Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Tag: Spanish (page 1 of 2)

Speaking Their Language

October 30, 2015 / / 0 Comments

by Gavin Roy

I took my first Spanish class in ninth grade. I remember lamenting to my teacher that there wasn’t a magic pill that could suddenly render one fluent in a foreign language. In my mostly white, suburban community south of Cleveland, Ohio, I never really experienced international culture nor did I have to wrestle with diversity issues. Thus, foreign language remained a superfluity to me, a bland thing of academia.

 

Gavin with Professor Zamora-Breckenridge

Gavin with Professor Zamora-Breckenridge

In 2006 I came to Valpo as an eager young science student majoring in meteorology and with one final language course to knock out. I dispassionately enrolled in an intermediate Spanish course with Prof. Nelly Zamora-Breckenridge that fall. This course would prove to be the spark that ignited the passion for language and international communication that burns strongly within me today.

 

Prof. Zamora-Breckenridge, a native Spanish speaker from Colombia, succeeded in enamoring me with her birth language in two ways: first, the novelty of conversing in a foreign tongue with a native user was a skill that suddenly intoxicated me, perhaps with the same enthusiasm that young children often have for codes and secret communication. More importantly, the relevant global topics she worked into her lessons opened my eyes to a vast new world of social issues and complexities. I suddenly needed to devote myself to learning this new language, this lens through which I could continue to see the world more clearly.

 

Over the following three-and-a-half years I took almost every Spanish course that Prof. Zamora-Breckenridge offered and graduated in 2010 with a Spanish minor alongside a mathematics minor and a major in meteorology.

 

Recess with Peruvian kindergarteners

Recess with Peruvian kindergarteners

My one regret (truly) during my time at Valpo was that I didn’t pursue the opportunity to study abroad. Realizing this mistake upon graduation, I arranged to travel down to Peru in the summer of 2010 to volunteer for six weeks at a rural mountain kindergarten outside of Cusco. I saw more poverty than I had ever seen in my life. I also saw environmental damage that I couldn’t believe: the ceaseless inky spew of old vehicles, dirty streams choked with refuse, and plastic waste cascading down hillside after hillside. But I also had a ceaselessly full heart from interacting with so many people and especially children bursting with pure joy – all in their native tongue. The kids were wonderfully blunt when I would make Spanish mistakes, after which they would go right back to being my best friend. What an incredible way to hone one’s language skills without fear of judgment or shame!

 

I came back to the States and experienced the “reverse culture shock” that I had until then believed to be just an exaggeration – namely, utter apathy for acquisitive power, social media angst, and numerous other tritenesses of consumer America to which I was previously immune.

 

I am currently about a year away from obtaining my PhD in atmospheric science at Colorado State University. Science continues to interest me but language and international communication continue to interest me even more. I have served as a translator and blog manager for the International Environmental Data Recovery Organization. I have traveled to the hurricane-prone Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico during two summers to teach an introductory meteorology course in Spanish at a university that has a goal of starting their own atmospheric science department.

 

Valpo graduates on the border of Brazil and Argentina

Valpo graduates on the border of Brazil and Argentina

And in 2011 I started teaching myself Brazilian Portuguese with my knowledge of Spanish, a fairly similar language, as a foundation. Learning and teaching through this beautiful language of Brazil is now a full-time hobby of mine. Brazil is a rapidly developing country, but with a population only 7% of which can speak English. I view this as an incredible opportunity: very infrequently do native English speakers have the chance to travel to a foreign country and be forced to speak the language of that country. This is a blessing and a curse. A curse, because it requires effort and non-laziness on the part of the American. A blessing, because communicating with a foreigner in their own language is truly an amazing experience. I mean it. In Brazil, this is not only possible but practically required.

Playing tambourine in a group of Brazilian capoeristas

Playing tambourine in a group of Brazilian capoeristas

 

Alongside my doctoral studies I now run a Portuguese-language YouTube channel for Brazilians who are learning English. Myself, my wife Lauren Roy [née Overstreet, VU ’11], and four other Valpo graduates traveled together down to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. And I have aspirations of becoming a scientific translator of both Portuguese and Spanish in the future, helping to play a role in uniting the international efforts to address global climate change and environmental destruction.

 

There is no magic pill that will effortlessly grant one the ability to speak a foreign language. Learning a language takes years upon years of focus and dedication. But the ultimate reward of this effort is an unbelievably beautiful thing: there is no clearer way to “see” the world than by speaking with its inhabitants.

 

Gavin Roy is a 2010 Valpo graduate with a meteorology major and a Spanish and mathematics minor. During his time at Valpo, Professor Nelly Zamora-Breckenridge really instilled a love of language for him. After graduation, Gavin volunteered in a kindergarten for 6 weeks in Peru. He also traveled down to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the summer semesters of 2012 and 2013 to teach an introductory meteorology course in Spanish in the Engineering Department of the Autonomous University of the Yucatan. Currently, he studies at Colorado State University getting his PhD in atmospheric science. Additionally, he has been aggressively teaching himself Brazilian Portuguese, which is an enchanting and rapidly growing (in influence) language that is somewhat similar to Spanish.

My Study Portion of Study Abroad

October 28, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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I just passed the halfway mark of my time here in Spain, so I thought it would good to share about what the study part of study abroad looks like for me in Zaragoza. I am studying at the University of Zaragoza in their Spanish as a Foreign Language course (Curso de Español como Lengua Extranjera). This program consists of a Monday through Friday 4 hour class with multiple groups of about 25 students in each group. These groups are formed according to the students’ level of Spanish.

When I first arrived here, I took a three week course in this program that had the purpose of helping students brush up on their Spanish before the regular university classes began. While I am not really a part of the “regular university”, I decided to take the three week class as a way of meeting more people, jump-starting my Spanish classes here, and lengthening my time in Spain. The majority of the students in this three week class are a part of the Erasmus Program. The Erasmus Program, which I was totally unaware of until I arrived here, is a European Union student exchange program. After these first three weeks, the Erasmus students started taking normal classes at the University and many of them will stay for the whole school year (until June) or for one semester (until February). I am very glad I took the three week class because I made a lot of friends through that class.

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The entrance of campus

Once the three week class ended, I started taking the three month class. It is the same structure as the class before, but because it is for a longer time period, we have more a bit more in depth topics and homework including various projects and presentations. Like the three week class, the class is 5 days a week from 9 AM to 1:30 PM with a half hour break in the middle. Usually in the first half of the class is spent going over grammar together and in our textbook or learning different slang we most likely did not know before. The second half is a little less grammar oriented as we often play games, practice role plays, or even watch a Spanish movie. Some days, like today, we might even get some dancing in! One classmate really wanted to dance in class but no one else wanted to dance. Our professor told us that we had to use a certain grammatical structure and if we used it correctly, we did not have to dance. Whoever did not use it correctly had to dance. (Note: I took the photo and was not dancing.)

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Through the day, we have plenty of chances to speak the language and listen. I am reinforcing my grammar knowledge, learning Spanish phrases I did not know before, and learning plenty of cultural aspects about Spain as well. There are many different countries represented in my class which gives opportunities to learn things from around the world. I have classmates from Ghana, Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, India, and China. Most of my classmates will continue this class with the four month class next semester (January-May).

The university is very close to my homestay; it is only about a ten minute walk. The actual building my class is in is pictured at the beginning of this post. As I mentioned earlier, the class is scheduled to start at 9 AM every day. However, this is Spain and almost nothing starts on time. My professor usually does not come to unlock the door of the classroom until 9:15 and then class usually starts 5 minutes later. My classmates have really gotten used to this and many come even later than that. Usually there are a few that finally make it to class around 9:40. Class starting late is definitely not normal in the US, but I have gotten used to it as I usually bring a book with me when I wait for class to start.

The program also offers various excursions and field trips throughout the semester which is a great way to learn outside of the classroom. During the first week of the three month course, we went on a bus tour of Zaragoza and a walking tour of Zaragoza as a way of learning about the city we would be staying in.

Earlier in October, we visited two very charming pueblos, Albarracín and Daroca, and went on tours of both small towns. Albarracín is considered one of the most beautiful pueblos of Spain. After spending time visiting the Cathedral, walking the cobblestone streets, and climbing up to the ancient city walls, I most definitely agree. Daroca was also quite gorgeous. I love these field trips because it gives us the opportunity to go somewhere we probably would not have visited on our own. I look forward to the next class excursion!

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Albarracín

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Albarracín

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Albarracín

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Albarracín

I am going to class, doing homework, and working on projects while here. It isn’t called STUDY abroad for nothing!

The Journey/El Viaje

September 2, 2015 / / 6 Comments
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The bus terminal at the Madrid airport, one of my first impressions of Spain

I am here at my home for the next 4 months, España. The act of coming here by myself sounds slightly terrifying, but it actually could not have gone smoother. The trip was long, but, call me crazy, relaxing in a sense. I think when you are left in an airport or in a plane for a certain amount of hours, there is nothing left to do but use those moments to take a break. I left my home in Bay City, Michigan around 9:00am on Friday, August 28.  My parents and I were at the Detroit airport around 12:30 (after a stop for breakfast) and a few minutes later I was saying goodbye. Then I took a flight to Atlanta and around 7:00pm I was on the 8 hour flight to Madrid. On this flight, I sat next to a student from Ohio who is spending this semester in Madrid. Before I left for this trip, I was told by veteran solo travelers that I’ll meet people easier when traveling alone. I was pretty surprised at how quickly that happened for me. I enjoyed her company just being reminded that there are a lot of people like myself not only studying in Spain, but studying across the globe. After landing at 9:45am local time and getting my luggage, I had a few hours to kill before boarding the bus to Zaragoza which was spent people watching. Once aboard the three and a half hour ride to Zaragoza, I took in the Spanish countryside in between moments of sleep. I noticed a few things during the bus ride. 1. Mountains for days.  No, they are not the huge ones in Colorado or Alaska, but they are mountains nonetheless (especially for a flatland girl like myself). 2. The countryside looks pretty dry (at least where I was). I did not see much green grass at all 3. The heat. The inside of the bus showed the temperature, but of course, in Celsius and I am not super familiar with Celsius. I saw 35° and thought, “Oh, that can’t be too bad.” Then I got out my phone and used the converter and saw that 35°C is about 95°F. Definitely warmer than when I left The Mitten State.

The view from the bus ride

The view from the bus ride

I arrived at the bus stop around 5pm local time which was 11am Eastern Time where I was greeted by my gracious host mom. Much to my surprise, I was not that tired even though I had only gotten a few hours of (not so great) sleep on the plane and bus. My host mom and I took a bus to her neighborhood and then walked to her apartment (during which I was wondering why I had packed so much) where I ate some food and took a much needed shower. That night, we went to some stores near her apartment and walked around the city. It was then when I got my first view of the famous Cathedral in Zaragoza. La Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is known throughout the world and is a truly fantastic sight. We turned down the road to the Cathedral and a musician was playing Ave Maria on the violin. The music, people, and Cathedral all together resembled a dream.

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The musician with the Cathedral at the end of the road

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La Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

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La Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

Since then, I have gone inside the Cathedral briefly and have seen only a portion of the beauty that this Cathedral holds. I’m looking forward to going back often. My host mom showed me around some other famous sights of Zaragoza, and I tried to take it all in. I was also struck by how Europe, in some cases, is just like the movies. Yes, I have only been here for a few days, but the mopeds are everywhere. It’s so picturesque when I see them coming down the cobblestone road with a gorgeous old building in the background.

As far as first impressions go, this one was pretty wonderful. My journey here went very well and my first few days have been great. I’m looking forward to an adventure-filled semester here in Spain!

Exams, Experiencing Culture Shock, and the Effect of Snow

November 20, 2013 / / 0 Comments

No I didn’t get taken, but I have been relatively missing from social media these past couple weeks and I wanted to apologize. I officially have a fully functioning computer, so from now on, I promise posts will be much more consistent.

I’ve done a lot within the last month: explored Madrid, sprained my ankle falling down some ancient steps, entered the famous mezquita of Cordoba, saw Big Ben with my own eyes, and received my official Spanish residency card for the year. Though I’ve had my usual share of fun and adventure, these last couple weeks in particular have been a giant wake-up call back to reality.

The week before last happened to be midterm week.

This wouldn’t be such a big deal if,

 A. I was like every other student and had regular midterms every semester. In the history field, I usually have papers. Don’t get me wrong, papers themselves are a lot of work. They just require a different type of work than a multiple-choice test. I haven’t had a proper midterm since the days of living in the basement labs of Neils when I was a science major…

and

B. All of my grades this semester were based upon more than 2 things: my midterm and my final. In all actuality that is how all of my classes are being graded. Only 2 grades for a semester’s worth of work.

That’s a lot riding on just 2 tests.

If you know me well, you know that I am a perfectionist. Especially when it comes to school. I knew that this year of classes entirely in Spanish would be a huge risk for me. I’ve had my fair share of failed tests and bad papers throughout my time at Valpo. Usually, however, classes are weighted with enough papers, tests, participation, and the like to allow for one or two not so perfect assignments. Apparently, it doesn’t work that way in Spain.

So while it’s extremely nice to have 4 day weeks and not have boatloads of readings, 20 pg papers, and in general outside of class work, that also makes for ensured stess leading up to midterms and finals. Not to mention, everything is in Spanish.

It’s a whole new education system to get used to. One that I quite honestly wasn’t expecting.

There have been so many things that I’ve had to adjust to while living here that I never anticipated. It’s amazing how seemingly little things such as your host mom refusing to refrigerate milk, or classes being graded 10-1 vs A-F, all add up to create a huge feeling of being foreign.

Some days, that feeling unfortunately takes over. I’m at the point in the semester where the “honeymoon” is over. I’m still as deeply in love with the city of Granada and with Europe as ever, but now that I know the city like the back of my hand and am a lot more comfortable with it, homesickness has begun to set in a little bit.

On days when I need to buy something, but can’t at the exact moment I want to because the whole city is closed for siesta, or moments when I can’t seem to speak or think a word in Spanish, all I want to do is be back at Valpo where I’m much more comfortable.

Fortunately, I have days like today to remind me just how much I love being here. 

This morning on my walk to school, I caught a glimpse of the freshly fallen snow on the Sierras. Suddenly not caring so much about getting to class on time, I took a few moments to soak in the beauty around me. Granada is perfectly nestled within the mountains and I will never get sick of the incredible view. Seeing them covered in snow for the first time was beyond words.

After such a good start, my day and attitude only continued to get better. Booking my flights to Portugal and Germany for winter break, I realized that I only have a month left here before Dec-January break. I won’t be back to Granada until classes begin again in February. Though I’m beyond excited to visit with friends and see more of Europe, suddenly it seems as if my time here is growing very short. I’m blessed to have another semester here and can’t wait to see what it holds. Until then, as I count down the days til break, I’ll be cherishing every moment I still have in this beautiful city. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering about those exams I was so worried about? I got my results back. All were not perfect, but I did manage to far exceed the expectations I set for myself.

Maybe I can speak a little Spanish after all.

 

 

¡Estoy Aquí!

September 8, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I have tried to start this post in so many different ways, but there’s only one way to say it- I’m here in Granada! I still can’t believe it and I’ve been here over a day and a half already. So far the city has been beautiful. The adventure it took to get here, however, was much more of an “I’m going into the African bush with nothing but the clothes on my back” kind-of adventure rather than the “I’m going for a nice camping trip in my RV” kind. What do I mean by that? Well, to be honest, despite all of the emails, google searches, and Spanish grammar review, none of us really knew what we were in for when we got off the plane. I was able to capture most of it in a (hopefully) entertaining video for you all, but to fill in the details before I post it, I’ve written the whole saga down below.

Amanda M.(another girl from Valpo) and I were fortunate enough to run into 3 other girls studying with Central in Granada who were taking the same flight. That was about where our luck ended, however. After getting our luggage and making it through customs in Madrid, one of the girls, Amanda K., and I decided that the next logical step was to hit up the ATMs and get some Euro. There was just one problem. Neither of our cards worked. After a brief moment of panic, we realized we were using the ATM for European cards and not the one for MasterCard/Visa/etc. After switching ATMs Amanda was successfully able to withdraw the amount she needed. My card, however, was still being repeatedly rejected. Thank God (literally) for the other girls. They were successfully able to stop me from bursting into tears and booking the next flight home and reassured me that all would be well. After my panic moment was over, I realized that right before leaving O’Hare I had downloaded an app to my touch that allowed me to make international calls to the US. After purchasing wifi and call time, I was successfully able to call my Waukesha bank. Turns out that even though I notified them of my upcoming travels, they were never put on my record. The bank had thought that someone stole my card to use in Spain and had therefore shut down my account. Luckily, they were able to confirm that it was indeed my trying to use my own card in Spain. All was well and I was able to withdraw my money. *Insert large thank you to dad for convincing me to purchase said iPod here*

 

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of many struggles to come. Our program director had sent those of us flying into Madrid a very detailed email documenting all the ways to get from the airport all the way down to Granada. We decided to go the cheap route, which, unfortunately for us was also by far the most complicated. From the airport we bought train tickets. We almost bought the wrong ones, potentially broke one of the ticket gates, and definitely thought we were waiting at the wrong platform for a moment, but in the end, we ended up on the right train. We also ended up blocking off an entire train car because of the amount of luggage we had between the six of us. We managed to get off at the right station, but struggled getting out, because, fun fact, in Spain you MUST save your train tickets and reuse them to open the doors to exit the station. It’s a great way to ensure that everyone pays their fare, but it’s not so great when you’re an ignorant American student who has no idea about said system. Thankfully we all made it out.

 

Finally out of the train station, we were ready to conquer the world that is the Madrid bus station. We were able to find the right bus company fairly quickly, but found out that we had just missed the early bus and were going to have to wait for 2 hours to catch the next one. Excellent. We were able to successfully talk with several Spaniards while we waited and even learned the meaning of the mysterious “tío/tía bueno” expression we had been hearing (for those of you that don’t speak Spanish the expression literally translates to good uncle/aunt. Apparently in Spain that’s what they use to describe good-looking people. So confusing, but hilariously and graciously explained to us by an older Spanish woman). The 2 hours actually flew by and before we knew it we were boarding the bus.

 

Right before we got on, I spotted another college-age girl also sporting a huge suitcase and a Vera Bradley duffel (usually a pretty dead give away that one’s American). She came up and asked if I was also going to Granada, and turns out she’s a Central Abroad student too! After that crazy chance encounter, I settled in for the 5+ hour bus ride to the south of Spain. I missed the entire first 2ish hours of the ride catching up on sleep, but from what I saw of the last 3, the Spanish countryside is beautiful! I’ve never actually seen mountains before in my life, so being able to drive straight through the Sierras was incredible. The foliage here is so interesting. I can’t wait to take advantage of all the hiking around Granada and climb some of these mountains myself!

Anyways, we arrived to the bus station on the outskirts of Granada safely and without much event. Once again though, we had a little trouble figuring out which form of public transportation we should try next. When given the option between a city bus and taxis, we decided to take the “easy” way out and grab a cab. Diana, Amanda M., and I were staying in a hostel vs. The Hotel Melia Granada like the rest of our group, so we took a separate cab. Though the hostel was right behind the famous store Zara,  only a few blocks away from Hotel Melia and should’ve been relatively easy to find, our cab driver mistakenly left us off 2 blocks early. Luckily, the owner of another hostel was able to point us in the right direction and we made our way safely there- heavy luggage and all. Even better, the woman and her husband who own the hostel are AMAZING. They took such great care of us! If any of you are thinking of coming to Granada (You all should!) and need a cheap place to stay, Old Town Hostel is literally the best money can buy. €12 for a night’s stay, a hot shower, breakfast, and a rooftop terrace. You can’t beat it.

 

To say the trip was long is an understatement. I definitely had more than one moment of, “What in the world am I doing here?! I can’t function here for one day, let alone an entire year!” but being in Granada and meeting the other girls made it all worth it. Amelia, the girl we ended up meeting on the 2:00 bus, because we missed the first one? Turns out she’s my roommate for fall semester! She’s also a huge answer to prayer, but that’s a story for another blog post. For now, I need to head to bed. Tomorrow we see more of the city and take our first level test. *Gulp* ¡Hasta lluego!

 

 

In a world where there's so many acts of terror and fear, it's a blessing to remember that there is also so many examples of incredible beauty out there.

In a world where there's so many acts of terror and fear, it's a blessing to remember that there is also so many examples of incredible beauty out there.

Choosing To Seek Courage

May 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

In exactly two weeks, I’m going to be sitting, (very jet-lagged), in my own living room with my parents and sisters, watching American TV, eating my mom’s cooking, looking out the window at my own backyard in St. Charles, Illinois. And it’s absolutely mind-boggling. It feels like a week ago, I was on board that 8-hour plane ride across the ocean, turning knots in my stomach because I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. “Terrified” hardly begins to cover how I was feeling back in January, and now that my time abroad is winding down, I’m looking back on that earlier, timid version of myself and feeling an overwhelming sense of personal accomplishment about the person I am now. Studying abroad has given me the key to finding within myself a personality trait I never knew I had: bravery. For someone like me who used to live in constant (sometimes obsessive) worry, that’s something of a miracle.

In a world where there's so many acts of terror and fear, it's a blessing to remember that there is also so many examples of incredible beauty out there.

In a world where there's so many acts of terror and fear, it's a blessing to remember that there are also so many examples of incredible beauty out there.

Just so you know, this blog post is about to get very serious. However, I think it’s an important thing to talk about, because my personal experience abroad has related so strongly to this topic. In light of what happened in Boston two weeks ago, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the awful, crippling power that fear has over human beings. It amazes me how a single act of terror can transform the way the entire world looks at society: Americans aren’t the only ones who were affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. Airport security around the globe has tightened. I’ve received e-mails from the Spanish Embassy in Madrid to be extra vigilant in my day-to-day routines outside of the house. My host mom just about had a heart attack when I wasn’t home from school on time the other day because I was talking to my professor after class. People everywhere are treading on eggshells around one another, trusting each other a little bit less than they did before, all because of the spell that terror has cast over this world.

It’s all for good reason, and I can certainly say that my guard is up a little higher than it was two weeks ago. The scary reality is that there is no place that is truly safe from unspeakable tragedies, and there’s always going to be people out there who seek to stir up our deepest and most paralyzing personal fears. Not so long ago, I used to view the world around me from that point of view – constantly letting worry get the best of me and fearing the worst of humanity. I called myself a “realist” because, let’s face it, all of these terrors are very, very real. What I didn’t know at the time was that being a realist can coincide perfectly with being an optimist, and that choosing to seek the good and the beautiful in this world is the recipe for finding courage in the face of fear.

Getting out of your comfort zone, making friends from all over the world, and learning from them is one of the best parts about living abroad!

Getting out of your comfort zone, making friends from all over the world, and learning from them is one of the best parts about living abroad!

The thing about studying abroad is that it has the power to truly force you out of your comfort zone if you let it do so. Get out of your room and just go take a walk by yourself without a map. Strike up a conversation, no matter how bad your Spanish is, with the lady waiting with you at the bus stop. Watch a movie with your host family, even though half the dialogue goes over your head. Go to the bars (don’t be stupid about it), and meet people. Try that weird food. Navigate a bus system that you’re unfamiliar with. Travel to a place where they speak a language you will never learn. Learn from people who don’t come from the same place you do, and teach them new things as well. These are all choices, and a lot of them will make you uncomfortable. But with each baby step out of your comfort zone, you start to learn that there’s beauty and light in this world that you never saw before. Before you know it, you’re taking leaps and bounds out into the big wide world, and discovering the courageous person that lives inside of you.

We’re called to live boldly, to seek the best in people, and to overcome the fear that acts of evil can instill in our hearts. It doesn’t mean to be careless, but rather to choose courage over worry. One of my thematic Bible verses of this semester has been 2 Timothy 1:7 – “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” It’s a nice reminder that we’re not alone in this world, and if we can choose to see things in a different light, we might just be amazed at how easily the beauty that surrounds us can overcome the darkness.

Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the pueblos along the way.

Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the pueblos along the way.

Que Aproveches

April 26, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Since coming to Spain, I’ve learned all kinds of common conversational phrases that we just don’t have the proper words for in English. Yes, if you put them into Google translator, you’ll get some kind of ballpark answer that gives you an idea of what the phrase means. For example, if you take the title of this post and copy it into the translator, you’ll get the response: “you take advantage of.” Que aproveches is one of my favorite Spanish phrases, and considering the fact that I only have 17 days left in this amazing country, it’s a very appropriate thing to be saying during my final stretch here. That being said, Google’s response to que aproveches does not do the phrase any justice whatsoever. It’s something you say to someone else before they enjoy one of the finer things in life: an excellent meal, a night on the town, a vacation, a bottle of champagne, or (in my case) the last few days of the adventure of a lifetime. To me, que aproveches means “I hope you get the most out of it – that you enjoy every last fraction of a second to the very fullest and that you savor it for all its worth.”

The Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia.

The Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia.

Nobody takes this phrase to heart quite like my good friend, fellow Valpo student, and traveling companion, Kevin Miller. Back in February, we read an article in class about a tradition that dates back to the middle ages: a cross-country pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago. Beginning as a religious journey towards the destination of what was once considered “the edge of the world” (the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on the westernmost coast of Spain – where the apostle James is buried), the Camino has been traveled over the centuries by millions of “pilgrims” from all over the world. After learning about this tradition in class, Kevin mentioned that he’d really like to try it. Last week, that’s exactly what he did. Kevin wrote a little bit about his experiences for us to read, and gave me some photos from his journey to post here…

Each shelter that Kevin ate at or slept at put a stamp in his "pilgrimage passport".

Each shelter that Kevin ate at or slept at put a stamp in his "pilgrimage passport".

“It’s dubbed El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), but in reality, it’s a network of many different routes that all converge at the destination point of the pilgrimage, the Cathedral of Santiago. I spent seven days biking on the Camino Frances, which begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, a small French city only a few kilometers north of the Spanish-French border.  I began my journey in Pamplona, which is about 100 kilometers from St. Jean Pied de Port, and finished at the Cathedral.

A beautiful sunset along the Camino.

A gorgeous sunset along the Camino.

Most pilgrims do the Camino by foot, normally walking from about 8am until sometime in the mid afternoon, where they then find a shelter where you can shower, get some dinner, relax, and recharge for the next day. But some, like me, decide to do it by bike (and even some, although I didn’t see on my trip, by horse!). Naturally, the Camino Frances is a nearly perfect east to west route.  Therefore, each day the sun served as my guide: creeping up my back, illuminating my helmet, and then sneaking down my front side before sending its last few rays over the distant horizon.

Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the pueblos along the way.

Kevin's view along the Camino (notice the other pilgrims ahead on the road) while entering one of the many pueblos along the way.

The Camino attracts people from all of the world, all doing it for some particular reason, whether for religious or spiritual motives or solely for the adventure. During my journey, I spent time talking with pilgrims and Spanish locals, either in the shelters in the evenings or during the day when I felt like substituting my biking legs for walking legs. I met an economist from Denmark, a Venezuelan software engineer, a construction worker from San Sebastian (northern Spain), a mother and son from Alabama, a Belgian architect, a truck driver from A Coruña (northwest Spain), a Canadian medical technician… the list goes on and on. It was quite a beautiful experience, and if any of you reading this have the opportunity to do it, I’d recommend it. You certainly won’t regret it.”

The view of the Camino from the top of one of the hills that Kevin climbed up - looking back to the east.

The view of the Camino from the top of one of the hills that Kevin climbed up - looking back to the east.

Kevin’s unique journey across the country of Spain is just one of those things that resonates so appropriately with the concept of aprovechando. Taking advantage of every opportunity, every adventure, and savoring those moments to the fullest are such important aspects of studying abroad, and are things that can only be learned through taking a leap of faith into those types of journeys. It’s a way of thinking that I’m blessed to be taking back home with me. I know without a doubt that all students who have been abroad can easily say the same after experiencing their own individual leaps of faith, savoring the details of such journeys with a new found sense of what it means to take advantage of the moments we’re given.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

Madrid Part 1 – Demonstrations & Protests

May 22, 2012 / / 0 Comments

The last week has been a bit hectic so I apologize for having such a large gap in between my posts. I’ll also be posting quite a few this next week.

Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid as seen from the Royal Gardens

As you might know from my Twitter updates, 2 Saturdays ago I finally had the opportunity to do the “touristy thing” in Madrid rather than just going to the airport or Atocha Station like I normally do there. The other Americans from Valpo flew back to Chicago last Monday but I opted to stay longer so I stayed in Madrid until Wednesday when I went directly to Norway to visit a few friends. A Norway blog is forthcoming as well but I thought it would be better to start from the beginning of this extended trip.

Central Madrid

We all stayed in a hostel fairly close to the city center which many consider to be Puerta del Sol which is also fairly close to Plaza Mayor. The first night we were there we noticed that the area surrounding Puerta del Sol wasn’t exactly normal. We learned over the next few days that because of the education cuts ordered by the Spanish government, there have been almost constant protests and demonstrations in the area over the last few days/weeks.

There were a few thousand people there at sporadic periods during the day and since I’m not really informed of their agenda or demonstration times, many times we were forced to cut through the crowd to get where we wanted to go. Even though it was a little intimidating at first, we didn’t have any problems and everything seemed very peaceful for the most part. There were a number of police officers on hand to keep everything under control and even they seemed to be quite relaxed. In addition, this area was crawling with foreign tourists so we never felt alone. In any case I had a great time there and I’m glad I finally got to experience Madrid since, you know, it is the Spanish capitol and all.

Some of the places I visited include the Royal Palace, Royal Gardens, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Reina Sofia, the Prado, and several other locations. In my next blog, I’m hoping to detail some of the more touristy things I experienced in Madrid followed by a post on Norway and a farewell blog. Check back soon for that!

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow me more closely, I have a Twitter account. If you’d like to see ALL of my photos, I also have a Picasa account.

 

Spanish Conversational Customs

May 8, 2012 / / 0 Comments

As with any culture, there are a number of different cultural customs, traditions, and expectations. Spain is no different so since I hadn’t covered this topic in depth before, I thought at least one of my blogs should definitely cover this cultural aspect since it’s so important. This is just a brief mini-guide to what I’ve observed regarding how a conversation normally operates here.

The Kiss

Spanish people traditionally do a double kiss when meeting someone even for the first time. This differs depending on what area or country you’re visiting because it’s usually one kiss in France and in the southwestern part of Germany (where I visited), it’s normally three. Usually, it’s the right cheek followed by the left. It depends on the person but some will literally kiss your cheek while with others, you’ll simply touch cheeks. This happens with both sexes in all occasions except between two men. Men typically greet each other like in the US and the formality of the greeting depends on how familiar you are with the other person. Regardless of familiarity, the double kiss seems to be acceptable in every situation that I’ve observed.

Personal Space

Personal space doesn’t really exist to the extent it does in the US so some people might feel uncomfortable in Spain or other places in Europe. Along with the greeting kisses, the Spanish tend to stand or sit very close to other people when speaking and are not afraid to look directly into the other person’s eyes when speaking. I realize this can vary greatly depending on the person and that there are a number of “touchy” people even in the US that seem to break cultural stereotypes but there’s a clear cultural difference when watching a person’s body language while conversing. They also tend to have more physical contact while conversing and may occasionally lightly touch someone’s arm or shoulder, depending on the situation.

Opening Up

Some people might get the impression that the Spanish tend to be a bit more “cold” but this is not true. Many Americans will open up, talk, and think of a person they’ve only known a short while as a great friend. This is not the norm in Spain. People tend to keep each other at a metaphorical (not physical) distance and can take a little while to completely open up. Again, this entirely depends on the person but I’ve been told this before and I’ve observed it as well. It’s sort of a funny coincidence that Americans tend to value personal space as being more private than being open with others while the Spanish value openness as more private than someone’s personal space.

Thanks for reading and if you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account that has (finally) been completely updated!

Germany and Easter

April 29, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Parents’ Visit

Two weeks before Easter, my parents, brother, and grandpa came to Zaragoza to visit me and go on vacation. This turned out to be a unique experience because my host mother invited them all over for lunch twice and as they don’t speak Spanish and my host mom and sister don’t speak English, I translated everything.

Sure, I’d translated things on the spot before but this was completely different because it was constant for about 2 hours each time. My headaches returned during those few days because I was being forced to think in two languages at the same time. I’m glad I got to do something like that, though, because it forced me to think more quickly in Spanish even though I spoke to the wrong person in the wrong language a few times. I guess that’s one of the perils that come with translating.

Germany

The week of Easter, I traveled with my family from Zaragoza to southwestern Germany to visit some family friends. My senior year of high school, we hosted an exchange student from Germany and we went to visit him and his family. The region we went to is known for its wine and that’s the primary industry there. The whole area is filled with small towns that are so close to each other that many times you can’t tell where one begins and the other ends.

Even though the area isn’t touristy, it has a really nice country atmosphere that’d be good to visit just to relax. I’m so glad I finally got to visit my “other family” as well as have my family visit me in Spain. It was sad to leave everyone in Germany but knowing that I’ll see them soon was comforting. While we were there, we also went to a larger city called Freiburg. It’s a little more touristy than out in the country but not much. It’s an interesting city with lots of typical German architecture and there are also little streams that run along the sides of all the streets that are often associated with Freiburg. I was told there are streams because they have a lot of springs under the ground and the water needs to go somewhere.

After returning to Zaragoza after speaking only English for a week and translating between the two the week before, my Spanish was much worse, needless to say. My host mom even told me that she noticed it was worse than before I left and understandably so. If I had forgotten that much after just 2 weeks, I shudder to think what my Spanish will be like after this next semester as I’m not taking another Spanish class until spring semester 2013.

If you’d like to follow more of my daily musings, I have a Twitter account and if you’d like to check up on my photos I also have a Picasa account.

 

 

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