So now that you've all been in Spain for a while, I'm curious as to what differences you realize. Are you experiencing major culture shock? What do you miss the most about the US? What is urban life like in Spain? Is it similar to that of any American cities or does it have a life completely of its own? It sounds as if public transportation is the easiest way to get around. Is it really expensive? How safe do you feel? Is crime a huge problem? I'm also curious if there are as many violent crimes in Spain as there are in America. Please feel free to respond with any information about your experience so far. Thanks!

Transportation

Hola otro vez!
I actually came from a very rural area growing up where there was basically no public transportation and then I moved to Lubbock, Texas where there is very little there as well. I had not really used alot of public transportation in the United States, so I had little preconceived notions when I came to Spain. For the most part, I get around by walking while I am in Spain. The bus systems are really convienant in Sevilla but are always very very crowded. Many people do drive vehicles (there are many more motorcycles and vespas driven here). Traffic is "hectic" I would say for the most part. There are many less traffic laws and you rarely ever see drivers pulled over by police. There are "rush hours" per say but there are at different times due to the siesta and different hours for the Spanish working day. On trips I have used planes, trains, automobiles, and public buses. There is no "second class" sort of transportation like it seems in the United States. As I have traveled around Spain and Europe I find the most convienant and enjoyable form of transportation is definitely taking the train. I wish it was more realistic to take one in the United States!

Travel & Transportaiton

Hi all,

I hope you all are having a good time in Spain. Currently we are discussing transportation and living in Spain in class. I was curious what your general impressions are on traveling in Spain, both public and private. What is it like to travel in Spain using both types of transportation (if you have used both). Which do you prefer? Is public transportation anything like here in the states? Is it more or less expensive? Also what are the traffic levels like, do you have rush hour over here like we do in more populated areas? Which type of transportation seems to be more popular? Is either more or less crowded. What types of mass transit do they have? Subways, rail (or light rail), or bus? From what I have researched on Spain it has a population of over 40 million people which is a little different from the U.S. Although we have a population of over 300 million here, 40 million in a closer area seems like the mass transit system would be constantly pushed to its limits. What did you initially expect before you moved to Spain. Did you expect transportation to be like the United States or were you open minded to other transportation? Were your expectations met? What other aspects of living in Spain do you particularly like? Are parks existent or are they few and far between? Also what is the general presence of crime and protection in Spain. Does the crime seem as bad as it is here in the United States or is Spain more of a peaceful country? What about city living, is Spain more or less polluted than the U.S. Lastly what do you like more about Spain as opposed to the U.S. overall. I await and appreciate any response you can give.

~Ibe

On Advertising

The advertising here is much more provocative. There is more nudity in commercials and billboards. There are also English commercials that are dubbed for Spanish, but most commercials are Spanish advertising. I usually don't pay attention to commercials and advertising in the U.S. and besides the nudity differences, I haven't really noticed much else.

Peliculas!

Hola Todos!
Believe it or not there are TONS of selections of movies in Spain. Going to the movies is one of favorite things to do in the US and that has not changed at all in Spain. Most of the American made movies are dubbed in Spanish and can be seen a month or so after they come out in the United States. It helps my Spanish so much to watch movies. There are also some great Spanish movies that I have seen such as "Lola" a very famous Spanish flamenco dancer and "El laberinto del fauno." The theaters themselves are the same for the most part!

The Movie Theatres

Hello Again people in Maryland,

Spanish movie theatres have many US films, however they come out here way later than they do in the US. For example, when we first arrived in Spain the second week of january, Rocky Balboa did not come out in the theatres until like 3 days after we got here. That movie came out way before christmas in the States. That is typical of movies over here. Most of the theatres here have the movies dubbed over in Spanish, however there is one theatre in Sevilla that has the movies in english with spanish subtitles. It is very difficult to watch a movie dubbed over in spanish because you can see their mouths saying english words and you want to try and read their lips, but they speak in spanish and sometimes you miss what is going on. also, sometimes the spanish dubbing is very fast and it is hard to understand everything when it is coming at you so fast. Some of the movie theatres here are very similar to those in the States. the theatre closest to my house has 20 different screens i think, and they are set up similar to those back in the states. some theatres are bigger than others, and typically they have the more popular movies showing in the bigger theatres. Also, there are normally about 5 or sometimes more Spanish films showing in the theatres weekly. The sound systems are very similar to those in the states, however i dont know if they are state of the art. well i hope all is well with you all back in the states. take care.

Ruben

el arte

Hello again to all of you!

Thanks for responding, some of your reads were very interesting. Currently we are studying the different forms of art in Spain with some relation to those in the United States. I have some questions that I’m hoping you can answer with your experiences in Spain. As you all know when we go to the movies in the United States we have plenty of titles to pick from (most of the time). If any of you have had the chance to visit a movie theater there what is your general impression, is there a lot of titles to pick from?, are the titles from Spain, or are they movies from America simply dubbed over in Spanish? Also what are the facilities like, usually here in the states we have buildings which house 10-18 screens on average with state of the art sound systems and such. Is Spain more of a conservative setup, maybe outdoor movie theatres are popular there as I have seen some here. How is the advertising you have seen in Spain with relation to that here in the U.S.? What are the most popular forms of advertising? Here we have billboards, magazines, bus stops, TV, etc. What seems to be the most widely used form of advertising in Spain? Do they have provocative advertising, or does there seem to be some sort of standard. Also what types of advertising do you see the most? Do you see a lot of American based companies doing advertising? I look forward to your responses; I hope Spain is more enjoyable than the US :)

~Ibrahim

more questions

First off, thanks everyone for replying. It's so nice to meet all of you. I hope your trip continues to go well and that you all continue to have an amazing time. Thanks for your info on regateo, Meredith. Let us know if you end up going to that gypsy market- it sounds really wild.

We are beginning to take a look at advertising in class. I was wondering what the major differences are between advertising in the US as opposed to advertising in Spain. Where do you see the majority of ads? Are billboards popular? What about the nature of the ads- more risque or less? Do you even notice a different? Let me know what your thoughts are on this. Thanks so much for all of your help.

-Happy Travels-
Katie

El Regateo

Hola!
In all honestly, I have haggled only one time since I have been here. There are some gypsey markets where you can barter for everything imaginable, but I have even had the chance to go. I haggled with a "sidewalk merchant" over the price of some sunglasses. It was actually my first time to haggle, and alot of fun. I got 3 pair of sunglasses for friends for 15 euro instead of 30, and considered it an accomplishment. I look forward to more questions!

HOLA GENTE

AMIGOS Y AMIGAS EN MARYLAND,

HOLA, ME LLAMO RUBEN CISNEROS Y TENGO 22 AÑOS. I AM A SENIOR GEOLOGY MAJOR MINORING IN GEOCHEMISTRY AT TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY AND CURRENTLY I AM HERE IN SEVILLA, ESPAÑA ESTUDIANDO ESPAÑOL Y LA HISTORIA DE ESPAÑA. I WAS HOPING TO GRADUATE THIS MAY HOWEVER GEOLOGY MAJORS AT TEXAS TECH HAVE TO COMPLETE A SENIOR THESIS (RESEARCH PROJECT AND PAPER) IN ORDER TO GRADUATE, AND I FELT IT WAS BETTER TO WAIT UNTIL THE FALL TO FINISH THIS INSTEAD OF TRYING TO RUSH AND COMPLETE ALL MY RESEARCH BEFORE COMING TO SEVILLA. SO AS IT IS, I WILL NOT BE GRADUATING UNTIL DECEMBER AND AFTER GRADUATION I WILL BE ATTENDING GRADUATE SCHOOL SOMEWHERE, I JUST HAVEN´T DECIDED WHERE YET. I HAIL FROM A SMALL TOWN IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WHERE I HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO SPANISH MY WHOLE LIFE. I TOOK SPANISH ALL THROUGHOUT GRADE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, HOWEVER WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE AT TEXAS TECH I FORGOT MOST OF IT BECAUSE I DIDNT HAVE TO USE IT. THAT IS WHY I AM HERE IN SEVILLA, TRYING TO RELEARN A LANGUAGE I SHOULD ALREADY KNOW. ITS ALL GOOD THOUGH, BECAUSE STUDYING ABROAD HERE IN SPAIN HAS BEEN ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE SO FAR. SOME OF MY HOBBIES INCLUDE LIFTING WEIGHTS, COLLECTING ROCKS, WATCHING SPORTS, FISHING, HUNTING, AND SKIING. SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE IN SEVILLA, I HAVE BECOME A HUGE SEVILLA FÚTBOL CLUB FAN. SEVILLA FÚTBOL CLUB ES EL MEJOR EQUIPO DEL MUNDO, AND I HAVE ATTENDED MANY OF THEIR GAMES. THE FÚTBOL STADIUM IS 10 MINUETS FROM MY HOUSE, AND LET ME TELL YOU THE ATMOSPHERE IN AND AROUND THE STADIUM ON GAME DAY IS AWESOME. WELL THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY FOR NOW. I LOOK FORWARD TO COMMUNICATING WITH YOU ALL.

ADIOS,
RUBEN CISNEROS

P.S. - TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT BARGAINING, TYPICALLY IN STORES, RESTRAUNTS AND BARS YOU REALLY CANT BARGAIN ON THE PRICE OF THINGS, HOWEVER MANY PLACES THROUGHOUT THE CITY PEOPLE SELL THINGS ON SIDEWALKS OR IN MERCADOS SIMILAR TO FLEA MARKETS, AND YOU CAN BARGAIN WITH THOSE PEOPLE TO GET BETTER PRICES ON THINGS.

Hola!
My name is Meredith Murphree and I am studying in Spain for this semester. This is actually my first semester of Spanish since high school and I am enjoying it very much. I am a sophomore at Texas Tech, enjoy playing many sports, reading, traveling, listening to music, all the normal things. I was raised in a very small town Texas and lived there until I made the big trek to Lubbock, Texas.

Hola!
My name is Sean I am here in Sevilla in the Texas Tech program but I do not go to Texas Tech. I am from New Mexico and I go to New Mexico State University. At NMSU I am a Journalism Major with emphasis on broadcast. With a minor in theater...that I may not complete.
The reason I came to Spain to study Spanish is because I needed the credit for my major and I did not want to waste three semesters of taking Spanish, four days a week at NMSU. So instead I am doing all my credit here in one semester. I came here with only three semesters of high school Spanish...so basically I came knowing no Spanish.
Back home in Las Cruces, NM, I have a mom and a dad and two sisters. I work at the movie theater in my hometown. I think that is it for now. Hasta Luego.

Oh this picture is of me in Gerbralter...where I was robed by a monkey!!! He stole my cookies...

Hasta Pronto,
Sean

El Regateo

Hola!

We are studying el regateo currently in class. What is your general experience with Regateo in Spain. Do you encounter it much? What is the process you use when you haggle? Are there any types of customs to follow when haggling? What have you had to haggle for, if anything? I have haggled in the middle east so I am curious to see if it is similar in any way with other cultures. Any information you can give would be helpful. Gracias!

~Ibrahim

Hola!

Hola Amigos y Amigas!

My name is Ibrahim, I am currently a Senior here at UMBC with the hopes of graduating in the spring. This is my first encounter with spanish since my high school years when I took 3 years so it has been about 6 years since so bear with me as my spanish is not quite up to par as of yet. I am studying Political Science with a minor in Sociology. I hope to go on to law school at some point in the future but right now my priorities are pretty set on graduating. I am 22 years old, have been living in Maryland my entire life. Some of my hobbies include outdoor activites like snowboarding in the winter (when its snowing), my car, and my dog Sarah. I am a huge movie buff and enjoy all types of movies. I also enjoy photography, web design, and graphic design. If you could tell me a little bit about yourselfs that would be great! I look forward to hearing from you!

~Ibrahim