¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? – study abroad pt. 1
– What comes to mind when you think of grilled cheese? Toasted bread, Kraft singles…though in my house I was much more partial to Sargento colby jack. In Spain? Nada. Grilled cheese, or proveleta, as the menu proclaimed to the natives, was a greasy half-inch slab of just that: Grilled. Cheese. No bread included, folks.
– In my weekly study abroad class second semester of freshman year, they told us about culture shock. Though my experience with “grilled cheese” was nowhere near the most culturally shocking aspect of my five-week summer adventure in Spain and Africa, it was none the less a shock. How could something that I considered to be as simple and universal as a grilled cheese sandwich be so incredibly different?
– If asked in the right company, I will say my favorite aspect of the trip was the drinking age. At 18, I was legal! However, I am just being facetious. I am not sure if I could honestly pick a favorite aspect of my trip. So instead I am blogging my experience in installments to clarify it for myself as much as to share it with you!
– First stop: Madrid airport. After meeting two cute boys on the eight hour flight, I was feeling pretty positive despite my lack of sleep. The consequent ride on the subway, with three line changes and multi-block walk to our shady hostel with loads of luggage dampened my spirit, but I was too excited to care. Throughout the remainder of the trip, I continued to employ this attitude. Sometimes, it sucked. But I’m in Spain! Who cares!
– Madrid was a three day fiesta. None of the 38 students had classes and the three professors couldn’t care less where we were going or what we were drinking. I saw the sights, tasted the food (disliking much of it) and experienced attention from the natives that I would continue to get throughout the five weeks from my hair – blonde is not common in Spain. The shock on Spainiard’s faces when they realized I understood their calls of “Rubia, rubia!” was priceless.
– Next stop: Malaga, a city on the Mediterranean Sea. Hopefully I can post it before another three months go by…