Hola! Welcome to one of my last blog posts to upload from my International Internship experience as a Puerto Rican student from the University of Pittsburgh in Madrid, Spain. Today I will be delving into my experiences in the city of Málaga I had last weekend and the communication experience that I’ve had during my whole stay in Spain.

First I want to reflect on how different is the Spanish that I know, that is, the Puerto Rican Spanish and the one from Spain. I know I have previously mentioned some about how different the Spanish were, but I want to write more in-depth about it. I have noted that some of the words that Spaniards say, don’t have that many uses like the Puerto Rican Spanish, but it feels like they have a different dictionary of Spanish words than the ones I grew up to in Puerto Rico. I mentioned it before, but the word “cascos” means earbuds and most people call a casco a helmet. The areas where I have noticed the most differences in Spanish have been inside the host family and when we have dinner or a simple conversation. The definitions of the same word we use for different contexts are what makes me confused about what they are saying. Spanish food, for example, they call any type of food with potatoes, “patatas” and we call food with potatoes “papas” or “papita”. With these differences in words, I can still understand what they are saying or referring to, but there are other words that we also say that have completely different meanings so I sometimes have to reassure by asking. In my work environment, I do not talk that often since my work is majorly on the computer, but there is one coworker in charge of sales who has a different Spanish I believe from Andalucía. She speaks very very fast and sometimes I do not understand what she is saying. Spaniards speak fast as it is, but with this co-worker is something different. Again, I’ve had to reassure my doubts by asking her to repeat herself, but no major challenges have been brought up to me yet since I know Spanish.

Now to my Málaga adventure! Málaga was beautiful it had a very beachy vibe, unlike others. We first went sightseeing to the Gibralfaro Castle located on a very high mountain with amazing views. To give a little history about it, since I always want to know the history behind monuments, the castle was originally built in the 10th century and it was primarily constructed to house troops and protect the Alcazaba, a nearby fortress and palace complex. The castle played a vital role during various historical conflicts, including the Reconquista, when the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella besieged it in 1487 during their campaign to conquer the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. To give you an opinion on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 7.5 and the views a 10/10. You could see the entirety of Málaga from up there, it was incredible.

Next up, we went to the Alcábar of Málaga which I thought was better than the castle. Its rock designs and pathways uphill made it unique. You could admire a piece of structure when you see this old stronghold with a sense of history behind it and feel the exciting sense of this historic piece while standing on it, it’s very satisfying. The Alcazaba was constructed in the early 11th century during the period of Islamic rule in Spain. It served as a defensive stronghold and the residence of Muslim rulers, combining military and residential functions. It has a mix of Islamic and Moorish architectural styles, characterized by intricate arches, courtyards, fountains, and lush gardens. One curious thing I heard from one of the guides there where I sneaked into the group for a second to hear what she had to say was that the gates in the Alcabar were designed to confuse and slow down potential invaders.

We then went to the Picasso Museum which was cool. I am not a fan of art, but this time I tried to pay attention to the history behind every painting. Out of all of the art styles, Cubism was my favorite. The Museum also includes Surrealism and Neoclassicism. Also, the museum resides in a palace called the Buenavista Palace which also caught my attention for an art museum to be inside of an artistical Andalusian structure.

To conclude this blog, the views were immaculate, the shopping district where the museum is also a must-see experience and I would 100% recommend going to Málaga. I’m most likely not going on a trip next weekend because of the Eurocup, Wimbledon, and Copa America Finals, but stay tuned for the next blog post where I will rate my favorite trip and places.

Gracias a todos!

Hasta Luego!