#ipeuc3m

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Madrid Week 17: My Experience at UC3M

Hola a todxs!! It’s Niko again, back (very) late again, with another blog about my experience studying in Madrid. Most of the blogs I have written have been highly personalized. Whether about my experiences traveling, getting involved with different communities in Madrid, or literally an entire blog about cooking, I’ve injected a ton of personal reflection into all of these, which, while have allowed me to grow substantially during my time in Madrid, may not be the most directly applicable to prospective students at UMich who are considering studying at UC3M. So, let’s change that !!

This short blog is about everything I wish I would have known about UC3M before I got there. Grading, difficulty, campus, all that nice stuff. Let’s jump in.

Overview

Universidad Carlos Tercero de Madrid, AKA UCIIIM AKA UC3M is a public university in Madrid, with two undergraduate campuses south of the city, in Getafe and Leganes. UC3M is a pretty unique school in that 20% of its students are international (not from Spain). It is a big destination for Americans and Europeans doing a semester abroad (which, for Europeans, is not called study abroad — it’s called Erasmus). 

There are a ton of classes taught in English — especially engineering classes — and there were other Americans and Europeans in all of the classes that I took. This isn’t to say that your classes will be full of only Americans, like many study abroad campuses or study centers overseas. Imagine transforming into a Spaniard and taking classes at UMich. It’s like that (kind of — the ratio of international students to Spanish students is much less, but still the same vibe). Taking classes alongside Spanish students, meeting them, and making friends with them was one of my favorite parts of the semester.

One more fun tidbit about UC3M — It’s generally a more competitive school to get into for Spanish students. When I told locals I was studying there, I would usually get something along the lines of “ooh, that’s pretty good”. Good to know.

Class Registration

Class registration is one of the biggest points of contention for a prospective study abroad students at UC3M. It’s a somewhat stressful process, but it’s not all that different from Michigan. Here’s generally how it works:

First, the people at CEA will train you on how to register during orientation (which is worth going to, in general — I met some great friends there!). They do a pretty good job of explaining how it works and helping you get prepared, but the registration process is ultimately up to the individual.

Every CEA student gets the same time slot for registration. Unfortunately, this is one of the later slots. Many local students will have already registered before this point, so it’s possible one of the classes you planned to take fills up before you get your turn (just like Michigan).

Once the time hits, you have to add every class you need to your “backpack” as fast as possible (a stressful 2 minutes). Once you add it to your backpack, you’re safe, and just need to click confirm. If you didn’t get a class you need, you can continually check over the next few days for openings when students drop.

So, how was the process for me? It went well, luckily. I did not get the first schedule that I wanted (some time slots for classes were already taken, but I still avoided class on Fridays), but I did get all the classes that I wanted — I even switched into a different class a week into the semester after I realized one was too difficult. I know many people who got what they needed. I also know a good amount of people that didn’t get into one or more. It’s kind of luck of the draw, and you can’t know how many sections/slots exist for a class before you get there.

With all of this said, I do not recommend going to UC3M if there are 4 classes that you NEED to graduate on time. There’s a chance you won’t get it, and there’s no strings the people at CEA can pull to help you get in. However, I do recommend UC3M if you have flexibility!

Before enrolling, I planned to take 2 technical electives and 2 humanities courses for the international minor for engineers. Because all 4 of these classes were electives, I had a much easier time picking and choosing a schedule that fit best with my desired schedule. I had over 8 Michigan approved classes for each category. This made the whole process a lot less stressful.

For some general advice: If you’re reading this as a freshman or sophomore and want to study abroad, save your electives!!!! I cannot stress this enough. They’re much easier to get approved by Michigan and will leave you with a lot more flexibility, wherever you go. They’re also probably going to be easier than major-specific ones, and who doesn’t want easy classes abroad?

Here’s all of UC3M’s majors, with the list of classes they offer (look at 2nd term classes under “Program”). There’s a huge amount of engineering classes, which is awesome: Class List

Here’s the course equivalency database for UC3M: Course Equivalencies

As you can see, there’s a ton already approved, and it’s not too hard to get more (not just electives, major specific courses too!). Look at these far in advance and build a huge list of options, it will be worth it.

Grading Structure/Class Difficulty

The grading system at UC3M and Spain is much different from the USA.

First, you get graded from 1 to 10. Passing is a 5 or above for most classes, which is what you need to get the course to transfer to Michigan.

Course grades get split into weighted categories like they do at Michigan. However, the split is much different. For reference:

In my files & databases class, partial exams and projects were weighed 50% (called continuous assessment), and the final exam was worth 50%. In my materials science class, the 3 partial exams (midterms) were worth 10% each, labwork was worth 10%, and the final exam was worth 60%. In the philosophy class I took, essays and a project were worth 40%, and the final was 60%.

You can probably see a pattern: much more weight is put on the final exam. Unlike classes at Michigan, there is very little emphasis put on homework. Consequently, I didn’t really study much outside of class aside from a large grind session for the occasional deadline. This is a blessing and a curse. You can have a ton of free time. And it’s really easy to completely neglect your classes, bomb the final, and fail. Learning is very much self-guided, vs at Michigan, it’s somewhat more forced because you have to do weekly problem sets, homeworks, etc.

I passed all of my classes with healthy margins. I know many people who did the same. I also know a lot of people who failed one or more classes due to lack of attention and effort.

The classes I took at UC3M were not as hard as the ones I’ve taken at Michigan, especially because I only needed to pass. However, they are real classes with real Spanish students, who are required to take them for their major (and their grades matter). Let this inform you of their difficulty. 

If you want to go abroad, do basically nothing, and pass all your classes (which is possible in some study abroad programs), then do not go to UC3M. If you don’t mind going to class and putting in a basic level of work, UC3M is great. Even though grinding for many hours on a SQL project while I could have been exploring Madrid was a bit sad, I honestly appreciated the fact that my classes were real. It gave me a better idea of what it felt like actually living in Madrid with real responsibilities instead of just vacationing there, which is a distinct and unique experience.

Engineering Classes

Now for some more specifics on my experience in the engineering classes I took:

I took Materials Science (MATSCI 220 equivalent) and Files and Databases (EECS 400 LVL equivalent). Honestly, I didn’t find either of the classes to be taught particularly well. Classes were split into lectures and problem solving sessions, and they were all taught in English by Spanish professors, who spoke the language well (albeit with an accent). I found my lecturers in both classes to be quite difficult to follow and not very engaging, even though I went to every class and (attempted) to take notes. Some of my friends had similar experiences. 

My guess is that if the classes were taught in Spanish, the lecturers’ first languages, things would have been explained a bit better. Regardless, going to class helped me stay on schedule, learn the basic concepts that we were covering, and maintain structure in my day to day.

Problem solving sessions consisted of the lecturers solving individual problems (usually exam-type problems) on the chalkboard. These were generally much more useful. In my materials science class, we also had a lab, where we did fun little experiments and wrote reports about them.

Even though lectures weren’t good, I still learned a ton in both classes. My files and databases class had 3 projects, 2 of which were quite intensive. I had to teach myself how to use and understand SQL in order to complete them. In this class, basically the only work I did at home was these projects, which took up the majority of my time in the week leading up to the deadline. Because I attended class and did well on the projects/partial exams, I didn’t study too intensively for the final and passed with a lot of margin. One thing to note — this class required certain scores in certain exams/projects (at least 20% on every project, at least 40% on one of the midterms). Without these, you forfeit continuous assessment (5 points), and you have to get a very high exam on the final to pass. Requirements like these exist in many classes.

In my materials science class, there were no projects (only lab reports, which took maybe 30 minutes to complete after the lab). Otherwise, I studied maybe 1 day in advance for the 3 partial exams during the semester, which, consequently, I didn’t do too well on. The real work for me in this class was back loaded. In the 5 days leading up to the final exam, I studied every day for basically the whole day, essentially re-learning the entire class from front to back. Because of the effort I put in, I passed with good margin, and learned a decent amount of materials science along the way.

In general, computer science classes at UC3M will have more projects and thus more work required during the semester, but if you do well on the projects, you don’t have to study as much for the final. Other classes may involve more of a grind for the final at the end. Pick your poison (and check out the syllabuses, they list the weighting). I would recommend taking classes for first or second year UC3M students, as they’ll be a bit easier.

Humanities Classes

I took one humanities class in English, called social groups and their cultural imaginaries. I loved the content, and the professor was awesome and an easy grader (Natalie <3). Highly recommend. This class was much easier than my engineering classes, which is generally true across the board for humanities.

One thing I wish I knew about humanities classes was the ability to take them in Spanish. I planned on taking one humanities class in Spanish (like, a class for local Spanish students), but the CEA employees dissuaded me from taking them because they would be very difficult for a non-native speaker.

Would this have been much more difficult? Certainly. I probably would have had to give presentations in Spanish in front of an entire class, and write exams in the language as well. Very scary. However, I ended up meeting plenty of American students in different programs who took humanities classes in Spanish who weren’t heritage speakers, and did just fine.

My point is, if you have a very good level of Spanish but aren’t a native or a heritage speaker, don’t be dissuaded from taking a class in Spanish if it’s something you really want. If you’re willing to put yourself in some uncomfortable situations, you will certainly improve your Spanish a ton, and grow personally as well !

International School Classes

If you’re not as confident in Spanish but still want to take classes in the language, the international school is the way to go. They offer Spanish language courses and humanities courses in Spanish geared for non-native speakers. If you think you might want to take a class in the international school but aren’t positive, take the placement exam! It’s a small test, and it opens the door to a ton of classes that you can’t enroll in without a placement. As an added benefit, you’re guaranteed to get into the Spanish language course you were placed into if you take the exam.

There are Spanish classes for all levels, from absolute beginner to very advanced. My Spanish language class was great. Very chill, very conversational, and the project was open ended and enjoyable. If you take a class with Raquel, tell her Niko says Holaaaa! <3

Campus Life

Going to UC3M was a great experience, but the campus community there does not compare in the slightest to the community that exists at UMich. I think this is a general difference between European and American universities. In the USA, much more emphasis is put on clubs, sports, and campus life in general, which creates a very strong culture. At Michigan, we have UMich students, and everyone lives within walking distance of campus. At UC3M, you have students that go to UC3M. Many live nearby, but many commute in, which takes away a lot of that community. 

Consequently, I didn’t really get involved with any clubs during my time there, even though I did look into them. There weren’t all that many, and they weren’t very accessible. One club I would definitely look into getting into that is very accessible: Erasmus Student Network (ESN). It’s an organization for international students at UC3M, and they organize fun events that are open and (usually) free to go to. It’s a great way to meet new people from around the world.

Orientation for international students (hosted by UC3M) happened at the beginning of the semester before classes started. I would recommend going and signing up for the buddy system they have beforehand (look out for an email). Even though my buddy ended up not existing, it was another great way to meet people. In general, people are very open to forming new connections at the beginning of the semester and become less so as time goes on. Putting in effort at the start will pay off !

Campus itself is pretty nice. There’s two campuses, Getafe (humanities) and Leganes (engineering). Both are small, and not nearly as fancy as UMich’s newer buildings. Many of them are comparable to the old ones around the diag. Getafe campus has a pretty good vibe, especially in the spring — people are out on the grass chilling between classes. There’s also a great library. Leganes feels a bit more studious, but it’s cool too. There’s a simple gym that you can join for pretty cheap, and dining halls serve hearty lunches for ~5 euros. There’s also no shortage of cheap coffee (I’m addicted now).

The Commute

One apprehension I had about UC3M was the distance that the campuses are from Madrid. It took me about 35 minutes by train to get to Getafe, and 45 minutes to get to Leganes. Once I learned the route, the commute was easy thanks to Madrid’s wonderful public transit. The trains to get there were reliable (and free) and usually not crowded. What started as a huge concern ended up being a very minor inconvenience, if I would even call it that.

Two tips: You’re only going to want to go to and leave campus once per day, so bunching up your classes will maximize the time you can spend in the city. If you’re taking a Getafe and a Leganes class on the same day (which I did), make sure you leave at least 30 minutes for the bus ride it takes to transfer between the campuses. 

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So, another long blogpost, but hopefully a very useful one. If anyone reading this has any other questions about my time at UC3M (specifics on the classes I took, how I met people, recommendations on campus, etc.) please email me at the address listed below! I would be happy to help. Hope everyone has a great rest of their week.

Adios,

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[email protected] 

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Madrid Week 3: Flashbacks

Hola a todxs! It’s Niko back with week 3 of studying abroad in Madrid. Time is STILL passing by really fast and slow at the same time, so I'll talk about it again — I’ve been here less than a month and it’s felt like half a year, but the days go by quickly. I don’t think that will stop anytime soon, but I’m here for it. More perceived time = more life lived, and I hope that my weeks don't start blending together anytime soon.

As promised in week 2, I wanted to spend this blog talking about my trip to Granada last weekend. Granada is a small Spanish town in the southern region of Spain called Andalucía. It’s got a population of around 230,000 people — nearly the exact same as my hometown of Arlington, VA, which is a suburb outside of Washington, DC. However, in place of tree lined residential neighborhoods and modern office buildings, Granada is filled with narrow cobblestone streets bordered by low, densely packed buildings and intensely intricate churches/palaces built hundreds of years ago.

That palace — La Alhambra — is the largest tourist attraction in Granada, and was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit it (also, a big shout out to Emma for hosting me, a friend of mine from high school doing her semester in Granada!!). It’s a massive Moorish palace on a hill that overlooks the entire city. The Moors, who were North African Muslims, conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century. La Alhambra was slowly built between the years 1238 and 1358, during the reigns of Ibn al-Aḥmar and his successors. 

With that said, my trip to Granada last weekend was not my first time seeing La Alhambra. As I mentioned briefly in week 0's blog, I took a trip to Spain with my 8th grade Spanish class for a week. That was 7 years ago. We hit most of the main touristic Spanish cities within that time, Granada included.

So, walking through the palace last weekend triggered a slow trickle of distant memories, fuzzy enough that I couldn’t remember details, but potent enough that I could remember how I felt. Some things had changed about the palace, many things stayed the same. I still felt the same sense of awe I did 7 years ago witnessing the incredible detail hand-carved into every surface, or seeing the palace perfectly reflected in a courtyard’s pool. The difference was that this time, I was exploring alone.

I think that during this trip, I really gained an appreciation — and curiosity — of solo travel. Although I was with my friend Emma much of the time, I felt a great deal of peace in exploring La Alhambra at my own pace. Without anyone else to turn to, I was forced to be present and attuned to my surroundings, and that enabled me to appreciate them that much more.

I think that part of that appreciation, however, was derived from the sense of independence and freedom I had existing alone in Granada. Going into college, being alone terrified me. I would step into the dining hall for lunch and wander through the common spaces, looking for a familiar face I could share a meal with. Now, I try my best to cherish the moments in which I can connect more to myself, whether that be during a meal, practicing a hobby, or exploring an ancient Moorish palace. That’s only something I've been able to move towards through consistent practice -- AKA, spending deliberate time alone. I hope to continue deepening that connection throughout this semester solo-exploring Spain and Europe, which I know is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Aside from La Alhambra, Emma and I explored the city and its various landmarks (El Albaicin, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood, the Granada Cathedral, the Monastery of San Jeronimo, the Mirador de San Miguel Alto [and an epic sunset], and even a jazz-esque show with Spanish flair from a band at a local music club). More pictures below.

On the way back home, we stopped at a rest stop for the bus, and I couldn’t help but notice how familiar it seemed. It conjured up a nostalgic feeling that could have only come from my first trip in Spain — I realized we had stopped at the same station.

For old time’s sake, I bought a Kinder Egg Sorpresa. These things were a huge deal to me in 8th grade, as they are banned in the USA for being a ‘choking hazard’.  Inside the chocolate exterior was a little plastic goat toy that will now serve as the centerpiece of our dining room table.

It’s funny to think how much of a different person I am from the 13 year old on vacation with his school friends and Spanish teachers. But it’s also comforting to know that all of these memories I carry with me explain the person I am today.

This week, I got a little more into school groove, took a rollerblading route, visited the Reina Sofia museum and went to see some amazing techno DJs over the weekend. Per usual, check out the photo captions for more info on the content this week :).

Hasta luego,

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[umichenginabroad]

Madrid, Week 1: La Bicicriti

Hola a todxs, soy Niko otra vez!! I’ve been in Madrid now for a little longer than a week, but it has felt like I’ve been here for a month. I watched a VSauce video about this phenomenon a while ago; Basically, when your days are filled with many novel, interesting events, your brain remembers the time spent as feeling longer than reality because there are more memories filling the space. That’s definitely true. I’m writing this in a cute cafe in the neighborhood Lavapies, while some old guy named Jesus who speaks in an accent that I can barely understand starts conversation with me, just one example.

As I mentioned last week, one of my hobbies is rollerblading. I started doing it when I was around 12 years old. I loved doing aggressive/trick rollerblading in skate parks, and I even went to a sleepaway camp to skate one summer. It was super epic.

Then, highschool started, and I lost a whole lot of time; I stopped rollerblading — until I rediscovered it in college again. At Michigan, I found people that loved rollerblading as much if not more than me, and the activity turned from something nerdy that I used to do when I was little into something cool in which I could find a community at Michigan (shoutout skate club!).

So, when I was preparing to leave for Madrid, I struggled with the decision to bring my skates or not. They probably weigh 10 pounds or something absurd, not very conducive to luggage with weight limits. But a friend of mine who had studied in Europe in the past told me I’d be crazy not to bring them; they were right.

Fast forward a week after I arrive, and I’m rollerblading through the streets of Madrid, drum & bass music blasting from a massive speaker strapped to someone’s bike, a mob of bikers, longboarders, and rollerbladers alike engulfing me on all sides. No police, no group leader, no motors, just a critical mass of people partying and celebrating sustainable travel.

However, finding this “party on wheels” (as my new friend Jander described it) wouldn’t have been possible if not for a good amount of courage and trust. How did I find it? It was a multi step process:

Step 1: Look up on Google “rollerblading in madrid”. Find the instagram page “@madrid.fns”, or Friday night skate, which does a big skate through the city one Friday every month.

Step 2: Go to the first FNS event. It got rained out, so it was rescheduled to an indoor skate rink. I went there alone, feeling timid but determined to get involved in the community. When I arrived, I strapped on my skates and started going around the circle somewhat awkwardly practicing my footwork, wanting to start a conversation but not confident enough to interac with anyone.

Step 3: Have a nice middle aged rollerblading spanish guy approach you because you definitely looked super awkward. We started talking, my nerves imposing somewhat of a block on my spanish speaking abilities. However, we talked about how we started skating, about the event, and about the blading community in Madrid. He added me to a Telegram group chat that people use to organize rollerblading routes in the city throughout the week. After this, I loosened up a little and started meeting the other bladers there. Notably, I met helicopter pilot from germany named Zoe who taught me how to powerslide.

Step 4: Go to one of the skating events you saw in the telegram group. I hopped on the Subway, rollerblades in hand, prepared to do a route called “Héroes” run by a certain Jesus (not the old man). I managed to find the meeting spot, introduced myself to a few people, and then we were off. The route started off tame and ended up with some pretty insane hill bombs, skating on Gran Via (the Broadway street of Madrid), and weaving through pedestrians in the tiny walking streets in the city center. It was pretty epic.

Step 5: Meet three dudes: Jander, Dester, and Kevin, who are experienced rollerbladers. Talk with them, beatbox for Jander while he freestyles in spanish, skate a bit more through the streets while trying to keep up (their skates are way better than mine for speed, I was SWEATING trying to keep their pace). Before we parted ways, Jander told me about the Bicicritica (spanish version of Critical Mass) — the aforementioned “party on wheels” that happens once on the last Thursday of every month. 

Step 6: Meet up with Jander, Dester, Kevin, and some of their other friends for the Bicicritica and have a blast, meeting tons of other spanish bladers (and a British biker) in the process. The Bicicriti is kind of anti-establishment/communist in nature. There are no group leaders, and there's not a police escort or anything. It's kind of just a big mass of bikers and rollerbladers that take the streets and have a good time, all while promoting sustainable travel. Rollerblading in a huge group, listening to electronic music, seeing the city of Madrid, all while drinking a beer — what more could I ask for?

To be honest, I’m pretty proud of myself for how much I’ve gotten integrated into the community so quickly into my trip. Thinking back, this whole week patinando (skating) offered a huge opportunity to overcome that little voice in my head that says I shouldn’t. At multiple points throughout the multi-step process above, I felt quite uncomfortable. Whether that be due to social anxiety or insecurity (in my spanish language or rollerblading skills), I had to continually convince myself that these feelings were okay, and that if only I endured them a little bit longer, things would get better. And they did, and what was on the other side was 100x worth the discomfort I felt getting there.

Also, people are nice. It’s easy to forget that other people have as much empathy as I do, if not more. When given the chance, everyone I met was warm, and I felt very welcome in the community even as an outsider (and an American, which comes with its own stereotypes. I think I dodged these stereotypes by entering interactions with a large dose of cultural humility). The guys that I befriended welcomed me with open arms, and I’m excited to continue to get to know them. One remaining point of contention: It’s easy to make friends with people when the time spent with them surrounds a common activity. But I’m craving deeper relationships, which may not be as easy to form in this context. We’ll see where we go with that.

I’m very excited to keep blading in Madrid throughout the semester. Urban skating in a truly urban environment is an absolute blast. I’m gonna continue pushing through that discomfort throughout the rest of the semester in everything I do, hopefully bringing about new people and opportunities to experience. 

This week, I also registered for classes, got tapas with new American friends, walked around Madrid a TON, went to the Prado museum, got famous churros from la Chocolatería de San Ginés, and partied a bit. Check out the photos and descriptions below for a little bit more on those.

Hasta la próxima semana.

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[umichenginabroad]

Madrid Week 7: Viva Italia (not america..?)

Hola a todxs :). Niko back here again with week 7’s blog of my study abroad experience in Madrid! Like I mentioned in last week’s blog, this last weekend I traveled to Italy, and this past weekend I was in Sevilla, Spain. My trip to Italy was particularly transformative and jam packed with personal reflection. Read on for the reflection, stay for the photos (and Italian food p*rn). This blogpost probably took the longest for me to write, and was honestly pretty difficult for me to put in words. I hope I captured my thoughts well, and I always welcome feedback and discussion to any and all readers (at any point in time!).

Argentina (but aren’t we talking about Italy?)

As I’ve mentioned before, the summer after freshman year, I studied for 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. One particular weekend, I took a trip to Iguazu Falls — the largest waterfall in the Americas by volume, and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

Long story short, I got onto a tour bus with a bunch of strangers from around the world, drove 15 hours across Argentina to get to the falls, randomly selected hostel room groups based on who was sitting nearby on the bus, and ended up in a group with 4 girls from Mexico, my travel buddy from the USA, and 1 girl from Italy.

We spent a wonderful weekend together seeing the waterfalls (barring a short-lived but intense spout of food poisoning after eating something funky at a Brazilian buffet), and formed the foundation of what could turn into lasting friendships. But, come Monday, we parted ways, not sure whether we would ever see each other again. 

This trip was the first time I went into a travel situation without a true support system, and an important exercise in “trusting in the process” — and It helped me realize that I was capable of forming meaningful connections across language barriers, cultures, and in un-traditional social situations.

If it wasn’t obvious already, you might be able to see where this little backstory fits into my recent trip to Northern Italy. Before I departed for Spain in January, I sent a text to Gaia — the Italian friend I met in Iguazu — that I would be in Europe for the semester, and would love to see her at some point if the logistics work out.

Now we actually talk about Italy

Flash forward a few months, and well, the logistics worked out. Although our original plan was to go skiing in a small village in the Alps, we ended up being unable to due to weather issues. Instead, Gaia, her friend Camilla, and I took a tour of Northern Italy, visiting Turine, Asti, Moncalvo, and Milan. 

In a way, this trip was an even bigger exercise in trust — although this time, it was my gut I was trusting, not the process. I hadn’t seen Gaia in nearly 2 years, and the only other time we had met lasted just 3 short days. I was about to spend another 3 days with her — but this time, nearly every waking moment would be spent together.

For some reason, the thoughts of “what if we didn’t get along?”, “what if it was awkward?”, “what if we got on each other’s nerves?” — normal things to think in this situation — never crossed my mind. I trusted my gut: that Gaia was someone that I got on with in the past, and I had a feeling that the people we grew into over the past two years would mesh just as well.

So, I didn’t worry. And I was right not to. After a short period of hesitancy, we clicked. We spent the weekend learning about each other — both from a personal and cultural point of view.

And by the end of this trip, I felt culturally enriched. There’s a level of cultural intimacy (is that a term? Well now it is, I just coined it) that can only be experienced by being someone who has lived and breathed that culture for their whole life — something that I feel like I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing in my own heritage, first or second-hand.

A short aside on heritage in the USA

Ethnically, I am half Italian, half Greek. My great grandparents immigrated to the USA from the south of Italy through Ellis island, raising my grandmother, who gave birth to my mom. 4 generations later, I feel more comfortable calling myself Italian-American than Italian. 

My mom’s side of the family was raised in northern New Jersey. I was raised Roman catholic, and I have 11 first cousins. Family gatherings are loud and boisterous, and people talk with their hands. My grandmother makes delicious Italian cookies called Pizzelles, and we call dish towels Mopinas (which isn’t even in the italian dictionary — it must have evolved on its own. Call it Englitalian [Italinglish? Coined.] ).

And that’s about all I’ve got to hold onto of Italian culture. Although I have more contact with Greece through the Orthodox Christian community and my direct-immigrant grandparents, I’ve never felt particularly connected to either culture. I don’t speak either language, and up until this past summer (when I visited Greece), I’d never been to either country. 

People from the United States of America — especially, I think, those in the Northeast — place emphasis on their ethnic heritage that those from other countries around the world do not. Ask an American, and they’ll probably know where their blood comes from — if the records of their ancestor’s immigration do exist. Ask an Italian, or a Spaniard, and they probably will not. Odds are, in fact, that their blood will be just that: Italian, or Spanish. 

The USA is a country built on immigrants, and it continues to be so to this day — and to me, it somehow feels wrong to not know anything about your cultural background.

This is a weirdly complex topic — one that I’ve thought about a lot —but bear with me here (and keep in mind, this is all from my personal point of view, and I welcome all new perspectives! Feel free to send me a message to discuss🙂). I think that, in the more liberal sphere of American adolescents, it’s almost “bad” to not know anything about your heritage — especially among white people, which is a label that I identify with. The USA has done a lot of messed up stuff in the world, and I think this is true to an extent that young Americans feel a desire to distance themselves from their nationality. 

Instead, we grasp on to what we have that sets us apart from it — where our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents come from. It gives us something to point to in conversations, something that lets us say “see, look, I’m not just a white-washed American, I’m cultured”, something to help us feel like we have more depth — especially in a country where everything feels like it comes from something else.

This is why I mentioned above that this is more common in the Northeast — although I can only truly speak on what I’ve experienced in Northern Virginia and in the University of Michigan. When I think of the term “melting pot”, I think of places like New York City. Southern states, and perhaps those in the West, have developed a culture that feels more unique, more distinctly American, and this is why (from my outside perspective) it seems like something more people feel proud of and claim as their own.

As I mentioned, this perspective comes from personal experience. And this is all something I’ve felt as a white American, at least 2 generations removed from my “mother countries”. After spending a weekend in Italy, I finally got a piece of that contact that I had always craved.

Italo-

Italian culture is just that — uniquely italian. Food, history, architecture, art — not only is it unique, but it is rich. From the first day that I spent with Gaia and Camilla, it was apparent that they felt a deep connection, pride, and understanding of their culture — and this is something that they graciously and enthusiastically shared with me.

I now have a greater — albeit limited — understanding of what it means to be Italian, in Italy. I learned about Italian espresso, when to have it (spoiler alert — any time of day is game), how to prepare it, and how it tastes. Some of my favorite moments of the trip were peacefully spent over the breakfast table in Gaia’s home, enjoying a light carb heavy breakfast and freshly brewed coffee.

We ate simple, delicious food at every restaurant we went to. The food was less extravagant than I expected it to be. Most of the meals were simple, with a focus on the ingredients and their preparation. Pastas, pizza, Milanese, Ragu, more pasta. Tiramisu, and gelato, too.

We had a night out — first to aperitivo, then to dinner, then to a bar that was built in an old desecrated church, then to a cheesy karaoke bar where the whole place was singing old Italian songs at the top of their lungs — with a group of 12 in Gaia’s hometown, which was made up of friends stemming from her high school days. The biggest difference between the Italian dinner party and an American one — we took our time. There was a feeling of ease at the table. Nothing was rushed. We enjoyed each dish, each glass of wine, and over everything, enjoyed each other’s company. The focus was on the people and the conversation, not on what was to be ordered and how fast it came out. I hope to bring this rhythm back to Ann Arbor with me (but that may be more difficult than I think. See footnote 1 below*).

We explored multiple Italian cities, and walked a TON. I learned an interesting perspective of Milan (which was a beautiful city) from Camilla’s boyfriend — Milan is Italy to Europe, and Milan is Europe to Italy. (See footnote 2**). The architecture was beautiful, and after a rainstorm, Milan looked magical. The ground was sparkling, reflecting the dramatically lit buildings of the city center in the puddles that gathered on the ground. I saw the Italian countryside, picturesque rolling hills backdropped by an epic sunlit cumulo-nimbus cloud.

I even learned a base of the Italian language (I probably said “Come si dice” 100 times) that will serve me well if and when I want to learn it in the future — or if I ever get my Italian citizenship and decide to move there. Guess only time will tell.

-americano

3 days is not a long period of time, but I can confidently say now that I understand a little better what it means to be Italian. I feel more connected to my cultural heritage — and in turn, I feel more connected than ever to my native culture in the USA.

It’s true that the USA has done a bunch of messed up stuff in the world. Imperialism, war crimes, political and economical extortion — the list goes on. But the longer I spend in Europe — the more I come into contact with different cultures, and understand foreign perspectives on the USA — the less these things feel like they’re inside a black box. Instead of avoiding these hard truths, I can face them head on — allowing me to acknowledge the bad and the good that comes with US culture.

A big critique I’ve heard abroad is that the United States has no culture of its own — but I don’t think that’s true. The USA is a place where global cultures collide, providing its citizens the opportunity to experience bits and pieces of the world and giving rise to unique elements born from this fusion.

Over the past 2 months, I’ve slowly shifted away from the feeling of shame that comes with being an American in Europe — and that’s thanks to a willingness to learn, adapt to, and accept cultures that I experience while I’m abroad (re: cultural humility, blogpost coming soon). Now, I’ll proudly say that I’m 50% Greek, 50% Italian, and 100% American. With my continuously evolving understanding of my individual parts (and all of the other cultures I come into contact with, especially Spain), I feel like I can better understand and contribute to that fusion, both in the melting pot of the United States, and as an international citizen in Europe — enriching the lives of myself and those I come into contact with.

Such is becoming “cultured” — a concept that has a bit of a pretentious connotation (IMO), but is worth striving for. I’ll be returning to Italy for spring break (Rome, Florence), so hopefully I’ll continue to develop this connection then. I also bookmarked in Google maps here all the places I visited in Italy this trip (and will do so in the next one) if you're considering taking a trip and want recommendations!

I planned on writing about Sevilla this week too, but I think this post has gone on long enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the different vibe it has from Spain, even through the rainy weather we experienced. 

As always, check out the image descriptions for more details on each one. I hope everyone has a great rest of their week, and see you back here next soon!

Hasta luego,

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

* In Italy, and the rest of Europe, servers get paid fair wages. In the USA, it’s not required, because it’s expected that servers will make up the difference in tips. I worked as a server for 2 summers, and made $3.50 an hour. The amount of money I made in a night was directly correlated to the number of tables I turned over. As a result, I did my best to get orders in fast, food out faster, and clear the table as quickly as I could so that I could make more money. Until this fact changes, I think it’s hard to have the same no-rush Italian experience over dinner unless you’re really conscious of it. Personally, if I’m not feeling pressure from a server to leave quickly, I’m likely feeling a sense of guilt for staying too long and reducing their nightly wage, no matter how well I tip. Maybe home cooked meals are the answer, which I’ll hopefully be well practiced with next semester :)

**To Europeans, they look at Milan and see what they think of Italy. The world capital of fashion, beautiful architecture, prosperous and well known city. Italians look at Milan and see what they think of as Europe —highly international, intercultural, and as a result more gentrified and expensive. I found this to be really interesting. Is there a US city that fits this bill?

[umichenginabroad]

Post-Travel Reflection -- Me Encanta Madrid <3

It’s been a week since I got back from Madrid and it’s the weirdest feeling ever. I walked into my house and it felt like I never left and the last five months were just a fever dream. The drive from the airport was such a culture shock, seeing plain roads and green road signs instead of the beautiful balconies and architecture of Madrid. I’m excited to be back, but I’m stressed that life will never be that fun and carefree again. I just started my summer internship and the switch to corporate life is rather… depressing. I can always go back to Madrid, but I’ll probably never live there again which is heartbreaking. 

Adjusting:

I wouldn’t say the adjustment back was very difficult, since I was looking forward to coming back and having my favorite things. However, I’ve had a few slip ups like dropping my water bottle cap since it’s no longer connected, saying “gracias” instead of “thank you”, and thinking I need to walk places when I live in suburbia with a car. Driving was also kind of scary, but the muscle memory kicked in. 

Personal Growth:

Studying abroad was honestly such an amazing experience. I wouldn’t say it was life changing and I’m a whole different person, but I definitely gained new skills, experiences, and perspectives. Before, I was extremely shy, very anxious about basically everything, and feared doing things alone. While abroad I met tons of new people from all over the world, solo traveled to three cities, clubbed alone, ate alone, and loved every second of it. I was really scared of navigating new cities and airports, but now I can do it confidently with no prior planning. I learned a lot about languages, cultural differences and respect, and have a new love for learning about the world. 

Rereading my pre-departure post, I’m happy to say I accomplished many of my goals!

Make new friends - I got super close with my roommates from UMich and other US universities and some people throughout Europe!

Solo travel - Went on three trips to Munich, Amsterdam, and Berlin!

Upgrade wardrobe - Did LOTS of shopping and got the most unique pieces

New foods - Tried what I could for being vegetarian (tapas in Spain, tagine in Morocco, crepes in Paris, strudel in Germany, stroopwafel in the Netherlands, etc.)

Improve Spanish skills - I’m nowhere near fluent but I’ve definitely improved! I picked up certain sentence structures (more formal language), dialect differences (perdona, porfa, vale, etc.), and even some slang

Lots of travel - Went to 11 countries (Spain, Portugal, Germany, UK, Morocco, France, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Netherlands) and TONS of cities

Career Development

While I wasn’t really focused on career development abroad, I’m now certain I want to work for a company with global opportunities that allow me to travel and/or work with international partners. Going abroad has definitely equipped me to communicate and conform to different cultures, which will be a very useful skill in my future career. 

–

If anyone reading this post is on the fence about going abroad, DO IT. It’s genuinely the best experience and I don’t regret it one bit. The idea of moving to a new country and not knowing anyone can be scary, but it’ll all work out. 

I also can’t believe this is my last blog post. I’m not big on writing, but this position forced me to track my journeys which I really appreciate now. If anyone has been reading or following along, thank you so much and I really hope it was helpful. 

Lastly, if anyone has further questions about Madrid, going abroad, course planning, travel, or you just want to chat, I’m more than happy to help! Reach out at [email protected]

¡Muchas gracias y estudiar en un nuevo país!

Nitya Chellury

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[umichenginabroad]

Week 19: My Last Week in Madrid :(

I’m down to my last couple days in Madrid and it’s rather bittersweet. I’ve been here for like 5 months and I think I’m ready to go home and get back to my usual routine, but I’ve made so many memories here and it’s sad to leave them behind. In between packing I’m trying to experience everything Madrid, so it’s a pretty jam packed schedule. 

Shopping

I’m not ready to leave the amazing shopping in Madrid. My entire wardrobe is now from Zara and various Spanish boutiques, and I don’t want to go back to boring expensive American clothes. I’ve been soaking it all in one last time, and maybe spent a little more money than I should’ve…

I did finally buy the Adidas Spezials I’ve been wanting for like a year though, so that’s a plus. 

Sightseeing

I’ve been here all semester and still haven’t seen all the major sights. 

I finally made my way to the palace and cathedral, and they were stunning. I waited in line for like two hours because I thought I could get in free, but it’s only for EU passport holders so I did have to pay 7 euro. 

I also went to the Temple of Debod for sunset, and the views were stunning. People were singing and dancing and it was such a great experience. 

I also explored Retiro one last time, exploring the rose gardens and just enjoying nature. 

Going Out + Roommates

Most of my roommates have already left and there’s only 4 of us here, but we’re trying to make the most of it. We’ve been to one last F***ing Mondays, 100 Montaditos, and other various bars we love. I finally closed out a club in Spain, which was a bucket list item.

We also went to Istar for our last night, which is probably one of my favorite clubs I’ve ever been to. The music was great, but it was just way too expensive. 

We also had our last round of tapas, enjoying tortilla, patatas bravas, tinto, etc, one last time.

Packing

Packing has been an absolute nightmare. I don’t remember doing this much shopping and don’t know how I’ve acquired so much stuff. I already have two checked bags, a carry on, and a backpack, and refuse to get anything more. I’m so scared my bags will be overweight, but this is an issue for the airport on Wednesday. I also have a layover in Atlanta before I get back to Michigan, and I have no idea how I plan on self transferring so many bags. 

Madrid is such an amazing city and I’m not ready to say goodbye. I spent so much of college looking forward to studying abroad and it's crazy that it's actually over. I know I’ll be back someday, but it’s so sad and scary that it’ll never be the same and I’m almost done with college. 

Nitya Chellury

Industrial and Operations Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[umichenginabroad]

Final Reflection

As I write this in the airport waiting for my flight back home, it’s difficult to even begin to summarize the impacts of this experience on me. I finally looked back on my initial reflection post today to see if I met those first goals that I set, and I easily surpassed them. In fact, I would say that I completely underestimated how much I would grow and learn from the experience of studying abroad in Madrid.

It felt like school here could not be any more different than Michigan. UC3M’s instruction was a lot worse and I struggled with the way courses were structured. However, school was also a lot more social and laid back. It was nice to be in an environment where there was less overall emphasis on school.

One of the primary reasons I chose to study abroad in Madrid was to increase my exposure to Spanish and grow in my Spanish language skills. This undoubtedly occurred, especially in my listening comprehension, and was supplemented by the Spanish course I took at UC3M. I still have a long way to go, but I was thrilled by the amount of the language that I learned. At the very least, I became significantly more comfortable with not understanding or speaking the language of the country I traveled to.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to travel almost every weekend during my semester. I received so much cultural exposure through this. Doing this especially helped with understanding how my own previous values and lifestyle were guided by being an American.

On that same path of thinking, the most impactful lesson of the entire experience was specifically through my immersion in Spanish culture. Spaniards have a relaxed attitude towards life. They value social interaction and enjoyment of life over productivity and output. I found this to be entirely counter to American ideals. Although I still possess many American tendencies, my time studying abroad taught me how to truly live life more. I began prioritizing socializing, spending time with friends, traveling, and gaining experiences rather than my scores on my exam or my running times. I became more focused on what was happening right in front of me rather than worrying about the future. I truly focused this semester on living life for my own enjoyment instead of achieving some goal. From it, I genuinely became a happier person. This is the one thing I hope to take away from this experience back to my life in the states. There is no better time to live than the present.

None of this would’ve been possible to learn without the people I met during my time here. I didn’t expect to meet such an amazing group that became some of my closest friends. These were all people who were similar to me in that they wanted to travel, explore, and immerse themselves in a different culture, but came from different places and had unique experiences. They taught me a lot about the way I want to live my life back home, and I’ll miss them more than the city itself.

I fly back very soon, and only have a week in Michigan before I move to Atlanta for my summer internship. hope my life there is guided by the lessons I learned here. If you are ever thinking about studying abroad, I cannot recommend it more. It is such a fun and educational experience, and I know it will impact me for the rest of my life.

Alyssa Cheslek

Aerospace Engineering

IPE Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[umichenginabroad]

Week 19: Family Trip to Madrid and Marrakech

¡Hola a todos! I can’t believe that this is my last weekly blog post. I’m so sad that my time abroad has come to an end, but overall immensely grateful to have had this opportunity.

My final week of study abroad was spent with my family who flew in from the United States last  Saturday. We spent four days touring around Madrid before heading to Marrakech for three days. Especially in the UC3M program, you don’t get to spend all that much time in Madrid during the week. Usually, I was traveling on the weekends as well, so my parents coming provided the perfect time to see everything I had missed in Madrid. As always, here are some highlights from Madrid:

Catedral de la Almudena

Right next to the palace, there is a gorgeous cathedral that I would recommend visiting (it's free!). It looks pretty similar to other cathedrals I've seen during my time abroad, but I was still glad to have visited.

Palacio Real de Madrid

We took a guided tour of the Palace in Madrid , which was absolutely stunning. I definitely could see the comparisons to Versaille, and it was one of my favorites that we had visited.

Churros con chocolate

I don't have any pictures, but it wouldn't be a trip to Spain without churros. We went to Chocolatería 1902 instead of San Gines, which was much better and fresher in my opinion.

Flamenco Show

10/10 recommend if you're visiting Madrid. Flamenco is such a beautiful and complicated dance style, and I absolutely loved watching it.

El Tigre Tapas Bar

This restaurant is super lively and cheap. You only need to buy a drink and you get a random plate of tapas with it!

Nightlife/Speakeasies

Although my family isn't a big fan of clubbing, I took them to a couple of speakeasies. In the first, Jack's Library, it's prohibited to take photos. The bar is disguised as a flower shop. I also took them to Bad Company 1920, a Chicago-themed Prohibition Bar.

Kyla Frozen Yogurt

I love this froyo shop in Madrid. There are several other similar ones, but they all offer Greek yogurt froyo with fun toppings.

Prado Museum

You're not allowed to take pictures in the exhibition rooms, but this museum is a must-see if visiting Madrid. It has an extensive collection of famous Spanish artists.

Casa de Campo Biking

I hadn't been out to Casa de Campo, a massive park in Madrid, yet, so my family and I rented bikes for a couple of hours and rode around the park. There's a very pretty lake and wonderful views there.

After our time in Madrid, we went to Marrakech for a couple of days. The culture was a complete shift from Madrid's relaxed and casual vibe. Marrakech was busy, lively, and chaotic in comparison. The weather was very warm while we were there. I'd recommend buying linen pants or white linen shirts before visiting. Here's some highlights:

The Riad

Our riad had a housekeeper/private chef to make us breakfast in the morning. She was genuinely one of the best parts of being in Marrakech and provided helpful advice for us, especially so we didn't pay too much at the markets.

The Markets

Hiking in the Atlas Mountains

ATV Riding

Camel Riding

What's Next:

I fly back to Michigan this afternoon. Thank you for an amazing semester, and I wish anyone reading this the best of luck on any future journeys they decide to take.

Alyssa Cheslek

Aerospace Engineering

IPE Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain