Let’s talk a little about what the Uni (university) life is like here. I take 4 courses and work in a materials lab for credit. So far, all of my courses have been fair to med in difficulty-----except one which is disproportionately challenging, that is, Control Engineering. The engineering course material itself is not extremely difficult. What I can't seem to overcome with this course however is teaching style and schedule. The way that this particular course is taught really confuses me. Coming from an American University, I am used to loads of homework and a strict library schedule of 2 -3 hours minimum every day. Here, I get no homework, just lecture, pop quizzes and periodic exams. Not having homework makes the Controls material even more difficult. While I study a lot, by Spanish standards, I have no framework, no homework to guide me. Also, the Controls text book does not provide examples or illustrations on how to do the problems. The book only provides information about definitions and theory. I find it extremely challenging to learn in this fashion. Shockingly, this experience has made me come to appreciate the value of homework, graded or not. Homework keeps you on your toes, requires you to practice the concepts you learned to ensure greater understanding of the course material. Additionally, tutoring is not available to students. Honestly I am not sure why? So I am virtually on my own to learn the material. Very different from what I am use to back in the USA.
Yet, aside from Controls, my other courses have been going really great, especially my lab research. My research is focused on a medicinal putty/glue for joint replacements. The entire research team at the university is extremely friendly and helpful. They have assigned me large independent tasks, like mixing different chemicals to make cement. I truly enjoy the responsibility and work. Much to my surprise, I have found that working in a lab is extremely soothing and relaxing. I get there, set up, put on some jams and go about doing my assigned work independently pursuant to my schedule. I have also learned a lot about chemical reactions and materials engineering during this lab experience. I hope that when I return to my home university I can continue working in a laboratory setting like this!
Another thing that I have found difficult about school here is studying during the very elongated Spanish day. Spaniards, cherish their night hours, the majority of people consider only the hours 8am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm “work hours”. These “work hours” are used for studying, working, or running errands so that you can eat, socialize and relax during the rest of the hours of the day. This schedule has thrown me for a loop. So far the only public libraries I have found in the city close at 10 pm every day and are not open on weekends at all. This makes things problematic for somebody like me who is accustomed to studying all night until midnight or later. I actually consider myself a night owl who thinks best between the hours 10 pm and 2 am. The university library at home normally closes at 2 am everyday and is open 24/7 during midterms and finals. So at home I make very good use of the library for studying, and I study a lot. While I love my residence hall here ( I will talk about my experience in my residence in a later post), it's not the best place to study because of the many (social) interruptions. Moreover, my room at the residence hall, while cozy, is quite small with inadequate (energy saver type) lighting. Unfortunately , the longer days in Spain combined with different time schedule and limited library facilities has made my school adjustment extremely difficult. This has caused me a lot of anxiety in Controls, my most challenging class. I never imagined that libraries in the university city area would close so early. I am a creature of habit. I need my library study time! For that reason I don’t think I have adjusted well to the Uni life here but....I am still working at it!
In other news, I recently went to the Palacio Real aka the Royal Palace and formal home of the kings and queens of Spain in the Capital of Madrid. I especially enjoyed this touristic visit because the friend who accompanied me is a native Spaniard. As such, he was able to offer me a lot of inside information about Spanish royalty and the history of the palace. The building is enormous and breathtakingly majestic. Surprisingly, its' architecture has a lot of Roman and Greek references as well as statutes of mythological Gods and paintings of the Trojan war. It is absolutely beautiful and is just as extravagant on the inside as the outside. I highly suggest visiting this hugely popular touristic attraction if you come to Madrid! Beware, taking pictures inside is prohibited except for in the arms room, thus I only have pictures of the exterior, but enjoy nonetheless.
