Posts

Farewell Friends/ Reflection

Image
 June 4, 2023 As the trip is coming to a close, we had our final dinner at a Flamenco dancing restaurant. It was not what I expected at all. I did not know there were a surplus of men flamenco dancers. There was one woman dancing with two men. The men had more of an exaggerating on their loud stomps while the woman elaborated on her skirt movement and form. I loved the different type of claps that they did, and how perfectly choreographed all of the footwork was. If I were on the stage, I think there would be an ACL tear in my future. I was not a fan of the loud stomping, but the entire performance was a great cultural experience to end the trip. While sitting at dinner, I began to reflect on the trip, and how much I have grown from start to finish. Although I was only here for three weeks, I was able to see my independence flourish while navigating a foreign city. I came into the trip confused, and left with confidence and knowledge that I am excited to bring home to the United St...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wine on a School Trip?

Image
June 3, 2023      I have been looking forward to this day the entire trip! We get to go Toledo. I feel like I knew what to expect due to my research powerpoint being on this city! I was so excited to see the areas that I taught about in class. Along the route to Toledo, we stopped at a wine vineyard known as Bodegas y Viñedos. This was one of the coolest experiences ever. I had no clue how wine was made, but we were able to get a tour explaining to us the entire process. The facilities were so advanced; everything was done by a machine as the vineyard only has fourteen employees. At this vineyard, they process the wine with all the branches and leaves. This shocked me. I thought that the grapes were bare when wine is made. Our guide took us through all the machinery, and even to the bottling area. This is exactly what I imagine a high tech factory looks like. It was so clean and perfectly organized (a type A person's dream). One thing I have always been curious about is w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walk with Me

Image
June 2, 2023      Our final medical visit. It made me realize how quickly this trip has gone by. I have gained so much knowledge that I am able to use in my future. Our last visit was at a facility known as “Anda Conmigo” which means “walk with me” in English. Their goal is to help children with intellectual disabilities improve their function in school and society. They take many cerebral palsy and autism patients, but they can also take individuals with less severe diagnosis. In the facility, there is occupational, speech, physical, and psychotherapy. The founder had a child with cerebral palsy, and spent most of his time taking his son to specialist appointments. He realized that having a localized place for all of his needs would be less time consuming and more effective. This led to the founding of Anda Conmigo. Walking in, the first thing I realized was the lack of space. Because the center is in the heart of Madrid, everything is more expensive. The owner explained...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women Willpower!

Image
June 1, 2023      Today was our last class of study abroad, and it also happened to be my presentation day! After working hard to find all the important information about Toledo, Katie and I were ready to present. Our goals for the presentation were to minimize the words on the slides and cover the basic knowledge of Toledo. Presenting our topic to the class made me even more excited to see the city. After class, we had a health visit to an NGO known to empower and support women in different stages of their life. It was a small, hidden building that we entered, and were guided to a room filled with chairs. Because we don’t speak Spanish, James had to translate everything the coordinator was teaching us. She talked about the organization’s mission which is to provide therapeutic support and advocacy for women that are pregnant, not having children, abused, or going through a divorce. Their goal is to make them feel like they have fulfilled their life no matter what positi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chef Sara in the Making

Image
May 31, 2023      One of my best Spanish meals was eaten today, and guess what…it was made by us! Today was our cooking class! It is something I had been looking forward to the whole trip. Each person played an important role in contributing to our meal. I started off by cutting bell peppers, squid, and chicken for the paella. Others were in charge of making the cake, grating tomatoes, or preparing the paella pan.  The next thing I helped do is peel the shrimp. Most people didn’t want to do this because it is a bit unusual. I have grown up my whole life peeling shrimp, so I was used to the process. While we were peeling the shrimp, the cake was in the oven, and the paella dish was being made. There was never a moment when I was bored as I was always intrigued by the kitchen action. After a fun filled hour and a half in the kitchen, it was time to eat our creations. The menu: gazpacho, pinto de tortilla, mixed paella, and tarte de Santiago. Everything tasted so light ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Scary Reality

Image
May 30, 2023      As I was waking up, I knew today was going to be an emotional day. I did not know what to expect, but her story shocked me. We were scheduled to hear from a victim of human trafficking. She began to explain her story all in Spanish while Vanessa was translating. It was beyond sad. I began tearing up when she explained the abuse she went through. Two things that stuck out to me most: she has to keep her identity a secret to stay safe and around 95% of prostitutes are in the human trafficking system. I could never imagine having to change my identity because of a horrible event in my past. I feel as if it would be a daily reminder of the bad things I endured. Before this lecture, I thought most prostitutes chose to have that job. The fact that most are forced into this industry with no way out made my jaw drop. The strength this woman had when she was telling her story was admirable. I do not think I could ever recover from this experience. My heart was ve...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Inspiring Day

Image
May 29, 2023      After a long Sunday, I struggled to wake up on time for our morning lecture. We had to be there by 10am, and I woke up at 9:30. Somehow I was not the last one at Accent! A guest speaker came to talk to us about the Mediterranean Diet and the benefits behind it. Honestly, I was already well versed in most of what she was telling us because I am interested in a bunch of research behind it. There are studies that show how the Mediterranean Diet food interacts with the microbes improving the health of the entire body (in simple terms). She was a very sweet lady, and had very good things to say about this “way of living”. That was something else she mentioned; the Mediterranean diet is not a diet but a lifestyle. There is culture and history behind the eating practices. It was interesting to hear her perspective of eating even though that was not how I ate. She kept repeating the importance of olive oil. I think they might use it a little too much...boiling y...
Post a Comment
Read more