Caroline en España

 ¡Hola de Cuenca, España! Cuenca is a tiny little city situated in the mountains of Castilla la Mancha. I live near the Río Júcar, which is always a beautiful blue green color. I have the most gorgeous walk to school every day.  Cuenca is the most beautiful place that I have ever visited and I am so glad that I have been able to call it home. As I have told my friends here and basically anyone who has spoken to me for any period of time, I have fallen completely in love with Cuenca. Cuenca has brought out a different side of me, a Caroline that likes rock climbing, despite her fear of heights. My first day in Cuenca, I visited el Puente de San Pablo, which boasts a spectacular view of the hanging houses of Cuenca. El Puente de San Pablo is 40 meters high, which is about 131 feet. I made it about a quarter of the way across the bride before turning around and rushing back to safety. Within a month of this incident, I went rock climbing on an actual mountain and later on a via ferrata, which is a type of climbing route. If I remember correctly, at one point we were 80 meters high hanging off the side of a mountain. Had anyone told me before I left that I would be hanging out on the side of a mountain hundreds of feet above the ground I would have laughed in your face, but now I can’t wait to go climbing again.

A view of Cuenca from the mountains

Amazing view from the Via Ferrata, I'm trying rally hard not to look down

Rio, Jucar

Another way that I’ve been challenged here in Cuenca is to stay on top of current events in the states. I knew that as a US citizen in another country I would be asked a lot of questions about our politics since they are so widely publicized. Many people have asked my opinion regarding the impending presidential elections, to the point where I have been asked to speak as an American about the presidential elections on a radio program at my university. One thing that has been really interesting for me here in Spain is seeing the US through the eyes of other parts of the world. The group of international students here in Cuenca is surprisingly large. I have met people from all over the world, from Russia to Taiwan to Mexico. There are not many other US citizens studying abroad, so people are usually very interested to hear what I think about the things that are going on in the states right now.

In Madrid with a group of students, we found Minerva!

Cuenca's hanging houses...In the past there wasn't enough space for people to build their houses, so they began to build them on the side of the mountains!

          There have been times when I leave for the night that as soon as people learn that I am an American they immediately make jokes about our love for guns, or ask me if I hate Mexico. Most frequently people ask who I am voting for in the elections. While I love sharing my ideas with my new friends, a few times I have been a little bit ashamed of what is happening at home. One of my friends here told me that when we first met he didn’t think we would be able to be friends ‘since he is Mexican and I am American.’ All in all, it has been a really interesting opportunity to hear outside perspectives about my home, in spite of the gun lugging stereotypes. Of course everyone knows that the media portrayal of the US is exaggerated, but it is really unique to meet people who have only seen the US in that light.

El Puente, de San Pablo

Climbing the Via Ferrata! If you look closely, you can see the fear in my eyes!

           What I have learned in all these discussions of politics is that many people feel similarly towards their own government. My Spanish roommates have made jokes about their lack of government in response to my lamenting US politics (right now Spain has a kind of interim president due to complications with their elections). I fully expected to learn a lot while abroad, but I have learned a lot about politics, gained a new lens through which to view the US, and learned about myself through challenging situations or conversations. One of the most important things I have learned while living in Spain is that it is ok to not be completely in control or to not always know what to expect. Jump out of your comfort zone, try new foods, and talk to strangers. I’m still working on it, but I can’t wait to see what the next two months have in store for me.