I apologize for the lack of blogging the last few days, but it has been a little bit crazy. I'll recap for everyone.
On Friday, we arrived in Madrid around 11:30am. Surprisingly both Sydney and I slept a little bit on the flight. When we arrived at the hotel, we found out that we had most of the afternoon free. Sydney and I explored the city for a little while and got some coffee, which was some of the best coffee I've ever had. That night, one of the directors took us for a walk through el Retiro which is the large park in the center of the city. Then we went to a brief meet and greet thing followed by a Tapas which were WONDERFUL. We had una tortilla española, manchego and bleu cheese, gambas (small shrimp) cooked in oil with garlic, calamari, and a salad with tuna on top. I thought it was amazing, but the directors told us that the food is horrible there compared to our homestays.
Saturday morning began with another cup of coffee and a brief orientation program to help us learn how to use the metro, obtain a cell phone etc. We also learned some of the Spanish customs that might be confusing for someone coming from the US. Most of it was pretty straightforward - don't be rude. However, apparently in Europe there are some table manners that we don't have in the US. Here, when they eat fruit, they use a fork and knife. You take the knife and peel it, and then you're supposed to cut the fruit with your knife and eat it with your fork. Also, you're supposed to always keep your hands above the table. It seems somewhat strange to sit at the table when you're not eating with your hands there, but it is completely the norm here. We had the afternoon off and got cell phones, a quick lunch, and our metro passes.
For dinner last night we went to a place called El Espejo (the Mirror). The building was beautiful and made of all glass. It was located in the middle of a large boulevard called El Paseo de la Castellana. We had salad, sangria, fish with a garlic oil on top, and flan. After dinner we wanted to find a bar to go have a drink, but it was difficult to find a place with 17 people. So we headed back towards the hotel for the evening.
This morning was a little rough waking up. I think the jet lag is starting to hit me again. Last night we went to bed a little bit later than the night before, and it was a lot of work to get out of bed. At noon, my señora picked me and Trey (my house mate) up. The elevator in her building is not approved for use by the Ministry of Industry, so she had someone who works in her building pick up our bags with a van and bring them upstairs for us. We walked from the hotel to her apartment, which was a short walk. She lives in Goya, which is a part of the old city. Her apartment is very old but very beautiful and ornate. The building is at least 150 years old from what I can tell. Right next door to her apartment is the large department store which is very convenient. There is also a "supermercado" there. My spanish has definitely improved even in the less than 12 hours since we've moved in. She made us paella for lunch with chicken and chorizo, and it was delicious. For dessert, she gave us fruit, and I ate a peach (with a fork and knife obviously). After lunch was a siesta, which was very much needed today! Then Margot (my señora) took us on a trip on the metro to show us how to get to school tomorrow. It could take up to an hour, since the school isn't in the central city. The metro here is so clean and much more functional than in the US. It covers nearly every portion of the city, and even on a Sunday you only have to wait 5 minutes at most.
Life here is so much slower, and it is definitely a lot to get used to. One of the first things I noticed was that it is impossible to get a coffee to go. Obviously they have Starbucks here, but no local café offers anything like that. It just illustrates how quickly we rush through life in the US. For me it's been difficult to try and slow down to appreciate these things, but I'm certainly trying to so I can get the most out of this experience.
If anyone wants to call me I have a Spanish mobile now, and you can contact me on that. I can receive calls for free - so if you come across a calling card - gimmie a call!
Tomorrow is our first "class" day. For the next three weeks we are taking an intensives Spanish class to improve our language skills. In the morning, we have a placement exam, which will determine the class we take until GW classes start on September 26th.
I could write another entire page, but I'll spare you the details for now. I promise before the end of the week I'll upload some photos. I haven't really been taking too many pictures yet, but I'm going to try and do better this week.
¡Until next time mis amigos!
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