La Plaza Mayor (The Town Square)
A Student in Spain
The lock of my huge, overloaded hard-shell suitcase broke as I removed the suitcase from the boot of the taxi. As a result, my personal effects were scattered on the road in front of the student hostel. Thus, the taxi driver exclaimed in exasperation: “¡Ay! ¡Dios mío!” (meaning, “Ah! My God!). Highly mortified, I furtively picked up my things from the road and shoved them back into the suitcase, praying that nothing was lost. I did this all the while lamenting over the fact that despite my limited funds as a student, I would have to buy a new suitcase for my return trip home.
Thus began my one-month stay in Madrid, Spain in the late nineties for a Summer Course in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture. The Spanish Government sponsored the Course through my university in Ghana.
The organisers structured the Course very well. There were participants from various countries around the world. Whereas some of the participants were full-time students, like myself, others were employees of organisations and their various organisations were sponsoring them to learn the language. On the very first day, we all wrote a test in Spanish grammar. After the test, the organisers divided us into groups of different levels of competence namely beginners, intermediate and advanced. I found myself in the beginners’ class. The class was very interactive. We all had no option but to communicate with each other in Spanish as we were from different countries.
Eating at the dining hall in the hostel was not without its challenges. First of all, we were served with limited portions which left me still hungry even after the meal was over. Secondly, my fussy palate struggled to get used to some of the dishes. Whereas I loved “paella”, (that is a Spanish dish of rice, saffron, chicken and seafood etc.), I had a tough time trying to appreciate “gazpacho Andaluz” (that is Andalusian gazpacho, a cold soup and drink made from raw, blended vegetables).
I found solace in the“pan de barra” , a Spanish-style baguette. This bread was always available on the side table for every meal. A student could take as many loaves of the bread as possible. After my meal, I would eat the bread and drink a lot of water to comfort and satisfy my poor, unfulfilled and confused stomach. A girl had to figure out how to survive.
During the weekends, my friends and I would catch up on some sightseeing. On one occasion, we visited an amusement park in Madrid named “Parque de Atracciones de Madrid” (Park of Attractions) after lunch. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we lost track of time. When we finally got back to the hostel, supper was long over. I had to resort to some stale bread that I had in my room. However that experience was worth it!
Parque de Atracciones (Amusement Park)
The organisers of the Summer Course planned a day’s bus trip to Segovia. We went to the “Alcázar de Segovia”, (Alcázar of Segovia), a medieval castle located in the city of Segovia in Spain, which served as a museum and a military archives building. We had a fruitful history lesson and we took memorable pictures. We were also privileged to witness a wedding being held there.
In front of the Alcázar of Segovia
Inside the Alcázar of Segovia
I had the opportunity to make friends from various countries as a result of the Summer Course. One friend from the Philippines who was a mature student graciously bought a copy of a Spanish textbook, recommended by our lecturer, for me. I could not afford to buy the book on my limited budget. I remain grateful to her for her kindness. You can see the book below:
I almost missed my flight back to Ghana as I had unknowingly not confirmed my return flight before travelling to Spain. With some assistance from the course coordinator, I managed to do so and fortunately secured a flight back home.
Were I to have had more money at my disposal, I would have visited more cities in Spain such as Seville, Valencia, Barcelona and Granada, among others. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time and I cherish the memories of Spain in my heart. To Spain I will say, “¡hasta luego!”, that is, “See you again!”
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