Cuando en Madrid

Shea Solazzo: USD student spending the Fall Semester in Madrid! You can follow my journey here :) ENJOY <3

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Adios Madrid <3

For one of my finals we had to write a letter to all future students, sharing our experience and giving them advise. I though I would share it with you here as a final goodbye to Madrid.

<3

Dear Future Students,

      I absolutely loved my time in Madrid. It was one of the best semesters of my life. I have met so many incredible people and have had so many great experiences. Madrid also helped me learn a lot about myself. Madrid has made me more independent than I could have ever imagined. Being abroad can be one of the most terrifying experiences of your life, but it will also be one of the best.

     For me, the best part of the semester was the Travel Seminar. Two weeks before classes start, all 90+ of us round up in three busses and travel around Spain, spending two days in each city. The bus ides can seem daunting and at times all you want to do is get some sleep (because you most likely wont sleep in any of these cites), but it gives you the opportunity to meet everyone you will share the semester with. I went from knowing five or six people to loving this group of weirdos in only one semester and the travel seminar was a big part of that. Take advantage of this opportunity. Take thousands of pictures; sit next to new people on the bus; visit every monument and club you can. Every time I hear Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” I will be immediately transported back to those memories and be both sad and grateful for the opportunity. You will look back on long bus rides with a mix of distain and fondness because those 10 straight hours through the Spanish countryside is where you met some of the best friends you will ever make.

      Traveling is a huge part of studying. Very seldom will you have the opportunity to be two hours away from multiple countries. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Portugal, Paris, Brussels, Oxford, Amsterdam, and Prague. Traveling will open up your mindset and help cure some of that wanderlust. Have fun, be safe, and enjoy your trips.

      Madrid. The city that stole my heart and will forever be my second home. I would say that Madrid has stole my heart but one of the best professors I have ever had (seriously take Cathy Bingman!) said, “When you live in a foreign county, you develop an extra heart. In this new Spanish heart you will carry all the memories and people you have met here in Spain.” Cathy was absolutely right. Madrid gave me a whole new appreciation for life and traveling and interacting with people. Things you absolutely have to do in Madrid: row boats in Retiro Park; take the Teleferico cable ride over all the city; go to the El Rastro markets on Sunday; go to El Botin, the oldest restaurant in al of Spain; get Indian food in Lavapies and Thai in Bankok Thai; visit the Royal Palace, Prado Museum, Mercado San Miguel, Malasana. Also, go to Dubliners. It is the farthest thing from a Spanish bar but I have had some of my best memories in Spain clowning around with my friends in Dubliners. Bobby, the bartender, is the best, and has made us all feel so welcome. It is the first place we came when we were nervous new abroad students, and it has seen us blossom into confident travelers who are not afraid of taking on new experiences. I never thought that one bar could mean so much but the memories this place holds could fill a book. Also, on Wednesdays, you can get free drinks and free entrance until 1:30 at Gabana, Joy was really fun, and you need to go to Kapital at least once before leaving Madrid.

       Here are some things I wish I knew before coming to Spain. You can drink in Spain. You should drink in Spain. Have fun. Go out at night. No one remembers the nights they went to bed at 10pm. Make memories. But be responsible. Don’t miss class because you went out to late. Don’t miss out on the culture of Spain because you were irresponsible. Believe me, it is not worth it. It is important to find a balance.  Another thing: beware of pickpockets. I know everyone says this, but they say it for a reason. Do not bring anything out that you wouldn’t want stolen. That being said, your things WILL get stolen. It happened to the best of us. You haven’t really lived in Madrid until something gets taken. Some of us lost a phone; others lost three phones, two cameras, a wallet and all their money. Don’t feel bad if your things get stole. We survived. So can you.

        The best advice I can give you is "do not taking anything for granted." Many people do not have the opportunity to go abroad. We are so lucky. Do not waste it. Take every opportunity you have. Visit all the museums. Go to all clubs. Try new strange food. You're making memories that will last for the rest of his life. This trip will change you in small ways that you do not realize until the end of the semester and you see all the differences. You'll be smarter, more sympathetic, more independent, more adventurous, and more grateful.  You will be a more accepting human being. Cherish this time because as you are reading this and getting ready for your journey, we are boarding the metro one last time, packing our bags, and saying goodbye to the people we have grown to love so much over these four months. I'm so jealous that you get another semester in Madrid. Do me a favor and have the time of your life, because I know that I sure did.

  Besos,

   Shea

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Last night at Joy. Carp got us on stage by buying flaming champagne.  The amazing memories I have at this place :)

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Saturday we woke up at 7 (not ok!) to catch a four hour bus from Paris to the Brussels Christmas market. When we were on the bus I kept thinking that there is no way that 6 hours at a market could be worth a 8 hour round trip to Belgium but boy was I wrong! It was one of the coolest things. 

As soon as we stepped out of the metro and into the market it felt like we had been transported to Buddy the Elf's version of a Christmas wonderland. There were stalls lining the plaza covered in white felt snow and twinkling Christmas lights (these got even more magical at night) I don't think I have ever eaten or drinker so much. Did you know there is such a thing as a hot mojoto. Or a jäger hot chocolate. Me neither. (I didn't try either of those things because I don't hate myself and wouldn't want to put mysf through the torture of drinking a hot mojito).

At night, as it got darker, the lights turned on around the markets and it was truly spectacular. If you get the chance to go to the Brussels Christmas market, or any Christmas market for that matter, and you don't go you will regret it and I will hate you for not taking advantage of the opportunity. It is something out of a Christmas fairy tale and completly different from Christmases in Southern California. It was magical. 

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Climbing the Eiffel tower with these babes was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life.

It was 650+ steps but all the hard work made the view that much more enjoyable. Halfway up it got dark and the tower became illuminated. every hour on the hour the lights twinkle and luckily i was able to snap a picture of it during our ascent. 

This experience was absolutely magical and I am so glad I got the chance to do it.

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Ok if you are a loyal reader of my blog (lookin at you mom) then you may remember that I said that Portugal was one of my favorite trips/cities in Europe. Well that was definitely true, but it was a tad premature because Paris was amazing!

This past Thursday, my entire family got a day off of work/school, gathered around a table, ate delicious food, had an amazing thanksgiving together. Since I was obviously missing this American holiday, some of my friends and I decided we should do something memorable to distract us from our incredible homesickness. The only thing better that spending thanksgiving with our families would be spending it under the Eiffel Tower, so we decided on Paris.

Alanna, Jessica, Courtney and I left Madrid Wednesday afternoon and immediately got Nutella and banana creeps as we exited the metro station Wednesday night. Our hostel was about a 3 minute walk from Moulin Rogue. After being in Paris for one night most of us were already in love.

Thursday was one of the most unbelievable days I have had. I kept pinching myself to make sure this was actually happening. We began our day by visiting the Norte Dame and the Love Lock Bridge. Millions of loves have visited this bridge, locked signed locks to the bridge and threw the key in the river, symbolizing their devotion. The bridge holds so many memories of past loves that it is kind of moving. We were also able to hear a mass in French at the Norte Dame which was very special. Next we went to the Louvre. The Prado is one of Madrid's most famous museums but it think the Louvre blows it out of the water (no offense). It is totally gorgeous. We took super touristy pictures outside and we got to see amazing art like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue. After that we saw the Eiffel tower. Since we are poor college students (lol) we didn't want to pay for the elevator to the Eiffel Tower we decided to climb the 650+ steps. While I was not super happy about that many steps, it was one if the best experiences if my life (see next post for more details). After that we found a take out restaurant that had turkey and potatoes and peas and macaroni so we got some cider at the grocery store and had a mini thanksgiving dinner in our hostel. It was actually really fun because we were playing music and telling stories and eating surprisingly good thanksgiving food. I am thankful for these girls! We went out and made a few friends and then called it a night.

We started the next day by climbing 300+ steps to the Sacre Coeur church. Stone spiral staircases are gorgeous but they can be a tad overwhelming when there are 300 steps of them. Regardless, the view of Paris was spectacular and I am glad we put in the effort. Plus Courtney and Alanna and Jessica got to try their first macaroon. It was a life changing experience for us all. After that, we caught the train to Versailles. Versailles is one of the most impressive palaces I think I have ever seen (again, sorry Madrid). The grounds are MASSIVE and the buildings are impeccably beautiful! If you go to Paris then you should make time to visit Versailles. After Versailles we had a super touristy french diner of escargot and duck confeit. Délicieux! After that we went out with some guys we met in our hostel to an area where a lot of university students hangout. All was well and good until I dropped my phone and ended up with a shattered screen (it still works and it looks kind of cool so I am not panicking but I should probably fix this soon). 

The next morning we spent in Brussels (again see next posts) which was amazing! 

Sunday we stopped by the Arc de Triomphe before heading to the airport. This was one of my absolute favorite trips with some of my favorite traveling companions and the best way I could imagine to spend thanksgiving abroad!!

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ICE SKATING at Plaza Luna

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Class Field Trip to El Escorial

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sooooo.....

The night that Lindsay and Jessica left we had a bit of an accident.

Carp, being the brilliant man that he is, decided to ride a stationary motorcycle outside my house while we went upstairs to get Lindsay and Jessica's luggage. Carp fell off said bike, got the GIANT bump on his head, and needed to go to the ER. Lindsay and Jessica took a cab to their flight and Carp and I went to the hospital. 

After being a mess in the waiting room and asking a homeless man if he was participating in 'no-shave-november, carp was checked out and given a bandaid. Apparently he was fine.

Carp found a toy gun in the cab on the way home from the hospital. We stopped for pizza and he pretended to hold-up Papizza. He tried to go home by jumping the metro turnstyle, falling flat on his face, and proceeding to take a cab. Carp is a champ. and an idiot. but mostly a champ. 

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JESSICA AND LINDSAY VISIT MADRID!!

This weekend (jk i wrote this a while ago. sorry im bad at keeping you updated in a timely manner) two of my best friends, who happen to be studying in oxford together, came to visit me in Madrid. 

I have basically been talking about Madrid so much that they figured they should come check it out for themselves. and i guess they missed me or something. 

Anyway, we did all of the super touristy things like rowing boats in Retiro Park, eating at Mercado San Miguel, getting churros con chocolate, walking to the Prado (it was closed because i am bad at planning things), etc. I also took them to all of the bars and clubs that i have been talking about. We went to Dubliners and they signed the bathroom walls, we went to Joy, where Carp got bottle service and we almost died, and we went to Kapital, which was absolutely insane.

I loved getting to share a little piece of my abroad experience with my best friends and I was really glad that I got to see them because I absolutely missed them like CRAZY! 

Hope they liked Madrid, even know they probably think we are all crazy! I loved having them here!! <3

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Potato pancakes. Bread dumplings. Meat. Gravy

If any of these things sound unappealing to you then ima need you to get off my blog because you aren't even a real person and you probably also hate things like joy and friendship. And gravy. 

Anyway, all these ingredients come together to make the best thing I have ever eaten: goulash. Goulash is essentially my heaven and I may or may not have gotten it three times in the four days i was visiting (i definitely did). 

Despite what I said earlier, I get that stew-ish meals are not for everyone but you have to try goulash, at least once, if you even come to the Czech Republic. 

Besides obviously eating too much Goulash, the rest of my trip to Prague was really fun! I stayed with my friend Alberto, who is studying there for the semester, and Jessica and Lindsay, who came from Oxford, so it was a mini USD reunion. We spent most of the weekend eating and exploring and reuniting and eating more. It was an incredibly fun, relaxing weekend and it was great getting to see Alberto and Lindsay and Jessica. Miss them already!

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Temple Debod

      Today was kind of a kick-ass day. First if all, my friend from home went into labor. Yayy Andrea! Can't wait to meet your new twins!        

      Secondly, my friend Celena and I spent the day exploring Madrid and I kind of felt like a real madrillena. For our history class we were all given an assignment to do research on a historic building/monument/statue in Madrid. Celena and I picked Temple Debod. 

      After class we took the metro to Plaza de Espana and looked for our historic monument. Turns out, it was cooler than I could have imagined. The Temple is probably the oldest building in Spain. Temple Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple and was donated to Spain as a thanks from Egypt for helping preserve other temples. It was really interesting and something to definitely see in Madrid!

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So Amsterdam was super cool. Its kind of still shocking to me how quickly you can be in a completely different country and that I get the opportunity to spend my weekends in such beautiful and interesting places.

 As soon so we got to Amsterdam we went to the famous Pancake Bakery. It was absolutely amazing! If you go to Amsterdam you have to go to pancake bakery!! I recommend splitting a savory and a sweet pancake with a friend, that way you get the best of both worlds. After that we waited in line for 2 hours for Ann Frank's house/museum but it was definitely worth the wait. I've read her book and I have studied the war in classes but seeing her house took my understanding to a while new level. I think one of the most moving things was seeing their heights recorded on the walls during the duration of their stay and seeing the pictures Ann had plastered to her walls for decoration. It really made Ann frank a person just like you or me, rather than someone you've read about or a statistic in a history book. Seeing her house was a very moving experience. After that we did the Heineken Experience. Basically for 18 euros you get a full tour of the Heineken factory and learn how it's made and the history if Heineken. It was a pretty cool experience and I feel like ill appreciate beer now knowing what goes into it and it was a really unique experience. After that we checked out the main center of town and got some dinner before calling it a night and going to bed. Even though it didn't seem like we did a lot, it was a LONG day!

         The next day we got pancakes again, but this time from The Old Dutch Pancake House. After that we went on a canal tour. We saw the smallest house, which was only one meter wide, and other beautiful sites from the water. we checked out some local cafés and then went to the 'I Amsterdam' sign. Luckily I had already took a picture with the one by the airport because the one in the center if town was PACKED! There were a ridiculous amount of people all over the sign but it was still gorgeous because the views around it were so pretty.

  After that we headed to red light district. I was a little skeptical about going because I didn't know how I would feel but I think seeing it (not participating!) is a worthwhile experience because you don't really understand it fully until you actually see it. (We went during the day mom, don't worry! I definitely would have been even more sketched out than I already was if we went at night) I expected women on street corners or like a lady outside of a building asking men to come upstairs or something but I couldn't have predicted what we actually saw. I thought the first building we passed was a store with a live model advertising lingerie but as we kept walking I realized these are the prostitutes. They are just standing in windows beckoning for men to come in. Basically all you had to do was open the door and they would let you in and close the curtain. It was happening right there like three feet away from us. It was pretty startling. Another thing that shocked me was that men actually did it. I feel like in most places it is embarrassing or looked down upon to hire a prostitute so I expected maybe one or two for show and that no one would actually go in. As we were walking around I actually saw one-man leave and another enter a room. It was super startling to see people actually participate like it was not a big deal. As we were walking down one ally we saw a girl who looked younger than me and when we walked back her window was closed. It was so sad. It was definitely an experience that opened my eyes to the world and one that I will never forget. After that we explored the city center a little bit more, saw some cafés, spent way too much money on food, went shopping and called it a night.

  Overall, I really enjoyed Amsterdam and loved being in a city that actually experiences fall, unlike the in changing seasons of San Diego. It was the kind of trip that is once in a lifetime. I doubt I will return to Amsterdam just because I feel like we did every thing touristy (with few major exceptions) but I still really enjoyed the trip. It was a unique experience that I don't think I will ever get again and I am so grateful for the experience!

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I visited my family in Valencia this weekend and this happened... they are crazy but this weekend was actually really nice and i am glad I got to see them. 

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Today, our class went on a day trip to Segovia. 

My sister studied in Segovia this summer so I was excited to finally see it. 

Segovia is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I am so glad I made the trip out there. The company wasn't too bad either i guess :) 

The views are astounding and the food is incredible. If you have a chance to go see segovia, DO IT!

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There are worse places to spend your 21st than Madrid!!

   Despite countless people telling me that turning 21 abroad "doesn't count" because I am already legal here (i'm looking at you Professor Kirk, you soulless man), I have to say that 21 was one of the best birthdays I have had to date. 

   It actually started about a week before my actual birthday when my parents came to Madrid to visit. They wanted to meet my friends so we all went out to dinner. They surprised me with a cake and we did that awkward moment where everyone sings to you and you don't really know what to do so you just sit there awkwardly. Anyway, it was nice to be able to celebrate with my parents and some of my friends (and get to eat some amazing food at Mercado de la Reina).

   My actual birthday was the Monday right in the middle of our two mid-term weeks, so we decided to celebrate the Saturday before. That night me and 20-30 people (seriously, my friends are amazing for all coming out) met at Dubliners to start the night (obviously- im pretty sure it should just be called "the Madrid USD bar"). One of my friends still had her tiara from when she turned 21 and that thing really helped let everyone know it was my birthday. Seriously, like almost everyone was commenting on it and wishing me a happy birthday. It was fun!

   After that we headed to Kapital (again, obviously- I think my friend alex has spent more money buying tables at Kapital then on anything else in Spain). It was crazy and amazing and super fun and I got to hang out and dance all night long with my friends. We actually didn't leave until they actually stopped the music and made everyone leave. It was one of the most fun nights I have had here so far.

   On my actual birthday I took a midterm and studied for the one I had the next day. Super fun, right? My host mom, Cristina (who is like the coolest person, by the way!!) made us a really nice dinner and we all ate together and had cake and pasteries and other yummy things. Christina and her family (and my roommate) are the coolest and I am so glad I got placed with them for the semester.

   Also, at midnight I got to Skype two of my best friends from USD. I haven't gotten to see them in about two months and we may have cried tears of happiness or something. Whatever. it was nice. But really, they are coming to visit in November and I cant wait!

Anyway, This was an amazing 21st and I am so glad I got to spend it In Madrid and seeing the people I love. I cant think of any better ways to spend my twenty first than sharing it with my parents, my host parents, my sister, and my friends all while exploring this amazing city. THANKS!! <3

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I haven’t updated my blog in a while because I have been so unbelievably busy this past month so please be patient with me. I guess Ill just start from the last thing and move forward from there.

              So three weekends ago (wow I cant believe it has almost already been a month) I traveled to Blanes, a town an hour north of Barcelona, for my cousin’s wedding. On Monday my parents flew to Madrid and I got to spend the week with them (see previous post). It was amazing to get to see them and show them my new city and have them meet my friends.

            On Thursday we took a train to Barcelona where my cousin Toni picked us up and drive us to Blanes. Blanes is a beautiful beach town with a gorgeous convent that overlooks the harbor and the beautiful beach. The town is fairly (extremely) tiny but it was wonderful for a destination wedding.

            Thursday night we went to the beach for a pre-wedding bonfire. Essentially the majority of my relatives were there, including some I had never met (or don’t remember meeting) before. It was so much fun to get to spend time with my cousins and aunts and uncles and whoever else was there. Freddy (my cousin) and Parissa (his new wife) looked incredibly happy and excited for the wedding.

            The next day we drove to the Convent where Parissa and Freddy were getting married. Everyone looked extremely sharp in their tuxedos and dresses and the view from the convent was incredible. It was a gorgeous wedding full of love and beautiful toasts and speeches and songs. The reception afterwards was so fun and I am glad I got to spend so much time with my family.

I was incredibly lucky that I was able to go to their wedding. Last year, I wasn’t able to go to my other cousin’s wedding because I didn’t get a long enough break from school. This year my sister was not able to come because she didn’t have a beak from USC. Luckily, because I am studying in Madrid, I got to go to the wedding. And I am so glad I got to go. 

Congratulations Freddy and Parissa!!! Your wedding was amazing and I wish you a lifetime of happiness!!

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Tom and Margarita take on Madrid