Interview with Jake Eddy, Semester Student in Madrid

Meet Jake Eddy, a rising freshman at Bryant University in Rhode Island. Jake spent the spring semester studying in Madrid at Universidad Antonio de Nebrija before entering college on a full scholarship for football.

Estudiafuera asked Jake a few questions at the end of the semester about his time in Madrid, and thought that his impressions and wisdom might help other students who are considering studying abroad.

EF: Why did you choose to study in Madrid?
Jake: I chose to study in Madrid because I had a desire to learn the Spanish language, and what better way to do it than to study in the most modernized capital of the Spanish speaking world.

EF: What were your first impressions of Madrid?
Jake: My first impressions of Madrid were incredible. It was nearing the New Year, or Nochevieja, when I arrived in Madrid for the first time. I wanted to go early to get comfortable with some cultural aspects and the lifestyle. It was planned that I meet a my Spanish friend who I graduated from prep school with, and stay with him for a two week duration. While traveling to his house in a taxi on just a perfect day all around, I noticed to my left the tall, elaborate gates of what seemed like a an enormous park. My friend just happened to live next to this most prestigious, most gorgeous park in all of Madrid, Parque del Retiro. When we went that first day, I was astonished by its size and design and just couldn't believe the detail involved. But I'm not going to flatter you with the details, you have to see it for yourself!

EF: Did your impressions change over time?
Jake: My first impressions changed, yes, but for the better. In Madrid, you really never can be bored. I found that meeting people was quite simple for the most part. There are endless amounts of restaurants and bars of all cultures to choose from. If you are really into sight seeing, I hope you have rechargeable batteries for your digital camera because it really is impossible to see everything in a weeks time in Madrid. From the number of art, science, and historical museums to the parks, buildings, bull fights, general site seeing and amazing land features Madrid consists of, sight seeing can easily tire you out. But don't get me wrong, there were times that I missed being at home. But I just thought to myself that I may never see this place again, or a least not at the age I'm at now, so Live it up, no regrets!

EF: What did you like best about life in Madrid?
Jake: What I liked best about life in Madrid was the fact that if you were frustrated with school work, bored, wanted to have some fun, or just needed to get out for a night, you can easily go out and have the time of your life. The night life never stops. The people are friendly. You can meet people, create contacts, and practice the Spanish language while having fun at the same time. There were just a lot of aspects of Madrid that I really appreciated and will never be forgotten.

EF: What did you like least about life in Madrid?
Jake: What I liked least about life in Madrid was the fact that the Majority of the people in the streets smoked. I didn't like that much, and coming from the U.S, I was used to a big breakfast, and while living with an actual Spanish family, I wasn't really satisfied. But you try to make adjustments and find the best way to go about living your Spanish lifestyle. You really have to consider that you are in another country, and need to adapt to the Spanish culture in order to live that type of lifestyle.

EF: Do you think that you have changed over the course of your semester in Spain? How?
Jake: Yes, I think I have changed over my time in Spain. I think I have definitely became more independent. Living in a big city like Madrid I found that it is necessary to plan ahead and schedule future events. There is so much to see, not just the Spanish World, but the European World as well, and traveling in Europe is much more inexpensive than in the States. You really have the flexibility to see what you want in Europe and more for great prices, but research and studying is important. I was on a budget, so it was vital for me to step up and plan future trips which involved quite a lot (Booking hostels, hotels, flights, looking at maps, transportation costs, searching the sites, studying the basics of other European Languages outside of Spain, etc.) I stepped up to the challenge and saw a lots of amazing places with their own special significance and beauty, places that I thought I would never ever see in my lifetime.

Where to live while in Spain? Apartment, Host Family, Residence Pro's and Con's

OK, you know you are coming to Spain, and you know that you are accepted into a program, but the looming question now is, "Where am I going to live?"

Of course, this element of your life abroad is fundamental, and is not something to walk into blindly.

Usually, students have the option to live with a host family, in a student residence, or in a shared student apartment while they are studying. There are pro's and con's to each. Below, you will find some explanations about each, as there may be differences from what you find to be true about these living conditions in your home country and what is the case here. We hope that this information serves you in choosing the best option.

Shared student apartment: Usually the shared student apartment means that you have your own room in an apartment or flat with two to four other housemates. In the majority of cases in Spain, the kitchen, bath, and living areas are shared between flatmates. The flats are usually fully furnished, and you rent the furniture along with the flat.

Pro's to living in a shared student apartment:

• Freedom to come and go as you please
• You can invite friends to your apartment, if your other flatmates are not in objection to that
• It is more economical (maybe)
• In some cases there is a cleaning service to come and clean the apartment

Con's to living in a shared student apartment:

• You have to be in charge of preparing all of your own meals, doing your laundry, etc.
• In some cases you have to put down a large deposit in order to hold your room
• Apartments in Madrid are often smaller than the norm and in general, no A/C, no internet connection
• You need to be careful about where you are living, not so much for reasons of safety, but for reasons of noise, convenience, proximity to the school, etc.
• In some cases you may have to sign a contract, and in this case, you must understand the terms and conditions of the contract comprehensively, and this is another somewhat stressful factor
• Landlords in Spain are not known to be the most prompt about fixing things that break, or being attentive and responsive. On the other hand, some landlords take the liberty of entering into the leased apartments whenever they like without prior warning.

If you think that this is the option for you, you may want to check out this website: www.loquo.com. Here people post rooms and apartments for rent all around Spain.

Host families: Living in a host family in Spain is something that many students find to be surprisingly enjoyable. Others never do really find the charm in it. Of course, you can never predict what kind of chemistry you will have with a group of complete strangers, and sometimes, it's a perfect fit, and other times it is just not successful. A few things to keep in mind about Spanish host families:

• Most of the host families that universities use are repeat host families that have been hosting students for a long time, and are very well versed in the ways of college students in general.
• In Spain, host families can be whole families, with two and three children, or they can be couples or in many cases, they are widows with older children who have the space and time to host students, prepare meals, etc.
• In Spain, most of the host families where the universities and language schools place students are families who would fall into the "middle class" socio-economic range, according to Spanish standards. In general they do count on the income that hosting a student provides.
• Families typically provide two or three meals per day, and count on students to take those meals at the same time each day
• Families usually launder (and iron) all clothing for the students
• You must adapt to the host family, and not expect the host family to adapt to you
• You can expect to have lots of freedom, you can come and go when you please (within certain perimeters)

Pro's to living with a host family

• Get to know Spanish people, foods, customs
• Practice your Spanish constantly
• You know you will always have homecooked food to eat and clean clothes
• An opportunity to develop long lasting relationship with a Spanish person
• Offers a certain stability
• Most of the time, you will be living relatively close to the school where you are studying
• Comfortable accommodations
  

Con's to living with a host family

• You live, to a certain degree, according to someone else's schedule and habits
• You will be limited in terms of inviting friends over to your house
• You can only receive calls at the host family's home
• Usually the host family is not keen on allowing you to prepare food (Spanish host mothers are reknowned for being possessive of their kitchens)
• Families sometimes have internet connections, but in general this is not the case

Residences

The residences in Spain are usually not directly associated with the universities. In many cases the residences are run by religious entitities, but this does not mean that religious practice is strictly enforced, or that students are obligated to participate in any activity that is not of their choosing. The residences can be large or small, with many amenities or few. However, more often than not the residences offer three meals per day (except Sundays in many cases), and there are almost always common spaces, study halls, TV rooms, internet connections, telephone, etc.

Pro's to living in a residence:

• Opportunity to meet students who are studying at other universities
• In most cases, there are many amenities such as wifi connection, study halls, common areas, gym, swimming pool...
• Usually the residences are quite close to the university
• Laundry service provided
• Social activities planned through the residence

Con's

• Not as much privacy
• Usually it's the most expensive option
• As a foreign student, you will in all likelihood be the exception, and it may be a bit of a challenge to find your "niche"

So, this is a long blog.. sorry about that! Comments are welcome from those of you who have had experiences already!

Do I Want to Study in a Big or a Small City?

I am in touch with many students from many different countries, with wildly different backgrounds, experiences, exposure to other countries, goals, inclinations, orientations... I could go on... The one thing that they have in common is that they want to come study in Spain. Many students immediately tell me that their first choice is either Barcelona or Madrid. For some students, I think that these options are fine, but I dont believe that these cities reflect by any stretch of the imagination all that Spain has to offer. Spain is an extremely diverse country. There are four official languages, several other local dialects, drastically different historical influences, migration and immigration trends, social issues, political issues (galore), not to mention topographical and economic differences that make every region, and even each city a world to discover. Students want to study in the big cities, perhaps because they think that this is where the cultural centers are, where they will be the most exposed to the new and different, where they will have more opportunites, but I think that in some ways this is an error. If you want to sink your heels down into a place, get to know some of the local citizens, step off the beaten path, learn the language, and discover how the language is tied to the people, you may find that life in a smaller city allows you the luxury to examine all of those things through a much more powerful lense.

¿CALIENTE o TEMPLADO? Coffee culture Spanish style

Coffee in the United States has more variations than a politician has enemies. I worked in a coffee shop many moons ago and remember the customers asking for single latte skim, double shot of hazelnut, a touch of mocha and extra foam, all of that they could spit out in one breath. I also remember the full pot of coffee that I used to make each morning before heading out the door (carry mug in hand filled to the rim). I remember seeing the other people just like me drinking their coffee out of their thermal mugs in their cars, and at work. Morning coffee was a ritual I clung to like a child with their first blanket. A morning without coffee was worse than a curse, something unthinkable, surreal.
Here in Spain, when I first arrived a few years ago, I admit that I looked long and hard to replace my thermal coffee cup (I left mine at home, thinking that they would have them everywhere). Finally when I found one, and began using it, I was surprised by the banter from my Spanish colleagues, who had never seen such a contraption. They were dumbfounded that I would prefer to carry my own coffee from home around with me. The coffee at the bar next door was just fine, they said. They didn't understand that for me it was a question of quantity not quality. After losing my coffee cup, having to buy another, and then losing that one, I gave up. Now I go to the bar like a "regular" Spaniard to ask for a "café con leche". It still gets me everytime, the way they ask me, "caliente o templado?" (hot or luke warm?). With all of the variations for coffee that existed to me before, no one had ever proposed luke warm coffee. The truth is though, it is just right!

Universidad de Navarra

This is a photo of the campus at Universidad de Navarra that I recently found. The campus is gorgeous. This university is great because they have a very high ratio of international students: 16% of the student body is from outside of Spain. They are one of the most progressive universities in Spain, and are constantly working to make their programs more accessible to students from outside of Spain. At this university, you can study degrees that are valid in the United States.

Study Abroad Programs in Spain

Welcome to Estudiafuera's blog dedicated to studying in Spain! Please feel free to add your comments or post questions about studying abroad in Spain, life in Spain, or your experiences abroad!