Tag Archives: Spain

La Vida Madrileña: Finding Home

As told by Alana Jenkins (NYMP10)

From JFK to Madrid!

And so it happened, Las Chicas were finally in España.  Las Chicas, of course, are Shipnia and myself; it’s a name we affectionately acquired while at Middlebury from our long-time Middlebury professor, Irina Feldman.  The title was appropriate enough because Shipnia and I had started our Spanish language and culture immersion together at Middlebury. The two of us vowed over chocolate milk in the Ross dining hall that “neither of us could change our mind about going abroad without the other [during our junior of college].” So with the clank of our glasses, Las Chicas had begun the journey that would one day place us right in the heart of Spain – Madrid.

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La Vida Madrileña: An Identity Constructed

As Told by Carlos M. Beato (NYMP5)

“It was over five years ago when I first embarked on a study abroad journey that would change my life forever. While I matured in the most basic of aspects, I also had to learn how to deal with the issues of race, socio-economic status and culture.

In a country that claims to be so [civilly] advanced, the division of race and class in Spain was one that caught my attention. I found out in the very beginning that my not being white would not only affect where I could live but I was often granted access to certain neighborhoods only when I mentioned that I was an American student from the United States. Never in my life have I felt that I was not wanted and it was through this experience of searching for a “piso” in Spain that made these feelings a reality.  While it helped that I spoke Spanish well over the phone, it was not until I visited many of these potential living spaces that I experienced firsthand the Spaniard’s actual reactions to my darker skin color. Nevertheless, this experience prepared me for other similar situations [during my time in Spain] that would eventually warrant me to question my identity. Continue reading