. Whether it be inside or outside of the classroom, I have learned a great deal of things over these past six weeks. In particular, the culture here in Spain is absolutely phenomenal. The food, the traditions, the daily customs, and the simple slow pace of live are all nice. The culture is absolutely amazing and it has definitely left a great impression on me.

One aspect of the culture that I appreciate the most is the gastronomy in Spain. The food industry in Spain is completely different from the United States and is innovative in many ways. I had no clue that food could be preserved and prepared in a manner that could make it taste so good! For example, when our group took an excursion to the ham factory, I realized that all the steps involved in the preparation of various meats are crucial to the quality and taste of the meat. One defining moment of that excursion was when we asked the guide about the molding of the meat. Prior to this, I did not know that the mold on the meat is actually a good thing because it indicates that there are still living organisms present, which means that the taste will be much better. Along with this, I did not know that meat could be cured for so long and still be edible. In fact, the best meats are cured for several years and the taste is absolutely great! Although the cost may be a little steep, the taste definitely counters any expenses!

Next, the entire tapa lifestyle in Spain is probably the best thing to happen to mankind! After the initial visit to Don Cochinillo, my friends and I began to try tapas at several restaurants across the city. Quite frankly, tapas could be one of the best deals ever! Getting a drink and tapa for only a few Euros is excellent. My favorite tapa restaurant is Don Cochinillo because I'm in love with the hamburgers there. The salsa that they put on the bun makes the burger delicious, and on many occasions I end up purchasing more than one tapa! (Can't resist the great taste!). Given this, I was inspired to do my final project on tapas and the role that they play in Spain, with a focus on Salamanca.

Lastly, I cant forget the desserts in Spain! I have tried and enjoyed many desserts in Spain that are very good. My favorite dessert is Flan because I like the savory flavor and distinct taste. I'm also a huge fan of Valor chocolate. This chocolate is similar to Hershey's in the States, but is much cheaper! Yesterday in class we sampled light and dark chocolate from Valor and it was the best! I'm definitely going to buy a bar before I leave on Saturday.

The food culture in Spain is indifferent from anywhere else in the world. Spain is the originator of some of the greatest recipes and is also home of many world renown restaurants. I love the food here and I want to cook the dishes that I learned about at home. Our culture class has enabled me to learn several things about Spanish food that I had no knowledge of before. I definitely took away many valuable things from each excursion, while enjoying them simultaneously. Thanks for a great culture class!

¡Viva España!

Being in Spain for the last six weeks has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I have ever had. I have to admit, I was a little nervous when I first came here; what if I didn't like my family or they didn't like me? What if I hated the food, the culture, and just didn't fit in? As it turned out, I absolutely adored my host mom, loved the food, everything about the culture, and all the people in the program!

There were a few major cultural points that thoroughly impressed me. First off was the World Cup. I think I can speak for everyone in saying that was one of the most entertaining experiences we had while here. We definitely chose the right time to study abroad in Spain. It floored me how passionate and how much the entire country came together as a whole to support their team. In Teresa's class, we discussed how even though Catalonia and Pais Vasco are autonomous regions, all of their papers and news programs were just as excited about the World Cup victory as the rest of Spain. Watching the game at Corte Ingles was an experience as well. I had so much fun throughout the entire Cup.

Secondly, although it took a little bit of getting used to, I have grown accustomed and actually enjoy the time/quantity they eat in Spain. Although, one thing that bothered me was that I always felt obligated to eat. My madre is one of the nicest people, but she always insisted that I ate more. After a while, it got kind of old. My favorite dishes were: Spanish tortilla, croquetas, all of the salads she made me. Sometimes there was a little too much fried food, but all around I really enjoyed my food experience.

I took three trips, one to Portugal, one to Toledo, and one to Granada/Sevilla. My favorite was Granada/Sevilla. I had been to both already, but it was very fun to be able to experience it with my friends and enjoy the night life.

Overall, my experience in Spain was amazing. I'm traveling for two weeks after, which will be an adventure. I loved Salamanca and my entire time here. I look forward to the next time I return.

Spain- a summary

First of all, I'd like to say that I cannot believe that this trip is coming to a close. It feels like yesterday that we were lugging our grossly overweight luggage from the train station only to sit under the penetrating Castilian sun. After immersing myself in the Spanish Culture for six weeks, I can confidently say that I am now well versed in the quotidian customs of a typical Spanish family, some of which I like, and some of which I dislike.

I am truly impressed with how social Spaniards are. Every time I encounter someone in my apartment building, casual conversation ensues as if the building was some sort of community. New Jersians rarely exchange pleasantries with strangers so it's definitely a positive experience for me. It also impresses me how dedicated the Spaniards are towards their friends. Even the oldest, least physically stable Salamancans leave their houses every night to reunite with their friends. In inspires me that these people continue to meet, probably as they have been doing for years, despite their physical struggles.

I've also truly enjoyed my experiences sampling different tapas, especially at Don Cochinillo. I am a lover of food and being able to sample lots of different kinds of foods delicious foods that I've never tried before is a real treat for me. It's also amazing to me how cheap it is. In the United States, you would be hard pressed to find drinks as cheap as Don Cuchinillo's let alone with a free, generous portion of food.

I have to admit, I abhor the Spanish eating and sleeping schedule- it's incredibly inefficient! I believe that this is the paramount reason that Spain's economy perennially struggles. First, it is not smart to have a small breakfast of only carbohydrates and then wait 6 hours until the next meal. Every day I'm so hungry that I'm driven to the nearest cafe bar to buy a small tapa. I have yet to pass the time between breakfast and lunch without thinking about persistent hunger. Also, Spaniards go to bed very late and wake up quite early, forcing them to take a siesta. It's a cycle. When I get little sleep at night, I have to sleep during the day but when I sleep during the day, I get little sleep at night. This cycle drains my energy and I'm almost always in some sort of a drowsy state.

In the beginning of the trip, I honestly had doubts as to how the trip would turn out. Not until a week or two ago did I realize that this was definitely a life changing experience- learning all about the Iberian Peninsula, and forging impenetrable friendships along the way.

Soy de la roja!

Besides vacationing in Mexico at all-inclusive resorts, Salamanca has been my first trip outside of the United States where I've had the opportunity to learn about another country's culture, language and history. Therefore, even though I had hit a couple bumps in my travels to Salamanca at the beginning of the program, this truly has been an extremely influential, amazing and life changing experience for me.

I have greatly enjoyed my Senora, Pepi, who Monday-Friday babysat her 8 month old grandson (named Jesus and is absolutely adorable) and also had her daughter and son-in-law over for lunch each day. Lunch always consisted of at least three courses and her paella was definitely my favorite meal. Her family is extremely nice. Pepi is a history buff, so it was interesting to hear her perspective after I would come home after class and talk with her about all the new and interesting events I had learned about. I loved spending time with them and will greatly miss our time together when I leave Spain.

Three experiences that I found extremely interesting about the culture in Spain are as follows.

First, in early July, a group of friends and I got tickets and attended a Flamenco dancing show. Before arriving in Spain, I had heard of Flamenco, however after I went and saw the live performance, I now have gained a whole new perspective. I've learned there are many different variations of Flamenco and that it is most popular in Andalucia. The show we saw in Palacio del Congresos in Salamanca, had four female dancers in semi-formal dresses, one male guitarist, one male drummer and a male singer. Historically, originating from the gypsy culture, the flamenco songs have been the musical outlet of the poor and oppressed. I had not known about the style of history of Flamenco, prior to this performance, so listening to this type of music and watching the various dances were a completely new, but very enjoyable learning experience for me.

Secondly, the meal schedules and hours of siesta in Spain are very intriguing and completely different from the United States. From the hours of 1:30 to 4:30, most all shops are closed down for the employees to go home to their families in order to eat lunch and to take a siesta. Then the shopping and grocery stores will stay open until about 8:30 p.m. and most restaurants will stay open much later because Spaniards do not normally eat dinner until around 11 at night. At first, especially with class starting at 9:30 in the morning, I found it extremely difficult to adjust to the schedule, but once I discovered CarreFour cookies, my hunger has been able to hold out between meals. :)

Finally, as Campeones del Mundo, Spain has truly amazed me with their patriotic and united support for the country's soccer team. Growing up, I never played soccer nor really enjoyed the sport, however during my time spent in Spain I've experienced history being made (well, not completely since we were stranded on the side of the highway in Portugal for the final game) and have gained a new understanding and appreciation for soccer. Watching the games on the big screen at Corte Ingles and seeing the excitement and absolute chaos of the town after each victory was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I feel so lucky to have been a part of. Also, with our Cursos history teacher, a group of us got to go play a game of pick-up soccer at the University fields across the river, and I scored a goal!

All in all, my first trip to Europe has been a success and already I am thinking about when my next trip back to Spain could be. During my stay, I've visited Andalusia, San Sebastian, Toledo, Segovia, Portugal, Madrid and Salamanca, of course, but I never got to get over to see the Mediterranean. Therefore, hopefully on my next trip I can stay in Barcelona and travel down to Valencia too.

Hasta Luegoooooo!

¡$PAIN!

If there's one modernized country that knows how to pinch a penny, or a one cent euro, it's Spain. After spending 6 weeks in Salamanca, I've noticed that most people don't drive cars (and those that do, do so sparingly), don't talk or text on their cellphones constantly, and are very conscious of how much electricity/water they use.

Because Salamanca is a reasonably sized city there's always something to do, and the best part is that it's all within walking distance; whether you want to go to the park, see a movie, attend a concert, or pass the time with friends at a cafe. Going back and forth between my señora's apartment and all of these places by foot, however, did take some getting used to. What has also been rather impressive is that even older people (age 75 and up) are frequently out walking around/exercising once the sun starts to go down. Spaniards in general probably see it as more economical to wear out a pair of walking shoes over the course of a year than to go through a tank of gas in a month.

But driving is not the only luxury Spaniards gladly go without on a daily basis. Because of the monopoly on cellphones in Spain, calls/texts are more expensive. It is very uncommon to see someone walking down the street with their fingers glued to the phone of their keyboard or talking to themselves with a blue-tooth headset stuck in their ear. Also, unlike on campus at U of M, it's very rare to see someone (from Spain) listening to an mp3 player as they walk from place to place. Instead of wracking up their phone bills and technologically isolating themselves, Spaniards arrange times to meet together at cafés and socialize.

Finally, like in any major city in America, electricity and water do not come cheap. So, turning off the lights whenever you leave a room and taking record-speed showers is common practice. It also makes more sense to keep the lights off in the house throughout the day because it's already hot enough without any heat slightly added by lamps.

Such a conscientious way of life, while in stark contrast to my life in the US, is actually very easy to do. I wouldn't mind not driving 20 minutes one way to the movie theatre, having a conversation with someone without them checking their phone for a text message, or saving money on electricity. Perhaps, just as the US has been a model for modernity, Spain can be a model for modesty.

A start to the summer

After a week of class, we took a trip to two businesses that sell very Spanish products: cheese, jamón and wine. Unfortunately, the experience was far from authentic but a good lesson, nonetheless.

The Haciendas de España is an impressive group of businesses backed by deep-pocked investors hoping to cash in on the lure of artisanal products. What they lack in substance, they definitely make up for in style (right down to the posters of celebrity chef Sergi Arola endorsing their products). Visiting the farms was nice to see the sheep and buffalo even if they are not milked nor used for any purpose other than to show tourists the type of animal that provides the raw material for what is later sold in high-end specialty food markets. The Hacienda products are good but the façade of authenticity is slap in the face to the countless winemakers, ham producers and cheese makers who still maintain the traditional methods of their craft.

Even though the visit was not what we hoped for, the students maintained a positive attitude and appreciated it for what it was: a brief (and superficial) introduction to a rich tradition of food production in Spain.