Harrison Holman: Spain Trip 2018

Arrival

Upon arriving in Salamanca, Spain on June 3rd, the area felt completely foreign and unique, featuring qualities not present in America and even other similar countries. I knew then that this month would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Salamanca, the city in which I stayed for 3 weeks, introduced a style of architecture I had never seen before, giving off an antiquated vibe. There is seldom any congested traffic, as pedestrians dominate the streets, and the traffic system is unlike any other; I still don't comprehend it. My roommate Pete and I were greeted by our host mother Genoveva who only spoke Spanish, and spoke it quickly. I felt intimidated at first, yet gradually grew to adapt and understand the quick bursts of language. Our stay was enjoyable as Veva provided a welcoming atmosphere and great sense of humor; she also had two adorable dogs named Pocholo and Mari. Within our first hour in her home, we had eaten a traditional Spanish lunch, that took place later than what is typical in the United States. After a nap to replenish my energy lost to a full day of travel, we all walked about 10 minutes to the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca, a stunning open area surrounded by several shops and ancient architecture of the 18th century.

La Plaza Mayor

Salamanca: Routine

Classes at EstudioSampere began the following day. I would wake up on weekdays at 8:00 to a breakfast of bread with a variety of different spreads as well as hot chocolate milk. Then I would get ready and leave by 8:45, as 15 minutes at least were required to walk to school. Upon arriving at the school, we were given placement tests, the results of which placed all students from MBA in the same class. Each day we would have an hour and a half of grammar and vocabulary class, followed by a 15 minute break and then an hour and a half of speaking class. At the end of each segment of class, we would play a game that allowed us to improve our vocabulary and our speaking abilities, and these games would get pretty competitive. Some of the best games included a game in which the teacher provided a long Spanish words and the students would have to form different words in Spanish using the letters in the bigger word, as well as a game that gave us one letter followed by different categories and we would have to give vocab words that started with the given letter and belonged to the respective categories. What I enjoyed most about the speaking portion of EstudioSampere was that we participated in open-ended provocative discussions, about topics such as cooking, soccer, and movies, that made speaking Spanish seem all the more casual. After class each day we would return back to the host family’s home to have lunch, which was typically the largest meal of the day, consisting of bread, salad, sometimes soup, and a main dish that varied each day, along with a serving of fruit or yogurt, as dessert wasn’t common in most homes. The food was delicious and filling throughout the three weeks, as Veva would sit with me and Pete making sure we ate all of the food provided, which we had no problem in doing. Then, we had free time until 5:00, when an activity would take place. During this free time I would typically take a nap to catch up on jet lag, play basketball at a park four of us found, or go to a gym close to school to workout, which costed 25 euros for 2 weeks. The activities varied significantly each day, as one day we would play soccer and another we’d be creating Picasso-esque artwork. Others include visiting various landmarks and buildings of Salamanca, watching Los Cuatro Fantasticos, taking dance lessons of salsa and zumba in the aforementioned gym, visiting the University of Salamanca and the Museo del Comercio, and drawing comics. Following activities we would walk home again and eat a late dinner at around 8:30-9:00. Dinners were similar to lunches yet marginally smaller. My favorite dishes included tortilla de patata, milanesa, huevos y patatas, some of the soups she made, and the fruit at the end of each meal. After dinner we were given the opportunity to go out again and experience the culture of the city, though we had to be punctual and meet with Alvaro, one of the teachers, at 10:45 to be back by 11:00 in order to have sufficient time to complete homework and journal about the day’s events.

Colegio de Salamanca

Museo del Comercio

Salamanca: Experience

Walking about Salamanca during our free periods was quite the experience. The style is heavily based on trendy fashion, so that when we wore shorts we were ostracized, as most wore pants and a long sleeve shirt daily. Also, most people smoke openly, whereas in the US smoking is less apparent. When we would go shopping at various stores, some present in the US including H&M and some entirely new such as a shoe store called JD Sports, I enjoyed that some stores did not include paying tax, making using the euro monetary system easier. After dinner, my friends and I would often buy even more food as it was delectable, ignoring the fact that we were all bloated from our dinners. The restaurants and food choices around Salamanca included American favorites such as McDonalds and Burger King, as well as some I’d never seen before including Ice Wave which served rolled-up ice cream, Cafe Novelty, Smooy, Valor, and the Good Burger. One of my favorite aspects of Spain would have to be drinking Fanta Lemon, and I still fail to understand why we don’t have it back in Nashville. On occasion there would be events in the Plaza Mayor. For four days there was a light show called LUZ y Vanguardias, in which lights were conveyed onto the plaza walls, which were spectacular. Other times there would be a feminist protest in the plaza, and during the World Cup the Spain games were screened in the plaza as zealous fans could be seen with red, black, and yellow paint. One of the best nights happened to be when Ben and I sprinted to see fireworks in a park about ten minutes away from the plaza, and then sprinted back hastily in order to return by the curfew.

Cohetes

Salamanca

Excursions

Each Saturday we would take a sack lunch and go on a day trip to visit a different city in Spain, taking buses to get there each time. On the first excursion we visited Alba de Tormes, where we were taken to a farm, several different shops and cathedrals, and the Castillo de Alba, an impressive edifice with a view over the city. The next week we visited Segovia, a beautiful city which included a Roman aqueduct and a massive castle, with some amazing views of the landscape. The final week we visited Zamora, a more laid-back city with its own unique feel, including the Museo de Zamora which featured several vintage objects each possessing their own significance in the development of the city.

Castillo de Alba

Acueducto de Segovia

Castillo de Segovia

Travel Week

After saying goodbye to the wonderful friends we’d made as well as our host mothers, we met Sr. Paolicchi in the Plaza and walked to the metro to begin our week of travel. All of our luggage was taken in hiking backpacks, as maneuvering suitcases throughout the week would’ve proven difficult. After some bocadillos de jamón serrano and a peaceful train ride, which was my first time ever on an actual train, we arrived in Sevilla, the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. We stayed at the Hotel Goya, which was amazing as we finally had air conditioning and a shower we were allowed to use whenever we wanted. Then we took a walk to experience the slender walkways and beautiful architecture. We arrived at a tapas bar called Bodega Santa Cruz, in which I had my first ever tapas including ensaladilla rusa. Subsequently we walked to the Plaza de España, a construction so majestic the scenery seemed right at home when parts of Star Wars were filmed there. The area contained a stream in which tourists and visitors could row boats. The following day we visited the Real Alcázar and the Catedral de Sevilla, the highlight of which was climbing the Giralda tower, which contained 35 ramps that rewarded with one of the most beautiful views of the entire trip. In the same day, we watched a stunning flamenco performance which made me question how these dancers are capable of executing such demanding choreography so flawlessly. Next, we ate at another tapas restaurant, in which I tried octopus and duck for the first time ever. After leaving Sevilla we got on a train, followed by a bus, and rode to Granada. Within the bus one could discern the mountainous geography of Granada early on. Granada had its own unique aesthetic, with cobblestone, hilly walkways and distinct aromas diffusing throughout the streets, of course Sr. Paolicchi would want to live here. We stayed in another great hotel, Hotel Sacromonte, and the highlight of our short time in Granada was the tour of the Alhambra, a palace and fortress with yet another stunning overlook of the city. We even had our first run-in with gypsies, attempting to scam us with “free” items. During my time in Granada I also was able to try gazpacho, a traditional, cold tomato based soup served in summertime, dogfish, horchatas con chufas, shawarma, as well as fried anchovies, which is something to say I did. We then headed for Madrid, riding a lavish bus that quickly became my favorite bus of the trip, as it included recliner seats and plenty of legroom. Madrid at first glance instantly seemed reminiscent of the states, an absolute metropolitan. We got off of the metro and into our hotel rooms at the Hostal Sonsoles within fifteen minutes, to begin our four day stay in the booming city, which happened to be hosting its pride week during our stay. To start off our time there, we were tasked with a scavenger hunt that took us around the city, taking pictures and analyzing certain aspects with a map at our disposal. This scavenger hunt served as an effective method in learning how to use the map as well as in accustoming ourselves to the city. In Madrid we were also able to visit El Rastro and the Palacio Real de España as well as two renown art museums: the Prado, which included works from Velazquez such as Las Meninas and from Goya such as his dark period masterpieces; and the Reina Sofia, which contains Guernica by Picasso, one of my favorite pieces of artwork ever. Another notable feature of Madrid is the gargantuan shopping mall El Corte Inglés, with ten floors each featuring different fields of merchandise. The final place we visited was Toledo, a city that, again, possessed a completely unique aesthetic. Upon entering the city we came upon a magnificent outer view, something you’d only see in a Zelda game. Within the medieval city we visited the astounding Toledo Cathedral, and then climbed the Claustro (phobic) Tower, containing a 17,000 kg bell atop. The travel week was an incredible, unforgettable experience I will always be thankful for.

Toledo

Rio en Sevilla

Sevilla

Madrid

Madrid

Toledo

Plaza de España

Muchisimas Gracias

I would like to express my tremendous gratitude to the Wilson family for providing this unbelievable opportunity. The memories I made and experiences I had throughout this month will surely be with me for life. This grant helped me develop a newfound affinity for travel, and I wish to see more of the world, utilizing my language abilities in the process. I would also like to thank Sr. Paolicchi for the final week, as I would never have thought it were possible to cover the most significant locations in the country in only eight days. This trip was truly a gift, and I will be forever thankful.