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Toledo, Spain—Part 2
By Julia S. | July 12, 2012
Greetings once again from España! Time is going by pretty fast here; I just finished my 4th week of classes (we only go Monday through Thursday during the week).
So what’s been up here? Well, Spain won the Euro Cup. That was fun.
Todos con la Roja!
We took a day trip to El Palacio Real in Madrid.
Buckeye tip of the day: You can never take too many O-H-I-O pictures.
And, more wandering around Toledo.
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream. (It’s almost the same)”
I also went to Milan, Italy last weekend with my University of Minnesota roommate and fellow Ohio State suitemate. I ate pizza (impressive for me since I don’t like most pizza), gelato, and spaghetti, bought fake designer bags, and visited Il Duomo, the cathedral famous for its stained glass. Thus, I deemed it a successful visit.
Visiting Il Duomo
What surprised all three of us though was how happy we were to be back in Spain where we could easily communicate with people again—no one in Milan really knew English or Spanish, so the language barrier was quite stressful. Granted, no one in Toledo knows English either, but, alas, that’s not a problem for us :-P.
Classes here are a lot of work, but I’m learning tons of interesting things. I’m taking Spanish film, Spanish history since 1936, and Christian, Jewish, and Muslim art in Toledo, which has turned out to focus mostly on architecture. Between my classes, I’m also working on my research project, in which I’m comparing two Spanish films pertaining to the Spanish Civil War: “Las bicicletas son para el verano” and “La lengua de las mariposas.” I actually watched the latter during my Spanish 104H class last fall quarter, which is what made me want to research it now—so it’s cool that I’m getting to incorporate things I was exposed to back at the beginning of the year.
It’s weird to think that I started out the 2011-2012 academic year in 100-level Spanish classes and I’m finishing it taking 500-level Spanish classes in all sorts of subjects– in Europe. I wish there was some way to quantify how much I’ve learned this year in all my classes, because it’s definitely a TON. Maybe I’ll feel differently in a year or two, but for the time being, I’m perfectly content just being in college and soaking up as much knowledge as I can.
~~~
Rude Awakening: Metaphorically speaking, I feel like I’m somewhere in Siberia where the end of my 1st year at OSU and the start of my 2nd both seem worlds away. Growing up, summer was the pinnacle of the whole year—and I’m sure it’s still that way for a lot of college kids, but for me, I’m gonna be pretty happy to be back at The Ohio State in the fall, homework and all.
Pleasant Surprise: As I’m sure all incoming students are already aware of, housing emails were sent out this week! The only awkward thing is that I think me, along with all the other sophomores I’m living with this year, seem to be equally excited as all the freshman to move back on campus. Dear OSU Class of 2016, I am so ready to meet you!
In firm friendship,
Julia Rose S.
Topics: Academics, Classes, Julia S., Research, Study Abroad, Travel | Comments Off
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