Extremadura and the Beginning of Classes

Hola Todos,

Sorry for the delay in between posts. It has been a long time since I last wrote, and I figured after a whole week of hustle and bustle it was time for an update. When we were together last, I regaled you all with tales of discotecas and bars, but since then the social scene has calmed a bit, and we have finally started classes. First, last Friday Georgetown in Madrid finally concluded its orientation with an exam in a History of Spain class. The professor, a wizard with words and stories, was well known for deliberate manner of speaking and inflection (Los Roooomanos), and for his sheer knowledge of a vast number of subjects. Our exam Friday consisted of 4 broad questions, and we were asked to give our replies, which covered a vast array of information ranging from the benefits of the Spanish monarchial system to the differences between Spanish and US politics. The grade will be averaged with another from an orientation writing class, which in total will amount to 1 Georgetown credit.

Friday night felt like it ought to be celebratory, but a weekend excursion and a very early wake up (6 am) to catch the bus meant that this Friday would be a day of rest. And so, I set out Saturday morning for a trek across the city to catch the GU bus. With a chorizo sub in hand and my backpack stuffed to the gills I was ready for the trip to Extremadura, an area consisting of couple of precious towns about 4 hours from Madrid, not far from the Portuguese border. In 36 hours we stopped in 3 different cities.

- Merida - our first stop, a beautiful city with numerous Roman ruins (over 2,000 years old, among the most interesting an amphitheatre and a simple theatre (the first to have gladiator battles and the second for plays), Merida also had beautiful orange trees adorning the sides of streets throughout the city. Upon picking one off of the trees, I was informed that oranges are no good until they fall to the ground. I proceeded to lob a three point orange into the trash can. (You live and you learn)

- Caceres - the capital of Extremadura, home to 90,000 habitants, we stayed the night here, a night tour of the ancient part of the city featured stunning churches and castles, but the highlight of the trip was probably the massive all you can eat feast paid for by Georgetown on Saturday night. The meal feautured croquetas de jamon y queso, queso and crackers, fried green peppers, lots of bread, a delicous scrambled egg and mushroom casserole, and unbeknowest to the group until it came, an all you can meat selection. Let's just say I got my money's worth. In fact, you could say it was borderline gluttony. But all you can eat means eat til you can't eat anymore. Right? To top it off, several different kinds of cakes (strawberry, tres leches, chocolate) came out at the end, and they were served on platters that fed four. We ate well.

- Trujillo - the smallest of the three cities, we stopped here on our way home, another breathtaking gem, here at the city's peak a humungous fortress of a castle sits at a height that overlooks the surrounding region for miles and miles, quite a sight to see, the castle itself feautures no railings or safety devices to ensure you won't fall off, It was a bit nerve racking to be up so high with so little support surrounding, After an average lunch at a German restaurant (Yea I know, why we decided to go German in Trujillo, I don't know), (Also, note to self, next time you walk into a restarant during peak hours, and no one is seated, I repeat no one is seated, please turn around and exit.)

Upon walking around the city with my friends Ryan and Nick we came out across a bakery that could only have been heaven sent. Its name, had much significance for me, "Basilio," my Spanish nombre in grade school. I took this as a sign as we headed inside where a land of dazzling postres seized hold of our minds and quite shortly after, our tastebuds. I consumed the most fantastic ice cream cake of my life, and I devoured it within the palms of my chocolate soaked hands. True bliss if I have experienced it. On a chocolate high, we proceeded to speed back to the Plaza Mayor to inform the rest of the group that "yes, such a place exists where angels eat ambrosia, and such a place exists where humans can dine alongside them if they desire." (Basilio)

Anyway, Trujillo was a sweet and gorgeous last stop on our excursion to Extremadura. I tire now, as it nears 1 am here, so I am going to comment tomorrow on el comienzo de las clases en Comillas!

Hasta luego,

Brett

Pictures 1/2 from atop the castle in Trujillo

Picture 3 The Bridge in Merida

Picture 4 Inside the Museo in Merida (I was repeatedly scolded after I began patting the bull like I would a horse, it's an ancient statue, I wasn't supposed to touch it.)

Palacio Real Photos - see blog post below

Palacio Real and Joy

Hola Todos,
Phil, You asked for more, and so here, another update from my home away from home. Ahh, where to begin. Well, I'll start with my early week visit to the venerable Prado Museum, where a great collection of classic paintings are held. The museum is full of over 8, 600 works, and with the group from Georgetown, we covered only the Spanish painters (Velazquez, Goya , and El Greco.) I'm far from a big museum buff, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and awe at some of the world's greatest art. I found myself mesimerized often by the sheer reality of the colors and scenes which at times seemed to jump out of their frames. On our tour we were led by a man named Fernando. He apparently leads Georgetown students on every cultural excursion, and serves as a tour guide. He possessed a wealth of knowledge and helped to point out little details I wouldn't have otherwise caught. Among my favorites, Velazquez, on multiple occassions, instead of inscribing his name on the bottom corner, painted simply a blank sheet on either the left or right bottom corner. His intent: simply to show, it wasn't necessary to have his name on the painting. People would see the white paper, and they would know...he's the best. In America, we call that being a "Baller." Anyway, the Prado was the bomb, and served once again as a source of cultural enrichment.

This week I have been part of Georgetown's orientation program here, which consists of two classes, one on grammar, colloquialism, and vocabulary and the other on the history of Spain. The classes are meant to help us integrate into the Spanish academic system, and to get us used to hearing, listening, and comprehending. Both of my professors are incredibly bright and nice, and they have made my orientation experience thus far all together enjoyable. My history professor reminds me of character from a movie. Tall, slim, ruffled gray hair, ironed slacks...you get the picture. Anyway, he has a way of laying out history in an over-simplified grade school manner, while integrating various stories about either his life, or something related to the culture. I have found myself enveloped in his lectures, and hovering over his every word.

And so, with only one class Friday at 5:30 pm, Thursday meant the start of another Madrid weekend. Thursday night I accompanied some of my Gtown compatriots to discoteca "Joy Esclava," located in Sol, epicenter of Madrid culture and social life. The theme of the night was "Michael Jackson," and the club did not disappoint, churning many of the artist's hits. One could characterize my night by saying I engaged in furious and endless dancing. Let me set the scene. I'm on the the primary floor of this club, it's packed with people, there is little room to throw my body every which way. I look up, and there's these two guys, dancing hard, not synced up but still skilled. I thought to myself, "I can be one of those guys." As such, I made my way through the pulsing crowd, and manuevered my way to the elevated section. Next thing I know I'm slapping fives with these guys, girating my hips, and pointing at people in the crowd. The girl from France was dancing next to me, and seemed incredibly focused on the art of shaking her body really hard. She wasn't so much as interested in the environment around her as she was in her own little dance world. It was cool to witness. Anway, I tried to strike up conversation. It was futile. From what I could gather, she was French, didn't like to talk very much, but loved dancing. Yea, I guess I can respect that. It was nuts...so that's Joy Esclava. So Friday night I met up with my friend Ryan, and I accompanied him to a meeting with his Spanish friends, many of whom I had hung out with the previous Thursday. Our plan was to go to Ocean (see previous posts) and then to Pacha, a renown Madrid discoteca, somewhat exclusive, but we were confident we could get in. Ocean was a blast again, a small neighborhood bar, it has an intimate feel, and it's really easy to talk to people. The Spainards are awesome. The guys are very friendly, and eager to talk sports, especially the NBA. I told a couple of the guys a) if you come to D.C., you can stay with me and b) that we ought to go to Copa del Rey, the spanish basketball championship taking place in February two blocks from my house. The girls were a bit standoffish at first, but seemed to warm up to me when they recognized me from the previous week. And so, we headed out around 2:30 to Pacha, where we subsequently waited in line for 10 minutes to find out that the bouncer had changed the entrance fee to 60 euros. Yea, that's like 70 bucks. Thanks, but no thanks. We left, and our new gameplan was a familiar spot, Joy Esclava. We arrived back at my favorite discoteca around 3:30, paid the 15 euro entrance fee, and spent another night dancing and reveling in the atmosphere. I left a bit later, and Ryan and I took the first metro home this morning. I got to sleep around 7, my first Madrid all nighter. Subsequently, I had to rise at 11 am and make the quick Metro ride to Palacio Real (The Royal Palace) Formerly the home of the royal family, the massive building is used now for just ceremonial purposes. The exterior of the building is breathtaking, and the numerous and oppulent rooms on the inside are filled with ornate decor and stunning paintings. I was glad I woke up so I could tour such a beautiful place. The palace is perched on an elevated surface, and as such from the quad, there is a magnificent view of suburban Madrid, all together breathtaking. Well, sorry for the long pause in between posts; it helps to have something to write about. So, until we meet again.
Hasta luego,
B

The Beginning of Orientation

Hola Todos,

It has been a while since I have last checked in with a post so I thought it might be good to throw you a fricking bone. Well let's start with today. I rose around 12:30, better than 2, which it had been on previous days, and I immediately starting working on my first assignment for orientation, two short essays of about 150 words each! After finishing one, I thought it might be a good idea to take a shower to get my day started off on the right foot. The bathroom is directly adjacent to my room, so that makes it quite easy to go back and forth. I headed downstairs for what has become somewhat of a ritual for me here, a large midday meal around 2:30. Today, I had sopa, a plain brothy dish with noodles and pavo - turkey seared in a pan and garnished with spices. The turkey had a strong lemony flavor, and for the first time here I longed for one of American cooking, especially one my Dad's traditional barbuced chicken breasts that are a Depenbrock staple in the summer. My spanish is good, not great yet. I am able to communicate what I want to say well, but it's a manner of speaking in a fluid and natural manner that still evades me a bit. Speaking with my family is tremendous practice, and I am very happy I chose a "homestay." With every meal comes "pan" - bread, fresh everyday from a local market, very similiar to french bread in the States and agua. The water here is very good, but for my room thus far I have bought 2 5L bottles and a 1L Evian to ensure I'm always hydrated. After lunch I finished my essays upstairs and headed off to Goya - my metro stop, about a 10 minute walk from my house. From Goya I headed up to Ciudad Universitaria, where the University of Compultense is located, UCM is the equivalent of UMD at home, except Compultense has 125,000 students. The campus is huge and the building where we had orientation was a good 15 minute walk from the metro stop. After our first classes ended, I met up with my friends who live close to me (Marco, Kyla, and Christine) and we headed to Chueca, a barrio known for its restaurants and vibrant nightlife, for dinner. We ended up at a place called Lateral, a chic, modern looking restaurant that had surprisingly afforable prices. And, we engaged for my second time in a tapas experience, little dishes we all shared - turkey on top of bread with caramelized onions, fried balls of cheese with shirmp and chicken inside (alot like mozzarellla sticks, Julie you would love these), meatballs in a delicious sauce, and Iberian ham and cheese on top of pan. Quite good, and all for 10 euros. I had my first Carlsberg, a Danish beer, which was smooth and a nice combo with the meal. After dinner I took the metro home, and now I sit here in my bed, enjoying my first night of not going out, since my very first night here. The reality that I'm here for school is just starting to sink in, and it will be good to get some more sense of structure and intellectual stimulation. It seems that Comillas, my university, is much smaller that Compultense, and will present quite a challenge. Comillas professors teach in a structured manner, similar to the American way of learning, which means I could be doing quite a bit of work every week. Anyway, enough for now. Some quick highlights from the weekend.

- Super Bowl at the Irish pub, James Joyce - nice atmosphere, more laid back that I thought, Murphy's is a good beer. I left at halftime to head home at a decent hour, and I am a bit up upset I missed such a good game.

- Kapital - 7 floors, famous club at Atocha, fabolous of dancing til the early morning, occasional blasts of watery smoke, very expensive, 20 euro cover

- Ocean - first night in Madrid, bar in Tribunal, small friendly atmospher, easy to socialize and meet people, I went out with my friend Ryan. I met some native students. They were awesome, very fun. I'm going back there next Thursday.

- quite an ordeal when on my return Thursday night I proceeded to break my key in the door at 4 in the morning. After lying down on the patio for an hour in angst at what I was to do, I decided to finally ring the doorbell and wake my host mother's daughter up. She let me in, and when I tried to apologize the next day, she showered me with kisses, what a country.

- a visit from my host mother's son, Juan Miguel - a Jeremy Piven lookalike, he is an extremely talent artist who I grilled with questions while sitting down at lunch on Sunday. He's really cool and has an upcoming exhibition in Barcelona.

- a visit to Sol - the epicenter of Madrid, and one of the coolest places I have ever been. The picture of me and my friend with the pirate was there, and as was the photo of the bar where Ernest Hemingway used to come in Madrid.

The experience has been great so far, but the first week high of being here is starting to wear off. It's time to study some, and to develop some sense of order. However, that doesn't mean the fun stops jajajaja.

Hasta pronto,

Brett