A Day in the Life of a Fulbrighter

I haven't really been posting lately so I figured I would let everyone know what I usually do when I am not traveling. What does a Fulbright English Language Assistant actually do?

Monday: I start class at 10:20, so I have to leave my piso (flat) at around 9:20 so I have enough time to grab a coffee para llevar (to go) at Cafelito (one of my favorite coffee places) on my way to the metro. First class of the day is English with 1st ESO D, which is the equivalent of 7th grade. However these students are not a part of the bilingual program (students in the BP take ALL classes in English vs. taking all classes in Spanish and having English once a day). At my school only A and B are a part of the bilingual program and they are supposed to be the best students. Usually I am there just helping with pronunciation and correcting their homework with them. Like many teachers at my school and in other schools, native English speakers are used for their accent. Although many teachers have a high level of English, they still speak English with a Spanish accent, which makes sense. So I am there to make sure the students are pronouncing words correctly.

Next up: break time! everyday from 11:10-11:40 the students and teachers have a recreo. Since Spaniards don't eat lunch until at least 2, they need a small snack in between breakfast and lunch. This is the time to do that. Most students bring a small bocadillo (a simple sandwich, usually with one or two ingredients) and play soccer or chat with friends. After the recreo, I have PE with 3rd ESO D. Again, not a part of the bilingual program and are the equivalent of freshmen in high school. Usually I lead the students through stretches and give them instructions after the teacher has given me the instructions. I actually think the PE teachers have incredibly high levels of English, but again I am used for my accent.

My next two hours are devoted to my Global Classrooms classes with 3rd ESO A and B. Usually we are in the computer lab doing research on our topic (increasing the role of women government). I spend a lot of time in the computer lab with my students because I believe many of them do not have the best access to internet at home. The village where my school is located seems to be of a low socioeconomic status or a "cow town" as one of my students put it. After these classes I go home! It takes me about another hour then I am home around 3:30. Soon after arrive home I go to the gym then I have a Spanish class for 90 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays I usually have an intercambio (language exchange) where I can practice my conversational Spanish more.

This is essentially my schedule Monday-Thursday with slight day-to-day variations. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I also help in biology classes, which again I am heavily used for my accent. Two of the three classes have teachers with an English level that is not very high, which they admitted to me on the first day. So when I am there they try to get me to talk as much as they can. The third biology class is taught by a woman who received her masters in biology in England, so she actually has a very high level of English and most days I am not needed there. 

Usually on the weekend I spend time with other Fulbrighters, play pick-up soccer with some Spaniards, or do some life work while I cafe hop. Its really a relaxed life here in Spain. Very different lifestyle compared to college and incredibly different compared to my friends who are working 40-50 hours a week doing real human being things. 

But I am enjoying the break. I know sometimes I really miss being intellectually challenged, but I also know that I NEEDED a break from school and working all the time. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to LIVE in Madrid. Not just visit as a tourist, but to actually live here! I still can’t believe it sometimes. 

Anyways I am off to London and Paris to visit the Ayala Clan. One perk of being a Fulbrighter is the 3 week winter break (aka THE time to travel). 

Until next time, folks!

Spanish Breakfast and Moroccan Dinner

So a few weeks ago I took my very first trip to Africa! The destination? Marrakesh, Morocco. So not only was it my first trip to an African country but it was also my first trip to an Islamic State. Before going I truly did not know what to expect. To be honest before my two travel partners mentioned Marrakesh to me, I had never heard of it. However I could gather that it was going to be a totally new experience and because of that I was very excited. My goals for the trip? I wanted to ride a camel.

We arrived to Marrakesh on a Thursday night and after arriving to our Riad (Airbnb/hotel) in the Medina (the busiest neighborhood in Marrakesh where all the action happens), our host said offered us Moroccan mint tea. Although the concept is incredibly simple, this is by far the best tea I have never tried in my life. All it contains is sugar, green tea, and fresh Moroccan mint, but the Moroccan mint transforms beverage from a regular green tea to an addiction inducing experience. After that life changing cup of tea, I had Moroccan mint tea with almost every single meal while in Morocco. This tea is actually incredibly important to Moroccan culture. Its a sign of hospitality and Moroccans take great pride in the quality of their tea. There are entire books written about the history of the mint tea and its cultural significance. It actually inspired me to haggle for a beautiful tea kettle.

Speaking of haggling, this is another HUGE aspect of Moroccan culture. For those who do not know, it is essentially bargaining. If you have ever seen the television series "Pawn Stars," just imagine that and you have a good idea of what haggling entails. Thus, whenever you want to buy goods (excluding food items) you must haggle for it as there are no prices posted in stores. So if you want a scarf, skyrocket the price and pray you go for it. However no one is expected to pay that price. In fact, most shop owners thoroughly enjoy haggling and do not get offended when you slash and axe their initial offer. In the end, it is just a game. You have to figure out if they need the sale more than you need the item. Although at first I was hesitant to haggle, towards the end I reaaaallly enjoyed it and was looking for things to buy just so I could haggle. I was hesitant at first for a couple of reasons. Firstly, their "skyrocketed prices" were already much cheaper than anything in Europe, so you knew you were saving money already. Secondly, you are really arguing over the difference of a couple of dollars. One dollar/euro is approximately 10 Dirhams and the price of most items that you can haggle for range from 40-150 Dirhams. So if the starting price is 100 Dirhams and you haggle it down to 80 Dirhams, your bank account doesn't really notice the difference. Finally, the shop keepers usually need the money a lot more than you do. The Moroccans heavily rely on income from tourists to survive, so at first you feel very guilty about depriving them of a couple dollars that may make a huge difference in their lives. For these reasons, a lot of people don't like to haggle. If you are able to look past that and just participate in the cultural experience, it can become very enjoyable for you and them. My two haggling experiences? I bought a tea kettle for 80 Dirhams (starting price was 100) and a scarf for 90 (starting price was 160).

Quick note about the Moroccan economy. As their economy heavily relies on tourism, many people will literally do whatever they can to get you to eat at their restaurant or buy their goods. Thus if you go to Marrakesh, expect people to grab you, yell at you, and follow you, trying desperately to get your attention. Since they have tourists from all over Europe and the world, many of them know numerous languages. Thus, you'll hear people yelling at you in Spanish, French, Germany, Italian, English, or whatever language that will get your attention. Definitely not a calm vacation and definitely not meant for families. It is meant for people who don't mind a slightly uncontrolled and chaotic environment.

As I mentioned previously, I reeeaaally wanted to ride a camel while I was in Morocco. I achieved this goal within 24 hours of being in the country. Thankfully the host at our Riad also organized excursions to the Sahara Desert, as does every other human being in Morocco. After being in a van for 8 hours, meeting a wonderful Spanish family from Zaragoza and some Germany Erasmus (study abroad) students, we arrived in a village called Zagora. From Zagora our guides took us on camels through the Northern Sahara Desert where we camped for the night. On this trip we met a 20 year old man named Zachariah. A man who has never left his village 30,000 people knew a great deal about the world and of other languages. His English was impeccable so he could articulate complicated ideas about arranged marriage, religion, and Moroccan culture that many people can't articulate in their native tongue. As a Muslim, he knew the Koran by heart, was accepting of opposing beliefs (even though he believe them to false), and denounced Islamic extremists saying that they are ridiculous. He also joked that the extremists bomb people because they lack quality marijuana, something that is apparently very abundant and widely used in Morocco. It was wonderfully insightful to have a conversation with him and its a night I will never forget.

Zachariah during our night in the Sahara (Photo credit: Justin Chacko)

Just a regular night in the Sahara (Photo Credit: Justin Chacko)

Also, huge misconception: deserts can't get cold. Trust me, they can. In fact they can get absolutely freezing with wind. I learned that the hard way when I didn't bring a sweater and was freezing. Thankfully there were blankets.

Modern day explorers

On our way back from the Saharan adventure we stopped in an ancient village called Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou. This is a huge tourism stop as many movies and television shows have filmed here. For example Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and the Jewel of the Nile have all filmed in this village. It's also a very cool place because the homes still use traditional materials such as clay, mud, rocks, and sticks to build and maintain their homes. However this quick stop was a classic Moroccan excursion move as the driver did not tell us that we would be stopping here. Nor did we have a choice when the tour guide asked for 3 euros a head for the tour. However was fun, super interesting, and well worth the money. Finally on this trip, the tour guide really tried to hit home that the village doesn't use modern materials when we crossed a "traditional" bridge. Until this day I was unaware that "plastic tarp wrapping sandbags" were an ancient material. I guess no one is perfect.

Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou

After our excursion in the Sahara, we spent the next two days exploring the historical sites of Marrakesh. We saw the Jardin Majorelle, which is a beautiful garden and museum that explores the history of Morocco, Ben Yousseff Madrasa, which was a Koran school, the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Mosque, and we explored the main square in the Medina. Overall the architecture was absolutely incredibly. The amount of detail put into the designs of the most seemingly pointless aspects of a building was incredibly. Doors, ceilings, fireplaces, windows, bathrooms, hallways, doorknobs, pillars, etc. Every design was unique and mind boggling. In one room you could find 4 finds and each door had a different design about and around it.


In conclusion, the Morocco trip was a huge success and it has definitely made me want to travel outside of Europe more. Before I thought I wanted to stay in Europe during my Fulbright travel years, but now I think I may venture out a little more. I don't think my mother will appreciate that.

Only time will tell.

Seriously... How do teachers do it?

It’s hard. Teaching is hard. Its such a different type of hard than studying physiology or biochemistry too. I can assure you, for me, teaching is much harder. With physiology and biochemistry, you can study more, you can find new study methods, and you can ask for help. However with teaching, the information isn’t nearly as complicated, but your "success" (however you choose to define a successful teacher) is heavily dependent upon your students. You can’t force them you care like you can force yourself to study. Even if give them all the information they need, give them the most basic homework assignments, or cram their lives with lectures you can’t force them to learn or care. The most you can do is try to make it as interesting as possible. Although seemingly simple, it becomes exponentially more difficult when you consider the fact that these students learn all of their subjects in their second language. 

Since they are learning in their second language, teaching becomes even more complicated. Simply put, my students' English levels are not very high (my students are between the ages 12-15). Thus when you try to make jokes and make things interesting, they typically don't understand the jokes. This is especially true with witty and sly humor. Which, of course, is essentially all I have in my arsenal. Perfect...

So if you take the fact that the subject matter fails to interest the students and pile on the fact that they only understand 50% of what you say on a good day, what can you do? What I am left with is speaking at a glacier pace while only utilizing a basic vocabulary. Additionally, my teachers do not let me explain concepts in my own words very often. Normally I am limited to regurgitating textbook definitions. Which you can imagine is unbelievably mind numbing. 

Another interesting side note about bilingual programs in Madrid. The students are learning all of their subjects in English (i.e. Biology, chemistry, physics, P.E., history, social studies, etc.), use textbooks that lack a substantial amount of detail that is present in the Spanish textbooks. So the students in the bilingual actually learn less than their non-bilingual counterparts. This is actually a huge point of controversy and many people believe they shouldn't exist. Some who are against the program believe that if the students do not excel in their bilingual programs and do not learn English sufficiently, they will be left in a linguistic limbo where they do not gain enough knowledge of the subjects in either language. For this reason, some departments within a school and sometimes the entire school refuses to participate in the bilingual program.

In summary, I absolutely love Madrid. But I do not absolutely love teaching. I desperately miss being challenged intellectually (shout out to Raney’s biochemistry class and my senior comprehensive project) and its making me look forward to med school more and more. I have the option to stay in Madrid another year and continue being a teaching assistant, but I am not sure its worth putting off med school another year. Thankfully its not a something I need to decide immediately. In the meantime, I'll go to Retiro Park and watch a magic show. I'll never be too old to watch a magic show.

Cafe Hopping in Madrid

Bar hopping is such a popular activity with the youths these days. Although it has its merits, I embarked on a different type of hopping on my day off this week. Thanks to your wonderful Fulbright mentors (the two Fulbrighters who were granted a second year) I have a list of many popular cafes all over Madrid. After writing down all of the addresses, I decided to pay a few of them a visit and see what they have to offer. My adventure started at the cafe furtherest from my apartment. Therefore as the day goes on I will slowly but surely make my way back to my apartment. Trip planning at its finest. I’ll just go ahead and give myself a pat on the back. 

The Little Big Cafe

It did not take long to figure out why this is such popular spot to get your caffeine fix. For starters, it really is a little cafe and only seats 15-20 people. The seating is tight, but the atmosphere overall is very calm. The cafe is on a quieter street, so there isn’t a lot of noise from cars. The music they play is also very calming, so its a great place to kind of hide from the world. Although the physical location is small, menu is quite extensive for a cafe, hence the Little Big cafe. The breakfast menu has your Spanish usuals, nothing too crazy. However they also serve brunch from 11-14 on the weekends and the menu looks quite delectable. They’ve got your salmon eggs Benedict, your french toast, and your quinoa hamburger. I mean, no menu is complete without a quinoa burger, am I right? Additionally, if you’re not into the whole caffeine thing, they have smoothies  that really puts Jamba Juice to shame. Their system is simple. You pick 3 items and you can add yogurt, milk, or water. BAM. Quality smoothie. The item list isn’t the most extensive list on the planet, but they have the major players. I had a banana mango smoothie with spinach and yogurt. Yum! Finally, this cafe is supposed to have some of the best tarta de zanahoria (carrot cake) in all of Madrid. So believe me when I say that I will be back to try that! Overall, a great cozy cafe to escape to and do some light work or to simply enjoy a delicious coffee, meal, or smoothie. 

Thousand Cups

Thousand Cups has immediately different feel from the Little Big Cafe. First of all, by day Thousand Cups is a cafe, but by night its a bar. Although it is located at the intersection of many busy streets, it is surprisingly quiet inside the cafe. It is much quieter than the LBC and much more spacious. My favorite part is that it has comfy chairs so you can sit back, relax, and sip on some coffee while you take advantage of one of their many breakfast deals. The menu isn’t as extensive as LBC, but the atmosphere is more conducive to doing some reading or finishing up some work (aka Spanish homework and in the future, med school personal statement 😁). Unfortunately Thousand Cups and LBC are both a little far from my apartment for daily excursions, but certainly worth the weekend trip. Thus far I prefer LBC as it is a much more personalized experience. Since there really aren’t a lot of people in the cafe at one time, you have more opportunities to just chat with the staff and strike up a conversation. 

Toma Cafe

Now this cafe really is a hole in the wall. I walked right past it even with assistance of Google Maps. Unlike the the previous two cafes, there isn’t much here besides coffee. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee is quite good. But if you want something a little more substantial, then X does not mark Toma Cafe. There are a few places to sit and click clack on a laptop, but for the most part the setup is more conducive to have a coffee with a friend or two. Also, unlike the other places there are many many languages spoken here. There seemed to be a flurry of English, Spanish, German, and a language from Asia that I could not identify. It’s hard to say why there are so many languages spoken in this one spot, especially English. It could just be because there are a lot of young American language assistants in Madrid and Toma Cafe is in a very youthful hip neighborhood where a lot of the Americans live. Who knows. Either way, I probably won’t venture back here soon. Great coffee, however it lacks the "chill, read a book in a comfy chair" atmosphere I desire. Oh well. 

I think this is really something I will miss when I go back to the U.S. I will really have to explore the world of non college and non Starbucks cafes when I return. I love the atmosphere and the ability to do work and people watch in a place that isn’t a library or an office. But who knows maybe my mind will change again when I am in med school. Vamos a ver. 

I finished off the day by just poking my head into a couple more cafes. After having a couple of pastries and a couple of coffees, I was no longer in the mood for more cafe style food. The cafes I quickly toured included la Bicicleta and Lolina, both in Madrid’s hipster neighborhood, Malasaña. I will go back at some point to actually experience them, as they seemed incredibly popular, but for now its nap time. 😴 

Living the Andorrable life

During our orientation in September, the Madrid Fulbrighters had the pleasure of meeting the Andorran Fulbrighters. Since we haven't seen them for a few weeks, my friend Justin and I decided to pay them a visit during our first 4 day weekend. In case you haven't heard of Andorra (which a lot of people haven't) it is a small country located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. So as you can imagine, it is basically like living within Yosemite Valley, but in Europe. The main activities include hiking and shopping. So that is exactly what we did (minus the shopping).

After our 12 hours bus ride from Madrid to Barcelona to Andorra, we walked around Andorra la Vella, which is the capital of the country. To give you a sense of the capital's size, it takes 20-30 minutes to walk from one end of the city to the other and only has 22,000 people. Nevertheless the town is incredibly adorable (thus the Andorran Fulbrighters use the phrase Andorrable to describe everything). On Saturday we hiked for about 5-6 hours and actually hiked INTO FRANCE. The pile of rocks below is the border between Andorra and France. They don't seem to have the strictest border patrol...

As we walked into France, we scouted a good spot to have lunch and enjoy the view. Unfortunately we did not get a passport stamp, but we did meet some Germans who were hiking into Andorra from France. Before we met them, we thought the water was too cold to swim due to the fact that it was 50-60 degrees outside. However they had been hiking for a couple of days and desperately needed a shower, so they took a dip into Arctic waters to freshen up a bit.

On Sunday, we took another yet shorter hike. It was cool, but not nearly as cool as hiking into France.   After some cheese and chocolate fondue, many Andorrable moments, and a whooooole lot of walking, Justin and I returned to Madrid absolutely exhausted. Still, it was good to know that Europe isn't all big buildings and busy streets. There is still some natural beauty left in this history continent. 

Cruising in Cataluña

Ahhhh! My blogging game as been slacking lately!

Well here we go, a couple of weeks ago I went to Barcelona to visit some family friends. Since I do not have work on Fridays, I decided to take advantage of this three day weekend to see a different part of Spain.

Although my trip only lasted 3 days, Barcelona seems like an incredibly different city than Madrid. Firstly, every prefers to speak Catalan, not Spanish. If you walk into a restaurant and start speaking Spanish, the waiter immediately knows that you aren't from Barcelona. Of course they all speak Spanish, but it seems like they identify more with the Catalan language. In my experience, the people of Barcelona preferred to speak Catalan, English, then Spanish. I really had to force the issue when I wanted to speak Spanish. But alas, I still had a good time. There is so much to do in Barcelona so I simply didn't have time to do everything. But I sure tried.

I hit the ground running when I arrived Friday morning. I left Madrid at 5:30 am and took the high speed train which is called AVE. I arrived to Barcelona around 9 and since my family friends were all at work or school, I decided to talk a walk around the city. I saw the Arc de Triomf (below), Antoni Gaudi's La Catedral, and a whole bunch of signs in Catalan. After walking around Barcelona for a few hours, I had a very relaxed day just chatting with my family friends and eating some quality food.

Arc de Triomf in Barcelona 

 Saturday included more exploring and eating. I got a personal tour of all of Gaudi's famous architectural masterpieces (albeit I didn't have enough time to wait in line and buy tickets, so my tours were of the outside of the buildings). Nevertheless, the experience was pretty incredible. It was a great introduction for when I go back to Barcelona next year. I realized that even on a slow day Barcelona is jam packed with people. So you really need to spend time waiting in line in order to actually see the inside of these masterpieces.

The outside of the La Sagrada Familia

Finally on Sunday we went to the beach for a nice little boat ride and to have some amazing seafood. I had the mussels, just in case you were wondering. It was actually the first time I ever tried mussels, and I've gotta say they were quite tasty. However I am pretty sure butter and salt can make anything taste like Heaven.

Next blog topic? Andorra, details at 11.

Until next time you stay classy, blog readers.

Hala Madrid!

So I went to my very first Real Madrid game a few weeks ago. I must say, even though we were in the nosebleed seats, the view was incredible. It was a completely different than any soccer game I've been to in the United States. First of all, there are no food stands. No one is eating food or drinking beer while watching the game. What do they do instead? They smoke, eat sunflower seeds, and they watch the game. In addition to not letting food be a distraction during the event, no one leaves their seat while the ball is in play. What this results in is 80,000 people "oohing" and "ahhing" in absolute unison, almost as if there was a script. Plus, just like in tennis, when a player makes a great play everyone claps in unison. It doesn't matter if the person plays for the opposing team or not. Everyone was there to enjoy the game and it was the most fun I've had at a soccer game, even though it ended 0-0.

Outside of el Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

Not too shabby for the cheapest tickets possible

I have started school.... sort of

So I started going to my school last Tuesday. I intentionally did not say I started working, because quite frankly I have not started doing anything really. Let me clarify. The Spanish school system really embraces the "no pasa nada" lifestyle and everything is incredibly disorganized. For example, classes start September 15th, however teachers find out which classes and grades they are teaching on September 14th. Thus, they have no time to plan lessons or prepare for their classes before they actually step into the classroom. Additionally, it takes 1-2 weeks of actual school time to finalize these schedules. So during the first two weeks of school, teachers are still moving around and students do not know who their permanent teacher is until week 2 or 3 of school.

What does this mean for a teaching assistant? My schedule hasn't even been looked at yet. So when I arrive at the school, I go directly to the English department's lounge and I sit and wait. I sit and wait until someone decides that they want me to introduce myself to their class. But why would they want that if they have no clue if I will actually be their permanent teaching assistant? Simple. It buys them time to prepare their lesson plans. My "about me" presentation takes maybe 2-3 minutes, but students are capable of asking me questions for an entire hour. The questions I have been asked have a huge range. I have been asked whether or not I have a girlfriend and to give a quick synopsis of America's thoughts regarding George Bush and the War on Terror.

But after I give my little spiel, I return to the English Department and wait like the last kid picked for baseball, hoping someone will pick me to enter a classroom and interact with students.

I should say that its not all bad. The teachers are incredibly kind and really do care about their students. It's just a disorganized system.

Other than "teaching," I have been able to have fun. I usually go out with a couple Fulbrighters on the weekends and hang out with them every now and then during the week. Of course I have joined a gym and am a frequent visitor. This week I am going out to other intercambios and meeting native Spaniards, hopefully it goes well. I am starting to really settle into Madrid and I am still incredibly excited to explore the city more and more.

In fact, this weekend I am going to my first soccer game in Madrid and in a couple of weeks I will be taking a weekend trip to Barcelona.

Until next time, you stay classy blog readers.

Orientation with a Side of Exploration

So this past week was incredibly hectic. Monday-Thursday I had orientation with all of the other Fulbright teaching assistants and researchers. Overall it was a blast! I got to meet a lot of really interesting people with different academic backgrounds. However it wasn't all fun and games. From 9 am to 9 pm we were listening to presentations about how to be an effective teaching assistant, how to help prepare students for the Model UN competition*, how to apply for residency in Spain, plus so much more. The information was incredibly helpful but I am glad I have a chance to just relax before classes start on Tuesday.

The break between orientation and classes has given me a chance to investigate different intercambio programs and my neighborhood. Intercambio "programs" are more like language groups where you can talk to native Spanish speakers in a cafe or bar instead of a classroom. The incentive for native Spanish speakers to come help those who want to learn Spanish is the fact that we help them with their English. It's a great way to practice speaking Spanish, to meet local Spaniards, and get out of the Fulbright bubble. 

I haven't really completed a deep search of my neighborhood yet. I have mostly just been walking around and seeing what is actually available. There are so many cafes, bars, fruit stands, and supermarkets its hard to pick one! Hopefully I am able to find a cafe and fruit stand that I continually go to in order to develop a more personal relationship.

Finally, while exploring the neighborhood of Salamanca in Madrid, I came across this gem and just had to snap a photo.
                                                        

Isn't it beautiful?? It was so cool to see my name all over cafes and restaurants, especially because it is not a common name in America. In fact, there is a town in Northern Spain called "Ayala" that is slightly south of Bilbao. Since that is where my family is originally from, I have to visit! My dad wasn't able to visit the town when he came to Spain, so I may be the first one in my family to see the town in a few generations. So obviously I have to go visit! 

Until then I will continue to relax and read in Retiro Park while watching magic shows and drinking cafe con leche. Life is so hard....

*This is a huge part of my grant and I am require to prepare students for a model UN conference that includes schools from all over Spain. The winning school gets to compete in an international competition in New York. Trust me, more to come on this topic. 

Hakuna Matata

Well, I have completed my first 4 days in Madrid. However because so much has happened it has felt like 3 weeks. I have walked around 50 miles, taken the metro (subway) about 100 times, bought a Spanish phone plan, set up a Spanish bank account, and I just signed a lease for an apartment. As you can imagine, I am absolutely exhausted. The housing search has been exceptionally exhausting and stressful because I did not reserve an Airbnb after the Fulbright orientation. So I would have been homeless as the 10th without this lease. Luckily the process is over and I can finally relax a little. 

However even in all of the chaos, I have noticed small differences between American and Spanish culture. For example, they primarily speak Spanish here. Like, all the time. It's almost like its their primary language. It has definitely showed me that my conversational Spanish is rusty. Thankfully I brought a Spanish textbook from Oxy to help refresh my memory regarding grammar. In addition to the textbook, my future housemate/flatmate says she will help me with my Spanish as long as I help her with my English. Seems like a fair trade to me!

In all seriousness, there are many cultural differences* but I will only really talk about a couple that are the most interesting thus far. Firstly, smoking is incredibly common in Spain. From teenagers to grandmas, most people seem to smoke. It is so common that at some cafes, you are given a plate, utensils, and a cigarette lighter. This is so interesting to me because it goes against my preconceptions that Spaniards are more health conscious than Americans. Granted I only had this image of Spaniards because of the Mediterranean diet, but it is still an interesting discovery. 

Secondly, the Spanish subway is always full of people. No matter the time. Morning, afternoon, night, and in the wee hours of the morning every day of the week. It really makes you wonder, what do Spaniards do during the day? While I was in the taxi going from the airport to my Airbnb, the taxi driver and I were discussing the differences between American and Spanish culture. According to him, in Spain, working 9-5 isn’t very common. People take breaks, they come into work a little later and still make enough money to live. So has the taxi driver put it, it seems like there is one major difference between Americans and Spaniards which is this: Spaniards live day to day and Americans plan ahead. As he put it “you could be dead on Wednesday, so why worry about Thursday?” 

I am not sure if when I am going to really embrace this mentality. However after the MCAT and 18 years of school, I think I can get used to this “no pasa nada” lifestyle. 

*Note: I do not believe either culture is better or worse than the other, they are just different. This was also emphasized by the taxi driver. 

Kevin Durant

So I am walking around Parque del Retiro, minding my own business when I see these very tall men riding bicycles. I see one of them and think "Wow that looks like Kevin Durant" but didn't think much of it because they were going by super quickly and I only saw his profile for a half second. Also, who expects Kevin Durant to be in Madrid? 

Thirty minutes later I am walking to my apartment and guess who is hosting a street basketball game 2 blocks from my apartment? Kevin Durant. 

I feel like an idiot. Why? Because for 3 days I have seen this basketball court being set up for something with a huge poster of Kevin Durant on the sidelines and all around the walls. Clearly I didn't put two and two together. 

I could have taken Snapchats with Kevin Durant in Madrid...

“It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy...Let's go exploring!" Calvin

Since taking the MCAT in July I have thoroughly enjoyed my last month in the United States. I was able to travel to Boston, Maine, Mammoth Lakes, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. During these visits, I was able to say my last goodbyes to most of my friends and family and enjoy a few laughs while doing so.

Of course during my visits, people always wondering if I am more excited than I am nervous. Obviously, I am very excited. Am I nervous? A little bit, but I always have the Fulbright safety net. I have a huge network of other people going through the same thing. But I am way more excited than I am nervous. However what I am most excited for may surprise a few. Yes, my conversational Spanish will improve exponentially. Yes, there are countless historical landmarks to see (I mean, there are real freaking castles there!!!). And yes, the food will be world-class. Of course, girlfriend would question my sanity if I told her there is more to the world than good food, but I am most excited to just live as a Spaniard and blend in with the Spanish culture. I look forward to discovering the idiosyncrasies that make the Spanish culture so unique. It’s really going to be the adventure of a lifetime. 

On a different note, I know this is year is supposed to be a huge break from schoolwork and studying. However what I really want to investigate is how the Spanish view food. As many Americans know, the Mediterranean diet is a common option for those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle. However since fast food options have become more prevalent in Spain, have they started to veer away from their traditional diet to a more “Americanized” diet? I plan to investigate this in a more relaxed way than a traditional scientific study.

Firstly, I plan to research treads regarding obesity, caloric intake, nutrient intake, and physical activity rates within the country. After researching this, I plan to interview chefs, personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors, nurses, and anyone else willing to sit down with me and discuss nutrition, physical activity, and the overall health of Spain. I do not know what I will discover, but I am sure it will help contribute my deeper understanding of the Spanish thought process. Who knows, maybe I will make a few friends who can accompany me on my adventure. 

Let's Start the Insanity

As recommended by Professor Marci Raney, I started this blog to ensure that I am checking things off of my bucket list while I am in Spain and I am able to fully remember all of the events that occur while I am abroad. I don't want to forget the nuances of this trip and I want to be able to track my hopes and dreams while I am on this adventure. I will mostly be writing about my adventures as a teaching assistant and documenting my travels, but every now and then I will be posting about my Med School troubles.

Just as a quick intro to who I am, I recently graduated from Occidental College with a degree in Kinesiology. I have a huge interest in public health (specifically preventative medicine) and have aspirations of going to medical school once I come back from Spain. In fact, I spent most of this summer studying for the MCAT. SO GLAD for that to be done.

I just had my visa appointment at the Spanish consulate in San Francisco yesterday. The entire process was rather painless, as long as you have all of your documents together at the time of the meeting. However getting all of the necessary background checks, signatures, and paperwork together is tedious and annoying. The most frustrating part was just waiting in the lobby for an hour for a 10 minute appointment, followed by copious amounts of traffic on my way home. But hey, the Fulbright is worth it, right? There were a few people who had appointments before me and they were sent home because they did not have their stuff together. Since I leave in about 5 weeks and it takes 4-5 weeks to receive your visa after the appointment, I could not afford to delay the process anymore.

A plus that came from the trip is the fact that I met another Fulbrighter for the first time in SF! It was great to finally put a voice to all of the emails/messages that were sent back and forth while planning/talking about Spain.

Thankfully, this was the last administrative thing I had to complete before I leave for Spain. So now the idea that I am leaving the country for an entire year is becoming more and more real.

So let's start the insanity.