The University Rey Juan Carlos is a public university and was created in 1996. It’s made of four campuses: Mostoles, Fuenlabrada, Alcorcon and Vicálvaro.

The campuses of Mostoles, Fuenlabrada, and Alcorcon are the most modern and are located in the same area. While my campus, the campus of Vicálvaro, is on the other side of the city and have an architecture more traditional than the others.  

The campus is made of a big Library, three cafeterias, a bookstore, a fitness gym, a bank, a student residence and a car park. Contrary to the ESDES the classroom are for almost 100 students and look like amphitheaters. Depending on the professors, the presence in class is not mandatory and the majority of the classes are lectures. The main difference between the two universities is that in the university Rey Juan Carlos the students come from all around the world and it’s very enriching to talk with them about their culture, their customs…

Our first day in the University began with a presentation of the campus, of our semester and of the all the international relations officers. After that, some “buddies”, which are responsible of the integration of Erasmus students, were waiting for us outside to visit the campus and to explain to us the functioning of the university.

Then, three afternoons were organized by the welcoming staff of the university the first, was a touristic visit of Madrid, the second was a shopping day with a lunch in a tapas bar and the third was a visit of museums. It was a good experience and it allows us to meet a lot of international students and of course to visit the city of Madrid.

There we are, my first day in Madrid. Today is January the 6^th and I’m finally in Spain.

First impression: It’s a big and beautiful city.

Second impression: Everything was closed!!

On my way to my new home, I asked the taxi driver why everything was closed and his answer was: “It’s Christmas”. I didn’t understand because for me Christmas is December 24^th, so I made some research and that’s what I found:

In Spain every January 5^th, a big parade called “Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos” is organized to celebrate the arrival of the three kings. The streets are decorated with Christmas lights and these mythical characters parade on their camels with some gifts and candies that they give to the children. The parade is also the occasion for the children to give them letters in which they explain what kind of gifts they would like to receive.

The next day, the tradition wants that the children would find in the shoes that they left the day before on the balcony the gifts that they asked to Melchior, Gaspar y Balthazar. And every January 6^th, Spanish people eat with their family the “roscon de Reyes”, the cake of kings, decorated with candied fruits that represent ruby and emeralds of the coats of the Three Kings. A little bean is hidden in the cake and the person who finds it is the king or the queen of the house.

The Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos is celebrated since 1885 and is the oldest tradition in Spain.