Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Picture Post: Palma de Mallorca!
As promised, here are the pretty beach pictures of Mallorca, enjoy!
Dallas, Mallorca, y mas!
I feel like such a jet-setter: last weekend I interviewed with UT Southwestern, the weekend before some friends and I went to the island of Mallorca, and this weekend a friend is coming to visit from London! One thing about jet-setting though, it does make you kind of tired...
Ok, so first, UT Southwestern - I absolutely loved it! Before visiting I wasn't too excited because, well, it's in Dallas... but the research is great, the clinical training is great, the people are really friendly, and the MD/PhD program is really well supported (including by Ross Perot, "and not just verbally"). All the students I met were really happy about the program, and overall, Dallas isn't TOO bad.
So if all went well (I had 3 interviews with faculty members, including one with the dean of the program) I'll be invited back for a second interview/time to be wined and dined in February. Cross your fingers for me!
Also while in Dallas I got news that I've been invited to interview with the MD/PhD program at Baylor Med. School in Houston. I still haven't heard from UT San Antonio or UTMB Galveston, but those are lower on my list, so I'm pretty happy so far.
Ok, so Mallorca:
We stayed in the German part of town (which is practically all of town, Germans like to retire/vacation in Mallorca), so almost everyone was German! Which was fine, just a little odd to hear more german than spanish in Spain. The island is really beautiful, and alot bigger than I expected. We stayed about a block from a beach on the bay, about a 30 min bus ride from Palma, the biggest city of the island. There was definately alot more to see than the beach - mountains, caves, circular castles and more, but we didn't have a car, and we were pretty content to just lay on the beach all day. : D
Ok, so now what you're all here for: pictures!
(although all the pretty beach pics are on Clint's camara, I'll put those up later)
Me and the cathedral: (every city in Spain has a cathedral)
The cathedral again:
It was a fun trip, and I'm looking forward to going back with the fam in Dec. and seeing the mountains!
Oh, and just for fun, here's some London pics from last month.
I spent an afternoon sitting in St. James' park, it was pretty:
Me and Buckingham Palace, ooohlala!
Ok well I'm still a bit jet-lagged, off for some rest!
Besos,
Maren
Ok, so first, UT Southwestern - I absolutely loved it! Before visiting I wasn't too excited because, well, it's in Dallas... but the research is great, the clinical training is great, the people are really friendly, and the MD/PhD program is really well supported (including by Ross Perot, "and not just verbally"). All the students I met were really happy about the program, and overall, Dallas isn't TOO bad.
So if all went well (I had 3 interviews with faculty members, including one with the dean of the program) I'll be invited back for a second interview/time to be wined and dined in February. Cross your fingers for me!
Also while in Dallas I got news that I've been invited to interview with the MD/PhD program at Baylor Med. School in Houston. I still haven't heard from UT San Antonio or UTMB Galveston, but those are lower on my list, so I'm pretty happy so far.
Ok, so Mallorca:
We stayed in the German part of town (which is practically all of town, Germans like to retire/vacation in Mallorca), so almost everyone was German! Which was fine, just a little odd to hear more german than spanish in Spain. The island is really beautiful, and alot bigger than I expected. We stayed about a block from a beach on the bay, about a 30 min bus ride from Palma, the biggest city of the island. There was definately alot more to see than the beach - mountains, caves, circular castles and more, but we didn't have a car, and we were pretty content to just lay on the beach all day. : D
Ok, so now what you're all here for: pictures!
(although all the pretty beach pics are on Clint's camara, I'll put those up later)
Me and the cathedral: (every city in Spain has a cathedral)
The cathedral again:
It was a fun trip, and I'm looking forward to going back with the fam in Dec. and seeing the mountains!
Oh, and just for fun, here's some London pics from last month.
I spent an afternoon sitting in St. James' park, it was pretty:
Me and Buckingham Palace, ooohlala!
Ok well I'm still a bit jet-lagged, off for some rest!
Besos,
Maren
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Clint's Blog
If anyone's interested, here's the link to Clint's blog:
http://clintineurope.blogspot.com/
He has lots of pretty pictures too! (and loves comments)
http://clintineurope.blogspot.com/
He has lots of pretty pictures too! (and loves comments)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Yaaay!
Good news: I've been invited for another MD/PhD interview! I just got the news that the MD/PhD program at UT Southwestern in Dallas would like to interview me Oct. 20 - a week from Friday.
Anyways, I'm pretty excited, although getting interviews is a step towards getting into an MD/PhD program, which is a step away from staying in Spain for the next... year or so :D ... but that's okay, I miss science.
Wish me luck!
Maren
Anyways, I'm pretty excited, although getting interviews is a step towards getting into an MD/PhD program, which is a step away from staying in Spain for the next... year or so :D ... but that's okay, I miss science.
Wish me luck!
Maren
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Time for an update
Hello dear readers! Sorry I've been pretty lax on the updating, I'm trying to get back into the habit, starting now. I'll get you up to speed, and then hopefully sometime soon I'll write some detailed (and photographic!) posts about my adventures.
Since I last updated I've started my classes and taken 2 weekend trips, one to Sevilla and another to London. The trip to Sevilla was included with my study abroad program, and was full of sight-seeing and experiencing life in Andalucia (a southern province of Spain). We visited the 3rd largest cathedral in the world, ate lots of tapas (small appitizers that are eaten with drinks for dinner), and saw a flamenco show.
In London, I visited one of my best friends from Galveston, Karen. Again, I did lots of sight-seeing, including the Tate Modern art museum, the British Museum, and seeing the Parlament buildings and Big Ben. Both were alot of fun, and later I'll update with more details and pics.
Also in exciting news: I've been offered an MD/PhD interview with UT Houston! So that means I'll be in the Houston/Galveston area Nov. 8-11. Wish me luck!
This weekend I stayed in Madrid, which was a nice rest. Friday I had an excursion with my Environment and Society class to the mountains bordering Madrid and the historic city of Segovia.
First we stopped at a resevior right on the edge of the mountain range and discussed the changes between the flatlands of Madrid and much of southern Spain and the mountains we were looking at. Next stop: mountain peak, where there is skiing for a few months of the year (and just an hour outside of Madrid!). The slopes are small, and the snow is probably not the best, but for being so close to Madrid, it's pretty cool. Unfortunately, the season usually doesn't open until mid-December (right when I leave), but maybe I'll have a chance to ski.
I bought a bocadillo - a Spanish sandwich made on a loaf of french bread) - with manchego cheese, one of the distinctive Spanish cheeses, made from sheep's milk. We hopped back on our tour bus and headed back down the other side of the mountains to a picturesque site to have lunch. Of course we couldn't just eat lunch on the bus, Spanish people always take their time to eat, especially for lunch.
After lunch we stopped in a small pueblo right at the base of the mountains. Here we visited one of the many royal palaces and gardens that dot Spain. This particular palace was originally a monastary, but the king loved the area so much that he had it converted into a palace and built some extensive gardens. We only had 30 min to explore, and definately could have spent at least 2 hours just walking around the gardens.
Last stop: Segovia! This is an ancient town that was first Roman, then Moorish/Christian/Jewish in medeaval times, then most recently just Christian. The neatest thing in town is the Roman aqueduct, built completely without any sort of mortar! And it's still standing after some two thousand years.
Now I'm back in Madrid with homework to do and a room that needs cleaning... but sometime soon I'll update you on my travels!
Love,
Maren
Since I last updated I've started my classes and taken 2 weekend trips, one to Sevilla and another to London. The trip to Sevilla was included with my study abroad program, and was full of sight-seeing and experiencing life in Andalucia (a southern province of Spain). We visited the 3rd largest cathedral in the world, ate lots of tapas (small appitizers that are eaten with drinks for dinner), and saw a flamenco show.
In London, I visited one of my best friends from Galveston, Karen. Again, I did lots of sight-seeing, including the Tate Modern art museum, the British Museum, and seeing the Parlament buildings and Big Ben. Both were alot of fun, and later I'll update with more details and pics.
Also in exciting news: I've been offered an MD/PhD interview with UT Houston! So that means I'll be in the Houston/Galveston area Nov. 8-11. Wish me luck!
This weekend I stayed in Madrid, which was a nice rest. Friday I had an excursion with my Environment and Society class to the mountains bordering Madrid and the historic city of Segovia.
First we stopped at a resevior right on the edge of the mountain range and discussed the changes between the flatlands of Madrid and much of southern Spain and the mountains we were looking at. Next stop: mountain peak, where there is skiing for a few months of the year (and just an hour outside of Madrid!). The slopes are small, and the snow is probably not the best, but for being so close to Madrid, it's pretty cool. Unfortunately, the season usually doesn't open until mid-December (right when I leave), but maybe I'll have a chance to ski.
I bought a bocadillo - a Spanish sandwich made on a loaf of french bread) - with manchego cheese, one of the distinctive Spanish cheeses, made from sheep's milk. We hopped back on our tour bus and headed back down the other side of the mountains to a picturesque site to have lunch. Of course we couldn't just eat lunch on the bus, Spanish people always take their time to eat, especially for lunch.
After lunch we stopped in a small pueblo right at the base of the mountains. Here we visited one of the many royal palaces and gardens that dot Spain. This particular palace was originally a monastary, but the king loved the area so much that he had it converted into a palace and built some extensive gardens. We only had 30 min to explore, and definately could have spent at least 2 hours just walking around the gardens.
Last stop: Segovia! This is an ancient town that was first Roman, then Moorish/Christian/Jewish in medeaval times, then most recently just Christian. The neatest thing in town is the Roman aqueduct, built completely without any sort of mortar! And it's still standing after some two thousand years.
Now I'm back in Madrid with homework to do and a room that needs cleaning... but sometime soon I'll update you on my travels!
Love,
Maren
Monday, September 18, 2006
Segovia Province
Ok, here's the excursion update:
We left early Saturday morning and drove to an area of Segovia province in Castilla y Leon. We would spend the whole weekend in this area, starting with kayaking on a river through a deep canyon where protected vultures liked to nest. It was a pretty brisk morning with alot of wind and not enough sun, but overall it was fun.
After a tasty lunch in a small pueblo nearby, we headed out to another pueblo where we were staying the night and attending some local festivities. After 30 mins of down time, there was an optional trip to see some petroglyphs that are approximately 17,000 years old.
Can you see the petroglyph?
The glyphs happened to be on a hill, so we were able to see great vistas classic to the Castilla y Leon area.
Also in the same general area is a recently discovered Roman wall that had now been partially excavated.
It's amazing to think of all the different people that have lived here in Spain over thousands of years!
After dinner, the pueblo's festivities began - an encierro de toros. At midnight 6 bulls and their accompanying castrated bulls ran through the streets, along with a few brave (or foolhardy?) young men. The encierro continued the next day at the local bull staduim. At first the bulls ran through the stadium a few times (along with the young men), but then the real show began.
One bull was let out at a time, and any young man that wanted to would taunt the bull and then run away/avoid getting gored once the bull was provoked. This continued for about 10 or 15 mins, then that bull would be put away and the next would come out. All the while the local band was playing and the stadium was slowly reaching capaticy. It seemed like the entire population of the town (about 1,000) had shown up! After about an hour of this we left, had some bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches), and headed back to Madrid.
Overall it was a very interesting weekend, and it definitely reminded me that I'm a long way from home. But that's okay.
¡Hasta hora!
Maren
We left early Saturday morning and drove to an area of Segovia province in Castilla y Leon. We would spend the whole weekend in this area, starting with kayaking on a river through a deep canyon where protected vultures liked to nest. It was a pretty brisk morning with alot of wind and not enough sun, but overall it was fun.
After a tasty lunch in a small pueblo nearby, we headed out to another pueblo where we were staying the night and attending some local festivities. After 30 mins of down time, there was an optional trip to see some petroglyphs that are approximately 17,000 years old.
Can you see the petroglyph?
The glyphs happened to be on a hill, so we were able to see great vistas classic to the Castilla y Leon area.
Also in the same general area is a recently discovered Roman wall that had now been partially excavated.
It's amazing to think of all the different people that have lived here in Spain over thousands of years!
After dinner, the pueblo's festivities began - an encierro de toros. At midnight 6 bulls and their accompanying castrated bulls ran through the streets, along with a few brave (or foolhardy?) young men. The encierro continued the next day at the local bull staduim. At first the bulls ran through the stadium a few times (along with the young men), but then the real show began.
One bull was let out at a time, and any young man that wanted to would taunt the bull and then run away/avoid getting gored once the bull was provoked. This continued for about 10 or 15 mins, then that bull would be put away and the next would come out. All the while the local band was playing and the stadium was slowly reaching capaticy. It seemed like the entire population of the town (about 1,000) had shown up! After about an hour of this we left, had some bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches), and headed back to Madrid.
Overall it was a very interesting weekend, and it definitely reminded me that I'm a long way from home. But that's okay.
¡Hasta hora!
Maren
Friday, September 15, 2006
Busybusy
Saludos from Madrid!
I've been really busy with my program orientation these past few weeks, but classes start on Monday so then I should have less of a crazy schedule and then I can update more often!
Today I signed up for classes, and I'm only taking 4 (which is crazy for me!) My classes are medio ambiente y sociedad (Spanish geography and anthropology), el cuento (the spanish short story), instituciones (Spanish and European government), and a language/grammar class. I don't have class on Fridays or until 6pm on Mondays, so hopefully that'll make it easier for me to travel!
Speaking of travel, I've already been invited to interview with 2 medical schools! The MD programs at UTMB Galveston and UT Houston both invited me to interview with them. However, I'm more interested in their MD/PhD programs, so it looks like I'll be declining those interview and waiting for a possible interview with their MD/PhD programs. Wish me luck!
This weekend my study abroad group is taking a trip to "Rural España". I'm not sure exactly what that entails, but I'll try to take lots of pictures and update you on Monday!
¡Abrazos y besos a todos!
(hugs and kisses to everyone!)
Maren
I've been really busy with my program orientation these past few weeks, but classes start on Monday so then I should have less of a crazy schedule and then I can update more often!
Today I signed up for classes, and I'm only taking 4 (which is crazy for me!) My classes are medio ambiente y sociedad (Spanish geography and anthropology), el cuento (the spanish short story), instituciones (Spanish and European government), and a language/grammar class. I don't have class on Fridays or until 6pm on Mondays, so hopefully that'll make it easier for me to travel!
Speaking of travel, I've already been invited to interview with 2 medical schools! The MD programs at UTMB Galveston and UT Houston both invited me to interview with them. However, I'm more interested in their MD/PhD programs, so it looks like I'll be declining those interview and waiting for a possible interview with their MD/PhD programs. Wish me luck!
This weekend my study abroad group is taking a trip to "Rural España". I'm not sure exactly what that entails, but I'll try to take lots of pictures and update you on Monday!
¡Abrazos y besos a todos!
(hugs and kisses to everyone!)
Maren
Monday, September 04, 2006
In Madrid!
Hola amigos!
I´m here in the center of Madrid in an internet cafe. My program orientation started today, and the other students (there are only 9 of us!) and program directors are all very nice. So far it´s pretty hot here in the city (in the 90´s) and most places don´t have AC, but it should be cooling down in the next few weeks. Wednesday evening I get to meet my hosts, and in the next few days I should know my class schedule. Tomorrow I should get my cell phone, just in case anyone feels like calling Spain!
Yesterday Clint and I had a picnic lunch in el Parque del Buen Retiro, a large park near the center of Madrid. The park is large and full of trees and madrileños enjoying their last Sunday of the August break. Today was the first day most people went back to work after taking a month of vacation during August. As the day started to heat up, Clint and I headed over to el Prado, just a few blocks from the park. Most museums are free on Sundays, so we were able to see a special Picasso exhibition at el Prado. There were works from throughout Picasso´s career, as well as several paintings from artists that inspired Picasso. It was a very interesting exhibit, and a great (air conditioned) way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Coming soon - photos from the looong trip over and el parque.
Besos!
Maren
PS - I should have fairly regular internet access, so email me -
marenyngve (at) gmail (dot) com
I´m here in the center of Madrid in an internet cafe. My program orientation started today, and the other students (there are only 9 of us!) and program directors are all very nice. So far it´s pretty hot here in the city (in the 90´s) and most places don´t have AC, but it should be cooling down in the next few weeks. Wednesday evening I get to meet my hosts, and in the next few days I should know my class schedule. Tomorrow I should get my cell phone, just in case anyone feels like calling Spain!
Yesterday Clint and I had a picnic lunch in el Parque del Buen Retiro, a large park near the center of Madrid. The park is large and full of trees and madrileños enjoying their last Sunday of the August break. Today was the first day most people went back to work after taking a month of vacation during August. As the day started to heat up, Clint and I headed over to el Prado, just a few blocks from the park. Most museums are free on Sundays, so we were able to see a special Picasso exhibition at el Prado. There were works from throughout Picasso´s career, as well as several paintings from artists that inspired Picasso. It was a very interesting exhibit, and a great (air conditioned) way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Coming soon - photos from the looong trip over and el parque.
Besos!
Maren
PS - I should have fairly regular internet access, so email me -
marenyngve (at) gmail (dot) com
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Welcome
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my travel blog! As I'm sure you know, I'll be spending the fall of this year studying Spanish language and culture in Madrid, España. Here I'll keep you updated on all of my adventures and travels throughout Spain and Europe. Also, I'll hopefully be flying back stateside a few times for medical school interviews, so I'll keep you updated on that too.
Now as a preview, here's a pic from the trendy Chueca neighborhood of Madrid from my visit in 2005:
¡Hasta luego!
Maren
Welcome to my travel blog! As I'm sure you know, I'll be spending the fall of this year studying Spanish language and culture in Madrid, España. Here I'll keep you updated on all of my adventures and travels throughout Spain and Europe. Also, I'll hopefully be flying back stateside a few times for medical school interviews, so I'll keep you updated on that too.
Now as a preview, here's a pic from the trendy Chueca neighborhood of Madrid from my visit in 2005:
¡Hasta luego!
Maren
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