My Recommendations!

Hey!

So I am here to share with you some of my experiences traveling around Spain. I first just want to mention that if you have the opportunity to travel while you are in Spain you should. You will need to buy a plane ticket that will probably cost a decent chunk of change…so you are already in Europe. If you can travel DO IT! Before, after, during the program. Don’t let traveling get in the way of the reason you came to Salamanca, for class…

Don't travel by yourself. Travel with a friend, make a new friend that’s in the program and travel with them. If you can hit a few other countries while you are in Europe you should! My advice would be this: Travel to other countries before/after the Salamanca program, and travel to other sites/cities in Spain only after or during the program. The reason I recommend traveling around Spain after the program is because you will learn so much about Spain during your time in class, and in Spain in general. Talk to your host family, your professors (both your U of M ones and your cursos ones), they have a ton of information and generally know what they are talking about. Ask them where you should go, they will be able to help you out. They know what cities are close, what to do in that city, how to get there, and how to plan for it. If they don’t….they will know someone who can help you!

Me and my travel buddy in San Sebastian! Its awesome there!

So…Hit France, Germany, Italy, everything you want to see in Europe before your program and do all the Spanish cities during or after. I traveled to a few major Spanish cities (Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Madrid) before the program. I had a blast! It was definitely worth it to travel around while you can, while you are already in Europe! Think about it the next time you want to come back to Europe you will have to pay for another flight, why not just go when you are already here! It’s worth the planning.

I traveled before the program and that is why I want to recommend that if you can, you should travel to the Spanish sites/cities after. Other obligations prevented me from this but you will learn a ton while in Spain. You may learn what to do in each major city, where to go, what to eat, what the main dish of Madrid is, where to find the best food, when the Prado is free, what places are free for students with their student ID’s and a wealth of information that will aid you on your travels. Along with this I would advise getting an "horario" sheet from the tourism office. This will most likely be a plain sheet of white paper with black ink. Nothing fancy, thats the point, they don't want to tell you when the museums and cool sites are open for free. Just ask for one! Very helpful.

You may also be able to participate in an excursion to the very place you would have went before the program! These excursions are a great way to see various cities and they are included in your program fee so I would plan around those too! They are very economical but may seem slightly rushed. Everything in the excursion is included though, so with the tour of the city you will have already paid for the entrance fee into the main sites of the city.

Well that’s my take on traveling just be smart, plan wisely, and make the most of your trip to not only Salamanca, but also Europe. Think about it this way…When is the next time you will be back to Europe in a more or less worry free state? Do what you can now! Live in the present, travel, and enjoy every aspect you can. Soak it all. I was in Spain for two months…and I feel like I just blinked and it was over.

You are in Spain so do Spanish things! Don’t get sucked into hanging out with people that Speak English. This may be a little hard because well you are in a summer program and all the Spanish students are no longer in school and are on vacation.

Get into a routine but don’t be rigid about it! Make your routine flexible. Routines are good because it will help you adjust to the lifestyle but make sure you have periods where you can just go with the flow. Maybe you will go to the same coffee shop every morning for your coffee. This is a good way to get to know the workers and practice your Spanish. Here’s the twist, get something different every time you go… you are getting a different taste of Spain each day while still being in a routine. Like I said … be flexible! Don’t follow the group but be open to the group’s ideas. Mainly have fun!

Be patient. You are in a different country with different norms and a different way of life. Respect and embrace that, after all that is part of the reason you are in Spain, the culture.

Don't stay inside. Be open. Open to new ideas, new friendships, new customs, and new food! This is one of the best things you can do. Try new things. Be open. Go out and do! Don't stay inside, there is a whole city to explore! Don’t be a different person, know who you are but push your limits, try new things, expand your taste buds, and enjoy Spain in every aspect.

Studying abroad brings with it many things and in my opinion all of those things culminate into one thing; growth…which is always easier when you are open to new things!

Don't spend all your money once you get here! The good thing about being here in July is there are rebajas! All the clothing stores have sales all through July. If you can resist you should wait till the last week of July because they just keep cutting their prices and giving out more discounts as July goes on. Basically each week the rebajas get better. One word of caution though, they do this because they try to sell all of the stuff in their store so that one thing you really want may be gone if you wait till the last week.

Experience the culture through food. Tapas. Just do it. You may like a certain dish, dessert, or tapa, but try as many as you can! Then go back for your favorites!

Spend time at home. You don’t want to miss out on the chance to practice your Spanish with people that can help you. Talk to your host family, get to know them, ask them questions. A lot of them don’t speak English so it’s the perfect opportunity to practice Spanish, a great setting too. They know you are here to learn Spanish, so chat with them! They know the city too so inquire about the best place to get ice cream or what to do during free time.

Have a day where you don’t have anything planned and just explore the city!

Take pictures. Write everything down; where you go, what you do, who you were with, what you ate, what you drank…you will always have that photo of you and your friends in front of the big moments and tourists sites in Salamanca, but will you remember the little things? You should! The little things add up.

A few other quick tips:
• Don’t go to a café/bar that has wifi and expect to use it for free…you need to buy something.
• Don’t go into a restaurant and expect to use the bathrooms for free…you need to buy something.
• When you go to a restaurant/bar/café, water is not free, it is usually bottled and sometimes costs more than coffee, wine, or beer…if you want to ask for tap water its agua del grifo and they will only give it to you if you they want to…
• Don’t use “me gustaría” when you are ordering something at a restaurant, just say “dame”or “ponme”
• Limit the time you spend on the internet…you’re in Spain go have fun...

There is just so much to say! I enjoy talking about Spain and my experiences in the country. I am open to talking about it if you have any questions. If you are reading this blog then you must be interested! If you have any questions or just want to talk about how Spain was, what to do, etc, feel free to email me at mauhogan@umich.edu.

- Maurice