Tag Archives: Spain

Why Yes I Do Go to School

¡Hola Amigos!

I hope your day is going as awesome as mine. I’m currently finishing up my last class of the day, Blogging Spain. Yes, I know that it does not sound like a real class, but I promise you that it’s actually pretty hard and not just about blogging about my experience in Spain (though that’d be a pretty awesome class). I’ve received a lot of feedback and questions (mostly from my parents and their friends) about going to school, so I felt it was appropriate to finally describe a normal day in the life of Meg in Madrid.

Our cute little yellow school house

Our cute little yellow school house

Mondays and Wednesdays I usually wake up around 9:30 and am out the door by 10 to get to my 11AM class. On Tuesday and Thursdays I’m up around 7:45 for my 9:30 class – honestly it’s nothing compared to my NY sleeping schedule. My only complaint thus far about living in Sol would have to be the long commute to school – 10 minute walk to the Sol Metro, 2 trains, and a 10-15 minute walk from Santiago Bernabeu to our Calle Segre campus takes about an hour total depending on if the trains are on time or not.

I was incredibly lucky that I got my first pick with classes and scheduled everything back to back so I wouldn’t have to wait around campus for awkward periods of time. On M/W I have ‘Cultural History of Spain’ and ‘Blogging Spain’ and on T/TH I am enrolled in ‘Critical Approaches’ and ‘Spanish for Commerce’. Though I cannot say I’m completely infatuated with my classes as I was with my Sports Management classes in NY, I am enjoying the selection (even if they are completely in Spanish and I’m lost in translation about 70% of the time).

Check Out the beautiful moon

Check Out the beautiful moon

After class for two and a half hours a day, I head back to our apartment in Sol, grab some food, sit down on our lovely couches (pictures coming soon) and pretend to do homework. I usually proceed to get cabin fever and head out for a run.

Sidetracking a bit, but tonight I went for one of the most amazing runs of my life – though it was a brisk 42 degrees, it felt like it was a cool and comfortable 65. I found my heart rate monitor and watch, ran for a good 45 minutes down around Puerta del Sol, up Gran Vía towards school. I began around 9 PM, just when the moon balanced perfectly between the buildings and sat in the mystic midnight black sky. I desperately wish I had ran back and grabbed my camera but my legs and body were exhausted from a long day and I plopped back down on the couch – I know my iPhone won’t do any justice to the beauty in the Madrid sky.

Another beautiful run

Another beautiful run

Since settling into our apartment, the four of us have been trying to cook more at home, so around 8-9 we usually grab dinner and try and start back on our homework. This past week our meals consisted of a lot of pasta, bread and cheese (channeling our inner European goddesses) but today we swore to go the grocery store and get some chicken and healthier food for this upcoming week.

The End of Gran Vía

The End of Gran Vía

After a few hours comprised of a healthy dose of Facebook and homework, I jump into the shower and try to get to bed by a reasonable hour.

Hope that provided a comprehensive overview of a day in the life, until next time!IMG_7223

 

Running Through Life, Running Through Madrid

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning, a rather warm 50 something degrees compared to the frigid temperatures we’ve embraced the past two weeks – and quite honestly the perfect time for a run. I’m not a “runner” by any means – after my knee surgeries running became more of a punishment than a pleasurable thing to do, but I’m a “runner” by pure definition of the word. Since being in Madrid, however, I’ve rekindled my love with the blisters under my toenails, the cold air piercing my lungs, and the striking of my feet on the pavement ehhh I mean cobblestones. When you’re not in the mood to run it’s absolutely awful, but when the itch to lace up your shoes hits you, it’s one of the best feelings in the world, and that’s what’s happened since being here. I’m a competitor and running has provided me the opportunity to take out my most competitive feelings out on myself. It’s not that I love winning, I just hate to lose, so what better way to fuel my fire than with some self competition, right?

All smiles during my runs

All smiles during my runs

I feel this post veering in the wrong direction, but running has become my sanctuary since coming here and feel it was of the utmost importance to share it with all of you. With the lack of female soccer teams here (if anybody knows of one, lemme know!), I really needed something here to keep my fitness up for the 2013 season and running has done just that. There are numerous routes, the parks are plentiful and best of all, it’s a perfect outlet for my stress. Running has once again become my friend. All it took was one beautiful long run from our cute apartment down Gran Vía, around the city center and back again to make me fall in love.

Running through  any city provides an entirely new perspective on the surroundings, the people, and the way of life. I love walking around with los chupitos, don’t get me wrong, but running Madrid has just made me love it here even more. I might never want to leave!

Maybe it’s just me, but the blaring of my “Danza Kuduro” into headphones as I sprint up the hill (hill might be an understatement) leading to our apartment just soothes my soul and allows me to take in everything around me (I mostly just take in the burning in my hamstrings, but you get the point). The sights, the sounds, and the oh so delicious smells invade my senses as I run up Calle Mayor, through la plaza más antigua de Madrid (the oldest plaza in Madrid), and around the corner into el barrio La Latina. The extravagant street performers, the adorably dressed señoras, and tourists in Puerta del Sol stare me and my sweat stained NYU soccer tee down, as if I’m a more unusual sight than the headless business man.

Madrid I’m already in love with you enough as it is, but thank you for making me lace up my shoes again, letting me fall back in love with running, and allowing me to explore your beautiful city.



¡sta luego!

Quote of the day: “Traveler, there are no roads. Roads are made by walking” ~ Spanish Proverb

De España Con Amor

¡Hola Amigos! Just wanted to update this blog post some pictures from Madrid and the link to my other blog 🙂

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods (as I channel my inner Al Roker)

¡sta luego!

http://megenmadrid.blogspot.com

 

In love with my walk to school... passing the Real Madrid Stadium

In love with my walk to school… passing the Real Madrid Stadium

On top of El Alcazar in Segovia

On top of El Alcazar in Segovia

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Comida Coma

Let me start by asking, why in the world isn’t Spanish food more popular in the United States? I live in two cities where Spanish is widely spoken and where the cuisine would be widely accepted, but I still have yet to come across any Chocolate con Churros places in the East Village. I digress.

Mercado San Míguel

Mercado San Míguel

The food here is absolutely amazing. I have yet to have a full meal per se, but don’t let that fool you. I think the only thing we’ve really eaten are tapas and croissants for desayuno (breakfast) that we split among ourselves – we look back on our days here and realize we forget to eat full meals most of the time because we snack here and there (but once again I’m going to blame the extremely warped sense of time here). Madrileños typically have a Café con Leche (Espresso coffee with steamed milk) for a breakfast around 8 or 9, which is followed a few hours later by a brief break where they are free to grab another coffee or snack. Around 2:30, they head out to lunch which can either be menú del día (prix fixe) or just sides of things – we usually have been snacking on pincho de tortilla and other tapas like items. What seems like a million hours later, but is actually only 10PM , dinner is usually served. It’s an extremely awkward time, or so it seems to eat dinner, but seeing as most Madrileños don’t go to bed until the wee hours of the morning, it only seems natural.

A cup of café con leche

A cup of café con leche

Wine flows as freely as water here

Wine flows as freely as water here

So far, the girls and I have pretty much have had the same foods from the same restaurants because we are obsessed but here’s our top choices since being here.

Chocolate con churros – Jess and I have frequented the most famous Chocolatería in all of Madrid known as San Gínes. In no less than seven days, we have indulged ourselves five times. The waiters know us (I’m sure by the name las chicas locas americanas) and have begun to give us porras gratis, which are thicker delicious versions of churros FOR FREE.

Our favorite Churro Place

Our favorite Churro Place

Pincho de Tortilla – This Spanish delicacy is composed of egg, onion, and potatoes. It can be served either hot or room temperature, though I prefer the warmer pincho. Accompanied with a side of bread, this comida (food) is always a favorite. When munching away at our local Mercado de San Miguel (the NY version of Eatly), Madrileños can be seen eating this as a late breakfast, lunch or dinner side. This is definitely one recipe I need to learn before returning home!

 

 

Pincho de Tortilla

Pincho de Tortilla

Croquetas – I’m not entirely sure how to explain this tapa, but when I asked my roommate, Alinah, to help me come up with some descriptive words, she said, “Oh those fried balls?”Essentially coquetas are a mix of potato and jamón, but are particulary creamy and deep fried. Can anybody say YUM? I’m so excited to try and make these at home!

Croquetas

Croquetas

Paella – As if it wasn’t already the most famous food of Spain, I am in love with Paella (and I’ve only had it once)! Jess and I are on a mission to find a really good plate, but are honestly waiting to go to Barça and Valencia to find our new favorite place 🙂

 

That’s about all the food for now, but I promise to keep updating my facebook with my latest food adventures 🙂

P.S. Enjoying our American food!

McDonalds in Europe? Don't ask!

McDonalds in Europe? Don’t ask!

I Made It

Estoy aquí! I arrived in one piece, barely awake, but nonetheless extremely excited to go out and conquer Madrid. In typical Megventure fashion, our plane arrived an hour late which set us back a few hours for everything else I did that day. After taking a shuttle to Terminal 1 to meet NYU, a large group of us boarded a coach bus headed into Sol where we then proceeded to catch a taxi to our apartments. I’m living with three other girls from NYU and absolutely love the place. It was definitely nerve racking signing a lease in a foreign language, but after going over it lentamente (slowly) in Spanish with our lovely landlady, Patricia Mateo, everything was smooth sailing from there.

Roomies

Roomies

After unpacking we explored around Sol (the city center and where we live), and found La Puerta del SolLa Plaza Mayor and a cute little café where we nibbled on some Café con leche y croissants (Coffee and Croissants). We then took to the metro and embarked on a NYU walking tour to smooth over the jetlag (which is thankfully currently nonexistent).  Much to my amazement, the metro system in Spain is incredibly efficient, easy to navigate and super clean. We took la línea amarilla (Yellow Line) to Argüilles from Sol and walked down Calle Princesa to the Templo Debod which is a marvelous Egyptian Water Temple given to the Spaniards in 1968. After getting a panoramic view of West Madrid from the end of the Templo, a group of us living in Sol trekked back to our apartments but not before walking past the marvelous and extremely beautiful Palacio Real, the residence of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. For being a pretty spread out, non-English speaking city, Madrid is extremely easy to navigate – on maps everything seems miles away but in reality, everything is really close to each other.

Sol

Sol

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El Palacio Real

Later that evening the girls and some guys from Amherst decided to go out and see Sol some more, which turned out to be a complete fail, not because it was a Sunday night, but because it was too cold for Madrileños. This city just gets me, its unbelievable: not going out because its too cold, siestas, wine all day, tapas instead of full meals, and the laid back attitude of la gente (the people). It’s an absolute sueño (dream) to live here and I can already tell that I will not want to leave (lo siento Mom and Dad).

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The following morning (Monday) we all had orientation at the NYU Madrid campus which is located off the Santiago Bernábeu (aka the Real Madrid Stadium) metro stop. I myself was incredibly happy when I found out that we get to pass it every morning, but I guess thats just the inner soccer fanatic within. Although the commute is rather long – a little less than an hour – I’m so glad we live in Sol because it’s really the center of it all for us. Orientation is similar to welcome week: you meet a bunch of people, go out, forget names, take placement tests, sit through lectures on being safe, etc. It’s very relaxed and a great setting to meet a ton of people.IMG_6672

After orientation, NYU sponsored a Paella lunch at cool restaurant called Muuuu north of school. Los Díos! The paella was absolutely amazing. I was apprehensive at first to try it because I didn’t know what was in it, but it was so good. Words don’t even begin to describe it. Though the paella was apparently the best in the city, I cannot wait to travel to the coast and try paella in Barçelona because I heard it is unreal there.IMG_6675

That night, a group of us decided to head out to Sol again, except this time it was a lot more fun! We wound up at a lovely tapas bar that is very popular with both Americans and Madrileños – El Tigre. They provide drinks and numerous tapas for only 6 Euros. Trying the tapas brought me back to my “Fear Factor Days” of living in Japan because we didn’t know what was on any of the plates, nor could the server, Alberto, explain to us what they were.  I still probably couldn’t explain to you what they were, but my favorites were the pan y jamón and las patatas (bread and ham, and potatoes). The jamón is very different here, but is absolutely one of a kind. There are Museo’s de Jamón in almost every barrio (neighborhood), and the Spaniards are very proud of it.  I don’t quite understand, but I’ll take it.

Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas

Following El Tigre, we headed out again to this place called Joy Eslava located in Sol. It was great place to dance, the weird thing was that it was completely empty until about 3 or 4 in the morning. Madrileños have an extremely warped sense of time that will definitely take some time getting used to, but as a night owl I’m sure I’ll really love it.

That’s all for now, off to day two of Orientation. Hasta Luego!

 

Hola Amigos

Hey friends! Welcome to another Megventure!  The countdown has officially begun for Madrid. Less than 12 hours until I plant my feet firmly on Spanish ground and begin my next world adventure. It is still incredibly surreal that I’ll be living in a foreign country for the next FIVE MONTHS – I’m sure when the jet lag catches up to me is when everything will hit me. Living abroad is nothing new to me, but exploring, adventuring, and forging a path on my own is incredibly fresh and novel to me – it makes me tremble in my boots (but just a little bit). The fact that I won’t be able to communicate fluently and that stores won’t be open 24/7 will provide just enough culture shock to settle me down.

I’m currently sitting in the Dallas-Fort Worth American Terminal nibbling on a banana, charging my iPhone (not that it’ll be of much use in Spain), jamming out to some music Phebe picked out for me, and typing my life away. This morning was an early one beginning at 0430 when American Airlines called to confirm my flight. Less than an hour later I was awoken by Bandit and Bear for the last time this break and made my way downstairs with my bags. I think everybody would be surprised to hear that I fit ALL of my clothes into a single suitcase and the rest of my shoes and toiletries into my NYU duffle. YES. You heard right, ONE SUITCASE. Let’s not recall the numerous times I have overpacked, but I think I deserve a crown or something for that. Unfortunately my reign as Packing Princess did not last long because as soon as I checked my bags I was told a) my suitcase was 4 pounds over and b) I did not have two free bags. Thankfully enough my bright eyed smile came to the rescue and the woman felt bad and upgraded my seat on my flight to Madrid (though I did have to pay for my bags).

No Idea How I Fit It All In There

No Idea How I Fit It All In There

After getting through security with a quick pat-down of my hair “because it’s beautifully poofy” (yes, the TSA agent really did say that), I made my way to my gate and promptly was asked by a soccer Mom if I really did play soccer (as if the soccer jacket and lovely thunder thighs didn’t give it away). We talked soccer for a long time, which always puts me in a good mood, then I boarded the plane where I sat next to a huge Everton fan. It was a quick two hour jaunt over to Dallas, where I quickly made my way to the Admirals Club. As soon as I sat down, a replay of a Liga game was on at the bar and two Barça fans were smoothly speaking Spanish – discussing Messi’s recent Balon D’Oro win (Go Barça!).

There’s really something about the beautiful game that makes it so unique – it transcends age, gender, race, everything. I can be anywhere in the world, and fútbol never ceases to find me. I am truly a lucky individual to not only be a student of the game as a player, but a fan, and hopefully a teacher of the game. To my amazement and incredibly disappointment I have heard from numerous sources that women’s soccer is not a commonality in Spain. I’m going to take this as my opportunity to make an impact and hopefully spread soccer to the female population because it has had such a definite and huge impact on my life.

Missing Them Already

Missing Them Already

I’m getting ready to eat some almuerzo (lunch) so I’ll finish here.

If anybody is in Spain or Europe for that matter, please do not hesitate to contact me – I’d love to meet up.

For more updates, check out my twitter @megpatten and my instagram @mpatten1

Palabra del Día (word of the day): Aventura – Adventure

Hasta Luego

Health and Happiness

It’s been awhile. It’s been a really long time actually. My fingers lost their place under the covers the last couple of weeks and today I am finally returning back to the computer and the neglected blogosphere. I hope everybody had a FANTASTIC holiday, I know I loved coming home and seeing friends and family! Christmas was very simple – I was surrounded by friends and family, which brought me down from my “New-York-skyscraper-high”. After Christmas, my Dad and sister headed out to Florida for a soccer tournament (in typical Patten fashion), which left my Mom and I to bond over our love for seafood, the beach, and being social. Unfortunately for her, I came down with the crud which turned out to be a nasty kidney infection and we wound up in the ER on New Year’s Eve. Twas quite the eventful end to the year, but it made for great blogspiration. As I bent over to receive a very much dreaded and painful antibiotic shot in the left butt cheek, the only thought in my mind was “Thank God I’m not sick enough to stay here. Thank God I’m healthy.”

Looking forward, this year (for me) is about health and happiness. I head out to Madrid in a few days and turn twenty (yikes!) in less than a month. It’s a little frightening to think that I’m embarking on a new stage of my life, but hey it’ll be another adventure in the making. As I “Eat, Pray, and Love” my way through España over the next few months, I’ll be focusing on finding myself and carving my own path. Over the holidays I was asked multiple times by friends and family, “What are you doing with your life” – I hope that this jaunt abroad will help me find purpose in life (though I’m not ready to settle down on anything yet).


I’m looking forward to my adventures overseas and I hope you are too! To follow me abroad check out this blog I made specifically for my time spent in Madrid:

http://megenmadrid.blogspot.com


If anybody is in Spain or Europe for that matter, please do not hesitate to contact me – I’d love to meet up.

For more updates, check out my twitter @megpatten and my instagram @mpatten1

A Love Letter to NY

You never know how much you miss a place until you leave it. 

Yes. I absolutely and unapologetically believe this to be one hundred and ten percent true. It’s just starting to hit me that I will be leaving my citythe city,  the city where everything fits together in perfect jigsaw fashion, in less than 24 short hours. 

I have always known that you never really miss a place until your as far away as it as possible, but seeing as my whole life I’ve uplifted my roots every few years, something else resonances within me when I reread this quote. I am so lucky to have a multitude of places I can call “home”. There’s San Diego – the place where I return “home”, New York City – the “home” where I lost my heart and never looked back,and the other many places where I’ve planted my roots. It seems to me that each time I leave again, the easier it gets and the “missing” seems less. Maybe it’s just so entrenched in who I am as a person that leaving seems almost normal and missing it would seem counterintuitive because I know I’ll be back. 


I’ll be leaving in more than just a physical sense tomorrow. I’ll be leaving my friends, memories, and part of my heart. I am so in love with the city, that It hurts to even think about boarding that plane tomorrow. The past five months in New York have given me a “family” of whom I can’t even imagine not living with now, a ridiculous amount of experiences (mostly resulting in late night pizza and hilarious group texts the next morning), and a sense of adventure. I was stuck in a rut at the end of last year – simply going through the motions – but now I am invigorated and cannot wait to wake up each day, for there is a new adventure to be had. 


There really isn’t any other way to describe how I feel about leaving so I wrote a letter to New York:

New York, I will miss you more than you ever know. 

I will miss your white pizza at 3AM in Saint Marks, 

the random conversations on the subway with tourists from Louisiana, 

and the fresh smell of rain hitting the pavement after weeks without rain.

New York, I will miss you more than I can express in words.

I will miss being able to explore a plethora of villages and neighborhoods without even leaving the island.

I will miss the crazy taxis and their swerving driving styles,

the tiny shoebox apartments my friends reside in, 

and the never ending sirens that make up the sounds of the night. 

New York, Tomorrow I say adieu to more than just friends, great chinese food, and getting lost among millions.

I say goodbye to the greatest city on Earth that has taught me more about myself than any person or school teacher could.


New York, I must remind myself that tomorrow is not “goodbye”, rather “see you later”.

New York you have been wonderful.

Thank you for everything you have taught me. I know that San Diego and Spain will be wonderful but there is truly nothing like living in the big apple.


Until next time 🙂

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One Hot Mes!

So for those of you who don’t get the title, please ignore my crude Spanish humor. It’s a play on words  – I’m currently a hot mess with finals and there’s one month (un mes) left until I leave for Spain. Get it? Okay, probably not but anyways, as I was saying…

ONE MONTH. 31 DAYS. 744 HOURS. 44,640 MINUTES. 2,678,400 SECONDS.

I honestly cannot wait to be Madrid bound in one short month. Although my time spent in San Diego will be very limited, my time in Madrid spent away from the city, friends and family will be worth it (or at least I hope so). I have my Visa appointment tomorrow morning (yikes!), and just finished securing an apartment – everything is happening so fast! The one thing however, that I am not looking forward to is packing everything up. I have a tendency to overpack (to say the least) and stuffing five months worth of clothes and belongings into two suitcases (with room for goodies) will be a challenge – but a challenge I’m up to nonetheless. Let’s rewind to last Christmas Eve – one of my bags was 30 pounds over and the other one was 15 pounds over so Twist and Sam had to wear some of my coats on the plane and we had to completely repack my bags – it was a sight to see (and I’m sure the staff at American Airlines had a good laugh). I’m home in a week, and in Spain in a month. Phew! Time really does fly when you’re having fun!

A box of cupcakes, 2 suitcases, a duffle bag and one backpack later...

A box of cupcakes, 2 suitcases, a duffle bag and one backpack later…

In other news, I’m going to Wicked tonight. I’m sort of nervous but very excited because a) I already know all the words to the soundtrack (Popular! I’ll help you be Pop-uuuu-larrr) and b) it means I get to cross another thing off my “list“. Anyways, I gotta go – I’ll upload some pics later tonight with a full critique of the play.