My view on Spain.

   

View of Arrasate Mondragon.

Part of Mondragon

             

Scenario of the place is so beautiful and fascinating. “Clean and understanding place” is words I am going to describe.

Clean place because it is clean with proper litterbin (different bin for different waste) being placed at suitable place. I can find no litter on the ground. People are civilized here. They reached their litter to litterbin.  

Understanding place because people are comprehensible to each other. It was amazing to witness people following traffic rule strictly. Walker on the road cross only through zebra crossing even when no vehicles is moving. On the other hand driver respect zebra crossing. They wait at zebra crossing if people target to cross zebra from the distance.

You may be alone here physically but you are never alone mentally. No sooner than we ask about something, they try to response us with the answer. If people speak English then I guarantee you, Spain is your home.

The real happiness is with people of Spain. Irrespective of all age, they have the time to gather at rest place in the city. Come weekend, the party come along with. And very interesting night is being observed. We will not witness the chaos and disorder make out of drink.

I am happy here, Spain

Teaching and Learning Environment is Different

The teaching and learning environment in a foreign country, Mondragon University, Spain, is completely different from that in my country, Bhutan. I cannot say which one is better—the practice adopted in Bhutan or the practice adopted in Spain.

Learning takes place here because there is constant communication between tutors and students. Classes are friendly, and students can ask any question without hesitation. One interesting thing I have noticed is that students use personal computers (PCs) and utilize them very effectively. They use search engines like Google to find answers to questions. Tutors do not even come around to check whether students are using the PCs effectively—they trust their students very much.

In comparison, in Bhutan, there is little interaction between students and tutors. Students often hesitate to communicate with tutors, and the gap between students and tutors still exists. If students were given a chance to use PCs in a classroom with Wi-Fi available, I am sure many would misuse the platform (for example, Facebook). I admit that I even misused the platform here at Mondragon University, Spain.

Formality in the Classroom

In Bhutan, students maintain good decorum with tutors. They know how to respond to tutors respectfully.

In Spain, however, decorum is different. We can address our tutors by their first names, and the relationship is much less formal. Students show less outward respect toward tutors, at least in the way Bhutanese students do.

During my stay in Spain, I will learn about their culture and, if possible, adopt the best practices in our country.

Finally, a question to the reader: Which culture is better?

My Nostalgia in Spain.

                            

Pose near university

Mondragon University.

It was 16:00 hours when I arrived in Spain (Mondragon University, MU) on 1st September. Miss Adrune, the international coordinator of the Interweave Project, guided me to reach my residence. There were two female students from MU who took me to my room and explained everything available in it: how to use the items in the room, where the toilet and bathroom were, where the sitting area was, and how to cook, all with their limited English.

I was alone in the room, as my three roommates—one from Slovakia and two from Italy—were yet to arrive on 3rd and 4th September, respectively. My friends from Bhutan and Nepal were living in different residences. The deepest sorrow of being alone in Spain, after traveling all the way from Asia (Bhutan), was something I could only describe as “My Nostalgia in Spain.” Tension after tension kept flowing nonstop. The language I speak was not understood by them, and the language they spoke was incomprehensible to me, creating a significant language barrier. The food they ate felt tasteless to me, and the food I was used to could not be found here. My nostalgia in Spain became even more intense as I deeply missed my loving parents. No matter how kind the people of Spain were or how hospitable they showed themselves to me, it could not replace the love and care my parents give me.

Although my mind was overwhelmed by “my nostalgia of Spain,” I still had deep faith in God Almighty, my only root teacher (Tsa-Wai-Lam), and gratitude toward my parents. I continued to follow my daily routine of praying in the morning and evening before bed.

To ease my nostalgia, I decided to visit my friends’ residences, where Keshav from Nepal and Anup Thapa, my friend from Bhutan, were staying. They were lucky enough to have a Spanish roommate named Joseba, who is pursuing a Master’s in Electrical Engineering. He helped us a lot. Thank you, Joseba—you are the first Spanish friend I added to my friend list after arriving here.