Mingling in Madrid

By Grace Carballo ‘17

A few days ago at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, I went to an intercambio/language exchange and I feel pretty good about it because now tengo una cita (I have a date/meeting) with an older man named Ignacio!

You probably have a lot of follow-up questions and you are right, this is a lot like the plot of the Lizzie McGuire movie, except of course set in a different country, no cool moped rides yet, and I don’t have a pop star doppelgänger here to my knowledge. 

Full disclosure, Ignacio, is actually 70 years old so it’s a cita in the meeting sense of the word, but I am still very excited to have made my first Spanish friend. Ignacio taught me that my last name, Carballo, is actually a Galician word that means “Oak tree”. I taught him about feminism in America and he explained how in Spain, everyone has two last names. 

You keep both your mother’s and your father’s, which is pretty cool and I could definitely get behind. I, then explained to him the term “nickname” and based on this one conversation, I think it’s safe to say that together, Ignacio and I are unstoppable.

I also figured out how to get a library card at the Instituto! It wasn’t that hard, but still I delight in my newfound ability to accomplish menial tasks here. I did what I always do when armed with a library card and a whole lot of material at my disposal- I checked out movies.

I got Animal House because I’ve been unable to explain sororities and fraternities to my new family and also because I really want to see how the “Toga! Toga! Toga!” chant scene translates. I just looked up Desmadre because when I asked Carmen I didn’t really catch her explanation. Online translators suggest “excess, overabundance; immoderation” as synonyms.  This is a title change I can get behind.

I also got Breakfast at Tiffany’s because it’s very classic and just a good one and I think they will relate to the cat having no name theme, unless their cat does have a name and I misinterpreted that explanation, as well. Carmen has already seen it, but so have I and I’m not about to let that stop me.

I also really want to go to a movie here in a theater and they’re really cheap on Wednesdays. This is a sign for Pitch Perfect which is rated PG13 I think in the U.S. but here you just can’t be “younger than 7”. An R movie in the U.S., was “not recommended for minors under 12”.  Maybe this is why I feel like the Spanish people around me have a maturity I lack. They’ve been exposed to the prohibited mature themes since before they even hit their teens.

There’s still so much to learn and see here and if there’s one thing I don’t have time for, it’s watching movies. Which of course makes it exactly the thing I want to do most. I don’t feel bad about watching anything in Spanish though because I’m trying to really fully immerse myself. At this point, I’ve sort of submersed myself and I’m borderline drowning, but I guess it’s time to sink or swim.

So far, living here has proven worth my efforts and all the mishaps.