Culture Nuggets 🌍

This Christmas, my Great Aunt from Texas asked me to record myself singing the holiday classic song: O Holy Night. So without further a do, ladies and gentlemen...don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel 😁

For Christmas Eve I'm normally at home in Detroit cleaning up and preparing for the family dinner at my grandma's house. But this year, I decided to do something different. Since I was alone in Spain for the holiday, I wanted to do something that would remind me of my grandma. When I was a little girl, I told my grandma I wanted to ride in a hot air balloon like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. So I booked a balloon flight over Segovia! I flew over a big, beautiful castle, met a nice family that let me "borrow" their grandma for the day and overcame my fear of heights as well as cured my homesickness.  ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD! Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Here's the link to the Civitatis website where I booked my hot air balloon ride. Click it to check it out:  https://www.civitatis.com/en/madrid/hot-air-balloon-ride

Madrid's Christmas Light Festival I went to Madrid city center to watch the Christmas light show projected on a building. It included the Nativity, the nutcracker and a Christmas medley. The excitement of finding a spot, seeing the crowd's reactions and the count down before the show gave me a sense of nostalgia and holiday spirit! The show lasted for about 15-20 minutes, sort of like the Detroit Fireworks. People gathered in the square (Christmas Market) to watch the light show, shopped with vendors, and walked around socializing afterwards. It was a really fun experience! Check out the video below & be sure to subscribe to the Culture Nuggets YouTube channel.

      This train station has very detailed art work along the walls and the ceilings.These pictures actual have history behind them. In the video clip before, you'll hear some of the stories behind the artwork....                                                                     Subscribe to my YouTube channel 😁

Q: What's the fancy word for "the fear off heights"?  A: Up high and I feel like I'm going to pass out-ophobia?   Yeah, well I have that!! Check out this video to see this cool bride in Porto & don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

This day trip to Ribera Del Duero was a nice little treat! At this vineyard tour and wine tasting event in Burgos, I was able to actually learn about the process that grapes have to undergo to make wine. We also got to see where the wine is stored for aging, how it's bottled and corked. Then we were able to taste 3 different wines and go outside to see (and taste) the grapes! What a fun day trip!! Click on the link below to plan your next vacation with City Life Madrid!  https://www.citylifemadrid.com/events/day-trip-ribera-del-duero-mar-07-2020/

The Manneken-Pis Belgium's famous peeing boy statue! People from all over the world crowd around this statue to take pictures of him. He was built in 1913 and has been stolen 13 times under the rule of King Louis XV by French soldiers. The square where the Mannekin Pis is located used to be a market place and some people were so poor that they sold their children's urine for money. The urine of children was used to produce ammonia by leather makers. Nowadays, the Mannaken Pis has over 1,000 outfits that he gets dressed in for specific holidays and events at the museum! For Christmas, he wears a Santa hat, for Farmer's day ( a Belgian holiday) he pees milk and for the Belgian Beer Festival he pees beer. Now that's one interesting baby!! Listen to the podcast episode about the Manneken Pis using the link below: https://anchor.fm/culturenuggets/episodes/The-Worlds-Best-Beer-and-the-Famous-Peeing-Boy-eeb33q

These murals are very creative and expressive. Leave a comment about how you interpret some of these beautiful paintings.

Belgium's smallest bar Here's a photo of Belgium's smallest bar which can only hold up to 11 people. I got the opportunity to stop in and drink a glass of cold beer with my friends. Sadly, we were having so much fun that we didn't remember to take any photos inside this tiny pub but here's a picture from the outside below. Now that's a small business... literally and figuratively speaking!

Mini Europe is a museum with miniature displays and small scale models of many popular landmarks around Europe! Check out the Culture Nuggets YouTube video to experience a virtual tour of Mini Europe from my point of view.                                                                                                                         Here's a link to their  site so you can schedule your trip to Mini Europe  https://www.minieurope.com/en/

I had such an amazing time exploring The Christmas market in Brussels city center. There were so many colorful lights, holiday decorations, vendor stands and delicious aromas from all of the food stands. What a beautiful view during the holiday season! Below is a video clip of me wandering around the Brussel's Christmas Market. Be sure to subscribe to the Culture Nuggets YouTube channel to keep up with more adventures!

The Seasons by  Pieter Bruegel: I visited Atomium in Brussels where I discovered an amazing art exhibit. The exhibit highlighted artwork titled :"The Season" by artist Pieter Bruegel.  Click the link below to see live footage of me  exploring the exhibit. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10219796103868601&id=1099525335

Walking through the Castle of the Counts was the highlight of my trip to Ghent. This is a medieval Castle in East Ghent, Belgium. It's dates back to 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It has since been used as a prison, court house and cotton factory. But now it functions as a museum. Visiting this site was an amazing experience. I learned so much about history, culture and how royals actually lived. Click the link below my video to visit their website to get a closer look into The Castle of The Counts! Below you can find a video clip of my visit to the Castle of the Counts as well as a link to their website to schedule your visit to Gravensteen! https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/castle-counts

My first Cathedral visit in Spain. Isn't it just a breath taking sight to see!

I'm no good at bowling but I love to dance!!!! Having fun with the girls. #girlsnightoutinmadrid

Now that I'm settled into my apartment and getting used to my job teaching English, I decided to to have a little fun. Me and two other teachers decided to go bowling in Sol, Madrid for the weekend. I enjoyed the music they played in the bowling alley and they had a great time watching me get gutter balls LOL. We also went for Thai Food and giggled all night until the rain got so heavy that we had to call it a night. As you can see in the Culture Nuggets video above, I'm horrible at bowling but I still had a blast! It's always a great time in Sol with friends!

There are several modes of transportation here in Madrid. They have Uber, Cabify, Taxis, buses, Metro(subways), and The Cercania (rail train). Public transportation in Madrid is super effective and efficient. In fact, most locals prefer it over driving!  In this video I will explain how to use the Metro system in Madrid.  It's super easy (muy facial)! Here's a link to the Culture Nuggets podcast episode about my mild case of "culture shock" below: https://anchor.fm/culturenuggets/episodes/Culture-Shock-eln2rp

An Abono is basically a public transportation card, allowing access to buses, subways and trains around Madrid. Some forms of transportation travel outside of Madrid to other regions/provinces of Spain and some even go to other nearby countries! Pretty cool, huh? i loaded my abono monthly to get around for both work and fun adventures. I explain the abono in more detail in the video above. Please subscribe to Culture Nuggets YouTube channel.

The night life is quite interesting in Madrid (especially in Sol). You're likely to see magicians, vendors selling T-shirts or jewelry, flash mobs or even dare devils. My favorite part about Madrid's night life is the music!! Every time I see street musicians or bands I stop to listen, record and cheer them on. If I don't see them, I usually just follow the music until I find them and sing along! Check out the video above to get a glimpse of Night Life in Madrid & don't forget to subscribe to the CUlture Nuggets YouTube channel.

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Tamara and I'm from Detroit, Michigan (USA). I received my Child Development Associate (CDA) and began teaching preschool in 2013. I have always been curious about what it would be like to travel to another country and see what other cultures were like. My fascination with culture and language lead me to researching about teaching abroad. After graduating with my Bachelor degree in 2016, I grew bored of the same routine  so I began to look into different options for my career.  I completed a Teaching English as a Second Language Certification in 2018, got myself a passport and applied for a Teach Abroad program in Madrid. When I received an offer letter for the job I was super shocked. The final (most difficult) part was to apply for a Visa. Once I got that, the excitement increased and I was officially going to live my dream in real life! No more dreaming, it was actually my reality. When I landed in Madrid it was like a dr...