Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
From SPSU student in Spain 2006
To all of you...
I was a Valenciano last year. So, what can I say about Spain?
There is really nothing that I can tell you that will prepare you for what you are about to do. Visiting Spain is an amazing, life-changing experience.
But no book you can read or advice I can give you can really prepare you for it. At best you might get a Mickey-Mouse, Disney World, Epcot Center, "It's a small world" sort-of idea of what Spain is. That all dissolves as soon as you get there.
However...I can tell you that if you want to get the most out of your time in Madrid, spend it out in the streets, cafes and clubs mixing with the people who live in Madrid. Talk to strangers and make friends with the locals. There is no better way to practice your Spanish.
Finally, I can guarantee that you will miss American cooking before it is all over.
That is all I can think to say. Have a wonderful time. I am totally jealous because I wish I were going with you.
-Andy Mengwasser
Valenciano 2006
I was a Valenciano last year. So, what can I say about Spain?
There is really nothing that I can tell you that will prepare you for what you are about to do. Visiting Spain is an amazing, life-changing experience.
But no book you can read or advice I can give you can really prepare you for it. At best you might get a Mickey-Mouse, Disney World, Epcot Center, "It's a small world" sort-of idea of what Spain is. That all dissolves as soon as you get there.
However...I can tell you that if you want to get the most out of your time in Madrid, spend it out in the streets, cafes and clubs mixing with the people who live in Madrid. Talk to strangers and make friends with the locals. There is no better way to practice your Spanish.
Finally, I can guarantee that you will miss American cooking before it is all over.
That is all I can think to say. Have a wonderful time. I am totally jealous because I wish I were going with you.
-Andy Mengwasser
Valenciano 2006
Monday, June 25, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
My expectations
Talk about being late right? What can I say, it's in my blood. And why is there a hyphen in my last name?
With not even two weeks left until I go to Spain, I have a lot to prepare for. What do I expect when I arrive? Being Puerto Rican, a lot of my culture comes from Spain. The language, religion, customs and traditions, food and even machismo all have their roots there. When I reach Spain, I expect to find a lot of familiar things. I expect people who I can better relate to. I expect a place, that overall, I will feel very comfortable in. Whenever I listen to a Celia Cruz or Hector Lavoe cd or eat tostones and amarillos, I get the feeling that I am at home. I believe that being in Spain will give me this feeling, only more often.
However, Puerto Rico and Spain are not the same place and so there will be differences. The only difference that really worries me, though, is the difference in speech. Living in the United States, I am mostly used to hearing my own native Puerto Rican tongue. I have had little, if any at all, interaction with Spain's own version of Spanish. This will be a new and beneficial experience for me and I don't think that I will have much trouble adapting.
I have read as much info on Spain as I could and what catches my interest the most is a small city named Ávila. The first of my two last names is Ávila and I believe that visiting this city is going to be an experience I won't be able to explain. I do know that I will feel a certain connection when I go there and I am very excited about going there.
I do regret that I will not be able to take my family along, but this is an experience that I will never forget and I will be able to share with them. My only wish is that Spain lives up to my high expectations (which I have no doubt it will).
Well, I do have one other wish for when I go to Spain; that the Spanish girls are as enthralled with my hair as the girls here in the U.S are.
With not even two weeks left until I go to Spain, I have a lot to prepare for. What do I expect when I arrive? Being Puerto Rican, a lot of my culture comes from Spain. The language, religion, customs and traditions, food and even machismo all have their roots there. When I reach Spain, I expect to find a lot of familiar things. I expect people who I can better relate to. I expect a place, that overall, I will feel very comfortable in. Whenever I listen to a Celia Cruz or Hector Lavoe cd or eat tostones and amarillos, I get the feeling that I am at home. I believe that being in Spain will give me this feeling, only more often.
However, Puerto Rico and Spain are not the same place and so there will be differences. The only difference that really worries me, though, is the difference in speech. Living in the United States, I am mostly used to hearing my own native Puerto Rican tongue. I have had little, if any at all, interaction with Spain's own version of Spanish. This will be a new and beneficial experience for me and I don't think that I will have much trouble adapting.
I have read as much info on Spain as I could and what catches my interest the most is a small city named Ávila. The first of my two last names is Ávila and I believe that visiting this city is going to be an experience I won't be able to explain. I do know that I will feel a certain connection when I go there and I am very excited about going there.
I do regret that I will not be able to take my family along, but this is an experience that I will never forget and I will be able to share with them. My only wish is that Spain lives up to my high expectations (which I have no doubt it will).
Well, I do have one other wish for when I go to Spain; that the Spanish girls are as enthralled with my hair as the girls here in the U.S are.
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