Campus Life in Madrid Blog Post #3

Hi everyone, my last blog post will be about campus life in Madrid, Spain at Comillas University. I personally had a great experience at Comillas with my classes and friends. The international group was a lot larger than I had expected, as it averages around 200 students each semester from countries all over the world. This made the classroom scene very diverse as I had a mix of Spanish, American, and students from nearly every country you could think of.

The Comillas campus was on the smaller side and compact, but in my opinion this was better because it meant less walking in between classes. Although it was a small campus, Comillas still offered updated facilities and a pretty extensive library, as well as lounge areas for the students in between classes. One of my favorite parts about the campus was the university cafeteria, which was actually a bar and mini restaurant. There was a section of the cafeteria that operated like a sit down restaurant with waiters, and offered a new menu daily that was super affordable, usually around seven dollars for a three course meal. I loved this because I often had long days on campus and couldn't go home in between classes for meals.

Another great thing that Comillas did was organize optional trips for the students throughout Spain during the semester. During the fall semester Comillas organized around four trips to Basque Country, Granada, Malaga, and Valencia. I really appreciated this school led trips because they were always cheaper than planning the trip on my own.

Overall I really enjoyed the resources that Comillas offered me as a student!

Commuting through Madrid Blog #2

I'm writing this post on commuting through Madrid for school and fun. Madrid has amazing public transportation and offers trains, buses, and metros to get around. It is also very cheap with the "abono" pass which you can apply for once you're in Madrid, its 20 euros a month and allows unlimited use for all of the buses, metros, and trains within the city. Applying for the abono is a must if you plan on studying here at Comillas!

My daily commute was a mix of using the bus, metro, and train to get to campus but I also chose to live in the south of the city when my campus was in the north. My advice is to look for housing near Sol, which is the center of the city that way you will only have to hop on the train to get to campus. Comillas actually has its own train station right outside of the building which is pretty cool. I posted a picture above of the metro lines that run through the city, and as you can see its pretty extensive.

The metro and bus hours are really good and usually run until 1:30am, and opens back up again in the morning around 6am. All of the transportation runs on time and efficiently which is a nice change of pace from the buses here in Hawaii. Madrid also offers long distance public transportation by bus and train to other cities throughout Spain which is great for weekend trips!

Spanish Visa Process Blog #1

Hi everyone, I'm writing this post on the Spanish visa process. This post is meant to be realistic NOT discouraging, so I will say that if you are planning on studying abroad in Spain that being on top of the visa process and starting early is a must! 

As soon as you are committed to studying in Spain, go onto the Spanish Consulate website and start trying to get an appointment. They are usually booked out months in advance (i'm talking anywhere from 2-4 months in advance, that is why you must not leave this until the last minute). You may not see an availability for the time frame you want, don't panic! Check back daily for cancellations as they happen all the time.  Since we are in Hawaii, our consulate is based in San Francisco. I have done the Spanish Visa process three times and each time the rules have changed, but the most recent time I was there for a Visa, it was required that you present yourself in person for both the application AND to pick it up about 4 weeks later. That being said, check the website prior to booking flights and confirm that you have to be present for the pickup. In the past I have brought a prepaid express envelope with my address on it and a return trip was not necessary as they shipped it to my house. 

     Once you have an appointment, you can start collecting all the necessary documentation needed to get your visa. I personally prefer to start many months in advance so that I have plenty of time to fix things if something goes wrong, and that way I don't need to stress about meeting the deadline at the very end. For example, last year my consular appointment was in May and I started collecting all my documents in February. You can find the student visa requirements on the consulate website. Note that many of the documents need to be notarized or the consulate will not accept them. A super useful piece of advice is that when at the San Francisco consulate, if they tell you that you are missing a notarization, ask to leave and go across the street to the postal office. The lady who runs it is authorized to notarize and that way you can quickly go back to the consulate and not lose your appointment or your visa. 

I would say that perhaps the most daunting document you have to get your hands on is the criminal background check. You have two options, receiving one from the Department of Law Enforcement OR receiving a background check through the FBI. I have found that it is easiest to get the FBI background check and I have always gone through a third party in downtown Honolulu who will take your prints, send off your information, and have it signed and mailed back to you. You have to pay a fee but they take most of the work out of it for you so I would say its worth it. 

Lastly, when presenting at the consulate, it is very important that you present the documents in the correct order as listed on the visa requirements or they will send you to sit back down and reorganize it all. Make sure you do this before your appointment. I also always made copies of all my documents and kept them in a separate folder just in case. 

I will also add that if you plan on staying in Spain for the year and not just the semester, once you arrive in Spain you will have to make an appointment with a police station which will give you a student visa residency card. The visa that the consulate in the US gives you is only good for 180 days. Don't stress though this part is easy.

I know this was a lot of information and probably intimidating, but its really doable as long as you give yourself enough time to get everything done! I am more than happy to help anyone currently going through the visa process who has questions or needs advice. Feel free to ask the study abroad office for my information :)  Once you get to Spain you will realize that this visa process was worth it! 

Profile Jamilyn Chapman

Hi everyone, my name is Jami and I studied abroad last semester in Madrid, Spain at Universidad Pontificia Comillas ICAI. This was my second time studying in Madrid and I highly recommend to anyone who is on the fence about studying abroad in Spain to do it! Study abroad has allowed me to learn a second language which opens up a new world of people, culture, and food to experience. One of the many reasons Spain is a great place to study abroad is because of its amazing public transportation. I never have the need for a car when I am traveling throughout Spain thanks to their reliable bus, train, and metro systems. 

The Spanish people are very open and friendly, and the social scene in Madrid is very much alive. I love Madrid because there is a plethora of affordable and free things to do and explore, and being a college student often means admission is free or discounted for entrances to museums, movie theaters, and theater performances. During the warmer months there are numerous outdoor parks to study at or bring lunch to and pass time with friends, the most famous is El Retiro which is always bustling with people and has a small pond where you can rent rowboats. 

Study abroad gave me new family, friends, and amazing travel experiences that isn't the same as just visiting a country. Living and studying for a semester or a year is the only way to immerse yourself in the culture and feel like a local. 

First Month Abroad in Australia

Today marks one month since I left Hawaii! It honestly seems
like I’ve been here longer, and that I’ll be returning home
in a few days. Nope. I’ll be here for the next eight months
in Brisbane, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.

I’m not going to lie and say that it’s been easy. The adjustment
process has been quite the “adventure”.

First off, Griffith University is a HUGE campus… in the forest
(my legs were covered in bug bites!) During my first week of
school, I left 45 minutes early to get my coffee and find my classes.
I’m glad I’ve become familiar with the campus and that walking to my
classes is my daily exercise! The curriculum here is different as
well and I’m slowly (very slowly) navigating my way. Currently,
I’m learning to cite in Harvard style. 

When I’m not in class, I’m wandering around Brisbane city. There’s
so much to see here! I’ve been going to art galleries, museums,
street markets, and on walks along the Brisbane river. When I need
to study (escape the dorms)and run errands, I usually go to Queen
Street Mall. They have a variety of food and BOBA places, Starbucks
(love that free wifi), Target, Daiso and Asian markets! I plan to
explore more of South Bank once I recover from this fever!

       South Bank Grand Arbour

Running errands and exploring the city is pretty convenient here
because of the amazing public transportation system. Yes, I said
amazing. The buses have their own lanes here which already makes
the commute a lot easier. I usually take the 135 or 155 buses
since they’re the city express routes. The 135 has 6 stops and
the 155 only has 3 stops total!  

I could probably ramble about the buses here for hours, but here are
the more serious events that have been going on. 

Almost three weeks ago, I joined the Campus Christian Movement (CCM).
It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. When I first moved
into the dorms, I found it difficult to connect with the people on
my floor. The majority of the people are locals and/ or returning
students so they already had their “clicks”. On top of that, I’m the
only person from Hawaii here. There have been many dark moments and
long nights of journaling. However, that all changed when I joined CCM.
I finally became a part of a community full of fun and genuine people,
who definitely will be one of the best blessings I gain from my journey
abroad. Because of this community, I’ve already begun to grow as a
person of faith. This year and journey for me are about growth and clarity, and the best is yet to come. 

    First CCM Event: Campus Unlock and Game Night

Well, this wraps up my first month here in Brisbane!
Until the next blog… 

P.S: I’m craving a spicy ahi poke bowl. 

1 More month before I finally go to Japan!

So Here I am posting for the first time on a blog! Feels weird to be posting on a blog since I have never done something like this before! Lol. Anyway I'm sorry if this is gonna be sloppy on my first post, but here are my feeling about how I am feeling with one month away from now.

My feelings when it comes to everything I have done when I first dreamed of going to Japan to where I am at now with me going to Japan in a month has been one rollercoaster ride for sure. I always loved the Japanese culture as a kid, and I would take Japanese language classes all through out high school to learn how to speak and write in Japanese which is amazing. Honestly I felt a sense of anxiety when it came in believing that I can actually go to Japan, and finally travel away from my home island Oahu for once in my life. All my life I always wished to travel away from this island, but never was able to. Honestly there were roughly three different scenarios where I was close to traveling for once.

The first time I was close to traveling was back in 7th grade where I was a part of robotics club. It was pretty much, where our team won the local championships here on Oahu, and we were chosen to go to California and Compete with other robotic teams throughout the U.S. Pretty amazing right? Well, there was a problem, I was the only person on my team who couldn't go because of budget issues. Of course I took it with a grain of salt and understand why. Fast forward to my 8th grade year, we were qualified again to compete in world finals in California, and I thought I could finally go and travel, but of course I was the ONLY ONE that couldn't go. This time it was "budget issues" and they needed more "important" team members to participate, this hurt me so much I can never forget how depressed I was for that moment.

The Final "Nail in the Coffin" where I pretty much gave up on traveling was 9th grade in high school, where I was, of course, part of the robotics team. As you already get at this point we pretty much won the local tournament here and blah blah, but guess what? I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD NOT GO! Why? Well now it was simply where I was told in my face that I was not important to the team at all and it hurt me so much. At that point I gave up on my dreams of traveling and decided it would be best to give up trying to travel to Japan altogether.

However, as I started going to HPU and hearing about there study abroad program here, I felt a sense of hope that I can actually go to Japan someday, and after 3 years of asking for info and how there program worked, I felt a sense of relief and joy that I finally was able to do something, that I have dreamed about for so long, and for once I feel like everything I was told in the past has just disappeared. Its been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and all I can say when I was told that my University in Japan and the study abroad advisors accepted me I finally let out tears of joy knowing that I waited so long for this to happen and its finally happening, no games, no gimmicks!

Anyway I'm sorry if this is a long and emotional first blog, but I just want to leave this by saying, that if you keep on believing and waiting, your time will come. I hope my story Inspires some people who are unsure about traveling or feel like they can't do it, because let me tell you, YOU CAN DO IT. Don't give up. And keep your head up.(^-^)

Concerts in South Korea

Since I was about nine-years-old, I had been listening to kpop. However, ten years later, my interest dwindled. However, I still listen to my fair share and care enough about two groups (one currently inactive atm) to stay updated.

About three weeks before I arrived in Korea, I had purchased a concert ticket to watch one of my (only) favorite kpop groups: Seventeen! In fact, a week before I had arrived in South Korea, I had actually seen Seventeen as they were performing in Los Angeles. It felt only right for me to buy yet ANOTHER ticket to see them less than two weeks later. I won't bore you with the details of the concert but in short words, it was an incredible experience.

With that being said, one of my biggest takeaways is the difference between concerts in America vs. concerts in Korea.

First things first, you are not allowed to be filming during concerts!

This was came as a sad surprise to me. One of the best parts of a concert is leaving your snapchat story an hour long for all your friends to enjoy, right? I actually thought I could get away with it towards the end of the concert but one of the staff took my phone and deleted all the videos I had taken (even ones that did not even have the artist in it).

Second, the artists feel INCREDIBLY genuine towards their fans.

I had seen this group three times in Los Angeles performing alongside other kpop groups before finally seeing them in their own concert in Korea. It is quite unexplainable but seeing the way the artists interacted with their fans is something I had never seen or felt in any concert I had been to, whether it be a Bruno Mars concert or any other kpop concert.

Third, the connection between the fans and the artist.

This relates to the previous one, but focuses more on the fans. Whenever I would go to concerts in the states, I feel as if fans are so caught up with being noticed by their favorite artist. I didn't feel that here. I truly felt the fans were there to support the artists and enjoy the music in the most wholesome way.

Despite being to a wide range of concerts and music festivals, I can say that the concert-going experience in Korea is like nothing I have ever experienced. In fact, I enjoy it more.