GALICIA

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING SELECTED FOR A FULBRIGHT IN Galicia!

MEET YOUR Galicia MENTOR!

Isabel Torres (She/Her/Ella)

¡OLA! ¡¡Benvid@s a Fulbright España en Galicia!! I’m Isabel, and I’m unbelievably excited to welcome you to our charming corner of Spain. Prepare for a year in a rainy, vivid green region with luscious woods, picturesque beaches, and alluring old towns complimented by the best seafood and wine you’ll ever consume.

I grew up in San Diego, California and love going to the beach (shocking!), whether it’s to swim or watch the sunset. I attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for my undergrad where I studied Journalism and NGOs and Social Change and fell in love with the art of storytelling. Education has always been an additional passion of mine and so after graduating, I moved to the Bay Area to be a 5th grade bilingual teacher! I spent two years teaching at Spanish/English dual immersion school while pursuing my masters in Education and teaching credential. I’ve always wanted to teach abroad, especially in a Spanish setting, which is how I was drawn to Fulbright Spain!

I spent the past year living in Santiago de Compostela and teaching in a tiny town called Negreira. I completed my Fulbright year entirely enchanted, with a newfound mentality towards rain (CA was in a drought for 10 years, so lots of rain was quite new for me), new love for seafood, and a great appreciation for the Galician way of life. I joined a dance group and ceramics class and enjoyed many walks around the Celtic-rooted city. Outside of the classroom, you might find me at a terrace with a copa de Godello and tapa reading or writing a review on Goodreads, or at Alameda park listening to my Spotify daylist. I could spend hours at art museums, wandering in new cities, and shopping in thrift stores. I’m a huge fan of live music and have spent a ton of time (and money, whoops) at concerts. If I’m not at home watching movies with my roommates, I’m usually out at a cafe with friends.

This upcoming year will be a balance of moments of magic and challenge. All emotions will be present at some point as you navigate an entirely new environment but my hope is that by the end, you’ll have a more profound sense of self, both professionally and personally. I’m really looking forward to getting to know each other and being able to support you as best as possible as you become part of Galician communities. Literally any questions about adjusting, teaching, finding hobbies, or how to dry laundry in 80% humidity, etc., send them my way (fulbrightgaliciamentor@gmail.com)! ¡¡Ata pronto!!

ARRIVING IN GALICIA

By plane: Generally, inbound trans-Atlantic flights to Spain from the mainland U.S. fly into Madrid-Barajas (MAD) or Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) International Airports. You could fly from the U.S. into either and take a short, inexpensive flight to a Galician airport near you:

To Vigo-Peinador Airport (VGO) (Vigo Airport, 40 min from Pontevedra, 1h from Ourense): 1h flight from Madrid, 1h 45 flight from Barcelona
To Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ) (1h from Ourense; 2h from Lugo): 1h 15 flight from Madrid, 1h 50 flight from Barcelona. The bus route to and from the city center runs every 30 minutes from 6 am to 1 am.
To A Coruña Airport (LCG) (1h from Lugo, but past grantees living in Lugo note that the Santiago airport tends to have more reasonable flights and better transportation connections): 1h 10 flight from Madrid, 1h 45 flight from Barcelona
To Porto Airport (OPO) in Portugal: 1h 15 flight from Madrid, 1h50 from Barcelona. The bus company Autna services the route between Porto Airport and Galicia. The company Flixbus does as well, often at lower prices, but it should be noted that the Flixbus route begins and ends in the Porto city center so you must buy a ticket specifically from the airport stop. The routes usually only stop in Vigo, Pontevedra, and Santiago, so this option is especially convenient for grantees in those cities.

Look up these local flights on websites such as Google flights, Skyscanner, Vueling, or Kayak.

Once you’re in Spain, you have many options! Rome2Rio is a great website that will inform you of all possible combinations of trains, buses, public transit, and rideshares to get you from one place to another. Another great website is Omio, which is very similar to Rome2Rio. This is especially helpful for trips that don’t have direct bus or train routes to your destination!

By train: RENFE, Spain’s largest railway company, offers long-distance high-speed trains from major Spanish cities (Madrid, Barcelona…) to: Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Ferrol, Pontevedra, Ourense, Vigo, and Lugo. RENFE also has slower long-distance trains and frequent routes between Galician cities. The high-speed AVE train from Madrid to Ourense takes around 3 hours, while normal train rides from Madrid to Galicia take around 4 to 6 hours. From Barcelona to Galicia, the train can take from 8 to 13 hours. One benefit of traveling by train is that RENFE does not charge extra for luggage.

If you expect that you will often be traveling by train and are under 25, RENFE offers a Joven+ card that you can purchase for 50€. This card enables you to purchase train tickets with at least a 20% discount and allows you to purchase train tickets with at least a 25% discount and allows ticket changes at a much cheaper rate, sometimes even for free! For more information or to purchase the card, check here.

By bus: There are various bus services offered to both small and large cities in Galicia and Spain, and although bus rides from Madrid last from 7-9 hours, former Lugo grantee commented that this was usually her best option when returning to Lugo from Madrid. The major bus company in Spain is Alsa, but Monbus and Arriva are the major company in Galicia. (Arriva is even more common than Monbus in certain parts of Galicia and provides more service to small towns.)

To Pontevedra from Vigo: short 0.5h bus ride
To Ourense from Vigo: 1h 30 bus ride
To Ferrol from Santiago de Compostela: 1h 20 bus ride
To Lugo from Santiago de Compostela: 1h 30 – 2h bus ride
To Lugo from A Coruña: 3h bus ride

By BlaBlaCar: BlaBlaCar is a ride-sharing service for medium and long-distances that is very popular in Spain and Europe. The ride from Madrid to Galicia usually costs between 25-40 Euros. Rides between Galician cities are usually between 5-15 euros. To use it, you book a ride with a driver through the app (there are reviews from other people who have ridden with this person that you can read, including on how they drive) and then meet at an agreed-upon location. It is often faster and cheaper than bus and train options, but be aware that it is less consistent than the other options as drivers can cancel rides. BlaBlaCar is also a great opportunity to practice your Spanish with your driver and co-passengers.

Galicia é riquiño

Galicia is an autonomous community situated in the northwesternmost corner of Spain, surrounded by Asturias, Castilla y León, Portugal, the Cantabric Ocean, and the Atlantic Sea. Its rich history goes back to the Paleolithic Age, still being preserved today for you to behold. Galicia gives you a beautiful mix between mountain and ocean and is well known for having some of the best food and white wine in Spain. Its people are warm and energetic, with a great joie-de-vivre, in spite of the frequent coastal drizzle. To start discovering the many wonders that Galicia holds, check out this website!

Here is a video (with subtitles in Galician, Spanish, or English) in a series of commercials produced by the Galician supermarket Gadis that discuss all things gallego. In this particular video, you will get an idea of the general disposition of Galician people and some traditions and traits that are uniquely a part of this region. Reading this guide may help to explain some of the things that you see, but the best way to really find out is to dive into your year and prepare for your own “futuro á galega”!