Bienvenida Universidad de Murcia Internacional - "University of Murcia Internatonal Welcome"

La Universidad de Murcia hosts a huge multi-week welcome for International Students. Nearly everything is free or at a very low cost. It started last week, when classes started for second semester. To kick things off, the President of the University held a welcome reception with speakers from the university. We were welcomed with a huge group photo, tapas of every sort for an amazing brunch, and mid-day wine and beer. Welcome to the Spanish education system!

(one of the tables of unlimited tapas and drinks at the reception)

On Saturday we were given the opportunity to travel to nearby beach-town Cartagena free of cost to experience the historic and ocean-city which we will surely be going to A LOT. We were blown away by the heat and sun! Unfortunately, me and some of my friends experienced some miscommunication and missed the museum and tour of the roman theater in the city. But we did attend the hike up the hill to view the theater from above. We were also greeted by about a half-dozen peacocks along the trail. Who would have thought!? It’s a beautiful city which will surely be one of my favorites as soon as it warms up a little bit more!

(Ancient Roman Theater in the city)

(Me posing in front of the Mediterranean)

Saturday night the University hosted an International Welcome Party. A prominent club in the city, Club Musik, which resides below the Plaza de Toros (or the bull-fighting arena), was designated for all the International Students for the entire night. The theme for the party was Carnival! Nearly all of Europe celebrates Carnival the two weeks prior to lent. Some cities incorporate huge parades throughout the week, parties of all sorts, carnivals, festivals, and of course costumes! Carnival is extremely close to the U.S.’s Mardi-Gras, minus the beads. So costumes were required to our International Student Welcome Party at the club. Here’s some pictures of our night!

Other activities that I have been unable to attend because of my crazy class experiences and scheduling (read post below) include a free showing of the movie Revolver with Penelope Cruz in Spanish, a classic historical tour of the city of Murcia, and a museum tour of the city of Murcia. Tonight we will be going on a “Night of Tapas” courtesy of the university! Well, we had to pay 7 Euros but from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be a fun night with the other exchange students experiencing Murcia’s most traditional and delicious tapas! I’ll include pictures later! Finally, the biggest part of this welcome week is a trip to Sevilla for three days! We’re leaving on Friday morning 2 am and (hopefully) sleeping on the bus on the way there. We will all be staying in one large hostel, have a guided tour of the city, experience some of the culture through food and flamenco, and will hopefully have a blast! I’ll let you all know how it goes!! Pictures coming soon!