Museum Hop

Museum Hop

We went to three (technically four) museums over the course of the three weeks, and still there were many more we wanted to visit! Our first stop was Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo, which I guess you could say is Madrid’s equivalent of IMMA. The building is huge and while the grounds aren’t green like in Dublin, the art there says a lot! There were modern twists on old paintings and an expression of media and modern society through art, amongst many other things. If museums bore you but you want a taste of people minds and ideas then this museum is a must!

 

I came across a modern interpretation of Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini portrait which originally dated back to 1434. I remember studying it in Art during my Leaving Certificate and coming to my own conclusion as to whether the woman in painting was pregnant or not. It was a surprise to stumble across this interpretation in the Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo. The question raised was whether this woman’s dress was just large and ruffled or was she pregnant. And the artist believed that she was pregnant.

             

Towards the end of the three weeks we visited Museo Nacional del Prado. We found out that it is free in between 6-8pm before the museum closes which is an added benefit! This place is colossal and the layout is beautifully designed. It was a pleasure to go in and experience the paintings for what they were. Seeing and being able to recognise paintings by Raphael, as well as visiting works by the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya!

And finally, on our last day after lots of exploring we went to the Reina Sofia, which also offers free opening times on Monday at 7-9 pm, Wednesday-Saturday at 7-9 pm, Sunday 2.30-7.00 pm. And if you’re around on the 18^th of May you can get in free all day! We got to see some of Picasso’s most famous paintings as well as works by Salvador Dali, who I love!

Alpredrete Comes to Life

Alpedrete comes to life! (I promise)

Before we left we were told that Alpedrete is a sleepy village with not a lot to do but when I arrived it wasn’t nearly as quiet as I thought. Having grown up in the country side with little around for miles and miles, the array of individual shops and restaurants was much to my liking. However, admittedly I grew to realise there wasn’t a lot to do after a few days. This all changed when the festival came to the village half way through our second week. It almost seemed ridiculous how lively Alpedrete was in comparison to what it’s normally like.

On the first night a huge stage was set up with a sound and light system almost as good as what you would get in the Three Arena!

On the weekend there is food in the main plaza where you will eat some if the nicest steaks. There is copious amounts of live music both during the day and at night, and while it wasn’t all to my taste, the buzz in the town was enough to want to be there for a while! People travel from all over to be there and teenagers in particular hang out in the park where the carnival is set up for the duration of the festival (which we didn’t realise until the last night!) One of the best parts for me were the fireworks at the end which was definitely worth going out for!

When You Are Nervous

      When You Are Nervous

I was nervous before I left, anticipating the unknown. Curious, but nervous. I packed all of the anxieties I could think of and in the early hours of Sunday morning we flew out and regardless of what would happen when we arrived, it would happen.

This was the first time I would ever stand up in front of a class of young students and the first time I would be doing any sort of teaching. This was the challenge I applied for and I was excited to face it. I wanted to do it well. We arrived on the Sunday and after a brief meet with the school principal and later meeting the classes, we didn’t actually start working until the Wednesday.

When I’m nervous I ask questions and I think it’s a good idea. Prepare yourself as much as you can and that way you’ll feel more confident going in on your first day. When we went in, I was, of course very nervous but it meant I was going to try my best and after all that, it wasn’t nearly as daunting as I thought it would be. The students were curious in a different way than me, but curious none the less. Most of the teachers were easy going and friendly and let us do our own thing. The classes go so quickly that by the time you settle in and get a rhythm going it’s almost over and it leaves you less nervous and more curious!

Students going to Alpedrete 2017

Djamel White

Sonachú O'Callaghan-Broe