Madrid and the beginning of the end

I had to say goodbye to Daniel and Phil about a week ago - the night before I left for Madrid, and I said goodbye to Line yesterday. I knew the end was coming up soon, but I didn't realize it would all happen so fast. All the people I've met, places I've been, experiences I've had.. after the next few weeks it's all over and will feel like a blur and a dream. I still can't believe I'm done with college. Surely everyone must go through this kind of emotional turmoil when they walk out of their last final.

But along came Madrid, and I decided to push the turmoil aside for a while. A month or two ago I received an email through my study abroad program advisor for a weekend retreat put together by a group called Americans for Informed Democracy. Normally I'd just delete something like this without taking a second glance at it. But I read the letter and decided that I'd like nothing better than to go someplace I'd never been before to discuss my point of view with people just like me who I'd never met before. And it turned out to be an incredible experience.

We were a group of about 35 American college kids studying in Spain, France, Greece, London, Italy, Hungary, Scotland, etc. Most of us were International Relations or Political Science majors, but there were even a few Art and Literature majors who were there just out of pure interest. We discussed things like America's involvement in current global issues, what kind of a role should we play in international development, what do we think the future of Democracy will be if we keep going about things the way we have been, the role of the media, etc. I found it to be extremely informative and engaging. I also really enjoyed being able to talk to people about how I view things, and learning from their points of view. Most of you are probably thinking right now, "Olivia? Talking politics? No way!" But I guess it's been known to happen. If you want more info on the organization, check out their website: .

But seriously though, it was refreshing to see so many people my own age taking an active interest in the way the US government is going about implementing its policies. We broke into smaller groups to allow for more intense discussion, and in my group we were honored with the presence of an Indian woman who is studying at Oxford. Listening to her speak and give her points of view made me realize how our point of view is very American, even though we were all there because we want to see a change in the world. Having a non-American perspective opened up our minds even more to how the rest of the world views us, which is not always completely negative. But I realized that there is so much we don't know about the world, and if we want to see a change we have to make a point of talking with people from different places,and learn from what they have to say. It was great to see so many young Americans putting their minds together this weekend, but I think that it was the contribution of ideas from people like Gopak (the Indian woman) that really made the retreat worthwhile.

After the it was over, I stayed another 3 days in the city with my friend Juliet from UCSB. I attended a bull-fight (incredibly disturbing), went to the national art gallery (numerous pieces on display by Picasso (including Guernica) and Salvador Dali), experienced a bit of the infamous Madrid nightlife (but didn't quite make it until 8am!), ate lots of tapas (greasy but yummy) and paella, drank sangria, sang karaoke (really, really bad karaoke!), went to the city rose garden, walked through the palace gardens, and took lots of pictures. I didn't want to leave when the time came to go. It seemed as though I felt at home there on the very first day. Being in a big city again made me realize how cramped I feel in Grenoble. A lovely town, but too small for me. I need the lights, the noise, the nightlife, and the general busy feel of a big city. It has been nice being on what has felt like a year-long vacation, but I found in Madrid that I thrive on the city's energy. LA, San Francisco, and even Sacramento are all home to me. I love Europe, and I don't want to leave it. There's so much to do and see but unfortunately, that takes money and I gotta go home to make it.

I'll be home soon.