Author: Lucy Cordes

I'm writing this from an airplane, 35,000 feet above the Midwest, as I fly back to Wellesley for the beginning of the spring semester. For years, I used to be afraid of flying, but after I decided to go to college in Boston two years ago I started flying at least six times each year … Continue reading Sin miedo

The exams and goodbyes are already over, but I still need to share my last week in Spain. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, every week for the whole semester I have been attending culture classes through PRESHCO, learning flamenco guitar, theater, photography, and sevillanas dancing. After hours of rehearsal, I finally got to … Continue reading Estrellas y exámenes y una anti-despedida

The last few weeks of the semester are always the most busy, which means that I've had a lot to share but not enough time to share it! At this point, I've finished my final exams and am just three days away from flying to the United States, but for now we're going to travel … Continue reading Un puente en Barcelona

I spoke too soon, I guess, and the (figurative!) bad weather finally hit last weekend during my program's group trip to Toledo and Madrid. Our first stop was Toledo. We only spent a few hours there, not even a full afternoon, but I really loved the cute, crooked streets and interesting history. We visited a … Continue reading Más se perdió en la guerra

I learned this expression this week. It literally translates to "to bad weather, good face," but is about having a positive outlook in difficult situations. I wouldn't say that I'm having struggles, but the weather here is kind of nasty right now. The last three or four days we've had highs in the low 60s … Continue reading Al mal tiempo, buena cara

This might be a bit long because a lot has happened in the last few weeks, including a trip to Portugal, a 15-minute history presentation (in Spanish!), and the celebration of my third-favorite holiday. I suppose this post is also a bit of a halftime report. Last week marked the halfway point of my time … Continue reading ¿Ya es otoño?

Last weekend, my friends Lucy and Alex and I took a quick trip to Malaga, a city on Spain's southern coast, to visit museums and take one last dip in the ocean (or, technically, the Mediterranean) before fall comes. (The people here assure me that it will come, but I've yet to see a high … Continue reading Mmmálaga (y otras adventuras)

When the bus carrying us 9 American students pulled into the station in Córdoba three weeks ago, we nervously watched our soon-to-be families out the window, waiting for us. Before long, I was walking to my home for the semester with my “madre española,” Fátima. She pointed out some local landmarks during the short trip … Continue reading ¡(Todavía) estoy aquí!

I have had an incredible week traveling with the other students in my program and it's hard to believe that orientation is almost over. We passed the remainder of last week in Santander finishing up the language intensive, and even though we were in classes during the days, at night we got the chance to … Continue reading 8 días, 8 pueblos

I flew to Madrid with Eleanor, Bonje, Alex, and Lucy (another one!)There was graffiti everywhere, but in this picture, what I found the most interesting was the shape of the building in the background, which looked like steps.Me on towel-watching duty, trying to entertain myself while everyone else swam.How the weather usually is in Santander: … Continue reading La salida y el comienzo