Student Blogs/ Ali in Spain
After my last blog, I decided keeping up the hobbit theme would not only keep things interesting for readers, but also prove how much of a Lord of the Rings nerd I really am. Win-win if you ask me. I am writing this next post, again, sitting on my bed in my apartment only this time it isn’t nearly as hot outside and I have roommates! The last post was about a lot of the decisions that I made before I left home but I noticed afterward, I didn’t really go into detail about how hard choosing a place to live really was. I’d like to touch on that to give future BIB students a few tips about housing, shopping, and living, and also give family and friends some more info on my “Shire”. (The hobbits in LOTR live in the Shire, by the way.)
As previously mentioned in the last blog, my Shire is in La Latina which is south of Puerta del Sol (heart of Madrid). I found this place (and by “I,” I really mean my mom) using aluni.net which is an awesome website. You search the location you want to live, include filters like wifi, air conditioning, heating, price range etc., and it shows you all the available rooms within those categories. The best part is it’s for students or recent graduates only, so that means you are with people around your age and who are all in the same kind of situation. The website employees are great. When I picked this room, I received an email from aluni asking if I was sure I wanted this room because they noticed it was quite far from the school I’m going to and wanted to make sure I was aware of it. If anything is broken, missing, or there is something I need that wasn’t provided (cutting boards, can opener), they come in and save the day.
I lucked out! For an apartment with six girls living in it, all from different countries ranging from China to Canada to all over Europe, there are three bathrooms with showers, a decent-sized kitchen and living room. It is fully furnished with appliances, dishes, cookware and a pantry. And the best part - a balcony that faces the most beautiful basilica in all of Madrid (according to the man who was at the desk for the tours). It's in a very nice neighbourhood with the closest Metro station less than 10 minutes away and a grocery store less than three.
Something to keep in mind for BIBers - you also have the option to live with a host family in Spain. I'm not familiar with the process or what it’s like but there are definitely pros and cons to both living in a student apartment or with a family.
By living with other students, you meet a lot of people from different countries, learn to get around on your own, and can pretty much do what you want when you want. The downsides, are it is harder to learn the Spanish house culture, Spanish might not be the popular language of communication (a girl I live with doesn’t speak Spanish), and you miss out on that homey feeling.
The opposite goes for living with a host family - you have a Spanish family, you’ll be speaking Spanish, and you’ll learn the culture, but friends may only come through school. You may not have to worry about travelling on your own, but there can be a lot of rules to follow with a family. The decision comes down to your preference and what you’re willing to live with.
I also had a lot of help from the students who went to Madrid before me. I was told to live as close as I could to Puerta del Sol. Why? “One does not simply explain exactly why you must live near Puerta del Sol.” But I’ll try... First, a bunch of metros and trains have a stop there. My school (UAM) requires a train ride to get there and Sol is one of the stops that puts you right outside the front doors. Second, there are SO many shops in Sol. Anything you need from clothes, food, home items, haircut, tattoos, shoes, entertainment etc., you’ll find there. Finally, the night life is sweet. There are always entertainers out doing stunts, jumping over volunteers on rollerblades or a mariachi band rocking out for pedestrians. It’s incredible!
So now that the Shire has been established, making it “Bag End” has been an effort (Bilbo and Frodo’s house is called Bag End). Shopping for groceries in Canada is not the same thing in Spain. The concept of purchasing food to eat is the same but the settings are totally different. Back home, getting food for the week was a one-stop shop where you can get everything you need and be on your way. Here, I rotate between 2-3 stores to get what I need and that is solely for food; clothes, bathroom and laundry stuff is a different set of stores. Most grocers in Canada bag your items as you go, you pay, and then take the bags and leave. At the locations I’ve been to, no one bags it for you which makes it an embarrassing struggle to try to keep up with them whipping items through but also to be ready to pay for it when they’re done their part. You also are expected to weigh fresh foods such as tomatoes, apples, peppers yourself and then tell them at the checkout. Otherwise the cashier rolls their eyes, walks over to the nearest scale, bruises your tomatoes from the aggressive placement, and walks back with attitude. By the weigh (haha get it?), there is no sign telling you about this rule.
Shopping in general has its differences from Canada. Most of the stores are built upwards as opposed to long so it is likely to go to a store with 2-5 floors and there are lots of stores we have in Canada (H&M, Adidas, Footlocker, Zara) and a lot of the stores are incredibly similar style and price (El Corte Ingles-Macy’s, Oasis-Sirens, Mango-Forever 21). The best thing ever is that tax is already included in the price so that 9.99€ super cute plum dress you saw on the rack is actually 9.99€ on the dot (and yes, I bought that dress!). Most stores price using only solid dollar amounts (5€, 10€, 7€; no cent amount) which is really nice because they have 8 different kinds of coins that I don’t know the names of but they are valued 2€, 1€. 0. 50€, 0.20€, 0.10€, 0.05€, 0.02€, and 0.01€ (the “penny” being no bigger than my pinky nail).
Since my last post, I’ve gained 2 roomies (Danila from Italy and Lu from China), done lots of shopping and wandering, discovered there is a Dominos pizza 10 minutes from my apartment (I’m a huuuuge pizza lover, just ask my bestie or boyfriend or literally anyone that knows me), and have been binge watching Breaking Bad with Spanish subtitles.
To my friends and family, I'm missing you guys so much! Give my puppies a good belly rub for me!
To future BIB explorers- start the house searching process early before all the good places are gone. Research, research, research! Ask questions or for advice from students before you because we all want to help you when your time comes. Make sure to bring pieces from home to make your room feel like Bag End, whether it’s pictures of family/friends, gifts, or even your favourite pillow. Or, like me, have your dad send the “Floofy Pic of the Week” (picture of my dogs)!
-The Hobbit Chica