No Pasa Nada
Hello all!
No pasa nada. Relax, don't worry about it! "No pasa nada" is Spain's version of Nicaragua's "tranquilo", and their answer answer to everything. Two phrases, the same meaning. It's okay, it's chill, no worries. Spaniards love and live "no pasa nada", and it's not taking me much convincing to do so either! Despite the "no pasa nada" lifestyle I'm living, my study abroad experience does in fact include studying. In my last post I wrote that my classes weren't yet in full swing, but that's beginning to change. I'm beginning to develop a typical routine, which I like, as it's nice to have a rhythm.
As I mentioned before, my classes are picking up the pace, the most difficult one for me being Public Speaking. Our first (and only, so far) assignment was to memorize a Spanish Ted Talk (complete with inflections and gestures), and present it to the class. Memorizing a speech in English isn't my forte, but I put my nose to the grindstone and memorized it. Pleased with myself, I arrived in class today to find a substitute (our professor's wife had a baby!), and found out that we wouldn't be presenting the speeches until the following week! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, as I try to make it to next week without forgetting this speech that I so carefully prepared for. Additionally, I had an interview for my internship yesterday! I'm using the term "interview" very loosely-- it was more of a chat about the organization, my schedule, and what types of things I would be doing. I'll be working for an organization called Be Madrid, which is a resource center for expats, particularly international students. They provide assistance with finding housing, legal advice, and banking, and also organize trips and social events for students. My duties are still fairly vague, but it looks like I'll be helping to organize and plan trips and events, as well as acting as a type of liaison to students looking for more information. There was also some hinting that I could potentially go on trips for free as a project coordinator, so fingers crossed for that! Walking into the office, I was greeted with a mixture of languages- French, Dutch, Spanish, English, and more, all of which are spoken by various Be Madrid employees and interns. The office is very young, and I'm looking forward to the work, and also getting to know the other Spanish and international students!
As part of my class schedule, I also have weekly paseos, which, while literally translating to "walks", are field trips around Madrid, lead by our wonderful leader Kike. Our first paseo was last Friday, where we went to Parque Retiro, Madrid's version of Central Park. I had been there once since I arrived, but it's gorgeous, so I wasn't complaining. Getting a guided tour of the park from Kike was fascinating, but my favorite part was rowing through its central lakes on a rowboat! It was very picturesque. We had another paseo this past Wednesday, at CaixaForum Madrid, a cultural center and museum. We explored an exhibit on Roman women, which I loved (it complemented my women's studies class especially well), despite our docent who spoke with a very thick Madrid accent.
I took last weekend to relax and explore my neighborhood, which I hadn't properly done before. The entrance to the metro is about a block away from the center of the neighborhood, and I hadn't had time previously to walk around and truly see my neighborhood, which I'm glad I did this weekend. The neighborhood is much less residential than I thought, and I actually live on one side of a hill, the other side being full of busy streets with shops, bars, and restaurants. A little over a mile away is a huge urban park. It's not very wide, but it goes on for ages-- when I looked at a map, I realized it was an L shape. I went on a Saturday afternoon, and it was certainly being used. I saw kids riding bikes, teens playing basketball, couples strolling, runners running, old men playing chess, and a pot bellied pig being walked! Curiously, I rarely see dogs being walked. Even on the street, dogs are often running ahead of their owners (though I do see a surprisingly high number of dogs with sweaters/jackets/down vests. The next day I walked in the opposite direction of my apartment, and what did I find? Another park, of course. I may be living in the city, but there's no lack of any green around me. This park, unlike the previous, is large and sprawling, full of trees, with only a couple narrow paths, winding through it.
For those that are wondering, I'm still eating cake and cookies for breakfast, complete with green tea (do those antioxidants cancel out all the sugar?) though thankfully neither my host mom or dad is pushy on how much I eat. My lunch is always a large baguette sandwich, usually with either a tortilla (omelet) or some sort of chorizo, ham, or salami, often with a cream cheese-like spread, accompanied by an orange. Dinner varies a lot. My host family rarely eats dinner, though they always sit with me while I eat and make conversation. They're from the northwestern region of Galicia (and they still have a house and small farm there), and we often have a type of soup from the area, filled with leafy greens unique to the region and potatoes. Other typical dinners include empanadas, chorizo, rice, fried eggs, beef, or the cheesy, gooey, fried, wonderful goodness that are croquettes. After dinner, I've gotten into the habit of always having a kiwi or two (though I have to resist their protests to get me to eat three or four) from their farm in Galicia. Yum!
I'm hoping to continue explore Madrid this weekend, with a potential highlight being the San Miguel Mercado. While I want to enjoy Madrid, I'm looking forward to some outside trips-- my internet browser is looking particularly atrocious right now, with about 4 windows open and a million tabs on each, on different airline websites. Planning trips is stressful! Apart from that, we also have a group trip to Andalusia next weekend, which I can't wait for!
Besitos, until next time!
No pasa nada. Relax, don't worry about it! "No pasa nada" is Spain's version of Nicaragua's "tranquilo", and their answer answer to everything. Two phrases, the same meaning. It's okay, it's chill, no worries. Spaniards love and live "no pasa nada", and it's not taking me much convincing to do so either! Despite the "no pasa nada" lifestyle I'm living, my study abroad experience does in fact include studying. In my last post I wrote that my classes weren't yet in full swing, but that's beginning to change. I'm beginning to develop a typical routine, which I like, as it's nice to have a rhythm.
As I mentioned before, my classes are picking up the pace, the most difficult one for me being Public Speaking. Our first (and only, so far) assignment was to memorize a Spanish Ted Talk (complete with inflections and gestures), and present it to the class. Memorizing a speech in English isn't my forte, but I put my nose to the grindstone and memorized it. Pleased with myself, I arrived in class today to find a substitute (our professor's wife had a baby!), and found out that we wouldn't be presenting the speeches until the following week! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, as I try to make it to next week without forgetting this speech that I so carefully prepared for. Additionally, I had an interview for my internship yesterday! I'm using the term "interview" very loosely-- it was more of a chat about the organization, my schedule, and what types of things I would be doing. I'll be working for an organization called Be Madrid, which is a resource center for expats, particularly international students. They provide assistance with finding housing, legal advice, and banking, and also organize trips and social events for students. My duties are still fairly vague, but it looks like I'll be helping to organize and plan trips and events, as well as acting as a type of liaison to students looking for more information. There was also some hinting that I could potentially go on trips for free as a project coordinator, so fingers crossed for that! Walking into the office, I was greeted with a mixture of languages- French, Dutch, Spanish, English, and more, all of which are spoken by various Be Madrid employees and interns. The office is very young, and I'm looking forward to the work, and also getting to know the other Spanish and international students!
As part of my class schedule, I also have weekly paseos, which, while literally translating to "walks", are field trips around Madrid, lead by our wonderful leader Kike. Our first paseo was last Friday, where we went to Parque Retiro, Madrid's version of Central Park. I had been there once since I arrived, but it's gorgeous, so I wasn't complaining. Getting a guided tour of the park from Kike was fascinating, but my favorite part was rowing through its central lakes on a rowboat! It was very picturesque. We had another paseo this past Wednesday, at CaixaForum Madrid, a cultural center and museum. We explored an exhibit on Roman women, which I loved (it complemented my women's studies class especially well), despite our docent who spoke with a very thick Madrid accent.
I took last weekend to relax and explore my neighborhood, which I hadn't properly done before. The entrance to the metro is about a block away from the center of the neighborhood, and I hadn't had time previously to walk around and truly see my neighborhood, which I'm glad I did this weekend. The neighborhood is much less residential than I thought, and I actually live on one side of a hill, the other side being full of busy streets with shops, bars, and restaurants. A little over a mile away is a huge urban park. It's not very wide, but it goes on for ages-- when I looked at a map, I realized it was an L shape. I went on a Saturday afternoon, and it was certainly being used. I saw kids riding bikes, teens playing basketball, couples strolling, runners running, old men playing chess, and a pot bellied pig being walked! Curiously, I rarely see dogs being walked. Even on the street, dogs are often running ahead of their owners (though I do see a surprisingly high number of dogs with sweaters/jackets/down vests. The next day I walked in the opposite direction of my apartment, and what did I find? Another park, of course. I may be living in the city, but there's no lack of any green around me. This park, unlike the previous, is large and sprawling, full of trees, with only a couple narrow paths, winding through it.
For those that are wondering, I'm still eating cake and cookies for breakfast, complete with green tea (do those antioxidants cancel out all the sugar?) though thankfully neither my host mom or dad is pushy on how much I eat. My lunch is always a large baguette sandwich, usually with either a tortilla (omelet) or some sort of chorizo, ham, or salami, often with a cream cheese-like spread, accompanied by an orange. Dinner varies a lot. My host family rarely eats dinner, though they always sit with me while I eat and make conversation. They're from the northwestern region of Galicia (and they still have a house and small farm there), and we often have a type of soup from the area, filled with leafy greens unique to the region and potatoes. Other typical dinners include empanadas, chorizo, rice, fried eggs, beef, or the cheesy, gooey, fried, wonderful goodness that are croquettes. After dinner, I've gotten into the habit of always having a kiwi or two (though I have to resist their protests to get me to eat three or four) from their farm in Galicia. Yum!
I'm hoping to continue explore Madrid this weekend, with a potential highlight being the San Miguel Mercado. While I want to enjoy Madrid, I'm looking forward to some outside trips-- my internet browser is looking particularly atrocious right now, with about 4 windows open and a million tabs on each, on different airline websites. Planning trips is stressful! Apart from that, we also have a group trip to Andalusia next weekend, which I can't wait for!
Besitos, until next time!
Thanks Rachel
ReplyDeleteGreat observations. I wonder if one could do a city study by looking at pet walking habits. IN NYC every pet is on a leash. no pot bellied pigs and day beore yesterday I passed a per-walker-lady with seven dogs on leashes. And she was on her phone. I wondered what would happen if you tossed a cat in the middle of them.
no pasa nada
Dad