Introducción (Introduction)

During this summer, I will be studying abroad in Spain. I have chosen to write a blog so that my family back in the States can know what is going on. I'm also going to include how I got ready for my trip to Spain and what I researched before going for anyone who is interested or visiting Spain in the future.

I am studying in Segovia, Spain this summer with the KIIS program. This program
is an organization in Kentucky that has many different trips around the world. I chose to go on the KIIS Experience Spain II summer program, which requires students to have at least 18 hours of Spanish before going. (I have intermediate speaking and comprehending skills, having taken classes throughout high school and one year of college.) They offer four classes and students can take either one or two classes. I chose to take only one class on the Language and Culture of Spain so that I will have a little more time to explore.

This program is a home stay and so each student will be assigned a home with one to two other students. Each of the homes is somewhat close to the Plaza Mayor de Segovia (number 10 on the map), which is where the KIIS classes will be held.

There are about 4 or 5 different day excursions with the group to different locations near Segovia, including Salamanca, Madrid, Avila, and Toledo. We also have a four day weekend in the middle of the trip, during which we can travel wherever we want.

I hope this blog is helpful and interesting and I will continue posting other information I find about Segovia and Spain.

Productos Electrónicos (Electronics)

One important thing to know if you travel to Spain is that the electrical outlet has a different shape and a different wattage. The prongs are rounded and the wattage used is higher than in the United States. Because of this, you will need an adapter and/or a converter to make sure you can plug your electrical products into these outlets.

 

iPad and iPhone chargers along with many computer and electroninic chargers are made to adapter the voltage of outlets around the world. If you chargers says that it works with 110-240V then you should be fine in Spain.

Hairdryers/Curling Irons are the things you have to worry about. If you don't have a good converter,  you could end up damaging your device or even setting something on fire. These devices use less voltage than those in Spain and when the higher voltage goes in them, some type of explosion is possible.

(I find it funny that Denamrks's outlet is so happy. They are supposed to be the happiest country in the world and even their outlets show it.)

Experience: 

My host mom had a multiple outlet plug. I had a simple adapter that fits fine in the outlet but my converter does not fit at all (thankfully I don't need it).

(Adapter is underneath the iPhone plug. My roommate has the larger one, which also can work in the UK and USA)

More Information: Electrical Plug/Outlet and Voltage Information for Spain (Reino de España)
Travel Power Adapters: How to Choose
Using Electronics in Europe: The Backpacker’s Guide to Travel Gadgets

La Ropa (Clothing)

Research:

People in Europe, including those in Spain, tend to have a higher standard of dress than people in the United States. Women going to the supermarket dress up and wear heels, looking like they are going to a fancy party rather than shopping for food. Because of this, sweatpants are not worn outside the house and gym shorts are only seen on those who are doing something sports related. Shorts in general are not as common. Most people will wear a dress or capris rather than shorts. Wearing shorts will oftentimes identify you as a tourists. (Note: If you try to visit a church in shorts, oftentimes they will turn you away.)

The types of shoes they wear are also different. Flip-flops are not worn and tennis shoes or sneakers are not common although some say that converse are the only acceptable type.  Most women will wear heels or nicer shoes so make sure that you have a nice pair of sandals or dressier shoes instead of sneakers.

For this trip, I have purchased a lot of dresses. I bought around 7 dresses with me. I also brought nicer pants that I could role up so that they could work as capris. I brought some nicer shirts to go with these pants. 

Experience:

 We walked around and I have seen people in shorts but a majority of women are wearing dresses. Many of the host moms that picked us up wore comfortable dresses and nicer shoes. My host mom wore a comfortable, informal dress and I felt like I fit in with my capris and shirt (although in the afternoon, this was hot and so I will probably not be wearing those unless it is cooler out). Although I have seen some jean shorts, I haven't seen any long jeans yet.

People hear primarily wear sandals. My Señora wore them to pick us up. I have also seen quite a few pairs of heels. 

Investigación: Viajando por Tren (Research: Traveling by Train)

Planning the trip

When buying you ticket, you can buy them online at Renfe.com but I don't believe they take American credit cards.  Some of my friends said the website does take PayPal.

( For finding trains, I prefer this cite because I find it easier. It's not from Spain but it has many trips across Europe. http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml. )

It tends to be easier to go to the closest station to get the tickets. The clerks behind the counter are pros at trains and so can help you make sure you get on the trains you need to get to your destination. You just go up, tell them where you are going and then tell them around what time you want to arrive or leave. Make sure to check the tickets for the times but usually they are correct.

Also, as a visitor to Spain, you can get a renfe pass, which is basically a pass where you can buy a certain number of train trips. Just FYI, 4 tickets actually costs the same as 2 trips. I bought four trips for around 168€ while the two trips I believe costs about 169-170€. I also had to buy a connecting trip to Madrid from Segovia to get to the AVE station in Madrid and the trips there and back cost about 20-30€. 

Stations

 One thing to keep in mind when planning a trip is how you are going to get to and from the station. The Segovia Guiomar station is quite a way out of town and so you need to make sure that you leave in the bus that will get there with sufficient time to get on the train.  

Also, make sure you know how to get to your hostel or hotel before arriving in the city, because you need to know if you have to walk, take a taxi, or take the metro and there are not many wifi spots in Spain if you don't have data. 

NOTE: If you are traveling through Madrid, there are two stations. One is Charmartin and the other is Atocha. Especially if you are coming from or going to Segovia, you will need to take a third train called Cercanías (not listed on your tickets) from Charmartin to Atocha by swiping the barcode of the ticket that is leaving from Atocha at a Cercanías machine so that you can travel between stations.

Directions: All you have to do is go up to one of the ticket machines (usually red and says Cercanías) and click the button that says connection or something about traveling between stations (it was a yellow button on the left of the screen for us). It will then ask you to scan you tickets (scan the ticket for the train that will leave or arrive in Atocha) and then it will want to know where you are going. You will pick either Atocha or Charmartin. After that you will receive your ticket and you are good to go.

Traveling by Train: Finding your platform

About 20-30 minutes before boarding, the platform at which your train will arrive will appear on the screen that lists the trains. Make sure to find your train (sometimes it won't have the name of where you are going, but rather the direction it is going, like Valladolid instead of Segovia so just check the train number instead by comparing the number on the board to the one on your ticket). After that, simply find your platform. 

Traveling by Train: Boarding

This is extremely simple to figure out. Before boarding, your tickets is scanned and then you put your baggage through a scanner. You then find you compartment and seat. Coche means "car" so that is the compartment you are in while plaza is what seat in that compartment.

NOTE: When you find your seat, it might have a v or a p next to it. V stands for ventana or window and p stands for pasillo or aisle. They might also just use a rectangle to show that that seat is a window seat. It depends of the train. 

Once you find where you are sitting, you can place your equipaje or baggage either above you or on the racks at the end of the cars if that train has them. After that you can sit down and relax. Some trains will play movies and have stations of music that you can listen to, with the control located beside the seat. If you don't have earphones, some of the train workers usually walk around as the train departes and hand out audifonos or headphones. Some trains even had plugs where you can charge your phone or other electrical devices. Most trains will also have a food and drink car and all of them have bathrooms.

NOTE: One thing that is important is that doors close 2 minutes befor departure so make sure you are there before that. 

Sitios: A Beginner's Guide to...Train Travel in Spain
Renfe