La Universidad Pontificia de Comillas

La Escuela

So, school. This is really what I am here to do right?? Well, that is what I will tell the University so they will pay my tuition! J I am kidding. I will work hard and attend all my classes and all of that but still I am not going to give school my full attention. How could I when I am in Europe!??!

I am kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place because of how my credits will transfer and such. But, in the end, I think I have found a solution! I am going to have to do another semester at the UofA in the winter, but I am totally okay with that because in the end I am going to get a (this is where you insert your most important sounding voice) Diploma of International Relations from a Spanish Perspective from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas. Sounds impressive eh?!  

Classes are awesome. There is a huge group of exchange students that are here and they are all in the same boat as me looking for housing and friends and adjusting to the culture and everything. That means everyone is quite open to one another. It has been a huge blessing. For example, my first week here when I was still wandering the city and finding housing and everything before orientation started I ran into a group of four girls that are from Wisconsin and doing the same program as me! We were all trying to get cell phones so we sat and talked and got our phones and everything. I finished up with the phone stuff first so I said bye and then took off. As I was walking away from the store I realized that I am completely alone in the country and I just made some friends and I should take advantage of it. So, against EVERY natural instinct I have and my fears and insecurities and the whole bit, I gathered my courage and walked right back into the store and invited them out for lunch. And we went! We had scary, hairy pork at a nice little restaurant. Haha! It was quite excellent.

I have met tons of amazing people here though and from all over the world. It is amazing. I was able to sit in my Spanish class and discuss Finland with a girl from Finland and what her home and languages and culture are all like. I was able to meet a girl from Quebec and oh we have had some good times traveling and sitting in class and noting the interesting actions of our program coordinator.

Ohhhhh, one more thing about school. So, I am going to this private Jesuit school, which is interesting. The big day of orientation they showed us this movie introducing the school and its values and why it is the best school out there (as any school will tell you when you first get there). So, this movie started and it took EVERYTHING in me not to burst out laughing. I immediately turned to my friend Jessica and we both were like, “Hogwarts??” It was RIDICULOUS!!!! The opening song is basically the exact same song that plays at the beginning of the Harry Potter movies. Ohhhh we laughed and laughed and laughed. I didn’t know I would learn to be a wizard while studying in Spain.

Ohhhh and one other thing. So, when I first got to Madrid, I was walking around and seeing the sites and situating myself and all of that. After a long day, I started my trek back to the hostel. While doing this I passed the school and again, almost burst out laughing. Get this. My school is identical to a creepy, haunted house at night. It is this huge brick building with this tall, daunting brick fence surrounding the building. It has this clock up at the top and these trees hanging out over the gate that are all wiry and leafless. Oh man. All it needed was a creepy crow to sit on the tree and you would feel like Bell’s father finding the Beast’s castle at the beginning of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Yup, quite excellent. One of these days I will get a picture of it and share the awesomeness with everyone else.