Welcome to the first IFG UPDATE for Spring 2017—a weekly collection of guidelines, frameworks and practical day-to-day tools for your time in Spain (and beyond).

At orientation on Saturday we looked at mindfulness as “awareness of your relationship to your experiences and to your mind”. Susan highlighted the importance of kindness and curiosity as we “try-on” difference during our time here.

Remember, our ultimate goal is to be able to shift cultural frames and become multi-local people.

Be a cultural detective and investigate the new and unexpected things you come across as you begin your time in Spain. Don’t believe everything you think—“the opposite may also be true”!

– Genesis & Chris
ifg@tufts-skidmore.es
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P.S. Don’t forget, regular IFG meetings begin next week—check your email for your group assignment!

Watch

“Selasi finds that ‘what all human beings are looking for to a certain extent, is a way to just be themselves, but what many of us are struggling with, is the weight of group identity, religion, state, colour, imagined things that become real.’ The fact is that many people today are ‘international bastards’ – people who rather than being ‘multinational’ have what Selasi calls multi-local identities…”

Read

Japanese addresses: No street names. Block numbers.

“This makes me wonder what other assumptions I’ve been making in my life…that could just as easily be the opposite.”

Consider

“We can’t change every little thing that happens to us in life, but we can change the way that we experience it.” – Andy Puddicombe

Practice

Ask yourself

Who or what has surprised me so far during my time here?

Resources

Citymapper

• Public transit and walking directions online, on iOS and on Android for Madrid, Barcelona, New York, Boston and many more cities.

Angloinfo Madrid

• Practical information and advice for life in Madrid—particularly useful for finding English-speaking doctors in the city.

Foursquare

• Looking for the best restaurants, coffee shops, parks or the latest things to do? Foursquare is the place to start your search.

My Taxi or Cabify

• Hail a driver to your current location and pre-set your destination, pay with your phone and get cost estimates before you order.