Uzochukwu Iloanya
CEA CAPA Madrid Spain – Liberal Arts & Business
Media and Communication Studies and Psychology
Blog Post #1
I have finally begun my journey abroad in Madrid, Spain!! Studying abroad has been a dream of mine ever since I first entered college at UMBC. To say that I am doing it is so surreal. My flight left on February 3rd, and it was on the plane, 30 minutes from landing in Madrid that the revelation hit me: I am leaving behind everything I have ever known to live abroad in another man’s foreign land. A new world awaits me, but it’s so hard to leave this one behind.
My first week here was harder than I imagined. Most people experience the honeymoon phase, fall in love with the city, and then get homesick. But for me it was the opposite. Finding out I was only 1 out 2 black people in my program heavily discouraged me from comfortably settling in here. There was a point where I found myself questioning if coming here was the right decision. But when will I ever get the opportunity to do something this ambitious in my life ever again? My mother told me that wherever I plant my feet, I will take possession and control that land. By God’s grace I have found a community of beautiful people who look like me in Madrid and have embraced me with open arms. After building a circle of friends who felt the same way I was feeling, my anxiety started to ease up and I was able to acclimate to this city better.
The food here has been especially delicious. My friends and I go out for tapas (small finger foods that are parts of Spain’s history) almost every single night. So far my favorite dishes have been croquetas and paella. Croquettes are a deep fried roll made of wheat or potatoes filled with cheese and a choice of meat. I love paella because it has a similar taste to jolloff rice, a traditional Nigerian dish. Essentially a taste of home.
For my first weekend here, the girls and I took a trip to Barcelona for the weekend!! It was so incredibly beautiful. We saw La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia and it was one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. I could not believe that such a prestigious and holy work of art lay right before my eyes. It gave me a new appreciate for life and art itself. We also went to see Park Guell which is a collection of parks and gardens designed by Antoni Guadi, a Spanish architect. Everywhere I turned my mouth dropped in marvel of his intricate work.
In being here I constantly remind myself that I am here to STUDY above all else. I have been blessed with the opportunity to take courses that align with my passions in life. This week for my Mass Media and the Fashion Industry class, we took a field trip to see the Museo del Traje. It showcased the history and progression of fashion in Spain. Historical events from the Spanish Inquisition to the invention of the camera (the first photograph was taken right here in Spain) have heavily influenced the wardrobe of Spanish citizens. I drew a lot of inspiration from the pieces that I saw on display in the museum.
All in all, I was off to a very rough start in Madrid, having trouble feeling comfortable in a land that is not my own. But as time has progressed I find myself living like a real Madrileña and loving it. Slowly but surely this city is becoming mine as I fall in love with it every single day.
Blog Post #2
This week in Spain was filled with fun activities that helped immerse me in Spanish culture. CEA CAPA offered us a flamenco dancing class and I am so glad my roomates and I took the opportunity. Since I got here I had been itching for the opportunity to dance and I am so glad it presented itself. Our instructor Paloma was an experienced flamenco dancer who has been training for over 40 years. She broke down flamenco dancing into three parts: hands, hips, and the body. We spent the first part of class learning about how to move our hands and fingers in a specific circular motion to make the movements look more feminine and soft. She then taught us a routine that included stomping, clapping, and hamboning as a form of percussion. The movements felt parallel to stepping, which I used to do back home. Finally she taught us how to incorporate our hips in the routine to give it that Spanish flare. Paloma said sometimes people don’t go to the gym, instead they flamenco dance because it exhausts so much energy. After learning that routine, you’d believe her too. By the end of class, we had learned a whole flamenco routine and I had so much fun!
This weekend we took a day trip to Segovia! Segovia is a small historic city located north of Madrid. We took a bus to get there, and it took about an hour and a half. When I looked out the window I saw large mountains, forests, greenery, and shrubbery. It was so lush and beautiful and it reminded me of home because that’s how the environment looks in Maryland. I realized that such a serenity can only be found within nature. As much as I love Madrid, that is something it lacks. We took a tour of the Alcazar de Segovia, one of the most medieval castles in history because of the historical events that took place inside it.
Here is a little history crash course on Spain. The union of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille united two Spanish territories and created the constitutional monarchy of Spain. Their love was forbidden. We saw the thrones they sat in and above them read the motto “tanto monta.” This means “one way or another.” I was so inspired by this quote because of how it encourages perseverance. One way or another I can make my dreams and ambitions come true, just as they did.
After taking a tour of the castle, we headed into town to get lunch and explore. For lunch we ate cochenillo, which is roasted tender suckling baby pig. The restaurant’s tradition is to cut through the pig with a plate instead of a knife to showcase the extreme tenderness. And of course they also break it after (OPA!). To be quite honest with you it was good, but could’ve been seasoned a little better. After that we saw the Roman aqueduct of Segovia. It was created to transport water from the mountains to the scarce parts of the city. It was built around the first century AD. I thought it was really cool to see something so monumental and technical. I had a lot of fun in Segovia. It was nice to take a break from the fast-paced life in Madrid and see the more historic side of Spain.
Blog Post #3
It is now my fourth week in Madrid and I am feeling very comfortable in this city. When I first got here I was making mistakes like making the wrong turns when walking home, getting on the wrong subway and having to figure out the right line to get home etc. But I can finally say that I feel comfortable here. I always try to get out and explore because there are so many parts of the city that I know I have not seen yet.
After class, my friend and I went on a walk and we stumbled upon the most lush looking park. I won’t lie it was so beautiful it brought me to tears. The thing is that back home in Maryland, there are so many forests and lots of greenery everywhere you go. Even when driving on the highway there’s trees in the background. My house is located right next to a forest as well so i am always surrounded by nature. In becoming a city girl, one of the first things i noticed was that there was barely any greenery anywhere. The architecture is nice but sometimes I prefer a breath of fresh air, literally. This park felt healing to me. It gave me a touch of nature and home. Exactly what I needed but didn’t even know at the time. Did I also mention I casually saw a peacock on my walk?? I was so stunned because I find peacocks to be so intricate but have never seen one in real life. It started walking with me side by side and stayed so calm throughout it all! I love my new friend. This park is my new spot to journal, crochet, read. I love it here.
This week the girls and I travelled to the Gran Canaria islands. The Canary Islands are off the coast of Africa (closer to Morocco) but are a territory owned by Spain. It’s been raining in Madrid all week so it was nice to get away to a sunny area for a change. For those who say 
climate change is not real, this is living proof it is. I met someone who has lived in Madrid for sixteen years and he said he has never seen rain fall like this. The island was such a beauty. It was quite large, but the bus pass took us from place to place. Each bus ride was around 30min – 2 hours, so I recommend renting a car if you’re of age. Day one and three we went to the beach and spent all day there just moving around from different beaches. The water at the beach was the bluest water I have ever come face to face with. There were even little fishies that would come and swim by so close to the shore! They were so cute. We also went to see the sand dunes in Maspalomas. I had never seen a desert in real life and it was hard to conceptualize that the dunes I was looking at were real. There was an underlying beauty within the desolation of the land.
On day two we went horse back riding in the country side. When overlooking the horizon of an entire city, you begin to compare your existence to the vast land that lays before you. My horses name was Candyman, and he and I had a blast. At first it was hard to control the reins but after a while I got the hang of it, and him and I were vibing while riding. Spain has such a diverse terrain with different types of lands and I am so glad that I am able to explore them all.