Exploring from Plaza de España to Ciudad Universitaria

Posted on 21 January 2014 by Casey Brown

Today, my friend Christy and I had some free time outside of classes so we decided to explore the area north and south ICADE a little bit. We were trying to find some cool, non-touristy places to hang out and just find a place to eat lunch and pass the time. Aimlessly wandering around hasn’t proved an easy way to find such places thus far, so we tried to take a different approach: the Internet.

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Second Week of Class and Tour of Real Madrid’s Stadium

Posted on 21 January 2014 by Casey Brown

Real Madrid LogoThough American University didn’t have classes on Monday because of Martin Luther King Day, Jr. Day (and actually had classes cancelled today as well because of snow!), Spain does not have such a holiday, so we still had to attend school.

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Atlético de Madrid vs. Sevilla

Posted on 20 January 2014 by Casey Brown

Last night we had the opportunity to attend our first Spanish partido de fútbol, or soccer game, with the match between Atlético de Madrid (“Madrid Athletics”) and Sevilla. It was definitely an experience to say the least.

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Toledo and Segovia

Posted on 18 January 2014 by Casey Brown

One of the benefits of studying abroad in Madrid at the same time as the students doing American University’s Iberian Experience programs is that the ICADE students have the opportunity to attend the trips around Spain and Portugal that the others go on as part of their program. We do have to pay for the longer trips since they are not included in our tuition fee, but all the day trips are free for us and it’s definitely worth it to explore the country we will call home for the next few months and experience life outside of the capital city of Madrid. Last Saturday we went to Toledo and yesterday we explored Segovia.

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Churros walking tour!

Posted on 16 January 2014 by Casey Brown
Chocolatería Valor

Chocolatería Valor

Chocolatería San Ginés

Chocolatería San Ginés

After we got out of classes today, my friends Christy, Sam, Haley, and I decided to go on a churros tour of Madrid, trying to check out the three of the best places in the city. If you don’t know, churros con chocolate is a traditional part of Spanish cuisine, often eaten for breakfast or as mid-morning/midday snack. They’re pretty similar to the churros they serve in the United States, but are usually fresher and tastier and are served with either warm liquid chocolate, like a thicker hot chocolate, or café con leche for dipping.

We only ended up making it to two out of our three stops because we got so full that we could barely move. Who’d have thought eating so much fried dough would make you tired?

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First week of classes

Posted on 16 January 2014 by Casey Brown

Because I only have classes Monday through Thursday, I have officially survived my first week of school in Madrid! I’m pretty excited for the semester. My classes don’t seem like they’ll be too hard, and they seem pretty interesting. I have to wake up between 8:15 and 8:30 most days, but my classes are spaced out pretty comfortably so I have enough time to do everything and get to the different buildings.

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El castellano, el vosotros y la distinción

Posted on 16 January 2014 by Casey Brown

Beware… this post is a little geeky! If you don’t speak Spanish or don’t like languages like I do, you might not be interested in this post. You might learn something new though!

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My homestay

Posted on 15 January 2014 by Casey Brown
Goya Metro Station

Goya Metro Station

I’ll be living with a local family while in Madrid, which should help me get a taste of what it means to experience everyday life in Madrid. During the homestay, the señoras, or a house mothers, do laundry for the students, provide meals, and simply act as a home away from home to help us navigate the new culture. Though students are normally hosted by single older women, often divorcées or widows, I live with a nice couple from Romania, Lili and Vlad. They take turns making our meals and they’re both awesome cooks — everyone is especially jealous of our packed lunches everyday.

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First week in Madrid

Posted on 12 January 2014 by Casey Brown

As most of you already know, I’ll be spending the next few months studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. I had already been in Europe traveling with my family beforehand, but my program officially started on January 6. As we near the end of our first week, I can’t believe it’s almost over.

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