Everyday Life and a Tourist Day

It's certainly a different vibe on the UC3M campus than it is back home. First of all, no one is on campus unless they have to be. And also, the Spanish students have no respect for their professors. In all of my classes, they sit there and talk through the entire lecture! And it's not even like they're whispering...it's just like they're talking in the cafeteria or something. And for whatever reason, the professors are okay with it! Some of them don't even try to get the class to be quiet. Apparently it's only a Spanish thing too. I've talked to other people from Holland, Germany, and other places, and all of them are just as blown away as I am. 

The only explanation that anyone has been able to give me is that education here is really cheap compared to the USA. So it's not as big a deal to them if they fail a class because it doesn't really cost them very much. But, for real? And people say that Americans are rude. (Maybe we're fairly ignorant about the rest of the world, but we at least try to polite.)

The library here is pretty intense, though. It just has an awesome layout. It's not like I'll ever really use it for the books (does anyone use the university library unless he's writing a thesis or something?), but it's still cool to have.

(Photo credit to Sohail Badami)

Okay. Now I have a bone to pick with the street-cleaners here. The weather has turned really cold over the past few days -- like in the 20s -- but the city must stay clean! They have these, I don't know, weird garbage truck things that sweep up
all the trash on the sidewalks. And then, periodically, they powerwash all the sidewalks. Except...it's 28 degrees. That means freezing. Really? Can we not just like, take a week off from the powerwashing? Because it makes it a lot harder to stay on my feet.

On another, more pleasant, note: I spent last Sunday in Madrid, wandering around by myself. I wanted to sort of be a tourist for a little bit because I've worked really hard to blend in, so I haven't been taking many pictures of landmarks and stuff. So I spent the afternoon wandering around Parque del Retiro, the Madrid version of Central Park (although I'd be willing to bet this one came first). It's really incredible, having something so natural in the middle of such a bustling city. Since I went on Sunday, there was a HUGE line of antique bookstores open as you walked into the park. One of the things I was struck by was the overwhelming since of family while I was there. It was almost like everyone there was with their kids, teaching them how to ride a bike, or roller skate, or showing them what a tree feels like (that last one was adorable.) After a few hours there (and a long walk to find the "closest" metro station), I ventured over to the Plaza de España...which I thought would be a little more interesting. It's basically just a tower dedicated to Cervantes. 

 The Crystal Palace. Really just a glass building, but still neat.

 The most popular part of Parque del Retiro. No idea what it's called, but it's a must-see.

 Plaza de España. The tower is dedicated to Cervantes (of don Quijote fame.)

 A depiction of one of the scenes from Don Quijote.

The Royal Palace is just a few minutes down the road, so I took the walk to snap a few pictures. There's an awesome plaza that overlooks what I think is Casa de Campo. (I didn't go. It cost money, and I'm cheap. I'll go back someday soon though.) Somewhere along the way, I stopped to get ice cream. And it was delicious.

The most incredible church is next to the palace. Before I walked in, I took some pictures of the actual church, then of the etched doors...

Okay. These are the doors. How incredible is that?!

...And then I put my camera away. The inside of that Catholic church was beyond words. I love the spirituality and true feeling of God's presence that was in that sanctuary. This is one thing that you'll have to see yourself. I just couldn't bring myself to take pictures and lose the peacefulness and awe that I was experiencing. I took a moment to think about how blessed I am to be here, to have had the experiences that brought me to this point. Really, I'm only getting started.

And I'm here for four more months.