Hi everyone!
I'm really excited to be studying in Madrid this fall, but Ihave a few questions. I was wondering if anyone has any idea how much money is a good idea to have with me for about 3-4 months (I'm also planning on traveling around Europe after my program ends). Has anyone else studied for a semester in Madrid? stayed with a Spanish family for a semester? Any suggestions or insight would be appreciated!
Also, does anyone know of any site where I can find out conversion rates? I'm in the dark here about how many pesetas are equal to US dollars.
One more question...typically, what is the weather in Madrid like through the months of September to January?
Thanks a lot!

[this message also re-posted by MadridMan in the "Studying In Spain" forum]

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 07-19-2000).]

I am not sure how much spending money you would need in madrid. How much are you planning to travel while you are there? How often do you go out? As for traveling around Europe: between first and second semesters we had a six week break. I spent five weeks (the whole month of January and a bit of Feb) traveling, from Madrid - Paris-Amsterdam - Brugges - Heidelburg - Berlin - Prague- Geneva - Venice - Florence -Rome -Madrid.. I spent $1600 and had bought a eurail beforehand. Off-season travel is really cheap compared to summer, but even then, I went real low budget. I traveled alone part of the time which meant that I (personally) felt more comfortable avoiding wild night outings unless I was with someone else. That also cut down on costs. If you want to eat out in nicer restaurants and like to go out to discos etc, I would count on around $2-2300 for money- depending on how long you will be travelling.. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the weather in september through january, will be a bit chilly. Maybe not in september, but november, december, and january will be cold. Here is a link for conversions rates http://www.xe.net/ucc/. The money you want to take depends what kind of person you are. What do you spend your money on? Are you a shopper, or are you really thrifty, do you want to eat at restaurant, or do you mind eating a sandwich mixto at a bar. it really depends on the invdividual you are and what you like to do.


------------------
Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

hola chicachica!

how nice that you get to go to spain for a semester! i garauntee that it will change your life, and for the better.

it looks like good tips from nicole and missmadrid98 regarding money and spending. i would add that you should take as much as possible, and then live on a very strict budget. it is possible that you could get part-time jobs like tutoring english or babysitting (which could be a cool learning experience) to give you spending money for weekends. just don't buy things all the time that you don't really need.

staying with a family? i've really noticed two types of families in the regions where i've lived in spain (castilla-la mancha and madrid), and it's probably similar to other regions in spain. the first type is with older mother and father that basically grew up in the height of the franco era in the late 40's, 50's, and early 60's, and the second type would be the mother and father grew up in the 60's and 70's and so knew less the bad blood from the civil war...

if your host family is of the first type, then try more to go out of your way to help around the house and keep your room/space CLEAN and neat. always offer to help wash dishes after meals, and always be on time for meals. always be very courteous. this type of family will have older children out of the house by now... (hint:always make your bed!) (this type of family is also more typical of the pueblos)

if your host family is of the second type, which is becoming more common probably these days, then you will likely notice the rules to be less strict and you will also likely have more freedom. this type of family will be less concerned with strictness and will probably be pretty relaxed and mellow. this type of family will also have children living at home still... (this type of family is more typical of the city)

mealtimes are the most important times for families, so try not to miss this. it's a time to get to know each other and simply enjoy conversation. breakfast is seldom a social moment, but midday, merienda, and cena are social... maybe try to contribute a sometime... for example, at my friend's house his mother always liked it if i helped to cook (my brother is a chef, so cooking comes naturally to my family), or even chop vegetables for her...

sorry, i didn't mean to write a book, and i could probably edit this and add tons more!

you will enjoy your stay and a host family. they will become lifelong friends. remember that you will think they are different and they will think you are different, so you have to be very open minded and willing to try. they will appreciate this and so will you!

¡muy buena suerte, y que viva españa!

chicachica-- the best thing for money is to have an ATM card, and withdraw as you need it. Here's a basic guideline for expenses, presuming you have room and board taken care of: daily cafes, phonecalls, beer, etc: 500 pesetas. A night out each week for tapas, dancing, etc: 2 thousand pesetas. Books: check with your program! supplies (school and personal): about 1,500 pesetas a week (maybe less). Travel within Spain: depends how much you want to do. Figure about a thousand pesetas for each hour of train or bus; meals, cheap, daily: 2 thousand p's; hostales: 3 thousand p's if sharing. Other expenses to consider: phone calls; internet access (around 500 p's an hr); postage; gifts. Hope this helps! Oh, also: count on about 20% more than you budget just in case. rgf

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions! I really appreciate all the advice you've given me. I am still in the process of trying to save $ before this summer winds down. The reason I'm a little worried about how much money I'll need is b/c I'm going to traveling to Australia second semester so i need to somehow figure out how I'm going to budget money for the whole year.
I do like to go out a lot, and considering the fact that I'm going to be in a different country with so much to see, I can see how it could be easy to spend money. In between semesters I'm planning on meeting up with some friends and going to Greece, Italy, and a few other places. i'm figuring I'll just get a Europass once I'm there (I'll have my parents buy it here and then send it to me).
Again, thanks for all your suggestions. Any other comments or suggestions, please post! Thanks!

I want to add:

for people who are going to Spain for the first time and you want to learn a little about the culture first, the book "Spain; the Root and the Flower," by John Crow (370 pages - about), is a very informative socio-historical view of Spain. This book is almost like a movie because it is so well written. Crow makes it easy to understand everything from why the cities are built the way they are, to why a country like Spain was the world power not so long ago...

anywho, it's a must for new travelers to Spain, and it will broaden your scope of what to expect!

¡viva la segunda patria!

edit: I have not read "the New Spaniards," but anything by this author (John Crow) is spectacular and accurate beyond belief! i had already lived in spain and been visiting for years when i finally read his book in college... he helped me understand my own background more than i can express here..

[This message has been edited by real_megia (edited 08-03-2000).]

[This message has been edited by real_megia (edited 08-04-2000).]

Thanks for the book suggestion. I actually had to read The New Spaniards by John Hooper for the program I'm doing. Has anyone read it? I was wondering how true/helpful you thought it was. thanks!

While I haven't yet read "The New Spaniards", you can find it in the Non-Fiction book section of MadridMan's ALL Spain Market . I've sold 3 or 4 so far! (I know. I know. This is a shameless plug )

Saludos, MadridMan