Catherine in Spain!

Hey from Spain! 

My name is Catherine and I have been studying abroad for the past 3 weeks here in Madrid, Spain and I leave in less than a week. Although I've only been here a short time, I have truly had an amazing experience. Here I'm going to show you some of my favorite moments in Spain. I figured since pictures can tell a 1000 words, I would let pictures show you how I had an amazing time. 

This beautiful place above is Retiro Park. It's in the middle of the busy city of Madrid and it's the most peaceful and quaint park you will visit. You could spend hours here doing nothing but walking, looking, and having a great conversation with someone. 

Jamón is no joke here in Madrid. This man is cutting ham from the leg and serving it to us. It tastes so good. Jamon is usually a tapa here in Spain, which is equivalent to an appetizer in the States. Below is a picture of just a few kinds of Tapas. My favorite are jamon Serrano, tortilla espanola, and croquetas.

Chocolate con churros is no joke here in Madrid either. Every Sunday our host dad would take us to eat the best churros and hot chocolate one could ask for. You dip the churros in the melted milk chocolate and it is so delicious.

 

El rastro is a flea market in Madrid that happens every Sunday and holiday. A street in Madrid fills with venders wanting you to buy their clothes, shoes, purses, plates, etc. It's a fun Sunday morning activity. The best deal I got was a cup like the ones in the picture for 5 euros. 

 

In Spain, there are plazas where people can meet, where streets connect, and where entertainers perform their talent. One of my favorite plazas is Puerta de Sol. I enjoyed sitting here and people watching after class. Although there are lots of tourists, you still feel the Spanish vibe. 

Mercardos (market in Spanish) are my favorite. Picture a huge building with tons of venders selling fresh food. I had a sweet tooth so I bought a macaroon and other pastries common in Spain.

Walking around Spain, you fall in love with the architecture. Beautiful buildings and statues are everywhere. I have pictures of buildings on random streets that are just scenic. 

One night you have to go to Templo de Debod. It was a gift from Egypt to Spain and it is amazing. During sunset it is such a beautiful and peaceful place. 

Now I have never liked museums, but I always try my best to like them. When we visited El Prado I was of course going to try to force myself to enjoy it but it was different. There were many rooms of paintings and as someone who isn't into art I stuck to looking at 7 of the famous paintings and the temporary exhibit of Picasso. I think the reason why I enjoyed Prado so much was because there were summaries on the sides of each painting describing the painting. You could imagine what the painting meant, then see what the painter wanted to portray. Although I'm sure other museums do that, I simply loved all 7 of those paintings. Here are two of my favorite paintings. FYI this Mona Lisa was done by one of Da Vinci’s pupils.  

So when you think of Spain, what do you think of? Futbol and bullfights? I'm going to be honest I didn't experience these. I was too scared to see a bullfight (didn't want to see the bull bloody and being killed) and I am just not a follower of soccer. However there are lots of both in Madrid. I happen to visit Barcelona the day after they won the European champions league. Legend says if you drink from this fountain you will return to Barcelona.

Last but certainly not least, the churches and castles in Spain are magnificent. We made a lot of day trips or weekend trips to different cities in Spain: Segovia, Seville, Toledo, Granada, Merida, Barcelona, and Valencia. It was common for us to visit either a church or a castle that was beyond beautiful. My favorite has to be Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the alcazar in Seville where the king and queen would stay. 

As every one of my friends on this trip will tell you, I love Barcelona. The city is beautiful; there is history and a beach, two of my favorite things about a city together. I could go on for hours about how Barcelona is just amazing, but I will just let the pictures tell you. 

So as you can tell, there is a lot to do in Spain. These are only some pictures of my currently out of storage iPhone. I love it here and yes of course it is studying abroad, and I am improving a ton in my Spanish, but it’s also about exploring another part of the world. Having the freedom to explore Madrid, and other cities and in return finding bits and pieces of yourself is very empowering. I have learned so much about myself, what type of person I want to be, more cultures and activities that I like, and don’t like.  I read someone somewhere said, “Travel far enough your meet yourself”. And that is what Spain has done to me.

Catherine Iszard
UNCG in Spain
Madrid, Spain

Britney and Nemo Alejandro in Spain!

A few weeks ago, I arrived here in Spain. I have had the opportunity to take in many of the sights and meet many people. I even was able to meet a fairly friendly horse. While here, I have done some exploring with my good friend Nemo Alejandro the Dragon. We recently celebrated my 20th birthday together and we're invited to a club to sit in V.I.P.

Beyond  that, I ventured over to Segovia, Spain and climbed the steep steps of the tower and made it to the top. I saw some interesting  art pieces and even made friend of a rather settled historical figure.

Later Nemo and I were able to visit Alhambra in Granada  and the Anfiteatro  in Merida. Since Nemo does not get out a lot, I let him have his own mini photo shoot to show off the places to which we ventured.

All in all it has been an adventure. The food has been different, the sites have been beautiful, and the people  have been  really friendly. Though I am ready to return home, I will definitely miss and hold dear this experience. 

Britney Jacobs

UNCG in Spain

Madrid, Spain

Abi in Salamanca, Spain!

My trip to Salamanca, Spain has been absolutely crazy. It has collectively been one of the best experiences of my life. However, it did not start out like that. My first month here can only be described as confusion. I knew my Spanish was pretty good, but it was not SPAIN good. When I first arrived in the Madrid airport, I was completely alone. Not many people spoke English so right off the plane I had to go into Spanish mode. I had to now find how I was going to get to Salamanca from Madrid. I wandered around the airport for about 30 minutes until someone FINALLY told me my bus was in another terminal miles away. So I finally get on the bus and then I get to Salamanca and find a hostel. In the hostel I start to look for places to live and my Spanish adviser recommended a dorm next to my faculty. So I moved into the dorm. It took me a while to make friends but I eventually found a group of girls to hang with and eat with. They put me in their Spanish group message and everything so I really felt like a Spaniard at this point. 

In the dorm.

I took 4 classes and it honestly took me about a month and a half to get adjusted to the Spanish life. But I began to make friends with a family who has a farm down in southern Spain that I now visit every weekend.

On the farm.

 

Horses are probably my favorite thing in the whole world and they have so many that I get to ride and I could not be happier. 

With a new friend.

Look who is riding a horse!

I also began to travel with one of my friends from UNCG who was studying in Italy. We went to Barcelona and Rome and had a blast. I really enjoyed Barcelona! Except for all the high tourist prices :( But now I am currently taking my exams and they seem to be  pretty easy so far (fingers crossed). The classes are very oddly structured in the sense that they really have no assignments. Spanish people are very laid-back and frankly my professors just don't like grading, so they don't assign. But that means practically all of my grade is based off of my exam which has been STRESSING me out lately. 

Cooking at home

I come home in less than a month and I can already feel the tears coming on. I have fallen in love with Spain and am sincerely considering living here after UNCG and teaching English. Just a thought :) Well, I will see you all in a bit!!! 

Abi Triau
Universidad de Salamanca
Salamanca, Spain

Mary in Toledo, Spain!

Hey everyone!

Greetings from Toledo, Spain. I am at the tail-end of my semester, with just one exam left before I'm officially done with school here. There's so much that I could share about studying abroad, but the truth is that it is simply inexplicable – something you only truly understand once you experience it for yourself! I'm also learning how different studying abroad is for every single student – even here in Toledo where I am with two other UNCG students, it is safe to say we have each had remarkably different experiences. 

The Toledo skyline

These past four months have been incredible. To be sure, I have had my share of hiccups and issues, but looking back I can honestly say that for all the uncertainty, the knowledge I've gained and the places I've gotten to visit have made my time in Spain worth it! I arrived in Spain very unsure of myself, both in terms of my Spanish-speaking skills, and about living in another country in general. I'm happy to tell you that those feelings really do wear off, as I can now speak Spanish fairly confidently and feel at home here. Everyone has been remarkably patient with exchange students, and wherever you look you can find people ready to help you. I've also met a ton of great people here, exchange students and Spaniards alike. The people you meet abroad honestly add so much to the experience, and are a large part of the reason why I haven't felt very homesick at any point – there's always another adventure to be had!

Some fellow exchange students and me at a soccer game

What I love about being in Europe is how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to travel here. I've visited France, Switzerland, Portugal, many cities within Spain, and this weekend, Gibraltar and Morocco. It really appeals to your sense of adventure! Traveling has definitely been one of the highlights of studying abroad, and really helps you appreciate what makes every place unique. While every trip has been amazing, my trip to Portugal during the Semana Santa (spring break) holiday particularly stands out to me. This is partially because I was fortunate enough to share it with my sisters, who flew over from the U.S., and partially because it's truly a magical place. We started in Lisbon, the capital, which basically looks like it's from the future, as all the architecture has a modern, sleek design – with the exception of the Se Cathedral, and the Castle of Sao Jorge, which are obviously much older! We then took a day trip to the cities of Sintra and Cascais. Sintra looks like it's from a fairytale story. The buildings are painted with fun, bright colors, and it's home to Pena National Palace, the most incredible building I've ever seen. We didn't have very much time in Cascais, as there was a bus debacle (the next day there was a planned strike for the bus drivers, so we had to be sure to catch the last bus or else be stranded in Cascais), but the beach there is beautiful! 

Sunset from Saint Jorge's Castle, Lisbon

Pena Palace, Sintra

Another view of Pena Palace

This semester has just flown by for me; I know it will be bittersweet to leave in three weeks! Anyways, I don't have much more I can say to you other than this: Study abroad. You won't regret it.

Mary Saunders

Universidad de Castillo-La Mancha, Toledo

Spain

Olivia and Khaleesi in Rome!

Hello! My name is Khaleesi and my human and I are visiting Rome for a month this summer! My friend Regi is also here with his human. He and I battled in gladiatorial combat at the Colosseum last week. It was epic.

My friend Regi and me, with our humans Olivia and Marissa.

Our epic Colosseum battle.

MY favorite part of the trip is flying over St. Peter's Square at night and seeing all of the pretty lights, but Olivia (that's my human) likes seeing all the places where people like Julius Caesar and Romulus used to live. She was also really excited to discover that she can buy her entire breakfast plus coffee for only 2 euro!

Regi and me in the Forum.

Sometimes, when we go to museums, we play Guess Which God with the mythological  artwork, and I help her try to translate all of the Latin. We're also learning lots of Italian words! Sometimes we can order coffee or gelato without speaking English at all.

Surveying the Colosseum

Two weekends ago, we visited Pompeii, but it was really rainy so Olivia kept my wings nice and dry in her jacket. She was a little scared that Mount Vesuvius would erupt while we were there, but I promised I would carry her to safety. We saw so much cool stuff!

Staying warm and dry in Pompeii.

This week, we're going to tour the Vatican and the Vatican Museums, and then on Saturday we'll get back on the big metal dragon to fly home (I may be strong, but I'm not strong enough to carry a human across the entire Atlantic).

Ciao!

Khaleesi

Lloyd International Honors College Draconian International Representative

 

Olivia Wood

UNCG in Rome

Italy

Zoe and Mr. Dragon in Florence!

Experiencing writer's block.

 

I’m really struggling with my opening here. I mean I’m a dragon, not a poet. I guess I’ll start with hello and my name and see where that takes me. Hello everyone! My name is Mr. Dragon. My human, and best friend, Zoe Fishman named me that. She’s very creative.

This is both of our first times out of the country. We are currently in Florence, Italy having a great time! We arrived only yesterday though, so we haven’t had much time to really explore. Thus, my post may be shorter than others. Don’t worry though, I have a feeling I will be posting again later on, as I’m sure all of you will be extremely curious to know what I am doing.

Zoe let me sit on her lap on the plane ride. Some people stared...I guess they don’t have dragons in their countries. Zoe slept most of the plane ride, but I was too excited, looking out the window every chance I got. As we landed in Florence, I could already see some of the beautiful architecture awaiting me.

Checking out the plane ride into Florence!

We taxied to the meeting location to get our keys for our apartment. Zoe was nervous, as she doesn’t know Italian and is overly paranoid about being in unfamiliar places, but I’m not, so I talked to the taxi driver and assured Zoe all would be well.

After getting our keys and housing packet, we immediately went to our apartment. Zoe put me in her bag to keep me safe, but she couldn’t find our apartment, so she had to take me out to help. I’m really great with directions and finding places. Zoe...not so much. We make a great team! Something else Zoe is not the best at...using keys to open doors. We spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to open our downstairs door and our apartment door.

When we eventually got into our apartment, we were amazed by how beautiful it was. Filled with rustic, Italian furniture and art, it was modern but antique at the same time. Everything we could need was already supplied for us! Ashley, Zoe’s human friend and roommate, showed us our room and I immediately called dibs on the left side of the bed. We unpacked all our stuff (I have a lot of clothes) and then plopped down. I wanted to go see the city but Zoe was tired from the traveling. I guess humans don’t have the stamina that dragons do.

Saying hello to Florence from our window.

Our second day in Florence proved to be much more eventful. We had orientation for most of the day. Zoe now has 4 folders full of papers and insists on carrying them all around with her every time we go anywhere. Her roomies and me think she’s a tad ridiculous, but when we get lost her 10 maps prove quite useful.

Me attentively listening at orientation.

My favorite part of the day was the spontaneous concert we went to. We were sitting in our room when we kept hearing screams and music playing, so we decided to check it out. It ended up being some famous singer who spontaneously had a concert in the plaza right next to where we live!

Zoe in the middle of the crowd at the concert.

 

Our last event of the day was the Welcome Dinner for the international students. I was the star of the show...obviously. People kept asking Zoe about me, which was annoying, since I obviously can talk. Zoe and I took photos and ate tons of food. Zoe is extremely picky, but I forced her to try one of everything. Some things worked out well, and others went right back on the plate. Still, I was proud of her for trying new things!

Center of attention like always.

 

Everyone wanted to be in my photo.

Right now Zoe and I are booking our tickets to go on a day trip with her roommates to Cinque Terra tomorrow. I would fly there, but I don’t want to leave Zoe, so I guess I have to take the train with them. I’m really excited to travel around Italy and I can’t wait to post again and update all my fans on my travels to come.

Signing off for now!

- Mr. Dragon