I was 21-years old the first time I came to Madrid. In fact, that was the first time I ever left the country. I am now 30 and Madrid keeps up with my expectations. Malasaña, my favorite neighborhood, keeps speaking to me in even new ways as I and the neighborhood evolve year after year. [...]
Off to Madrid again
Next Saturday, I will fly to Madrid. Typing these words is like reminiscing with a dear friend I haven't seen in years. It feels incredible and rejuvenating, and simultaneously melancholic to write about Spain once again. Although I visited for three days last summer, this will be my first extended stay in Madrid since leaving [...]
Hasta luego
I've been staring at a blank post for a few weeks now unable to write. I've been bogged down by a few external stresses (writing my master's thesis, finishing up my internships, moving out, etc.) that have prevented me from getting in front of the computer to write this post. Due to an expired visa, [...]
Another New Start in Barcelona
So what’s going on in Catalonia? Well to begin, I had a month there where I wasn’t writing because I was going through some major transitions. Apart from my visa renewal being denied, I had to move out of my flat, five of my friends here had to leave Barcelona within a week of each [...]
“Catalanisms” in Spanish
I’ve been here for a good period of time now, at least long enough to notice major differences in the spoken Spanish between the Catalans and the Spanish (or at least the Madrileños). Since Catalonia is a bilingual region, they often mix the two languages. Someone like me might speak Spanglish since I’m a native [...]
Madrid with 50 American Students
When I first began this blog, I couldn’t come up with a creative title. I didn’t want something lame - - which I must admit, that’s what I got - - or something cliché that I feel most ex-pat blogs use. I just decided on something easy: my first name and the country I’m living [...]
Belgium
I’ve lost count now of how many times I’ve been to Brussels. I’ve got the entire routine down, memorized, and I almost hate that because the trip is an enormous hassle. But always in the end, despite the extra-lengths of getting to and from Brussels via Spain is without a doubt worth ever second of [...]
Holidays in Alicante
Christmas and Reyes are now over. The weather here is still quite nice (haven’t worn a jacket during the day since ‘Nam). It’s almost always sunny and no one can complain about that. One could complain, however, about the amounts of studying I need to be doing and the paper writing that needs to be [...]
A new definition of home
This weekend I took a long-needed trip to Madrid, back “home.” Madrid was decorated in its finest holiday clothes: Enormous lighted Christmas trees, streets with strings of fantastic lights in the shapes of cubes, snowflakes, and other random squiggles and swirls, the people bundled in large jackets and warm black scarves, the faces of stores [...]
The Ups and Downs of Life in Barcelona
It has been a very long time since I've written. This is probably the longest break I've taken from this blog. I have legitimate reasons for my long absence in the blogosphere. It's this awful thing called Graduate School. I came to Barcelona to pursue my career and to take off with an international career. [...]
Graham in Spain 