Bilbao, Universidad & Plentzia

I've spent yesterday and today trying to get to know the area. Yesterday we took a Spanish placement test and toured Bilbao. The city is absolutely gorgeous! Getting around the city is great because there are metros, trains, buses, and taxis. Since I live in Algorta, which is 30 mins from the university, I got a monthly metro pass. It was quite expensive, 45 euros, but I can use any kind of public transportation as much as I want for 30 days. The buildings in Bilbao are a mix of old and new. I was told that this city is the most expensive city to live in Spain. I caught a glimpse of some real estate postings and for just an apartment in Bilbao, it's 200,000+ euros. One was 1,000,000!! Bilbao is also near the Bay of Biscay. I'm in walking distance of the beach and can see the water from my bedroom window!

The university that I'm going to study at is beautiful! The archetecture is incredible. I'm going to be taking two classes, international business and a Spanish culture class. However, the placement test I took will decide if I can take that Spanish class or not. I better get in the class!!! If I get into both the classes, I will start at 8:30am with the culture class and then at noon with the business class. The business class is for 3 hours on two days, 2 hours on one day, and 1 hour on two days. I'm not too sure about a 3 hour class! I'm glad we will be taking visits to other businesses though.

 Today we went to Plentzia, which is the last stop on the metro. It's very close to me but far from Deusto. We toured the area, ate lunch, and enjoyed some free time. The town is known for their beach, but it was far too cold to go swimming or lay out. A few brave souls went for a dip in the Bay. I just put my feet in the water! One girl wasn't able to join us on the excursion because she hurt her ankle last night. She missed the last step when she was walking down the stairs and fell. She had to go to a clinic!

Finally in Bilbao

Today started out pretty interesting. We had to wait on the buses for a group of girls who slept in too late. The Deusto representatives had to go and wake them up. Let's just say some students took full advantage of their free time yesterday evening. Many students weren't looking the brightest this morning. After they boarded the buses, we went to Museo Nacional del Prado which holds over 8,ooo paintings. A tour guide took us around part of the museum and showed us the most famous paintings. After the museum, we went back to the hotel for lunch. Let me tell you, Spanish people take so long to eat. They gave us over an hour to eat lunch! They are never in a hurry like us Americans.

                                                                       The museum

Once we were finished with lunch, we took a 5 hour bus ride to Bilbao. The scenery was gorgeous! There are lots of hills and mountains. I was glad once we reached Bilbao, because 13 hours of traveling in 3 days is not fun! The bus dropped us off at a spot in Bilbao where all the host families were waiting. I was very nervous because their language in Spain is quite different than what I learned in school. My host mom met me with open arms and kissed me on the cheek (I gotta get used to that). We shared a taxi with her friend and her host student to Algorta. My host mom lives in an apartment with her 32 year-old son. The apartment is fairly good sized and very nice. By looking at the furniture, you can definitely tell an older lady lives here. It is really warm and has been since I've gotten here. I'm not sure I like sweating all day long. However, the view of the city and the beach is beautiful from my bedroom window! I don't think my host mom speaks any English and her son speaks very, very little. I can understand them a little more than half the time and the other half of the time I just knod and smile. It will definitely take some time to adjust to the language! 

A storm just came through, and there is a chance for rain almost every day. Hopefully it just comes and goes really quick. My host mom said it's been really warm in Bilbao, which is not normal at all. She was not very fond of the weather as am I!

Bilbao

Bus ride

View from my window

Another view from my window...the beach!!!!

Holy Toledo

Today we took a bus to Toledo, Spain. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain. The city was built on a hill and surrounded by brick walls and a body of water. The town literally looks like a giant castle that came out of a fairy tale. It is absolutely beautiful!!! We had a tour guide who explained the history and some of the buildings in Toledo. There are 82 churches and 19 monasteries. There used to be 52 monasteries. The town is very rich in history, but we learned so much in a short time that I can't remember everything. We walked through the city a little bit and then toured the Catedral Primada Santa Maria de Toledo. The cathedral is huge and beautiful, and the architecture is extremely detailed. Several holy and royal people are buried in the church. After we visited the church, we went for lunch at a little restaurant. We were served vegetarian lasagna, pork with mole sauce (we think??), potatoes, and cheese cake! Then we took the bus back to Madrid to enjoy some free time. I took the metro with some friends to el Estadio del Mejor Club del Siglo XX which is the Madrid soccer stadium. We toured the stadium and saw the arena, locker rooms, president room, trophies, and bench where the players sit. Although I'm not a big soccer fan, it was pretty cool to see the giant stadium. There are still some flags on the balconies of people's apartments from the game played a couple days ago. Spaniards just loveee soccer!

                                                                    

                                                                  Beautiful Toledo

                                                             My roommates in the hotel

                             Toledo is known for making swords. They make many for Hollywood!

                                                        Sidestreet. Very narrow and hilly.

                                                                      The cathedral

                                                                          Beautiful!

                                                          Carried at the front in a parade

                                                               The metro. So nice!!

                                                  Soccer stadium. Setting up for a banquet.

                                                          World Cup Champs 11'-12'

                                                      Their bench. Looks like a space ship!

                                                                 The rest of Toledo

Day One

I finally arrived in Madrid today!! The flight was a long 8 hours, and although I only slept 4 hours the night before, I couldn't sleep on the plane. I sat next to a lovely girl who was traveling to Greece, and we talked for hours. I was also fortunate enough to sit near 3 crying babies, which is another reason why I couldn't sleep. We were served a hot dinner and healthy breakfast. The tv screens on the plane continuously showed a map with our current location as well as how many miles we had traveled, the current temperature, what time it was, etc. I arrived in Madrid around 8am and was astounded by their beautiful airport. The airport looked fairly new and all the signs were written in Spanish and English. Since it was so early, there weren't very many people at the airport, so I wasn't worried about my luggage or purse.

 My jumbo plane!

                                                                   Chicken & Rice!

Deusto representatives met us at the airport and took a group of us on a bus to the hotel. We were grouped into three's and assigned a room. My roommates and I were so exhausted that we took a little nap before meeting the whole group for lunch. There is around 100 people in the program and maybe only 1/3 of them are guys. After we ate lunch, we boarded two charter buses and went sightseeing throughout Madrid. We stopped at the Royal Palace and toured the inside. This is where the king and queen used to live. Then, we walked around the old downtown of Madrid and visited several different plazas. It was around 100 degrees outside with no breeze and no clouds in the sky. Let's just say I was sweaty, exhausted, and thirsty. After the tours, we went back at the hotel for a meeting and then dinner at 9pm. Can you believe it that it's still light outside after 10pm?!? Well time for bed! I have another busy day tomorrow!

                                                          Madrid Soccer Team Stadium

                                                                       Royal Palace

                                                             Beautiful architecture

                                                             Olivia and I in the hot sun

                                                                       Plaza Mayor

Last Minute Details

Today is my last full day in America! The day will be spent packing, running last minute errands, having dinner with the family, and trying to stay up all night. I also found out today that my Spanish class was approved as well as my seat assignment on the plane. Luckily, I was able to get an aisle seat, 24C! I'm so excited to begin another big journey in my life next to moving to Nebraska for college. There is no need to worry about me while I'm gone. I've been traveling out of the country since I was in the 3rd grade, and I've been studying Spanish for 6 years. Hasta la vista!!!!

Weather & Flight Update

Yesterday I looked up the extended forecast for the 3 days I'm in Madrid and Toledo.

• Monday: 99 in Madrid
• Tuesday: 101 in Toledo
• Wednesday: 96 in Madrid 

Can anyone say HOT!?!

I also checked my flight information and found out the type of plane I'm going to be flying on. Although my dream of riding a double decker plane didn't come true, the plane is still rather big. I'm going to be flying on an airbus 340 which has 3 row seating!! This will be my first time flying on a plane with 3 rows. I'm not sure where my seat is yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if I end up right in the middle of the row! My flight leaves from the Chicago O'Hare airport at 4:40pm on Sunday and arrives in Madrid at 7:40am on Monday. It's an 8 hour direct flight with an 8 hour time difference in Madrid.

Here is a picture of the seating inside an airbus 340

First Stop...Madrid!

I just received the itinerary for my first few days in Spain!!!!

TOUR MADRID AND TOLEDO – June 25-27

GOALS

• To have a first contact with the reality of the country where you will live for the next month.
• To become familiar with cultural, historical and social aspects of Spain.
• To get to know some of the landmarks in the capital of Spain and in some of the most representative towns nearby.
• To experience the cultural diversity in some Spanish towns like Madrid and Toledo, clear instances of interculturality in the Middle Ages.

ITINERARY

Monday, June 25 

• 7:30 am - 4:00 p.m.: Airport pick-up
• 1:30 pm: Hotel lobby- meeting point (other than airport)
• 3:30 pm: Visit to Palacio Real and Habsburg Madrid: Plaza de la Villa, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol
• 7:30 pm: Meeting  (essential information about the tour and your trip to Spain)
• 9:00 pm: Dinner at hotel- Not too sure I'm gonna like this!!!   

Palacio Real-  the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, but it is only used for state ceremonies

Tuesday, June 26

• 8:30 am: Departure for Toledo
• 10:00 am: Toledo Tour- Panoramic tour & Cathedral
• 2:00 pm: Lunch in Toledo
• 3:30 pm: Return to Madrid
• 5:00 pm: Leisure time in Madrid- hmmmmm?? 

Wednesday, June 27

• 9:15 am: Departure for El Prado Museum 
• 2:00 pm: Lunch in Madrid
• 3:30 pm: Departure from Madrid- sleeeeeeep! 
• 9:00 pm: Arrival in Bilbao

El Prado Musuem- houses over 8,000 paintings

Housing

I had two choices of housing for my study abroad program. I could either stay in the dorms at the university or live with a host family. When I received the housing information, I filled out the application quickly and emailed it back to the university so I had a better chance of living with a host family. Lucky for me, I received my housing confirmation last week and found out that I'm living with a host family! Here is a little information on my host family.

Marisol Esteban is a woman in her fifties. She has two kids, Iñigo (32) who is currently living at home and a daughter (Iraide) who does not live at home, but lives very close and also hosts CIDE students. She also has two grandkids who visit sometimes and may spend a weekend there. They live in an apartment in Algorta, a nice residential area next to the beach about 30 minutes away from the University by metro. In their apartment you will have your own room. The apartment also has Wi-Fi Internet connection. Marisol is a housewife, and in her free time she sings in a choir and likes traveling and going out with friends.

I also received her address, email address, and phone number within the housing confirmation. Friday night I sent her an email telling her a little about myself and how excited I am to come visit. Hopefully I will hear back from her before I leave on Sunday.

Study Abroad Information

The study abroad program that I'm participating in is at the University of Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain. I will be leaving June 24th and arriving on July 28th. Bilbao, Spain is located in Northern Spain, 8 miles from the coast and 77 miles from France. Bilbao has around 350,000 inhabitants and a climate of 75 degrees in the summer. The currency in Bilbao is the Euro. Right now the exchange rate is around 1 Euro to 1.2673 US dollars.

Here is a little information about the university taken from the CIDE website. The University of Deusto has been a pioneer in the academic scenario in Spain, always trying to give an answer to the professional and human demands of its students. A good example of that is the fact that it was the first Spanish university to offer business studies. The Business School, founded in 1916 , is still one of the most prestigious business centers in Spain. Together with Business and Economics, the University of Deusto offers degrees in Law, Engineering, Psychology, Education, and Social Sciences. With over 10.000 students, the university also offers numerous specialized Diplomas, Masters, and Ph.D. programs. Ever since its modest beginnings, the University of Deusto has valued quality over quantity. It has also aimed at the integration and full development of individuals, as well as their professional and research training.

I will be taking two courses while studying abroad. The first course I'm taking is International Business. This comprehensive course offers an engaging look into new and traditional strategic management topics. Its thorough coverage helps students develop an understanding of the wide range of theories and research available in this field—from competitive strategy and industry analysis to environmental trends and ethics. Integration of international issues throughout provides an essential understanding of global economics and its impact on business activities in any location. Special attention is centered on the analysis of US and European firms through the discussion of case studies. The course also includes some visits to companies in order to offer students the chance to get to know different business models of financial development in the areas of production, services, and public instituitions. (Taught in English)

The second course I'm hoping to take is Culture and Politics in Contemporary Spain. I'm running into a few issues with signing up for this course. The course offers an introduction to contemporary Spanish culture which will help students become familiar with the social, economic and political structures of Spain today. It will be focused on some specific aspects which make Spain both appealing and richly varied: its ancestral monarchy recently restored, its organization in autonomous areas which may be a solution to historical conflicts, the fact that it is one of the main tourist destinations in the world and, at the same time, the country of Don Quijote, Lorca, bullfighting and soccer. The course will also offer an introduction to Basque culture: geography, history and culture. All these features of life, history and politics will be analyzed all through the course, both in the classes and the tours.

Here is a link to my program's website where you can find more information and my schedule of tours/excursions! CIDE