A Conversation with Callie Rouse: CGIS Site Visit to Psychology and Research in Madrid, Spain

ML: What kind of housing do students live in during this program?

CR: There are three different housing models. The first one is homestay. Students are able to live with a Spanish family or individuals in their homes, which is really cool, and especially great for students who are wanting to work on their Spanish language ability. I was actually able to meet with one student in her homestay, and her homestay mom is a fashion designer, and it's so cool. She has her studio in her house and has in progress dresses and things like that. She was such a cool lady. I think there's 14 students this current term that are doing the homestay option.

The next option is the residential hall which I was also able to visit. This is cool because it's intermingled with local students. In this particular residence hall, it's about 60% Spanish students, and then 40% international students. So while every student will have a single or shared bedroom and have an attached bathroom, they also have social areas and a deck on the top of the building to hang out on. Residence halls have venues for engaging with local students and other international students just casually through student’s everyday interactions, which is really cool.

Finally there are apartments. These are housing where students will be living alongside other students on the program. It would be a mixture of students from different universities, with the University of Minnesota, of course, being the biggest sender. Students would have to cover their meals entirely and make all their own food.

For homestays students get breakfast and dinner from their host families and in residence halls students also receive two meals a day from the cafeteria.

ML: Would you say this program works better for in-state or out-of-state students, or does it not matter?

CR: I would say I don't think it matters whether you're an in-state or out-of-state student. Students are not paying UM tuition to go on this particular program. In-state students would definitely want to check and see, as the program might be a little bit more expensive than what they’re used to paying here overall. But honestly, it could end up being pretty comparable as well.

ML: Can you speak a little bit about how public transit works in Madrid, and how accessible it is?

CR: I was able to go just for a little bit on the Spanish public transit in Madrid and there's buses, the metro system, and a light rail as well, though I did not go on the light rail myself. And it's really pretty easy. The folks at the Fundación will help students get prepared for their experience by getting everything set up so that they all have Metro cards, and it's really cool. They're at a discounted rate for students.

And then students will be able to travel all around Madrid. I believe you can go all the way up to Toledo north of the city and it was very easy because you just had to swipe or tap your MetroCard when you hopped on the bus, or swiped into the metro so it seemed very straightforward.

ML: How is the commute from the airport to the city?

CR: I did not commute on this particular visit. I took a private car and it was maybe 45 minutes or so.

For students, upon arrival in their designated destination, they will be conveyed to their homes to start with. And then once students have their metro passes, it should be very easy to just hop on a metro line and be able to get back to the airport. So while I didn't experience it myself, I don't think it's super challenging either.

ML: What does the cost of living look like relative to Ann Arbor

CR: I definitely think it's going to be more affordable day-to-day in Madrid than in Ann Arbor. They use the Euro there, as do a lot of Western European countries, but it's gonna be a more affordable location than, say, France.

ML: How would you recommend that students get connected with locals in Madrid?

CR: I would say picking your housing choices wisely is one of them. If you're wanting a connection with a Spanish family, definitely look into the homestay option. If you're wanting to know Spanish locals of your same age, looking into the residence halls is a good option. I would also strongly encourage students to consider the research and internship aspects of the program as well, as those will be good avenues for students to connect with locals. In the day-to-day in the rest of classes, students will just be with American students, so it's important to realize that. And then I always recommend finding groups and organizations you can participate in in the country, or in the city that are related to your interests back home. That is a really great way to engage with locals.

ML: What are some cultural or social differences you notice between Madrid and the United States? And are there any nuances to that that you would like to highlight?

CR: Yeah, 100%. So, I know this one is probably pretty obvious, but the schedule differences of when you eat dinner. I know I was staying up pretty late when I was there because we were eating dinner at 9 p.m. or something like that, because that's the Spanish lifestyle. If you are used to eating at 5, 6 p.m, that could be quite an adjustment, and you might need to transition yourself over to having that later dinner.

I would also say another basic thing is the kissing on the cheek. That's something new for a lot of Americans, but the Spanish are very physically affectionate, more so than Americans.

I would say the drinking culture is different, too. They are going to be steady drinkers and things like that. They'll be drinking over a period of time, but the drinking is not intended to get drunk. I think American students can have a different mentality going into the experience then the Spaniards are used to. Drinking is a social thing to do, they’re having some glasses of wine together, but they're not trying to get super inebriated. It can be challenging for students if they are coming with that mentality of the binge drinking mindset that you see more in American college campuses, and it also can be something that puts you more at risk. Madrid is a big city, and Madrid is a city that has a lot of tourists, and as much as we can kind of tell students to be mindful and make sure they don't look too American, I think acting in ways where students are obviously very impaired out in public can put students at more risk. I would caution students to be mindful with their drinking consumption, and to make sure that they’re engaging in safe behaviors just because this isn't Ann Arbor. This isn't a small town environment and things like that.

In the same way this is a big city, and we don't want you guys to be putting a target on your back. And it's also a little culturally inappropriate to get super intoxicated in public when that isn't really the cultural norm there.

I think otherwise, the Spanish are super warm, welcoming people and I feel like a student, if they have questions, if they have concerns and things like that, I feel like Spaniards are very happy to help.

ML: How do you think students would benefit from this specific program as opposed to others within Spain?

CR: Yeah, so one particular reason why we're launching this particular program is because of the really good psychology and neuroscience course curriculum. I have met with many students who are like, “Hey, really interested in Spain. Can I do things in my major here?” And the offerings tend to be pretty limited for students. And so this is a really good way for students to be able to experience living in Spain while also getting credit in their major. I also think the research and internship aspect of it is really cool. I know it's competitive to get internships and research here on campus in the STEM fields, and so being able to have this on your resume is a really cool thing. Students can also be at the Cajal Institute, which is a very well-regarded international institute of neuroscience research and learn alongside professionals on how a professional working lab operates. And I think that's a really cool, unique experience that you're not going to get on a lot of other programs.

And overall, this is a smaller program. Some of our programs can get really, really big and a little bit overwhelming. But because this one is a little bit of a smaller scope and a smaller program, I think students are able to really establish relationships with their faculty. I was able to meet with faculty while I was there, as well as staff on site, and they all seemed super caring and super invested in the students. And I think that personal touch that you're able to get on this particular program is something that is a real highlight.

ML: What would you recommend to students who are thinking about studying abroad in Spain, in Madrid? Do you think that it's important that they have proficient Spanish, or how would you like to speak to that?

CR: Yeah, that's really interesting because on most of my site visits I've gone to countries where their languages are less commonly spoken languages. So with Danish, Swedish, Polish, and things like that, I felt like there was a really high level of English proficiency.

I felt like I was leaning a little bit more on my Spanish language ability in Madrid. Not that I'm super proficient. It was in the very beginning of my college years that I learned Spanish, but I would say Spain seemed a little bit more of a country where I would want to have some preparedness.

If you're going in with no language ability, I think that's totally fine. I think it is totally navigable, but I would say it was a little bit harder to navigate than I found in some other European countries where knowing the local language is not nearly as expected as it is, I think, in Spain. That can be something to be mindful of.

I also think accents can be a little bit hard sometimes. So familiarize yourself with Spanish (Spain) Spanish, because a lot of Americans, when we're learning, are learning Latin American Spanish. In Mexican, Spanish they hold their mouths differently. They speak with a different speech pattern in Madrid, and so I think familiarizing yourself a little bit with what Spanish speakers from Madrid sound like will be good. There was a little bit for me where I was trying to parse what people were saying and figure out the accent a little bit more. But again these are just kind of little things to think about but are something to be mindful of.

I would recommend reviewing Spanish, and definitely taking a Spanish class while on the program as well.