VISITING THE REINA SOFIA: FEMINISM THROUGH ART

By Virginia Burke

University of Mississipi

This past Saturday the Legal Studies group visited The Reina Sofia museum and specifically a new exhibit on feminism. Though this was my first visit to the museum I am quite accustomed to The Reina Sofia library where I like to go to study on days that I do not have class. The Reina Sofia building itself is very impressive. With glass elevators and marble floors the structure itself is immense.

The art gallery for the feminism exhibit was equally impressive and I was amazed by the breadth and depth of the works shown. With rooms that profiled the roles of women throughout many ages the art was very thought provoking.  This fit perfectly with the law theme for the week, gender based violence. In Spain violent acts committed based on gender discrimination qualify as crimes against the state because they are violations of fundamental rights. Spain’s progressive stance on the status of the gender equality has led to massive changes in the abuse of women which is one of the most prevalent and hidden crimes that exists in Spain and the world.

Tackling cultural ideals of “machismo” or male dominance, Spain aggressively punishes males who abuse females. Victims are provided with resources to start new lives after abuse and the state works hard to educate its’ citizens about the dangers and penalties associated with gender based crimes. With these new laws and a general trend toward gender equality in Spain the status of women has changed a lot over the past few years.

The Reina Sofia chronicled this change very effectively demonstrating the movement from women in a subservient role to women in a more powerful position. While I was struck by the great disparity between male and female artists that were featured in the museum, perhaps this is just a reflection of the time it takes for an artist or painting to become famous. If the number of women that now work in academia and become judges in Spain today we can expect to see many more artworks of women in the future. 

SUPER GUAY, NATURALMENTE

By Nicole Tiger

Brandeis University

Hi folks! Nicky again. So basically, the weekend of the 7^th CIEE Madrid embarked on an amazing journey entitled “La Gomera”. One of the most beautiful islands I’ve seen, it is located within a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa. While the beach and food were amazing, I’m here to talk about the “senderismo” or hiking in the gorgeous Garajonay National Park.

            On Saturday, after a great first day at the beach, our guide Jose Maria took us to the Garajonay National Park to spice up our trip with a little nature and romance. The park gets its name from a famous local tale that follows a similar plot line to Romeo and Juliet. Gara and Jonay become lovers despite that their families are members of opposing tribes. In order to keep their affair secret, they only come together to…you know…under the cloud cover of a forest in between their two homes. Because of a strange geographical phenomenon that experts have difficulty explaining to this day, the forest is extremely damp because clouds become trapped just above the trees. It’s so moist that mushy green foliage covers every surface in the forest—it’s truly beautiful. Anywho, when the parents find out about the couple’s rendezvous’, shit hits the fan. Somehow the couple ends up surrounded by the enemy and they decide to commit suicide so that they don’t have to live apart. As was demonstrated live by Jose Maria and Erica, the two lovers placed a stick between their chests and thrust so that they were both impaled. Symbolically though, they would be connected forever.

            As I previously mentioned, the forest is completely stunning. Green shrubbery completely encases everything and is soft to the touch. The beauty that surrounded us almost entirely distracted me from the fact that we were moving at a pretty fast pace uphill. Jose Maria took a hands-on approach to the hike and told us to experience everything with our senses of touch and smell in addition to sight. We picked a few plants to smell and some people even walked part of the hike barefoot. The natural setting combined with the lovely sense of freshness made for a very wonderful hike—interrupted only by a brief dramatic encounter with some bicyclists breaking the law. The senderismo, the beach, the food, and my personal favorite, the bonding made the CIEE trip to La Gomera a complete success!!!

                                  

LA GOMERA

Por Camille Valdes

Northeastern University

“Sol, playa y arena vamo’ allá”.

Esto era lo único que podía pensar cuando me enteré que íbamos a las Islas Canarias. Cuando llegamos lo primero que hicimos fue ir a la playa, de lejos se veía el contraste de los azul con la arena blanca. La verdad que cuando la vi me trajo una serenidad y una paz el sonido de las olas y la belleza del horizonte. Jose María, nuestro guía, nos dijo que esa era única de las playas de arena blanca ya que la mayoría de las playas en las Islas Canarias son de arena negra por ser islas volcánicas. Para mí, estar en la playa era como estar en casa, en Puerto Rico. Toda esas semejanzas: el color del agua, la arena y el calor pero todo esa percepción cambio cuando toqué el agua, estaba completamente congelada. Ahí me di cuenta que a pesar de todas las semejanzas, no tan sólo de cómo se veía la isla sino la gente también, yo no estaba en casa. Sin embargo como ya dije la gente me recordaba bastante a como las personas hablan en casa. En algún momento me acuerdo haber dicho, que el acento de los canarios era como música para mis oídos. Lamentablemente no nos quedamos mucho tiempo en Tenerife porque había que ir a nuestro destino final, la Gomera.
Cuando llegamos a la isla de la Gomera específicamente, tuvimos un recorrido por la isla con un guía que nos hablaba de la historia de la isla y nos enseñó de donde supuestamente sacaron el agua con la cual se bautizó a las Américas. Durante este recorrido también vimos lo que era la expresión del arte gótico en la Gomera que en realidad no tenía mucho de gótico, solo la forma del arco en la entrada era lo que hacia que la iglesia formara parte de este tipo de arquitectura. Nos explicó que la razón por la cual no era lo que comúnmente pensábamos como gótico por lo lejos que se encuentra la isla de la península ibérica.

El siguiente día nos llevaron a comer a un restaurante para que probásemos comida tradicional de la Gomera. Yo juro que cuando vi la comida parte de mi pensó que lo único que me faltaba eran un poco de arroz con la carne de cerdo o unos tostones o amarillos (platano maduro) como acompañamiento. A mí pesar no teníamos esto pero sí habían papas arrugás. Estas papas son hervidas con mucha sal y luego mantener las papas en la cacerola con el fuego apagado pero para que se continúen cocinando. Luego de unos minutos las papas quedan secas y blancas por fuera por sal. Estas usualmente se comen con mojo picón pero también hay un mojo de cilantro, el cual yo probé. ¡Este mojo era riquísimo! La combinación de las papas con el mojo era increíble. Antes de la carne y las papas había una sopa que podías ponerle gofio que es una harina de maíz que los canarios le ponen pues a sopas, al café, entre otras. Me gustó mucho esta combinación, nunca hubiese pensado poner el gofio a la sopa ni al café. Usualmente en Puerto Rico, el gofio solo es un dulce de maíz que comemos durante las navidades. Para finalizar la comida, comimos un postre que se llamaba leche hervida, en esencia se parecía mucho al flan y era igual de rico también. Luego del restaurante fui por primera vez a una playa de arena negra. La verdad que es otra experiencia. La percepción de esa playa es totalmente diferente a la que siempre he pensado pero me encantó. Era algo nuevo e interesante que podía apreciar por lo diferente que era a una playa en Puerto Rico. No podía comparar y decir pues la playa de casa es mejor porque son totalmente diferentes. Para mí, era curioso mirar a mis pies y verlos negros por la arena. Hasta cierto punto si lo mirabas de lejos lo que aprecia era que tenías los pies llenos de fango.
En fin, esta excursión a la Gomera fue una experiencia que nunca olvidaré y que me hizo empezar a extrañar el habla de los caribeños y el paisaje de Puerto Rico. Como me dijo Paco, “la Gomera va ser como estar en casa” y la verdad lo fue. De hecho me siento también un poco vindicada con mis amistades de Latinoamérica porque ellos siempre me dicen que yo me invento palabras y que en ningún lugar se usan las palabras que yo uso. Pues allí en las Canarias palabras como guagua y parcha se utilizan de la misma manera que en Puerto Rico. No sabes todos los años que tuve que escuchar, “no es guagua, es bus” o “no es parcha, es maracuyá”. Yo ahora le digo a mis amistades, después de esta visita a la Gomera, que nosotros somos los que hablamos y decimos las cosas correctas porque los canarios fueron importantes en el descubrimiento y entonces cabe deducir que simplemente seguimos lo que nos enseñaron ellos.

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AT THE HAGUE

By Nicole Tiger

Brandeis University

Hi friends and family! Nicky here. So I’ve come a long long way from my last post. I’m having the time of my life here in Madrid, and now I can say I had the time of my life in the Netherlands, too! I kid you not when I say that the Hague will be my favorite trip from this entire Study Abroad experience. Not only did the trip have plenty of waffles, Paco’s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M7rPL7NW3k), and over-all awesomeness, we also visited the International Criminal Court, which brings me to the focus of this blog post.

The International Criminal Court, or the “Corte Penal Internacional”, is an independent international organization that works to assign blame to the individuals responsible for global atrocities. Essentially, leaders can no longer hide behind their positions when their crimes fundamentally violate universally recognized human rights. I personally agree with everything the court stands for and greatly admire the work they put in to get justice for victims who have suffered unspeakably horrible ordeals at the hands of government officials they ought to be able to trust.

During our visit to the ICC, the court case in session involved a chief of police from Kenya responsible for the neglect and corruption of his police force that led to several deaths and uninvestigated crimes of a sexual nature. His men repeatedly allowed the passage of enemy troops into villages and failed to provide protection during attacks. It was so fascinating to see the actual set up of the court in session, as opposed to the empty courtroom we toured while in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

While of course the entire tour was memorable, there was one moment that stood out from all the rest as the most funny, yes funny. Throughout the portion of the trial that we witnessed, the camera had remained focused on the prosecutor delivering her closing argument. However, for one brief second, the camera changed targets and displayed a man picking at his nose, then immediately switched back to the prosecutor. It was both surprising, and hilaaarious. Paco and I exchanged a brief look of confusion and chuckled to ourselves.

Overall, I learned a lot about international law from my visit to the International Criminal Court. The entire experience was very cool because I felt as if I were participating in the trial somehow by being in the audience. The whole trip was a huge success for me, and I enjoyed every minute! Thanks CIEE!

THE PEACE PALACE IN THE HAGUE (THE NETHERLANDS)

           

Por Virginia Burke

University of Mississipi

Our Legal Studies excursion to The Hague was a trip filled with interesting meetings and sights. Of particular interest for me was the Palacio de Paz or Peace Palace. The Peace Palace is the home of the International Court of Justice or ICJ a court established by the United Nations to resolve disputes between nations. The ICJ is especially interesting because the parties have to agree to appear before the court and even have the right to set certain rules and regulations to govern the court proceedings. One of the most interesting rights that a nation has in this process is to request a judge from their own nation if a judge from their nation is not a judge of the court.

The idea of arbitration in this form was a very new concept at the time of the palace’s construction in the early 1900s. The idea arose from Czar Nicholas II’s hope for peace in an era where Russia could not continue building its army. From various peace conferences the idea for a central location to work toward world peace was developed. With donations from various governments, organizations, and wealthy partrons the Palace became a reality in 1907. One of the largest donations was given by Andrew Carnegie, while doubtful about the ability of arbitration to settle disputes among states was willing to support the idea if a library was included. That library is now the largest library for international law in the world.

Visiting the Palace of Peace was certainly a time to give thought to the idea of arbitration. The success of the method has certainly been proven through the ICJ in many different cases.  Since the concept and field of international law is relatively new this place is certainly at the cutting edge and learning more about this court has definitely helped to further my interest in international law.             

ORIENTATION OVERVIEW

By Hanz Berduo

University of Illinois at Chicago

Having the opportunity to study abroad can be viewed primarily as the ability to visit a new place and be able to instantly become accustomed to the area and live in the new country with ease. However, this is not the case. One must be introduced to the different aspects and fundamentals a new country has to offer. It also might be possible that visiting a country may cause confusion within an individuals state of mind and he or she may forget who he or she represents, their affiliations, or overall the individuals purpose of being in the enthralling new location. It must be noted that CIEE has done a wonderful job of being able to target those issues that a foreigner may feel during the first stages of a new adventure and expedition. Now living in Spain for two weeks, CIEE has made sure that the students, who have made an appearance to whichever program, feel welcomed to this new, majestic place with open arms. Students receive unconditional attention and care for unstable assurance and the many emotions a foreigner may feel during the first few stages. The transition to living in Spain from the United States has been facilitated by the comforting transition that is acquired and provided by the staff of CIEE. Thus, any paternal or maternal figure should know that his or her child is in good hands that can further be described as responsible, organized, and attentive to the needs of any student encountered by emotional distress.

            In addition, the safety of living in Spain is multiplied sufficiently by the introduction of our surroundings that create a solidified awareness of different locations as well as the importance of the country’s culture and norms. All this allows the student to avoid unnecessary confrontations with deviants of its society as well as saying the wrong thing to whoever is participating in the communication process with a foreigner. CIEE did show the student to learn to become less ignorant to the environment and as mentioned, the culture that exists as something very unfamiliar to one who has never considered such differences. This cultural education indefinitely allows the student to take a few steps further towards an enlightened form of living.

            Furthermore, with the help of CIEE, the new students are fortunate enough to be introduced to the many local attractions and areas of interest that cuts out a significant portion of time that an individual explorer must spend in finding these luminous places. All the sight seeing occurs during a faster rate so that more can be seen during, as it seems, such a limited timeframe. There is never enough to see, you just want more and more! This maintains the feelings of anticipation and surprise that allows the student to capture these moments with true significance that will be kept as memories forever. With all the benefits that CIEE has provided, it must also be noted that from all this assistance, the student forms a greater incentive to learn more about the new country and to explore much more than that individual had expected. Therefore, the journey that the student experiences, becomes more legitimate and genuine.         

PRIMERAS IMPRESIONES DE MADRID

Por Parker Wright

Wittenberg University

            Para ser honesto, España no era mi primera opción cuando decidí estudiar fuera del país. Ya había estudiado en Sudamérica, en Santiago de Chile, y me encantaba mi experiencia en ese país. En Sudamérica, la gente no tiene una opinión alta de España (algunos todavía piensan en los españoles como los “conquistadores.”). Pues, antes de llegar aquí, no había oído muchas cosas buenas sobre España y el pueblo español. Sin embargo, decidí optar por una experiencia diferente y única, la cual hasta este momento ha sido impresionante y ha valido la pena.

            Llegué a Madrid dos días antes del comienzo del periodo de orientación con CIEE. Me quedé en un hostal en el barrio Malasaña por estas dos noches, y lo pasé súper bien caminando por las calles de ese barrio y también en el área cerca del Prado y el Retiro, el área quizás más conocida y famosa de la ciudad. Al llegar a Madrid, me dió una gran impresión el hecho de que, obviamente, España consiste en una sociedad y cultura muy abierta y libre. No había pensado en esto antes, supongo. Madrid probablemente es la única ciudad en que he ido donde hay mucha más gente por las calles durante la noche que durante el día.

           Mi primera noche en la ciudad, caminé solo por las calles de Malasaña para ver la ciudad en su ápice. Me sorprendía la cantidad de gente en las calles a las horas como 4:00 de la mañana, una hora donde típicamente en los EEUU la gente ya se ha acostado. También es un poco diferente que lo que he visto en América Latina; creo que Buenos Aires es más así que Santiago, donde he vivido. Me impresionó mucho, e inmediatamente, el ánimo, la joie de vivre, de los madrileños. Aquí en Madrid, lo más importante es siempre estar con tus amigos, pasarlo bien, y vivir para ese momento. Un modo de pensamiento bastante diferente de lo que estamos acostumbrados en los EEUU, estoy cada día más cercano a este estilo de vivir.

            La vida durante la noche no es la única oferta positiva que nos presenta Madrid. Además, el alcalde y el gobierno local  hace fácil disfrutar las ofertas culturales que existen en la ciudad. Por ejemplo, el domingo después de llegar, me fui al Museo Prado, que es gratis durante las tardes de los domingos. Uno de los museos de arte más alabados en el mundo, el Prado contiene un montón de obras con temas religiosos y reales. Su colección es verdaderamente impresionante. Luego, después de la reunión de todo el grupo, nos fuimos al Museo Thyssen; su arte es más mi estilo, con obras seculares del siglo XIV y XX. CIEE  también nos facilita ir a comer, haciendo cosas como ofrecernos tarjetas de descuentos para restaurantes, museos, cines, partidos atléticos, y muchas cosas así. Quiero tomar mucha ventaja de estas ofertas para ahorros posibles. Tengo mucha emoción para asistir mi primer partido de fútbol europeo, cuando Real Madrid juega este sábado contra Getafe. Todavía quiero ir al Rastro, el gran mercado aire libre que está abierto cada domingo. Hay más barrios que quiero explorar a través de la ciudad, por ejemplo La Latina, Moncloa y Príncipe Pío. Además, espero que pueda seguir formando relaciones significativas con la gente en mi programa y también con los estudiantes que  voy a conocer en la Universidad Carlos III.