Real Fábrica de Tabacos
As can be guessed by the name, this building originally served as a tobacco factory where cigarreras (the name given to the women who worked here) would sit and roll cigars and cigarettes. It was built in the mid to late 1700s. It is a gigantic building, a rectangle measuring 185 x 147 meters. The only building that covers more land space than La Fábrica de Tabacos in Spain is El Escorial, the royal palace outside Madrid. When you walk through the building, with its archways, open patios, and marble staircases, it is hard to imagine that it served as a factory.
The famous Carmen (of the novel, opera and films) worked here as a cigarrera, and many of the movies were filmed in the building itself. In one of my classes, we study Spanish film, and we watched a version of Carmen from 2003 starring Paz Vega. It was cool to be sitting in the building where the movie was shot and where the story actually took place while we watched it on the screen. Many painters have depicted the Fabrica and its cigarreras, and the paintings really do look similar to the building today.
My Classes
Over the course of the semester, I am taking 15 credits that will all count towards my Spanish major. For the first two weeks of my program, I took Intensive Advanced Spanish Grammar for 3 credits, so now for the rest of the semester I have four classes (all in Spanish!) that I attend Monday through Thursday.
La imagen de España a través del cine//The image of Spain on the cinema screen
As I mentioned earlier, we are studying Spanish film in this class. Carmen was our first film, and we have many more coming up. I am really enjoying this class so far.
Grupos de poder en España: el papel de los medios de comunicación//Groups of power in Spain: the role of mass media
In this class we study the major media companies in Spain, as well as the structure of mass media and the way it works within Spanish society. This class has also been really interesting and I am enjoying it.
La España actual y las relaciones internacionales//Present-day Spain and International Relations
The title of this class seems a little misleading to me since we are currently learning about Spain in the 1930s, then progressing through Franco's regime, and finally present-day towards the end of the semester. Regardless, I think it will be an interesting course.
Tres Culturas en España: Judios, Cristianos y Musulmanes//Three Cultures in Spain: Jews, Christians and Muslims
In this class we study how these different groups have been a part of Spanish culture throughout its history and today. So far, it seems like this will be my hardest class, but I am enjoying it so far.
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