Live in Toledo So Far

Hello everyone,

I've been meaning to start this blog for a while now, and am finally getting around to it now. I know many people have been asking how I've been and want to know everything about the trip so far, so here goes a pretty thorough initial explanation of what I've been up to. I have been in Spain for several weeks and it has been quite the experience. For those of you who may not know, I am spending my spring semester abroad from William and Mary in an international program in Toledo. The university here is officially called La Fundación Jose y Gasset Estudios Internacionales, Toledo and is in the heart of the old city, quite close to the cathedral. I am studying through the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, though the program hosts students from various other locations, such as Notre Dame, Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, schools in Chicago and Wisconsin, schools in Japan, and schools in Puerto Rico. I am the only student who attends school in Virginia that I have met, though I know a few students who are originally from the northern Virginia area. I believe there are around a few hundred international students in total, though I do not have handily an official headcount.


The reasons why I am currently studying in Spain right now are many, and I still cannot quite grasp or understand some of them yet. Most importantly and practically, I am here to become fluent in Spanish. I've always felt the need and calling to learn this language, both to speak to those in the States who only know Spanish and to use the language for my possible career paths. For instance, as a history major who plans to go to graduate school for European History concentrating on the Early Modern Period, a mastery of Spanish, both modern and early modern, will help me with my research goals. I will also be conducting a week of research in the General Archives of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain over William and Mary's spring break with Professor Lu Ann Homza and two other William and Mary students, Kim Bassett and Amanda Scott (much more on this later).


Another reason I'm here is to explore Europe! I have been to several countries in Europe on family vacations (England, Paris, France for a day, and Italy), but never Spain. I've taken several classes dealing with Spanish history during the early modern period and have slowly fallen in love with the country. Toledo seemed like the perfect spot to study: not too big (about 8,000 residents in the downtown part of the city), but close enough to Madrid (42 miles) that I can get almost anywhere I want with ease.


Finally, I chose Spain because I thought, what could be more exciting than studying in a Catholic country with so much history, especially religious history? Again, I will have a lot more on this later.


So I hope that explains the background for those who may have been curious. Now, for the brave souls who choose to read on, here's a scoop on the trip itself, which began about three weeks ago:


I took an overnight flight out of Philadelphia to Barajas Airport in Madrid. Although the in flight entree menu was dishearteningly deceptive, as my ravioli was actually some sort of unidentifiable mesh of noodles, the cheesecake was excellent, I got some sleep and I was really excited to go to Spain for the first time. I had no real problems at customs (though one of the officials thought I was a migrant worker and had me fill out a migrant card). I got my bags quite quickly and then took a cab to Toledo. The cab driver was great, very nice and happy that I knew a little Spanish. He always repeated what I said and asked many questions, as I did for him. The hour ride brought me to my home for the spring.


Toledo is such an amazing city. I absolutely love it. The first thing I noticed, besides the medieval architecture and the hustle-bustle of the people everywhere, was how narrow the streets are in the downtown area. The cab driver asked a local taxi driver for the location of my school, and the second driver lead the way through tight streets with sharp turns. I thought it was extremely dangerous, but have since learned that most of the roads in the heart of the city are shared between cars and pedestrians, and locals become quite adept at navigating without any hiccups.


The city is a little bigger than I expected, in overall extent, though like I mentioned the inner city is quite compact. The streets themselves twist and curve around the edifices, and the first couple weeks I got horribly lost (for those who know me quite well, that's not saying much). In my defense, historically, when the Moors occupied Toledo in the eight century, they designed the streets in this fashion, in order to make it more difficult for invaders to take the city. It literally is a labyrinth.


The history here is incredible. At a strategic location on a hill surrounded by the Tajo river on the west, south and east side, it was no surprise to learn that this city has been in Roman, Visigoth, Muslim, and finally Christian hands throughout the centuries. While during the early Middle Ages Toledo was a haven of religious toleration under Muslim rule, in which the Christians, Moors and Jews lived relatively peacefully, now there are few non-Christians (more specifically non-Catholics) living here.


The various structures and dwellings here are breath-taking. The cathedral, which was constructed beginning in the first quarter of the thirteenth century, is absolutely stunning. There are several converted mosques and some synagogues. It really is the city of three religions. Many famous individuals either lived, held court or studied here, including the master painter El Greco, the Spanish mystic Saint Teresa de Ávila, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and the Emperor and king of Spain Charles V.


And what about the fundación where I am currently studying, affectionately known as "the fund"? For those of you who don't know, the building is originally a sixteenth century convent which has been converted to a school with living residences. I often joke that I have finally found my vocation. It doesn't quite feel like a convent, apart from the bare walls and the typical Toledo style windows and shutters. I have a roommate named Ben and two suitemates named Johannes and Arman. They all are from Minnesota, and apart from Johannes who studies at a small school nearby, they all attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, known as "the U". My room accommodates three, and probably could fit a few more people, so needless to say it is big enough. With hot showers, three sinks, a giant closet and a spectacular view of the city, I cannot complain. The only drawback is the spotty internet connection here.

While everyone is required to speak Spanish all the time while here, I often claim to hear Japanese outside of class more than Spanish here, since everyone speaks English or some other language. It is one of the drawbacks of this program, as I want to learn the language and think total immersion would help me more.

Classes are pretty good, although a little more challenging than I expected. I am taking five classes on a Monday-Thursday schedule, though I have Tuesdays off. My classes consist of: Advanced Grammar, Spanish Colonial Literature, Mystical Spain, Twentieth Century History of Spain and an art history class on Toledo. I find the reading light, and classes are taught either as straight lecture or discussion/group presentation. My favorite class so far is probably the one on Mystical Spain. Learning about Plato and Saint Augustine in Spanish is pretty incredible, or as our professor would say with excitement "es muy interesante". I also really enjoy my history class, since I am learning so much about a time I do not often study. Our professor makes the class very interactive, always asking for our questions and opinions on the issues ("¿preguntas, dudas, opiniones?") we are presented with. He believes that to understand Spain today we need to know its history, and thus he is always making modern day connections with what we learn in class and asking us about the news.

The food is good (much better than the UC), though a little bland. Potatoes, chicken, rice and seafood are main staples of the diet. Every once in a while we get ice cream, which is incredible. In fact, tonight, we thought we were to receive ice cream, only to find the box contained fruit (ugg!) I do miss some home favorites, such as macaroni and cheese, ravioli, hamburgers and Mexican food...Speaking of dining, breakfast is from 8-10am and is similar to back in the States. Lunch is from 1:30-2:30pm and dinner starts at 8:30pm. Cori, Beth and Stephen, I don't know how you guys would survive. The schedule in Spain as a whole is shifted toward the later part of the day, as shops and restaurants are usually open Monday-Thursday from 10am to about 2:30pm-3pm, then they close for siesta, and reopen around 5 or 6pm for a few more hours. While it has taken some getting used to, it's not so bad. Plus, I've been getting lots of sleep and have to get up before 11am only once a week (though I usually don't sleep in that late).

I've done some really cool things here so far. I have played soccer in the gym with friends (and now program directors, which makes things a little more interesting...) The first week, I tried flamenco dancing. It was a lot of fun, though I didn't get very far. My favorite part was waving my hands around and giving my partner weird looks as I switched places with her across the set (though the weird looks were probably not part of the dance). I'm also in a dance club with the school, and we are learning salsa. I like it better than flamenco, though we haven't gotten to the hip moves yet. That's for next week.

In addition to that, there is an intercambio program where I speak to a native Toledanos in Spanish and he/she responds in English. That is just starting, so more on that later. I also decided to volunteer with the Red Cross and will play with children on Tuesday afternoons, so I am really excited for that.

While I often feel far from home, one thing I have been able to keep up is playing my violin (I'm sure you will be glad to hear that, Akiko, Mr. Puzon, and Mr. Mott). I can play in the changing area of the gym and absolutely love it.

My travels have been many so far and with luck, will continue to be so. I have taken three trips to Madrid. The first was with our program to see the Palacio Real, the great Bourbon palace which Philip V commissioned in the eighteenth century. King Charles III resided there during his reign. On the same visit, I took a walk on my own to the Parque del Buen Retiro (Park of the Good Retreat/Rest). I fell in love with this park when I first learned about it in history class. Originally the site of the great seventeenth century palace the Count-Duke of Olivares had built for Philip IV, the palace itself has since burned down. However, the grounds have been preserved and the park is one of several huge tracts of open grass lands, fountains and monuments for people to stroll through and walk their dogs. (Think Central Park.)

On the second trip, I went to the three main art museums of Madrid, the royal botanical gardens and the Plaza Mayor. My favorite work in the Prado was Titian's portrait of Charles V at Muhlberg. Seeing the original work one of my favorite history figures in literally larger than life size left me in awe. The Thyssen-Bornemizsa Art Museum, an international art museum, was not quite as impressive, but contained a portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein and a portrait of George Washington's cook by Gilbert Stuart, both of which interested me greatly. The Reina-Sophía art museum houses Picasso's Guernica and many works by Salvador Dali. Just seeing the Guernica made the visit worth it. It's hard to describe, but there is something about the texture and color of paintings which copies cannot capture.

The third trip I went with some friends from the program to see a soccer game in Madrid. It was a blast. We ate at a good restaurant for paella, though some of my friends were desperate for American food and went with the spaghetti. The game itself was intense. I could definitely tell Spaniards take their futbol very seriously. The chants and constant trumpeting of the plastic air horns everyone brought to the game surrounded me every second of play. Real Madrid pulled out a 1-0 victory over Santender. One of the coolest things about the Santiago Bernabeu stadium was the heaters above our section, which kept us cozy on an otherwise chilly night.

While I am thinking about it, here are some interesting customs in Spain. First, women great other women and men with a kiss on each cheek, while men use handshakes. Tennis sneakers and sweatshirts are hard to find, as they are unfashionable and usually pinpoint foreigners or students (or both). As a whole, Spaniards dress more conservatively and wear dark colors. The stereotype of the friendly Spaniard seems true enough, though like all people, it depends on the person. Spain Spanish is definitely different than Latin American Spanish in some minor respects. Besides the vosotros form, speakers use the word "vale" for ok, not está bien (I hear the phrase so often it sings in my head). Spaniards more often use the perfect preterite than the other forms and generally form future tenses with a present tense form (such as ir a + infinitive) than the formal future tense.

Some of my favorite cultural adjustments: on the metro in Madrid, (which is scores better than the one in D.C.) to get out of the train, you often have to press a little green button to open the doors as they do not open up automatically. I remember first learning this, as I awkwardly stood in front of the doors waiting for them to open, only finding upset Spaniards giving my strange looks as they pressed the button and rushed by. The toilets here have a level to pull up on the top rather than one on the side. There is no 1 euro bill, or 2 for that matter. These quantities are in coin, and it can be interesting walking around with so much money in coins. Finally, at the soccer game, our section in stadium was located in a "vomitorio" (denotes gangway).

And I cannot forget to describe my experience with Catholicism here. The whole city is a constant reminder of God and religion, with the incessant tolling of the bells before Masses, clerics walking the streets (though not too often) and churches surrounding me wherever I walk. To give you an idea, the closest church to my room is about a good 1, maybe 2, minute walk. There are over 20 parishes in Toledo, in addition to many convents and monasteries. The first week I attended Mass at the cathedral. It was at a side chapel and only lasted 35 minutes, but it was still fascinating to worship there. In fact, the cathedral in Toledo still offers the Mozarabic form of the Mass (the version used by Christians living in Muslim Spain during the Middle Ages). I will definitely have to check that out sometime. I found a chapel for perpetual Adoration behind the archbishop's palace and just went to a daily Mass at the church of Santo Tomé for the first time tonight tonight. My plan is to attend Mass at all of the churches in Toledo before I leave.

Tomorrow our program is offering a trip to the Escorial, the final resting place of Philip II, which he had built to the northwest of Madrid. A palace, monastery, museum with a reliquary, and a school, this site has a rich history. I can't wait to see it for myself. Well, if you made it this far, I am quite impressed. More to come later on my adventures.