My, my, how time is flying by. It is simply impossible to believe that December is already here. I've lived in Madrid for over three months now and life here now feels almost completely normal. I came to this realization this week after Michael Ducker, a long time friend from Saint Paul, made a quick visit for a little over a day. Being my first visitor from the States, his stay here allowed me to see how far I have come and how much I have changed in such a short time. I felt so proud to show someone my new life here, and to share a little bit of my experience with someone with whom I have spent so much of my life. It felt strangely normal to have him here as well, maybe a sign of how I'm getting used to this fast-paced life of travel and short visits to keep in touch with friends that is becoming more common and more necessary at this point in my life. I gave Michael the whirlwind tour of Madrid, since he was here for such a short time. A true Spanish tapas experience at El Tigre after he arrived, throwing him into a crowded bar of young Spaniards, visits to the royal palace, Retiro park, Plaza del Sol, etc, and some normal time at the apartment to be entertained by my fantastic roommates. I had been so busy before he arrived that I hadn't much time to even think about what we would do, but I think he really enjoyed his stay, and I had a great time catching up with him on life.
His stay also really made me realize again how comfortable I have become here. After telling me he would have never have had the courage to go into the crazy El Tigre if I hadn't been there to take him, it made me feel really good that it never even crossed my mind as being intimidating. I also realized while he was here, despite my continuous self-disappointment about my progress with Spanish, that I have changed by leaps and bounds, and that I am much more capable than I had been previously thinking. Clearly, I have a long way to go, but I have made the type of progress that I was always looking for both in the language and my growth as a person. Every day I spend here in Madrid makes my worries about my future less pressing and while I'm further than ever from knowing what I want to pursue in my life, the issue seems so much less important. My confidence and self-trust have grown tremendously during these three months, and I've never been more sure of myself. Nothing seems too difficult or too out of the ordinary these days. As cliche as I'm sure this all sounds, reflecting after three months has shown me that it is all very true. I miss home. I miss my family and friends. I miss winter in the Midwest, blankets and kisses shared next to the fireplace, late nights in College Library, and a beer and a game with my boys. However, I've been lucky enough here to find myself in a situation that eases this type of home sickness, and I'm ever so thankful for it.
Thanksgiving came a day early here, as my Madrid family at the apartment came together to cook a fabulous meal. Emma made the stuffing and roasted potatoes, Maren and her boyfriend visiting from the States some delicious chicken curry, and I added an apple crisp and champagne. Alfonso brought some deliciously sweet white wine from near his home in the Basque country to top it all off. We stuffed ourselves in true Thanksgiving fashion, content after showing our fellow Europeans a semi-proper Thanksgiving dinner, and fell into a sleepy daze fueled by too much food, generous glasses of wine and champagne, and busy days beforehand. The next night our program took us out to dinner, which also was very nice, but didn't compare in terms of reflecting the family atmosphere of my second favorite holiday. Plus, we were still left without turkey... Blasphemy, I tell you.
I have started my English teaching in earnest now. Five classes a week between all of them, and it's definitely taking up a good chunk of my time. With midterms last week as well, sleep and free time were at an all time low. I think my exams went well, although I won't say too much until I actually get them back... One of my English classes, which I teach to a 7, 6, and 4 year twice a week is definitely going to get to me after a while. The kids just aren't in the mood for learning too much at a late hour and after a long long day at school. So far I've been able to make it fun enough, but I feel like it's going to get more difficult to keep up their enthusiasm... One of my other classes is with a 17 year old, fluent enough where I basically just talk with him about whatever comes to mind, bring in an interesting article or something to read, and help him when he has trouble. He's a fun kid, who likes to do most of the talking and share his opinions on things. I can tell that teaching will probably start to wear on me at some point, but I think it's still manageable. I also have a new intercambio with whom I'm meeting tomorrow, a 22 year old student, so, as always, I'm really looking forward to that. It's been nice to have a few people to meet with every week just to talk and work on improving my Spanish at the same time. Ivan and Elena have become close friends, and we tend to have lunch and catch a movie or something at least once a week. Ivan invited me to his house last weekend, my first time in a Spanish home.
This weekend I went to Salamanca with Alfonso, Dominik, Emma, and Annie, a friend from our program. It was a short trip, as we arrived around 3pm Saturday and left about 4:30 on Sunday, but it's purpose was more to have fun and relax than to sightsee. We never had the intention of spending our time hurrying to see everything. Instead, we took a different route, having some really good meals and stops for coffee in the almost winter-like weather. We spent the entire night on Saturday hopping tapas bars, passed frequently through the beautiful Plaza Mayor, checked out the University, and just enjoyed the beauty of a truly remarkable city, my favorite in Spain so far next to Madrid. I know I'll be back in the spring to visit Lizzy, who will be studying there, so I'll have plenty of time to tour all the sites at a later date. The drive to and from Salamanca in Dominik's car was stunningly beautiful, as we passed through a gorgeous mountain range. I'll get pictures up from the trip sometime this week. Alfonso is for sure leaving at the end of January to work abroad, Maren is moving to India in February to help start a business for a new lantern for developing countries which she helped to invent. It replaces the need for kerosene lanterns, creating cheaper, healthier, more environmentally friendly lives. She was just at Oxford for a grant competition, which they almost won. Dominik will be likely moving to Peru this coming summer to do some urban development research, if he can get a scholarship, but will be leaving Madrid in March, along with Moritz, who basically doesn't exist anymore. Always couped up in his room in a grumpy mood, working on architecture projects and refusing to speak a lick of Spanish. We've found it best to just forget about him in the midst of our happy family here after several attempts to include him. So, come March, we will have a whole different group of people here, apart from Emma, Arun, and me. A sad thought, considering how wonderful it has been so far.
Every day I get more excited for Christmas break, as my plans have finally been finalized. It will be strange not being with the family in Florida this year, but I'm at least lucky enough to spend it with some of my best friends. I'll be leaving to visit Dave the 19th in Freiburg, Germany, where he is studying this year. I'll spend a few days there with him, and the two of us will catch a train to visit Bern, Switzerland, on our way to visiting some of his family friends who live in the Alps. Like literally in the mountains. We'll spend two nights and a surely fantastic day there, and catch a morning train on the 24th to Geneva, from which we will fly to Prague to spend Christmas. One of my best friends in Madrid, Julie from Indiana, will also be in Prague, so we'll likely meet up with her and her friends to celebrate the year's most special holiday, my first away from home. On the 27th Dave and I will take a train to Berlin, either overnight or very early in the morning, and spend the day and night in the city before taking an early morning flight to Rome the next morning to meet up with Kyle and Chris, who will be coming from Madrid- Kyle all the way from the states, and Chris, who will be in Madrid with his brother and Spanish sister-in-law for the holidays. The four of us will stay in Rome until the 31st, and take a flight to Paris, arriving just in time to celebrate the new year, (maybe at the Eiffel Tower?). We'll stay there together until the 4th, when we'll all return to our respective countries... Should be the trip of a lifetime, and I'm getting more excited to see my boys every day. It's been way too long. Anyways, it's time for bed. Another busy week ahead. Cheers.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Hace mucho tiempo que no hablamos, no?
It's been a long time since my last post, and I think it is a reflection of how my sense of time has changed in the last few weeks. No longer does my life in Madrid move along in days, but rather seemingly in weeks and even months. The first half of November has disappeared completely, and it only seems like time is moving faster. To a certain extent I like the feeling of having a routine, where daily life starts to feel normal, but I have also come to realize that that has kept me from exploring and discovering new things in this big, beautiful, city. I have gotten too comfortable with the walk or bus ride between my flat and the university, and my little grocery store just a block away. This led me to rededicate myself, in a sense, to learning about Madrid, because I really don't know it as well as I should after living here for so long. The other night, I decided to go for a run, but instead of doing laps around the familiar Egyptian pyramids in Parque del Oeste, I decided to hit the pavement, and dodge the foot traffic on Madrid's streets. I ran down to the Royal Palace, the first time I had seen it in the dark, and it was a truly awe-inspiring sight, lit up in a very royal, but somehow eerie way. From there I ran to the Puerta de Toledo, previously uncharted territory on foot, and proceeded to cut though a number of very small streets on my way back to what I thought was north. Sure enough, I ended up losing myself, but not really caring, as I pretty much did a big lap around the city. After a few stops to look at some maps, and using my mental image of the metro system, I arrived back home about and hour and a half later, tired after a really really long run, but energized by how much I had learned about Madrid by night.
On a more exciting note, I went to Norway last weekend with two friends from my program. Reidar, from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Jen, from Purdue University. I had wanted to go there my whole life, and the 25 euro round trip was more than enough incentive to return to the Old Country to visit my fellow blonds. After a really busy two days of classes and teaching Ines, a seven year old Spanish girl I teach once a week at her house, we left for the airport with our luggage directly from class, arriving at the airport in enough time, but a little more rushed than we had wanted to be. After successfully wearing 4 layers through security, so that my luggage would be okay to carry on board, we waited for our slightly delayed plane to arrive. We got into the airport outside of Oslo and took a 1.5 hour bus ride into the city. We were greeted in Oslo by a very light snowfall, nothing that could accumulate, but just enough to make us feel welcome in the most northernly place we had even been. A short walk, and a few stops for directions later, we found our way to the hostel, which turned out to be in a prime location, in the center of everything. The hostel was incredible, especially compared to the one in which I stayed in Lisbon. It felt so warm and welcoming, it was bright, and had a character all its own. When we entered our room, we were greeted with a smile and hello from Ron, a Jamaican who was staying in Oslo for about 3 weeks. After a little conversation, he showed me all the places we would need to be sure to see, and marked them on the city map the hostel had provided us. The beds were fantastic, with pillowtop mattress pads, which I will have in my house someday, without doubt, and warm, soft duvets. After a long day of class and travel, we collapsed into bed very hungry, but too content to leave the hostel at that point.
The next morning, we started the day exchanging Euros for Norwegian Kroner, and set off to the 14th century Akershus castle along Oslo harbor. We were greeted by a sunny morning, a gentle breeze, and fantastic views of the city and water from the top of the castle. Surrounded by marching palace guards, we felt quite welcomed in Norway, as there seemed to be very very few tourists in the city. We walked the castle grounds, taking in the breathtaking views, and enjoying the crisp, fall air. We then set off in search of some much needed food, as we hadn't eaten since noon the day before, and found a Kebab stand, which is all the rage in Norway at the moment. After paying an obscene amount for an obscene amount of food, (everything is really expensive in Norway, like really expensive), we took a long walk around the city, ending up at the waterfront for a second time just to see the beautiful sunset at about 3:45. On our walk, we approached the Royal Palace, stopped at city hall, and passed by the Nobel Peace Prize center. It was so odd having it get dark so early, without the gradual adjustment we usually have living in Minnesota or Wisconsin. It was surreal knowing we still had hours upon hours before even thinking about ending the day. We headed back to the hostel for a rest, and later found a grocery store so we could save some money during the trip. Even groceries were ridiculously priced, like three times what I'm used to, and eventually we settled on spaghetti, bread, and bananas... and enough for a few days.
Back at the hostel, we made our dinner in the common room/kitchen, got to know our new Italian roommate, Marco, and talked to Ron who came down to join us a while later. After a few hours, we decided to check out the Oslo nightlife, although it was only a Wednesday. We found a promising bar close to the hostel and decided to stay, feeling very welcomed by the warm air inside. We spent a few hours with Ron from Jamaica and a guy from Iceland that came out with us, whose name I could never pronounce. It was a good time, and fun knowing how random this trip had been, and how funny it was to be hanging out in a Norwegian bar with a guy from Jamaica.
The next day, we woke up to a light drizzle and decided to make it a day of museums. We took a bus to the outer edge of the city, which looked like an equal mixture of Madison, with its trees and waterfront, and Minnesota's north shore with it's crisp air and large, spaced-out houses. The Fram museum was quite interesting. It held a large ship built in the late 19th century which was crucial in the explortation of the arctic circle. The Kon-Tiki museum told the interesting tale of modern day expeditions from Morocco to the USA and from South America to Indonesia by raft to show the plausibility of historical migration theories. We also visited the Viking Ship Museum, which sets a dark and mysterious ambiance for its display of amazingly well preserved 11th-14th century ships and artifacts. The walk between the museums was quite pleasant, the air refreshing, and the openness and lack of city noise quite peaceful. On the bus ride back, we overheard someone speaking in English about the King's lands and summer home that we had unknowingly passed. We toured the Norwegian WWII resistance museum within the castle walls, which was really interesting to me having learned a bit about it previously. We spent that evening debating taking a trip to beautiful Bergen (where my ancestors are supposedly from and which is home to some of the most beautiful sights on earth in its famous fjords), but the bus, train, and plane options all cost about 175 dollars, and it was just more than we wanted to pay after thinking about all the traveling we could do elsewhere with that some amount of money. Plus, we still had so much to see in Oslo. In the end, we decided to take a trip to Moss, a town of 36,000 people thirty minutes south of Oslo by train, on the coast of the North Sea.
We went out that night with Ron, and two Mexican guys that were staying in our room that night, who were studying in Madrid for the semester. Ron knew of a great bar, to which he led us through the pouring rain (I knew that REI raincoat would come in handy sometime...) We decided to cut the night short about three in the morning so we would be somewhat alive for our 8:30 train the next morning, and got to bed in enough time to catch a few hours of sleep.
The train ride the next morning was quite beautiful as we passes through forests, farmland, and waterfront on our way to the coast. It was brutally windy and cold immediately as we stepped off the train, and I was quite glad to have bundled up. We did a little bit of walking around town and ate our newly discovered breakfast combination of banana wrapped within a chunk of bread. Amazingly tasty... We found a stunningly beautiful lake on the edge of the town and made the long hike around it, fully embracing the great outdoors. While November perhaps isn't the best time to visit Norway, we were the only tourists in Moss. In fact, we were among the very few in Oslo as well, and I liked the feeling of just being able to blend in. (Especially with our ability to pass as Norwegians). I couldn't tell you how many times people came up to me asking questions in Norsk. After our slow lap around the lake, we hiked to the other end of town, up and over a large hill, and made way though the biting wind and countyside. The smell of saltwater marked our approach to the roaring North Sea as we passed cabbage patches, barns, silos, and beautifully open land. The wind howling, we stood admiring the rough sea and the mountains behind, and questioned the intelligence of the two brave souls windsurfing far away from shore in what must have been brutal conditions.
Sustained only by our small breakfast, and a roll of Maria cookies on our trek to the sea, our thoughts turned to having a late lunch in town, and reindeer sounded heavenly. After consulting the Moss tourist center (I'm pretty sure we were the only ones who had stopped in there in quite some time), we found ourselves out of luck for affordable reindeer dining options. Having made a pact on the plane, we decided to forgo a meal in Moss in hopes of finding our desired meal in Oslo. After a few games of Euchre in the train station, we settled into our very comfortable seats and I quickly drifted into a delightful half sleep in the warm cabin. Around fifteen miles of walking in the cold had tuckered me out, but it was such a wonderfully restorative day, returning to the peace and quiet of the country side, and feeling at home in the crisp, chilly air. It made me miss home, but at the same time I almost felt as if I were there.
Upon returning to Oslo, we returned to the Hostel and quickly marched to the restaurant that Ron recommended for what would be our second meal out in Norway. We all ordered reindeer and potatoes, which reminded me so much of my grandmother's Swedish meatball recipe. Donner and Cupid were delicious, and according to Reider and Jen, Dasher, Dancer, Comet and Blitzen were equally tasty. The warmth of the restaurant, and the fullness of our bellies quickly overcame us, and we drifted into a sleepily content state that reminded me of the annual Thanksgiving aftermath. An anti-fascism protest woke us up a bit on the walk home, and the random appearance of the Romanian president, who walked out of a hotel to his heavily guarded police caravan right in front of us on the walk home, made for quite a fun surprise.
We collapsed into bed about 8:00 and couldn't help but sleep. A bed had never felt so welcoming in my life, and it was the final piece to feeling completely satisfied with the day. I could have slept the whole night, but pried myself out of bed around midnight to talk with our new Italian roommates and to play some cards with Ron, Reidar, and Jen before heading back to bed around 3.
We awoke promptly the next morning, knowing we still had so much to do before catching the bus back to the airport at 4:30. We headed out to the Edvard Munch museum, the famous Norwegian painter who left his work to the city of Oslo and on our way, navigated ourselves though Oslo's immigrant neighborhoods, past little grocery stores, bakeries, and markets. We arrived a bit before the museum opened, and relaxed in the beautiful park next to which it is located. The leaves where still in the process of falling from the trees, and it was beautifully fall-like. Munch's work is incredible, and he quickly has become my favorite painter. Such incredible use of color and every work is quite unique as opposed to the countless paintings of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the royal family here in Spain. The only must-see painting that was missing from the collection was the real "The Scream", which is housed in the National Gallery. On our way back to the waterfront, we make a lightning-quick entry into this building to see the finished work. It actually is much less impressive than I thought it would be, and while it is easily his most famous work, it is probably one of my least favorite. Somehow, it seems to lack the color and imagination of his other works, although clearly displaying a heavy dose of existentialist suffering.
Thinking it was much further than it actually was, we took an unnecessary tram ride to the Vigiland Sculpture park, which is home to over 212 bronze and granite sculptures by Gustav Vigiland. All are nude, and display an awe-inspiring sort of movement. The bright blue sky provided the perfect backdrop to such a beautiful place. On our way back to the hostel, carefully watching the time, we stopped into the Norwegian Resistance Museum one more time to finish what we hadn't seen when it had closed on during our previous visit. A quick walk back to the hostel, we gathered our bags from the luggage room, and quickly boiled our remaining pasta for a snack on the way home. It was a fast-paced end to a fantastic trip, and as we rode the bus back to the airport, we reflected on how random our original decision to make the trip really had been, and what a fantastic time it was. The airport was tiny, and the flight home on Ryanair, hassle-free. We got home just in time to comfortably catch the metro before it closed down for the night.
While originally I was having doubts about how badly I wanted to make the trip (so much that needed to get done back in Madrid, missing out on opportunities here, and lacking Spanish immersion for the better part of a week), I was so completely happy with it in the end. It had always been a wish of mine to make it to Norway, and while I still want to return some day to see Bergen, I'm quite happy with what I saw. The transition back to life in Madrid was seamless, having Sunday to clean my room, do my massive amount of laundry, organize my life, and talk to my family at home and my adopted one here in the piso. Getting back into the routine of classes also felt good, and my lesson with Ines on Monday went well, teaching her all sorts of fun new verbs! I have three more English teaching jobs, which will put me up to seven hours a week, plus a lot of prep time outside of that. A little more than I probably want, but I'm excited about learning more about being a teacher. While I'm quite sure it isn't in my long-term life plans, I could see myself traveling the world again someday and teaching English could be a good way to make it happen during a shorter period of time.
The rest of the week has been full of attempts to catch up on my studies, but instead I have found a few more intercambios with whom I've spent a lot of time the last few days. I also had lunch with Ivan, Elena, and Isabel on Wednesday, who are quickly becoming my closest Spanish friends here. I also saw a movie and had coffee with Ivan and Elena tonight. I went out with Alfonso, Julie, and her Russian, fluent Spanish-speaking roommate, Olga, Wednesday night for a great time and a lot of laughs, and went to the famous Palacio discoteca last night. Truly incredible inside, with impressive architecture that makes you feel like you are in a real royal palace, but with music and crazy lights everywhere. I had a great study session with Bailey from my program this afternoon, and now find myself desperately trying to finish this at 3:30 in the morning. Our WIP group leaves for Cordoba at 7:30, and I have yet to pack... oops! I'll be there for the weekend.
I'm starting to feel even better about Spain, especially after this week. Ivan and Elena seem like they will be very close friends of mine in no time, and I feel like I've really bonded with Alfonso this week, something I'd been really wanting more of recently. He's such a fun guy to be around, but for some reason I can't speak Spanish worth a damn around him. I have no idea why. Possible trip with him to his house in the Basque country next weekend. Anyways, I need to salvage a few hours of shut-eye. New pictures of Norway are up if you want to have a look. As you always must write here in Spain, if you aren't physically present to give them---- Besos!
On a more exciting note, I went to Norway last weekend with two friends from my program. Reidar, from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Jen, from Purdue University. I had wanted to go there my whole life, and the 25 euro round trip was more than enough incentive to return to the Old Country to visit my fellow blonds. After a really busy two days of classes and teaching Ines, a seven year old Spanish girl I teach once a week at her house, we left for the airport with our luggage directly from class, arriving at the airport in enough time, but a little more rushed than we had wanted to be. After successfully wearing 4 layers through security, so that my luggage would be okay to carry on board, we waited for our slightly delayed plane to arrive. We got into the airport outside of Oslo and took a 1.5 hour bus ride into the city. We were greeted in Oslo by a very light snowfall, nothing that could accumulate, but just enough to make us feel welcome in the most northernly place we had even been. A short walk, and a few stops for directions later, we found our way to the hostel, which turned out to be in a prime location, in the center of everything. The hostel was incredible, especially compared to the one in which I stayed in Lisbon. It felt so warm and welcoming, it was bright, and had a character all its own. When we entered our room, we were greeted with a smile and hello from Ron, a Jamaican who was staying in Oslo for about 3 weeks. After a little conversation, he showed me all the places we would need to be sure to see, and marked them on the city map the hostel had provided us. The beds were fantastic, with pillowtop mattress pads, which I will have in my house someday, without doubt, and warm, soft duvets. After a long day of class and travel, we collapsed into bed very hungry, but too content to leave the hostel at that point.
The next morning, we started the day exchanging Euros for Norwegian Kroner, and set off to the 14th century Akershus castle along Oslo harbor. We were greeted by a sunny morning, a gentle breeze, and fantastic views of the city and water from the top of the castle. Surrounded by marching palace guards, we felt quite welcomed in Norway, as there seemed to be very very few tourists in the city. We walked the castle grounds, taking in the breathtaking views, and enjoying the crisp, fall air. We then set off in search of some much needed food, as we hadn't eaten since noon the day before, and found a Kebab stand, which is all the rage in Norway at the moment. After paying an obscene amount for an obscene amount of food, (everything is really expensive in Norway, like really expensive), we took a long walk around the city, ending up at the waterfront for a second time just to see the beautiful sunset at about 3:45. On our walk, we approached the Royal Palace, stopped at city hall, and passed by the Nobel Peace Prize center. It was so odd having it get dark so early, without the gradual adjustment we usually have living in Minnesota or Wisconsin. It was surreal knowing we still had hours upon hours before even thinking about ending the day. We headed back to the hostel for a rest, and later found a grocery store so we could save some money during the trip. Even groceries were ridiculously priced, like three times what I'm used to, and eventually we settled on spaghetti, bread, and bananas... and enough for a few days.
Back at the hostel, we made our dinner in the common room/kitchen, got to know our new Italian roommate, Marco, and talked to Ron who came down to join us a while later. After a few hours, we decided to check out the Oslo nightlife, although it was only a Wednesday. We found a promising bar close to the hostel and decided to stay, feeling very welcomed by the warm air inside. We spent a few hours with Ron from Jamaica and a guy from Iceland that came out with us, whose name I could never pronounce. It was a good time, and fun knowing how random this trip had been, and how funny it was to be hanging out in a Norwegian bar with a guy from Jamaica.
The next day, we woke up to a light drizzle and decided to make it a day of museums. We took a bus to the outer edge of the city, which looked like an equal mixture of Madison, with its trees and waterfront, and Minnesota's north shore with it's crisp air and large, spaced-out houses. The Fram museum was quite interesting. It held a large ship built in the late 19th century which was crucial in the explortation of the arctic circle. The Kon-Tiki museum told the interesting tale of modern day expeditions from Morocco to the USA and from South America to Indonesia by raft to show the plausibility of historical migration theories. We also visited the Viking Ship Museum, which sets a dark and mysterious ambiance for its display of amazingly well preserved 11th-14th century ships and artifacts. The walk between the museums was quite pleasant, the air refreshing, and the openness and lack of city noise quite peaceful. On the bus ride back, we overheard someone speaking in English about the King's lands and summer home that we had unknowingly passed. We toured the Norwegian WWII resistance museum within the castle walls, which was really interesting to me having learned a bit about it previously. We spent that evening debating taking a trip to beautiful Bergen (where my ancestors are supposedly from and which is home to some of the most beautiful sights on earth in its famous fjords), but the bus, train, and plane options all cost about 175 dollars, and it was just more than we wanted to pay after thinking about all the traveling we could do elsewhere with that some amount of money. Plus, we still had so much to see in Oslo. In the end, we decided to take a trip to Moss, a town of 36,000 people thirty minutes south of Oslo by train, on the coast of the North Sea.
We went out that night with Ron, and two Mexican guys that were staying in our room that night, who were studying in Madrid for the semester. Ron knew of a great bar, to which he led us through the pouring rain (I knew that REI raincoat would come in handy sometime...) We decided to cut the night short about three in the morning so we would be somewhat alive for our 8:30 train the next morning, and got to bed in enough time to catch a few hours of sleep.
The train ride the next morning was quite beautiful as we passes through forests, farmland, and waterfront on our way to the coast. It was brutally windy and cold immediately as we stepped off the train, and I was quite glad to have bundled up. We did a little bit of walking around town and ate our newly discovered breakfast combination of banana wrapped within a chunk of bread. Amazingly tasty... We found a stunningly beautiful lake on the edge of the town and made the long hike around it, fully embracing the great outdoors. While November perhaps isn't the best time to visit Norway, we were the only tourists in Moss. In fact, we were among the very few in Oslo as well, and I liked the feeling of just being able to blend in. (Especially with our ability to pass as Norwegians). I couldn't tell you how many times people came up to me asking questions in Norsk. After our slow lap around the lake, we hiked to the other end of town, up and over a large hill, and made way though the biting wind and countyside. The smell of saltwater marked our approach to the roaring North Sea as we passed cabbage patches, barns, silos, and beautifully open land. The wind howling, we stood admiring the rough sea and the mountains behind, and questioned the intelligence of the two brave souls windsurfing far away from shore in what must have been brutal conditions.
Sustained only by our small breakfast, and a roll of Maria cookies on our trek to the sea, our thoughts turned to having a late lunch in town, and reindeer sounded heavenly. After consulting the Moss tourist center (I'm pretty sure we were the only ones who had stopped in there in quite some time), we found ourselves out of luck for affordable reindeer dining options. Having made a pact on the plane, we decided to forgo a meal in Moss in hopes of finding our desired meal in Oslo. After a few games of Euchre in the train station, we settled into our very comfortable seats and I quickly drifted into a delightful half sleep in the warm cabin. Around fifteen miles of walking in the cold had tuckered me out, but it was such a wonderfully restorative day, returning to the peace and quiet of the country side, and feeling at home in the crisp, chilly air. It made me miss home, but at the same time I almost felt as if I were there.
Upon returning to Oslo, we returned to the Hostel and quickly marched to the restaurant that Ron recommended for what would be our second meal out in Norway. We all ordered reindeer and potatoes, which reminded me so much of my grandmother's Swedish meatball recipe. Donner and Cupid were delicious, and according to Reider and Jen, Dasher, Dancer, Comet and Blitzen were equally tasty. The warmth of the restaurant, and the fullness of our bellies quickly overcame us, and we drifted into a sleepily content state that reminded me of the annual Thanksgiving aftermath. An anti-fascism protest woke us up a bit on the walk home, and the random appearance of the Romanian president, who walked out of a hotel to his heavily guarded police caravan right in front of us on the walk home, made for quite a fun surprise.
We collapsed into bed about 8:00 and couldn't help but sleep. A bed had never felt so welcoming in my life, and it was the final piece to feeling completely satisfied with the day. I could have slept the whole night, but pried myself out of bed around midnight to talk with our new Italian roommates and to play some cards with Ron, Reidar, and Jen before heading back to bed around 3.
We awoke promptly the next morning, knowing we still had so much to do before catching the bus back to the airport at 4:30. We headed out to the Edvard Munch museum, the famous Norwegian painter who left his work to the city of Oslo and on our way, navigated ourselves though Oslo's immigrant neighborhoods, past little grocery stores, bakeries, and markets. We arrived a bit before the museum opened, and relaxed in the beautiful park next to which it is located. The leaves where still in the process of falling from the trees, and it was beautifully fall-like. Munch's work is incredible, and he quickly has become my favorite painter. Such incredible use of color and every work is quite unique as opposed to the countless paintings of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the royal family here in Spain. The only must-see painting that was missing from the collection was the real "The Scream", which is housed in the National Gallery. On our way back to the waterfront, we make a lightning-quick entry into this building to see the finished work. It actually is much less impressive than I thought it would be, and while it is easily his most famous work, it is probably one of my least favorite. Somehow, it seems to lack the color and imagination of his other works, although clearly displaying a heavy dose of existentialist suffering.
Thinking it was much further than it actually was, we took an unnecessary tram ride to the Vigiland Sculpture park, which is home to over 212 bronze and granite sculptures by Gustav Vigiland. All are nude, and display an awe-inspiring sort of movement. The bright blue sky provided the perfect backdrop to such a beautiful place. On our way back to the hostel, carefully watching the time, we stopped into the Norwegian Resistance Museum one more time to finish what we hadn't seen when it had closed on during our previous visit. A quick walk back to the hostel, we gathered our bags from the luggage room, and quickly boiled our remaining pasta for a snack on the way home. It was a fast-paced end to a fantastic trip, and as we rode the bus back to the airport, we reflected on how random our original decision to make the trip really had been, and what a fantastic time it was. The airport was tiny, and the flight home on Ryanair, hassle-free. We got home just in time to comfortably catch the metro before it closed down for the night.
While originally I was having doubts about how badly I wanted to make the trip (so much that needed to get done back in Madrid, missing out on opportunities here, and lacking Spanish immersion for the better part of a week), I was so completely happy with it in the end. It had always been a wish of mine to make it to Norway, and while I still want to return some day to see Bergen, I'm quite happy with what I saw. The transition back to life in Madrid was seamless, having Sunday to clean my room, do my massive amount of laundry, organize my life, and talk to my family at home and my adopted one here in the piso. Getting back into the routine of classes also felt good, and my lesson with Ines on Monday went well, teaching her all sorts of fun new verbs! I have three more English teaching jobs, which will put me up to seven hours a week, plus a lot of prep time outside of that. A little more than I probably want, but I'm excited about learning more about being a teacher. While I'm quite sure it isn't in my long-term life plans, I could see myself traveling the world again someday and teaching English could be a good way to make it happen during a shorter period of time.
The rest of the week has been full of attempts to catch up on my studies, but instead I have found a few more intercambios with whom I've spent a lot of time the last few days. I also had lunch with Ivan, Elena, and Isabel on Wednesday, who are quickly becoming my closest Spanish friends here. I also saw a movie and had coffee with Ivan and Elena tonight. I went out with Alfonso, Julie, and her Russian, fluent Spanish-speaking roommate, Olga, Wednesday night for a great time and a lot of laughs, and went to the famous Palacio discoteca last night. Truly incredible inside, with impressive architecture that makes you feel like you are in a real royal palace, but with music and crazy lights everywhere. I had a great study session with Bailey from my program this afternoon, and now find myself desperately trying to finish this at 3:30 in the morning. Our WIP group leaves for Cordoba at 7:30, and I have yet to pack... oops! I'll be there for the weekend.
I'm starting to feel even better about Spain, especially after this week. Ivan and Elena seem like they will be very close friends of mine in no time, and I feel like I've really bonded with Alfonso this week, something I'd been really wanting more of recently. He's such a fun guy to be around, but for some reason I can't speak Spanish worth a damn around him. I have no idea why. Possible trip with him to his house in the Basque country next weekend. Anyways, I need to salvage a few hours of shut-eye. New pictures of Norway are up if you want to have a look. As you always must write here in Spain, if you aren't physically present to give them---- Besos!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sevilla, Heroes del Silencio, Ensenando Ingles, y la Vida Loca
Life continues to be a whirlwind here in Madrid and I feel like I'm getting busier everyday despite becoming more accustomed to life abroad. The last week has been absolutely fabulous. Wednesday was my first day of TAing the English class in the Universidad Complutense. Katie, from Tulane, and I were a bit nervous heading into it, but we met for coffee the night before and decided to just have an open hour of introducing ourselves and asking general political and social questions to the class that we thought might be interesting and fun. To our delight, it seemed like the students were really into the class, and after a slightly slow start, we had the class laughing and talking in English for a solid hour while we got to know each other. It was so cool to be up in front of the class and for the first time in 6 weeks actually know how to speak better than those around me. It was quite an uplifting moment as I have been struggling through the grind of feeling inadequate most of the time here. The students are so cool, and one has already offered to take Katie and I to his house in la Extremadura some weekend this year. Other students came up after class to ask if they could meet us for coffee outside of class for intercambios, and offered to take us out on the weekends, show us around, and introduce us to their friends. It was so FABULOUS to FINALLY really connect with more Spaniards. While I have met a few, I feel like this will open up so many doors. I'm really really excited about it. After teaching the class on Wednesday, I had a meeting with my program where I got a job teaching English two boys ages 4 and 7 an hour every Monday. I'll start at the beginning of November. I also enrolled myself in a program here in Madrid that hooks you up with more English teaching positions after you take a ten hour course and complete a 10 hour internship. While it has made for a really busy week, attending my 6 hours of class Monday and Tuesday, followed by 3 hours of this course, I think it will be really valuable in the end. I am realizing how very little I know about the English language, and gaining more respect for teachers as I go through this process. While I could have found more teaching opportunities on my own, I will finish this program with an internationally recognized certificate and access to an entire library of teaching materials, which will come in handy throughout the year. All my classes will pay about 15 Euro an hour, which is fantastic, although I will have to figure in a lot of prep and transportation time. Anyways, it will be a good way to make some much needed money and gain some quality experience.
At our meeting I also met three Spaniards, who had come with a number of others seeking intercambios from our group. Ivan, Elena, Isabel, Heather, and I went out for coffee and ended up talking for 3 hours. They are all really cool, and we are going to meet for lunch later this week and maybe go out this weekend. I also found another intercambio from our office with whom I have emailed back and forth a few times and am meeting for coffee on Thursday. These contacts will be fantastic for improving my Spanish, which feels like it is progressing slowly. I have really started to notice, however, the last few days, that I am able to understand people much better without trying as hard, and I have found myself understanding phrases that when spoken fast, used to be impossible to catch, but now seem much more natural to me. Hopefully with speaking aspect will fall into place next. Classes are getting easier to understand as well, even that of Complutense.
After doing my final regestration for classes on Thursday, I spent the rest of the evening starting to plan my winter break trip with Dave, Chris, and Kyle, who will be flying over to join us. Chris is coming to Madrid to spend Christmas with his brother and Spanish sister-in-law, and Kyle will be arriving on the 27th. I, however, think I'll be spending Christmas with Dave. Right now I'm thinking about meeting him in Freiburg, Germany, (already found a really cheap flight) and staying there for a day while he finishes up his classes while I explore the city. After that, we have thought about taking a train to Zurich and passing through Switzerland on our way to Prague, where we would spend Christmas. It is supposed to be one of the most fabulous places to spend Christmas in the world, as the whole city is decorated for the occasion. After that, we're thinking of traveling to Berlin for a day where we would depart on a very cheap flight to Rome or Paris (we've found both) to meet Chris and Kyle. My flatmate, Dominik, has a friend in Berlin with whom he says we could definitely stay... quite tempting... We're thinking that the four of us will spend a week in Rome and Paris, and try to make a day trip to the Italian Riviera or something like that. With so much cheap travel available in Europe, it's amazing that one can plan such an incredible trip as this for such a reasonable price. We still have a lot of planning to do, however...
This past weekend I went to Sevilla with Jess and Heather. We stayed in basically the last available hotel in the city as everything imaginable was book due to the Heroes del Silencio concert (The Rolling Stones/ Dave Matthews Band of Spain). Jess and I literally looked for days in search of a hostel or hotel before finally finding a room for one, in which we slept three. We played it off to the hotel staff as being Jess and I, traveling as boyfriend and girlfriend, which they accepted, and then snuck Heather and her bags in a bit later. Haha, it was quite the operation, and we pulled it off well. We took a comfortable 7 hour bus ride, and passed the time resting after a busy week. We got in late, so it wasn't long before we were fast asleep, me in my bed of blankets and sleeping bags on the floor, which actually was quite comfortable.
The next day, we arose at a comfortably early hour and set out into the city. We took the bus in to the center, as we were on the outskirts, and spent the morning visiting Sevilla's famous cathedral. It is the one think I really remembered from my family's trip there in 6th grade. The tomb of Columbus was just as I remembered, but the Gothic structure even more impressive. I just never get tired of Gothic cathedrals, no matter how many I see. They are simply beyond description. We climbed the famous Muslim Giralda, the only remaining piece of the old mosque that was destroyed by the Christian reconquest. The Giralda, however, a large tower, was left intact and incorporated into the cathedral. From here, we were able to see Sevilla from a spectacular point of view. It is so tall, in fact, that the interior is series of ramps that circle around the center, which once allowed the muezzin and important political leaders to ascend on horseback.
In the afternoon, we also toured the Alcazar, which is a fantastic blend of Muslim and Christian influences, and which holds some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. We spent hours walking through them, drinking in the tranquility and beauty. It was an absolutely perfect day, sunny and warm like summer, only in October. After finding ourselves famished midday after a small breakfast and a long morning, we settled in to a small restaurant nearby. And what a fabulous surprise it was. The best meal I've had in Spain by far. We each ordered from the midday menu, in which you could choose your various courses. I started off with the best gazpacho in the world (a cold tomato soup but oh so much more), followed by Spain's famous paella, a cana de cerveza, and a glass of sangria which tasted like Christmas, the best I have had in my 6 weeks here. It was the most satisfying meal I have had in quite a long time, and we spend the better part of the afternoon there enjoying the meal, the weather, the company, and the all-too-kind, very Andalusian, waiter.
The lifestyle in Andalusia is much different than that of Madrid. More relaxed, and more appreciative of the beauty that Spain possesses. Everything moves a bit more slowly, and the sun glows a bit more brightly. There is also something very calming in the air that I think is quite unique to the south of Spain. After a walk through the old Jewish sector, we returned to the hotel for a short descanso. Jess and I prepped for the exciting night we had planned, while Heather rested before heading back to the city center for more sightseeing.
Jess was the one who originally convinced me to come to Sevilla and she also got us tickets for the famous Heroes del Silencio concert. Arun, my flatmate, is an absolute fanatic, and he has been lending me CDs and playing their songs for me on his guitar and serenading me every night before I go to bed. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the spectacle I was about to witness. We left really really early for the concert, as we attempted to arrive at the olympic stadium by bus. Luckily, I think we caught the last bus at the stop just before the city center that had a smooth ride out to the stadium. Our bus driver drove past every stop, as the bus was completely packed with fans, and I imagine those on the side of the road had to wait quite a while... When we arrived, I was shocked to see a huge sea of fans in the middle of a botellon before the concert. It reminded me so much of how it looks before a Dave Matthews concert, only everyone was wearing the trademark black of the band, and drinking Sangria, instead of Miller or Honeyweis, grilling out, and tossing beanbags. As we waited about two hours inside the stadium, it continued to fill to what I estimate to be 100, 000 people. We were on the ground floor, in the middle of the pack.
When the music started, without opening acts (a fabulous idea), the stage erupted with lights and the band played to the screaming fans. Absolutely incredible music, and an atmosphere oh so similar to the Dave concerts I've been to. The fans are fanatics, sing every single word of every single song, and cling to every movement of the band members. The few songs I did know I belted out with Jess and the rest of the Spaniards. At one point, it crossed my mind that I was sure I was the only blond of the 100,000 people in the stadium. And I really think that I was. Quite an odd feeling... After 2.5 hours, 3 call backs, and an amazing fireworks show over the open-air stadium to rival any Fourth of July show in the US, Jess and I exited with the masses in complete shock at what we had just been apart of. It was such a one of a kind experience, and worth every penny.
What followed, however, was an utter nightmare. Spain, while so efficient in some ways, and so smart with regard to its public transportation, just does not understand how to adapt to special circumstances. It's something I have noticed in Madrid as well. For example, why does the Metro close between 1:30 and 6:00 on the weekends when no one in Madrid between the ages of 12 and 40 is asleep? Why is NOTHING open during those hours when they could make an absolutely killing selling to the gente? It was the same in Sevilla. The buses stopped running at midnight, before the concert ended, and there were almost no taxis waiting to give lifts from the goldmine that was the Olympic stadium? While many, many people drove to the concert, why were there no means of transportation for the others? The taxi companies could have made a KILLING just having all of their cars line up there right before the concert ended. But there was nothing. Jess and I walked for 4 straight hours, half in the direction of the hotel, which was really really far way, and half in search of a cab. Finally, at 4 in the morning, we found a cabbie willing to let us share with someone already en route. Another oddity, cabbies don't allow you to share cabs! I can't even count how many I saw carrying one passenger that refused to stop for us even after talking to them. Saturday night I experienced my first ever "screw you, Spain" moment. I had yet to have one, but the night left me utterly shocked and exhausted. The hassle was so worth it, however, as I quickly realized again the next morning.
We decided we needed to sleep in the next day, despite our desire to see more of Sevilla. A busy week of classes ahead, and a horrible night behind us warranted taking the trip a bit more slowly. After waking up about 11, we showered, checked out of the hotel, and lugged our bags and backpacks to the Torre de Oro, the premier Muslim military structure in the world today outside of al-alhambra. Situated down by Sevilla's river, it was quite beautiful in the warm sun and offered a great view of the city. We later decided to take an open-air bus tour of the city, like I had done in Lisboa, which again proved to be a great way to see the rest of the city and appreciate its layout. It also was a great solution to the fact we had all of our luggage with us and nowhere to store it. We stopped for a lunch of bocadillos before heading to the bus station, and after a cana with Jess, we headed back to Madrid as the sun set on the beautiful Andalusian landscape. Arriving home after a long metro ride back to the flat, I quickly set off to bed with such a busy day to follow on Monday.
Nine hours of class has greeted me both Monday and Tuesday. I'm learning some interesting things in my Teach English seminar, and I think it will definitely be worth my time and effort in the long run, although I am quite exhausted tonight. I have my English class to teach tomorrow, and I'm meeting with Katie in the morning to discuss a lesson plan. Then I have my first class in the Museum Prado manana, which should be quite fun, I think. My medieval history class was brutal today, as she seemed to be talking faster than ever, with names and places unfamiliar to me, but quite familiar to Spaniards I am sure. I was surprised, however, that I was able to figure most of them out after not too much trouble, maybe indicating that I'm starting to get a better grasp on this language. Who knows? I also got my first haircut in Spain today, which was kind of fun trying to explain how I wanted it done. It turned out really well, I think, with a little Spanish touch...
Emma and Dominik made a last minute decision to go to Cadiz in the south of Spain last weekend as he was visiting a friend. I would have loved to go, but I already had my plans to go to Sevilla. I definitely miss being in Madrid and with my friends here when I'm away, especially Emma and Dominik, with whom I get along so well. I am so lucky to have stumbled on this piso with Emma that random day in September. We barely knew each other at the time, but she has turned out to be one of my closest friends here in Madrid. Sassy, hilarious, smart, and driven; probably the best ways to describe her. More than anyone here, she has seized every possible opportunity and made this year her own and I really admire her for that. Every day she has unknowingly motivated me to get more and more out of this incredible opportunity and to not waste a single minute of my time here. At the same time, she's quite an amazing friend. With my other flat mates and other Spaniards I am starting to meet, as well as Anok, a French girl I've gotten to know in my Complu class that is majoring in Historia Medieval (perfect for keeping up in class!), I think I'm finally starting to open the doors to having a network of friends here that will make me feel even more comfortable and grounded in this country.
I don't know if I'll ever want to leave... Wow, I really need to get some sleep. Looks like another 4 hour night of sleep... This got to be longer than I intended, as always. Buenas noches.
Sevilla and most of the Lisboa pics are now up on my album, although I'm still awaited a few really good ones of Lisboa from Julie, so check back to that album in a few days and look for pics of the beach.
At our meeting I also met three Spaniards, who had come with a number of others seeking intercambios from our group. Ivan, Elena, Isabel, Heather, and I went out for coffee and ended up talking for 3 hours. They are all really cool, and we are going to meet for lunch later this week and maybe go out this weekend. I also found another intercambio from our office with whom I have emailed back and forth a few times and am meeting for coffee on Thursday. These contacts will be fantastic for improving my Spanish, which feels like it is progressing slowly. I have really started to notice, however, the last few days, that I am able to understand people much better without trying as hard, and I have found myself understanding phrases that when spoken fast, used to be impossible to catch, but now seem much more natural to me. Hopefully with speaking aspect will fall into place next. Classes are getting easier to understand as well, even that of Complutense.
After doing my final regestration for classes on Thursday, I spent the rest of the evening starting to plan my winter break trip with Dave, Chris, and Kyle, who will be flying over to join us. Chris is coming to Madrid to spend Christmas with his brother and Spanish sister-in-law, and Kyle will be arriving on the 27th. I, however, think I'll be spending Christmas with Dave. Right now I'm thinking about meeting him in Freiburg, Germany, (already found a really cheap flight) and staying there for a day while he finishes up his classes while I explore the city. After that, we have thought about taking a train to Zurich and passing through Switzerland on our way to Prague, where we would spend Christmas. It is supposed to be one of the most fabulous places to spend Christmas in the world, as the whole city is decorated for the occasion. After that, we're thinking of traveling to Berlin for a day where we would depart on a very cheap flight to Rome or Paris (we've found both) to meet Chris and Kyle. My flatmate, Dominik, has a friend in Berlin with whom he says we could definitely stay... quite tempting... We're thinking that the four of us will spend a week in Rome and Paris, and try to make a day trip to the Italian Riviera or something like that. With so much cheap travel available in Europe, it's amazing that one can plan such an incredible trip as this for such a reasonable price. We still have a lot of planning to do, however...
This past weekend I went to Sevilla with Jess and Heather. We stayed in basically the last available hotel in the city as everything imaginable was book due to the Heroes del Silencio concert (The Rolling Stones/ Dave Matthews Band of Spain). Jess and I literally looked for days in search of a hostel or hotel before finally finding a room for one, in which we slept three. We played it off to the hotel staff as being Jess and I, traveling as boyfriend and girlfriend, which they accepted, and then snuck Heather and her bags in a bit later. Haha, it was quite the operation, and we pulled it off well. We took a comfortable 7 hour bus ride, and passed the time resting after a busy week. We got in late, so it wasn't long before we were fast asleep, me in my bed of blankets and sleeping bags on the floor, which actually was quite comfortable.
The next day, we arose at a comfortably early hour and set out into the city. We took the bus in to the center, as we were on the outskirts, and spent the morning visiting Sevilla's famous cathedral. It is the one think I really remembered from my family's trip there in 6th grade. The tomb of Columbus was just as I remembered, but the Gothic structure even more impressive. I just never get tired of Gothic cathedrals, no matter how many I see. They are simply beyond description. We climbed the famous Muslim Giralda, the only remaining piece of the old mosque that was destroyed by the Christian reconquest. The Giralda, however, a large tower, was left intact and incorporated into the cathedral. From here, we were able to see Sevilla from a spectacular point of view. It is so tall, in fact, that the interior is series of ramps that circle around the center, which once allowed the muezzin and important political leaders to ascend on horseback.
In the afternoon, we also toured the Alcazar, which is a fantastic blend of Muslim and Christian influences, and which holds some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. We spent hours walking through them, drinking in the tranquility and beauty. It was an absolutely perfect day, sunny and warm like summer, only in October. After finding ourselves famished midday after a small breakfast and a long morning, we settled in to a small restaurant nearby. And what a fabulous surprise it was. The best meal I've had in Spain by far. We each ordered from the midday menu, in which you could choose your various courses. I started off with the best gazpacho in the world (a cold tomato soup but oh so much more), followed by Spain's famous paella, a cana de cerveza, and a glass of sangria which tasted like Christmas, the best I have had in my 6 weeks here. It was the most satisfying meal I have had in quite a long time, and we spend the better part of the afternoon there enjoying the meal, the weather, the company, and the all-too-kind, very Andalusian, waiter.
The lifestyle in Andalusia is much different than that of Madrid. More relaxed, and more appreciative of the beauty that Spain possesses. Everything moves a bit more slowly, and the sun glows a bit more brightly. There is also something very calming in the air that I think is quite unique to the south of Spain. After a walk through the old Jewish sector, we returned to the hotel for a short descanso. Jess and I prepped for the exciting night we had planned, while Heather rested before heading back to the city center for more sightseeing.
Jess was the one who originally convinced me to come to Sevilla and she also got us tickets for the famous Heroes del Silencio concert. Arun, my flatmate, is an absolute fanatic, and he has been lending me CDs and playing their songs for me on his guitar and serenading me every night before I go to bed. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the spectacle I was about to witness. We left really really early for the concert, as we attempted to arrive at the olympic stadium by bus. Luckily, I think we caught the last bus at the stop just before the city center that had a smooth ride out to the stadium. Our bus driver drove past every stop, as the bus was completely packed with fans, and I imagine those on the side of the road had to wait quite a while... When we arrived, I was shocked to see a huge sea of fans in the middle of a botellon before the concert. It reminded me so much of how it looks before a Dave Matthews concert, only everyone was wearing the trademark black of the band, and drinking Sangria, instead of Miller or Honeyweis, grilling out, and tossing beanbags. As we waited about two hours inside the stadium, it continued to fill to what I estimate to be 100, 000 people. We were on the ground floor, in the middle of the pack.
When the music started, without opening acts (a fabulous idea), the stage erupted with lights and the band played to the screaming fans. Absolutely incredible music, and an atmosphere oh so similar to the Dave concerts I've been to. The fans are fanatics, sing every single word of every single song, and cling to every movement of the band members. The few songs I did know I belted out with Jess and the rest of the Spaniards. At one point, it crossed my mind that I was sure I was the only blond of the 100,000 people in the stadium. And I really think that I was. Quite an odd feeling... After 2.5 hours, 3 call backs, and an amazing fireworks show over the open-air stadium to rival any Fourth of July show in the US, Jess and I exited with the masses in complete shock at what we had just been apart of. It was such a one of a kind experience, and worth every penny.
What followed, however, was an utter nightmare. Spain, while so efficient in some ways, and so smart with regard to its public transportation, just does not understand how to adapt to special circumstances. It's something I have noticed in Madrid as well. For example, why does the Metro close between 1:30 and 6:00 on the weekends when no one in Madrid between the ages of 12 and 40 is asleep? Why is NOTHING open during those hours when they could make an absolutely killing selling to the gente? It was the same in Sevilla. The buses stopped running at midnight, before the concert ended, and there were almost no taxis waiting to give lifts from the goldmine that was the Olympic stadium? While many, many people drove to the concert, why were there no means of transportation for the others? The taxi companies could have made a KILLING just having all of their cars line up there right before the concert ended. But there was nothing. Jess and I walked for 4 straight hours, half in the direction of the hotel, which was really really far way, and half in search of a cab. Finally, at 4 in the morning, we found a cabbie willing to let us share with someone already en route. Another oddity, cabbies don't allow you to share cabs! I can't even count how many I saw carrying one passenger that refused to stop for us even after talking to them. Saturday night I experienced my first ever "screw you, Spain" moment. I had yet to have one, but the night left me utterly shocked and exhausted. The hassle was so worth it, however, as I quickly realized again the next morning.
We decided we needed to sleep in the next day, despite our desire to see more of Sevilla. A busy week of classes ahead, and a horrible night behind us warranted taking the trip a bit more slowly. After waking up about 11, we showered, checked out of the hotel, and lugged our bags and backpacks to the Torre de Oro, the premier Muslim military structure in the world today outside of al-alhambra. Situated down by Sevilla's river, it was quite beautiful in the warm sun and offered a great view of the city. We later decided to take an open-air bus tour of the city, like I had done in Lisboa, which again proved to be a great way to see the rest of the city and appreciate its layout. It also was a great solution to the fact we had all of our luggage with us and nowhere to store it. We stopped for a lunch of bocadillos before heading to the bus station, and after a cana with Jess, we headed back to Madrid as the sun set on the beautiful Andalusian landscape. Arriving home after a long metro ride back to the flat, I quickly set off to bed with such a busy day to follow on Monday.
Nine hours of class has greeted me both Monday and Tuesday. I'm learning some interesting things in my Teach English seminar, and I think it will definitely be worth my time and effort in the long run, although I am quite exhausted tonight. I have my English class to teach tomorrow, and I'm meeting with Katie in the morning to discuss a lesson plan. Then I have my first class in the Museum Prado manana, which should be quite fun, I think. My medieval history class was brutal today, as she seemed to be talking faster than ever, with names and places unfamiliar to me, but quite familiar to Spaniards I am sure. I was surprised, however, that I was able to figure most of them out after not too much trouble, maybe indicating that I'm starting to get a better grasp on this language. Who knows? I also got my first haircut in Spain today, which was kind of fun trying to explain how I wanted it done. It turned out really well, I think, with a little Spanish touch...
Emma and Dominik made a last minute decision to go to Cadiz in the south of Spain last weekend as he was visiting a friend. I would have loved to go, but I already had my plans to go to Sevilla. I definitely miss being in Madrid and with my friends here when I'm away, especially Emma and Dominik, with whom I get along so well. I am so lucky to have stumbled on this piso with Emma that random day in September. We barely knew each other at the time, but she has turned out to be one of my closest friends here in Madrid. Sassy, hilarious, smart, and driven; probably the best ways to describe her. More than anyone here, she has seized every possible opportunity and made this year her own and I really admire her for that. Every day she has unknowingly motivated me to get more and more out of this incredible opportunity and to not waste a single minute of my time here. At the same time, she's quite an amazing friend. With my other flat mates and other Spaniards I am starting to meet, as well as Anok, a French girl I've gotten to know in my Complu class that is majoring in Historia Medieval (perfect for keeping up in class!), I think I'm finally starting to open the doors to having a network of friends here that will make me feel even more comfortable and grounded in this country.
I don't know if I'll ever want to leave... Wow, I really need to get some sleep. Looks like another 4 hour night of sleep... This got to be longer than I intended, as always. Buenas noches.
Sevilla and most of the Lisboa pics are now up on my album, although I'm still awaited a few really good ones of Lisboa from Julie, so check back to that album in a few days and look for pics of the beach.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lisboa es de puta madre!
Wow. What a trip. I can't even remember what happened last week since the last few days have been so amazing. I left for Lisbon, Portugal, on Thursday afternoon with six friends from my program. We took at 5:00 p.m. bus and arrived there at about 1:30 after the time change. After a busy morning of running errands, I found myself a bit behind schedule, and had to quickly stuff my backpack full of the essentials and rush off to catch the metro to the train station, which actually is quite a journey. I made it in plenty of time, and we set off into the Spanish countryside with much excitement. Within an hour we entered what felt like the Spain of Cervantes and his legendary Don Quixote de la Mancha, although we were traveling west instead of south. The countryside is empty and beautiful, with mountains and olive groves, and the setting sun made me feel like I had traveled back in time. The trip went surprisingly quickly, as Julie and I chatted up a storm like usual. While I feel like I get along with everyone pretty well here, there are a small few with whom I really connect, and Julie is definitely one of those people. Like she said, there wasn't a a moment of boredom during our 9 hour trip to Lisbon. I brought fresh bread, apples, and brie, and she even brought some wine. It was definitely the classiest meal I've ever had on a bus... After telling many stories and jamming away to tunes on our ipods, we arrived at the bus station in Lisbon. The journey into the city was incredible, as we traveled over a 17 kilometer-long bridge into a sea of city lights. We caught two taxis to take us to our hostel, as the metro was closed. The first driver spoke Spanish and knew how to get to the hostel. After letting the others take the taxi we had flagged down, Melissa and I caught another. This guy did not speak Spanish or English, and had no idea how to get to the address which we had written down. Instead of trying our luck with another cabbie, we told him to step on it, and we were quickly thrown into a scene right out of The Amazing Race. Glad to still have our business, he quickly sped up in hot pursuit of the other cab which had disappeared in front of the red light for which we waited. How he knew which turns to make, I have no idea, but incredibly he found the other taxi, which was also speeding like I've never seen before. Through tiny cobble-stoned streets we flew, and a short time later we arrived at our hostel.
After ringing an obscure doorbell, we waited a few minutes in ernest before someone finally buzzed us in. We climbed the narrow stairway and made our way inside. After paying 37 euro each for our 3 night stay, we made our way up to the 6-bed room which we shared. Nothing fancy, of course, but it was a place to sleep, they gave us sheets, and there was an outdoor patio. We quickly crashed and awoke promptly the next morning. After a breakfast of cheap and delicious rolls from small tienda we found, we walked along the harbor right next to our hostel. We made our way to Lisbon's patriarchal cathedral, of gothic design, which was quite beautiful but in many ways lacking the grandeur of those I have seen in Spain. We continued to climb the winding city streets, and discovered incredible view after incredible view of the harbor and the city, each better than the last. I felt a bit like I was in San Francisco as the street cars passed by as well, only more beautiful. We made our way to an 11th century castel atop Lisboa's highest point, where we spent many hours exploring and admiring the indescribable panoramic views of the city. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, up there with the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as well as the Cinque Terra in Italy. We later descended to lower elevation in search of a much needed lunch, and passed through a few run down areas of rubble that held some incredible graffiti unlike any I had seen before. The artists have some real talent, and there was even a work by an artist who is well know in Madrid and throughout the world, according to Danny. As we continued to search for lunch, we stopped at a little pastry shop for a snack. I found yet another amazing pastry equal to that of Segovia, filled with cream and other deliciousness. It was also the messiest thing I have ever put in my mouth, however, and I felt like I needed a shower when I was finished. After seeing another beautiful cathedral near the water, we made our way to San Jorge's Castle Terrace, which is home to the graves of past kings of Portugal, many beautiful works of art, as well as another incredible view, the best of the trip. The castle is open on the top, and one can admire the basilicas and beautiful water which surround it. It was an absolutely fabulous day.
We finally settled on lunch at this small restaurant on one of Potrugal's many narrow cobblestoned streets. We were greeted my a middle-aged couple, and through speaking Spanish and hearing confused responses in Portuguese we managed to convey our orders to them. As the wife went to work nearby in the kitchen, we talked a bit with the husband and he offered us some maps of the city and explained to us how to get to the beach by train. The lunch of pork chops was fabulous, the first real food I had eaten in about two days apart from mostly bread and cheese. As we ate, we all realized that the people of Lisbon, in general, are much more friendly than those of Madrid, and I attribute that to the fact they live by the ocean. I really think that open water has an important calming effect on people, makes them slow down, and appreciate life more. I know it has that effect on me.
After lunch, we made our way to La Plaza de Comercio, where we randomly discovered a departure point for a city open-topped bus tour. Although it was a really touristy thing to do, we settled on it as we had been on our feet all day and still hadn't seen most of the city. It turned out to be a fantastic idea, as the tour included a ticket to hop on and off the bus anytime of day for a full 24 hours, and it stops at all the important points of the city. The open top provided a great way to get a general sense of the city, its layout, and we ended up seeing many areas that would have been nearly impossible otherwise. We hopped off down by the water a ways from our hostel to see el Torre de Belem, a Portuguese defensive structure built to defend the port, as well as the Monumento de Descubrimiento, dedicated to the Portuguese conquest of South America. We timed it perfectly, as we were able to sit on the edge of what used to be thought of as the end of the world and watch the sunset over the water.
After returning to our hostel, we crashed. Twelve hours of being on the go required a siesta, and only a few of us forced ourselves out of bed around 10:30 to continue on with the day. Julie, Danny, Melissa, and I walked around some of the plazas in search of a good place to have tapas, and settled on a place about 20 minutes from the hostel after some beautiful views of the Plaza de Comercio at night. We later looked for a good bar, but were clearly in the wrong part of the city, and decided it would be best to get some sleep before another really busy day.
Although we were asleep around 2:30, and the others since 9:00, I awoke first the next day eager to get moving. After a little coaxing of the others, we made a trip using the tour bus to
la Basilica da Estrela, of 18th century Barock design, and the most beautiful church in Lisboa. We decided to cut our church/museum viewing short and head to the beach in Cascais, about 30 minutes outside of Lisboa by train. After navigating the metro system a bit, we found our way. What awaited us was the most pleasant surprise of the trip. And absolutely gorgeous day, a beautiful beach, and the whole day to spare. We had lunch at an oceanside cafe, sipped a few Portuguese beers (much better than those of Spain), and relaxed on the warm sand in between short dips in the chilly water. In typical European fashion, there were far too many topless elderly women for my taste... We spent a little time walking though the little seaside town, Danny bought some of the famous Port wine, and at sunset we headed back to the hostel very very satisfied.
After a long walk back from the train station, we showered, tried some of the fabulous Port, and planed our route to Las Docas, a group of legendary bars/discotecas down by the waterfront. The bus we thought would take us there only got us about half way, so we had a bit of a walk, but on the way we found this little latenight food stand on the side of the road where many locals were hanging out. We made friends with the middle aged couple manning the stand, talked in a mixture of Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and ate the most delicious hamburgers I have ever tasted, covered by every conceivable topping. (It might be due to the fact I haven't eaten a hamburger in 2 months, but I'm pretty sure they were just delicious). We headed across the street to las Docas and went into a discoteca that looked promising. We were a bit early at 1:00 so it wasn't very crowded, but we quickly headed to the empty dance floor and got the party started. Within a matter of minutes, we had coaxed the rest of the room away from the comfortable, posh, seating arrangements and the place quickly filled up into a giant party into the late hours of the night, when we decided it would be best to return and get a couple hours of sleep before we headed home. Afer an hour and a half of sleep, we awoke, quickly packed, and followed the bus directions I had asked for from the hostel manager the night before. We got there very early, sipped on a few cups of espresso, and made our way onto the bus, which was equipped with very comfortable leather seats. The trip back was long and hot, as the AC seemed to not be working and there was constant traffic from the holiday weekend. We stopped at a few roadside rest stops and as I ate a few snacks on the grass, I looked around and was strangely reminded of South Africa. The mountainous and dry landscape, the rest stop very similar in appearance, and the fact that the majority of the people on the bus were immigrants from I'm assuming west African countries. After almost 11 hours, we made it back, tired, hot, dreading classes the next day, but very very pleased with the trip. Portugal is very similar to Spain in some ways, but seems to lack the grandeur and luster of its brother to the east. You can tell that the empire was once grand, but it is also possible to see the fall in decadence and power, and the city reminds one very much of the fallen empire that is Portugal. In general, however, Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I can only hope to make it back there some day. It's late, I haven't slept much, and I have another 6 hours of class tomorrow, followed by grabbing a coffee with a Tulane student with whom I'm leading a University English discussion section to plan some activities for our first class on Wednesday. I also have a meeting Wednesday to find out about teaching english to younger kids to make some much needed money. The dollar/euro exchange rate makes it disappear quickly, and living here is definitely not cheap, especially if you want to travel. My trip with Heather and Jessica to Segovia this weekend is all set except I need to read up on the city. I've also booked a hostel for Norway at the beginning of November, so I;m pretty much ready for that trip as well. I love traveling here, and it's nice to have these weekend escapes, but I find myself missing Madrid if I'm gone for too long, and feeling like I'll miss out on things if I leave too much. Dominik is back from Germany and Alfonso returns from a long weekend at home in the Basque country on Wednesday. Emma has already planned a "family" ultimate frisbee game in Retiro Park on Wednesday and it will be nice to spend some time with everyone here before I leave again this weekend. Okay, that's all for now. It's bed time.
After ringing an obscure doorbell, we waited a few minutes in ernest before someone finally buzzed us in. We climbed the narrow stairway and made our way inside. After paying 37 euro each for our 3 night stay, we made our way up to the 6-bed room which we shared. Nothing fancy, of course, but it was a place to sleep, they gave us sheets, and there was an outdoor patio. We quickly crashed and awoke promptly the next morning. After a breakfast of cheap and delicious rolls from small tienda we found, we walked along the harbor right next to our hostel. We made our way to Lisbon's patriarchal cathedral, of gothic design, which was quite beautiful but in many ways lacking the grandeur of those I have seen in Spain. We continued to climb the winding city streets, and discovered incredible view after incredible view of the harbor and the city, each better than the last. I felt a bit like I was in San Francisco as the street cars passed by as well, only more beautiful. We made our way to an 11th century castel atop Lisboa's highest point, where we spent many hours exploring and admiring the indescribable panoramic views of the city. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, up there with the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as well as the Cinque Terra in Italy. We later descended to lower elevation in search of a much needed lunch, and passed through a few run down areas of rubble that held some incredible graffiti unlike any I had seen before. The artists have some real talent, and there was even a work by an artist who is well know in Madrid and throughout the world, according to Danny. As we continued to search for lunch, we stopped at a little pastry shop for a snack. I found yet another amazing pastry equal to that of Segovia, filled with cream and other deliciousness. It was also the messiest thing I have ever put in my mouth, however, and I felt like I needed a shower when I was finished. After seeing another beautiful cathedral near the water, we made our way to San Jorge's Castle Terrace, which is home to the graves of past kings of Portugal, many beautiful works of art, as well as another incredible view, the best of the trip. The castle is open on the top, and one can admire the basilicas and beautiful water which surround it. It was an absolutely fabulous day.
We finally settled on lunch at this small restaurant on one of Potrugal's many narrow cobblestoned streets. We were greeted my a middle-aged couple, and through speaking Spanish and hearing confused responses in Portuguese we managed to convey our orders to them. As the wife went to work nearby in the kitchen, we talked a bit with the husband and he offered us some maps of the city and explained to us how to get to the beach by train. The lunch of pork chops was fabulous, the first real food I had eaten in about two days apart from mostly bread and cheese. As we ate, we all realized that the people of Lisbon, in general, are much more friendly than those of Madrid, and I attribute that to the fact they live by the ocean. I really think that open water has an important calming effect on people, makes them slow down, and appreciate life more. I know it has that effect on me.
After lunch, we made our way to La Plaza de Comercio, where we randomly discovered a departure point for a city open-topped bus tour. Although it was a really touristy thing to do, we settled on it as we had been on our feet all day and still hadn't seen most of the city. It turned out to be a fantastic idea, as the tour included a ticket to hop on and off the bus anytime of day for a full 24 hours, and it stops at all the important points of the city. The open top provided a great way to get a general sense of the city, its layout, and we ended up seeing many areas that would have been nearly impossible otherwise. We hopped off down by the water a ways from our hostel to see el Torre de Belem, a Portuguese defensive structure built to defend the port, as well as the Monumento de Descubrimiento, dedicated to the Portuguese conquest of South America. We timed it perfectly, as we were able to sit on the edge of what used to be thought of as the end of the world and watch the sunset over the water.
After returning to our hostel, we crashed. Twelve hours of being on the go required a siesta, and only a few of us forced ourselves out of bed around 10:30 to continue on with the day. Julie, Danny, Melissa, and I walked around some of the plazas in search of a good place to have tapas, and settled on a place about 20 minutes from the hostel after some beautiful views of the Plaza de Comercio at night. We later looked for a good bar, but were clearly in the wrong part of the city, and decided it would be best to get some sleep before another really busy day.
Although we were asleep around 2:30, and the others since 9:00, I awoke first the next day eager to get moving. After a little coaxing of the others, we made a trip using the tour bus to
la Basilica da Estrela, of 18th century Barock design, and the most beautiful church in Lisboa. We decided to cut our church/museum viewing short and head to the beach in Cascais, about 30 minutes outside of Lisboa by train. After navigating the metro system a bit, we found our way. What awaited us was the most pleasant surprise of the trip. And absolutely gorgeous day, a beautiful beach, and the whole day to spare. We had lunch at an oceanside cafe, sipped a few Portuguese beers (much better than those of Spain), and relaxed on the warm sand in between short dips in the chilly water. In typical European fashion, there were far too many topless elderly women for my taste... We spent a little time walking though the little seaside town, Danny bought some of the famous Port wine, and at sunset we headed back to the hostel very very satisfied.
After a long walk back from the train station, we showered, tried some of the fabulous Port, and planed our route to Las Docas, a group of legendary bars/discotecas down by the waterfront. The bus we thought would take us there only got us about half way, so we had a bit of a walk, but on the way we found this little latenight food stand on the side of the road where many locals were hanging out. We made friends with the middle aged couple manning the stand, talked in a mixture of Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and ate the most delicious hamburgers I have ever tasted, covered by every conceivable topping. (It might be due to the fact I haven't eaten a hamburger in 2 months, but I'm pretty sure they were just delicious). We headed across the street to las Docas and went into a discoteca that looked promising. We were a bit early at 1:00 so it wasn't very crowded, but we quickly headed to the empty dance floor and got the party started. Within a matter of minutes, we had coaxed the rest of the room away from the comfortable, posh, seating arrangements and the place quickly filled up into a giant party into the late hours of the night, when we decided it would be best to return and get a couple hours of sleep before we headed home. Afer an hour and a half of sleep, we awoke, quickly packed, and followed the bus directions I had asked for from the hostel manager the night before. We got there very early, sipped on a few cups of espresso, and made our way onto the bus, which was equipped with very comfortable leather seats. The trip back was long and hot, as the AC seemed to not be working and there was constant traffic from the holiday weekend. We stopped at a few roadside rest stops and as I ate a few snacks on the grass, I looked around and was strangely reminded of South Africa. The mountainous and dry landscape, the rest stop very similar in appearance, and the fact that the majority of the people on the bus were immigrants from I'm assuming west African countries. After almost 11 hours, we made it back, tired, hot, dreading classes the next day, but very very pleased with the trip. Portugal is very similar to Spain in some ways, but seems to lack the grandeur and luster of its brother to the east. You can tell that the empire was once grand, but it is also possible to see the fall in decadence and power, and the city reminds one very much of the fallen empire that is Portugal. In general, however, Lisbon is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I can only hope to make it back there some day. It's late, I haven't slept much, and I have another 6 hours of class tomorrow, followed by grabbing a coffee with a Tulane student with whom I'm leading a University English discussion section to plan some activities for our first class on Wednesday. I also have a meeting Wednesday to find out about teaching english to younger kids to make some much needed money. The dollar/euro exchange rate makes it disappear quickly, and living here is definitely not cheap, especially if you want to travel. My trip with Heather and Jessica to Segovia this weekend is all set except I need to read up on the city. I've also booked a hostel for Norway at the beginning of November, so I;m pretty much ready for that trip as well. I love traveling here, and it's nice to have these weekend escapes, but I find myself missing Madrid if I'm gone for too long, and feeling like I'll miss out on things if I leave too much. Dominik is back from Germany and Alfonso returns from a long weekend at home in the Basque country on Wednesday. Emma has already planned a "family" ultimate frisbee game in Retiro Park on Wednesday and it will be nice to spend some time with everyone here before I leave again this weekend. Okay, that's all for now. It's bed time.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Vale Vale Vale
Goodness, it seems as though the weeks are just flying by. Every time Sunday rolls around, I realize that it has been another week since I have written in this blog, and yet it seems like I did the day before. This week has been full of ups and downs, absolutely loving everything that is going on here at times, and in other moments feeling a bit overwhelmed by memories of people that have been so important to me the last few years, whom I won't see for a very long time. Part of me is happy to have this space in order to redefine myself apart from what had previously helped to define me. Another part of me wants so badly to return to the comfort of what has been familiar. It's hard to reconcile the desire to start anew and to hold on to what I love at the same time. I don't know if I'll ever figure out how to do it.
All in all, it has been a very fun week. Classes started on Tuesday, and since I only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and soon to be Wednesday, I only had one day of class last week. It is going to be a brutal schedule, with 6 hours of class two days in a row, but it's nice to have the rest of the week to do other things. Eventually I'll have a tutorial in the Prado, hopefully Wednesday, and I'll be helping teach a university English class with a few other students Wednesday mornings. I've realized that I actually need to study the English language because I really have no idea how it works, and even more so no idea how to teach it.
On Wednesday I went to El Escorial with my friend, Reidar. It is a giant 16th century palace built by Felipe II, with an enormous Basilica right in the middle. The palace is full of amazing paintings and sculptures, with a large crypt made of gold in which all the kings and queens of Spain since the 1500s are buried. It leaves you breathless thinking about the modern history of Spain basically all contained in a single room. Reidar and I caught a bus in the morning and headed back later in the afternoon. We took a guided tour with a Spanish couple, which I could follow without many problems. I always think it's worth taking a guided tour at places like this, as you just can't appreciate it as much without knowing what you're looking at and the story that surrounds it. After a short rest and some dinner, Emma, Alfonso, and I went to see "La Jungla 4.0, (Die Hard 4) at the theater. It was my first experience seeing a movie in a theater outside of the US, and my first movie in Spanish without subtitles. In Spain, they rarely leave American movies in their original form and add Spanish subtitles, but instead, the movies are dubbed. Every famous actor, like Bruce Willis, has a Spanish double, who does all of their films. It was hilarious to hear Bruce Willis speaking fluent Spanish, and I had to work hard to contain myself for the first hour of the movie. The language was surprisingly easy to understand, although I did have to listen a little bit harder than usual.
Thursday and Friday weren't extremely productive. I had a cold, and decided to catch up on some sleep. I cooked dinner with Maren a few times, uploaded pictures to the internet, wrote some emails, and made a few short walking trips around the city. I strolled around the royal palace, visited la Plaza de Espana, and found an old church squeezed into the modern city buildings named Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Gines. It was absolutely gorgeous inside, and the first I've seen that wasn't overrun with tourists. Instead, I found Madrilenos who were stopping in to pray during the day, many on their way home from work. I found a Chocolateria in the tiny Pasadizo de San Gines, where I decided to stop for churros and some people watching. It was the first time that I had tried the gloriousness that is churros con chocolate. You dip the churros in a rich chocolate sauce, and later drink what remains like coffee. Mmmmmmmmm.... I also went running with Alfonso and Emma, finding a beautiful path in a park that holds some ancient Egyptian (yes Egyptian) ruins that are beautifully lit at night. There is also an amazing view of the city that I never knew was really there. A light rain was falling, and it felt great to get the blood pumping for the first time in a while. Went to a few bars with Alfonso and Emma later that night, and met up with my Italian friend Jessica for a bit, but headed home before it got too late.
Friday night I went out with Pablo and Burho, the Spaniards I have gotten to know a little bit, and Julie. We went down to university campus, close to my old dorm, where we came across a huge outdoor party with music blaring and Sangria flowing. Hundreds of Spaniards in the full swing of "Botellon". We stayed there for hours before heading to a fabulous discoteca in Moncloa. The name is failing me now, but it was the coolest one I've seen in Madrid so far. Packed with people, great music, and a good time.
I spent Saturday planning a trip to Sevilla with Jessica from my program. We're going on the 19th-21st, seeing a concert by a well known Spanish group, Heroes de Silencio, and staying in a hostel in the city. There will be a lot to see in just a few short days, but I'm really excited to go. Heather might join us as well. I took the long Metro journey to the bus station with Julie on Saturday to buy tickets, and was amused to see that it looks exactly like an airport, with different companies selling tickets and checking people in, and a general feeling of chaos in the air.
I'm working on planning a trip to Merida this coming weekend with Melissa and Alyia, although it's proving a bit difficult to find a hostel. This town is in Extremadura, in western Spain, and is home to many Roman ruins and architectural marvels. I'll have to do a little more research tomorrow, but I'm hoping to make it happen, as many of my roommates will be gone this weekend, as well as many from my program. There is a 3 day weekend for those who have class on Fridays, so many people are taking the opportunity to travel.
Also, Jen called me last night to ask if I wanted to accompany her and Reidar to Norway during the 1st weekend of November, as they found round trip plane tickets for about 20 euro a piece. I definitely couldn't say no to that, and I am really excited to finally visit the origin of my blondness. Lots of travel in just a few weeks, but it's best to do it now before winter comes.
Last night I went to a dinner party at Nicolas's apartment, which is about as far from central Madrid as you can be while still technically being in the city. He lives with some friends who had studied abroad in Madison last year, in an AMAZING flat. Wow, it is the perfect example of paying for location. He pays less than I do, but lives in a dream house. It takes about an hour to get there by metro, however... We had good wine, delicious food, and Emma's amazing dessert, and stayed there until the early morning. After getting home about 6, Emma and I made tea and chatted in the kitchen until finally deciding we had better get some rest.
This afternoon I had a slow breakfast of fried eggs and tomatoes, bought the newspaper from the local kiosk, and tried to get a better grip on the tense political climate here at the moment. As always, there are problems with the Basque county, but the last week has been full of arrests, illegal meetings, protests, and alleged ETA terrorist plots. I can only imagine the tensions will rise as the March presidential election approaches. This nation is even more closely divided between two parties than the United States.
I watched the Barcelona- Atletico Madrid futbol game in a bar late this afternoon with my roommate, Arun, one of his friends, and Emma. Arun is a die hard Atletico fan, but I have already grown to love Barcelona... Could cause some tensions in the house, haha... Futbol is an amazing sport, and it's definitely under appreciated in the US. Emma and I made a good old American dinner of scrambled eggs and pancakes tonight. Definitely a nice reminder of home.
Wow, I think this is probably the most fragmented, most poorly written blog I've done to date, but a lot has happened in the last week and it would take too long to really explain everything well. Maybe I'll try writing a little bit more frequently from now on...
Ah, yes, my classes. We didn't really do much the first day, mostly just went over what we'd be doing all semester. My professors seem interesting and fair, but it's hard to know what to really expect. The Complutese class is going to be hard, as I only understood about half of what the professor was saying. Hopefully by not taking the traditional Spanish approach (not going to class), I'll give myself a better chance. I'll definitely need to quickly make a friend from whom I can borrow notes, however...
Anyways, I have a long day of class tomorrow and should probably get some sleep. Sorry if this was just a bunch of nonsensical rambling.
All in all, it has been a very fun week. Classes started on Tuesday, and since I only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and soon to be Wednesday, I only had one day of class last week. It is going to be a brutal schedule, with 6 hours of class two days in a row, but it's nice to have the rest of the week to do other things. Eventually I'll have a tutorial in the Prado, hopefully Wednesday, and I'll be helping teach a university English class with a few other students Wednesday mornings. I've realized that I actually need to study the English language because I really have no idea how it works, and even more so no idea how to teach it.
On Wednesday I went to El Escorial with my friend, Reidar. It is a giant 16th century palace built by Felipe II, with an enormous Basilica right in the middle. The palace is full of amazing paintings and sculptures, with a large crypt made of gold in which all the kings and queens of Spain since the 1500s are buried. It leaves you breathless thinking about the modern history of Spain basically all contained in a single room. Reidar and I caught a bus in the morning and headed back later in the afternoon. We took a guided tour with a Spanish couple, which I could follow without many problems. I always think it's worth taking a guided tour at places like this, as you just can't appreciate it as much without knowing what you're looking at and the story that surrounds it. After a short rest and some dinner, Emma, Alfonso, and I went to see "La Jungla 4.0, (Die Hard 4) at the theater. It was my first experience seeing a movie in a theater outside of the US, and my first movie in Spanish without subtitles. In Spain, they rarely leave American movies in their original form and add Spanish subtitles, but instead, the movies are dubbed. Every famous actor, like Bruce Willis, has a Spanish double, who does all of their films. It was hilarious to hear Bruce Willis speaking fluent Spanish, and I had to work hard to contain myself for the first hour of the movie. The language was surprisingly easy to understand, although I did have to listen a little bit harder than usual.
Thursday and Friday weren't extremely productive. I had a cold, and decided to catch up on some sleep. I cooked dinner with Maren a few times, uploaded pictures to the internet, wrote some emails, and made a few short walking trips around the city. I strolled around the royal palace, visited la Plaza de Espana, and found an old church squeezed into the modern city buildings named Real Iglesia Parroquial de San Gines. It was absolutely gorgeous inside, and the first I've seen that wasn't overrun with tourists. Instead, I found Madrilenos who were stopping in to pray during the day, many on their way home from work. I found a Chocolateria in the tiny Pasadizo de San Gines, where I decided to stop for churros and some people watching. It was the first time that I had tried the gloriousness that is churros con chocolate. You dip the churros in a rich chocolate sauce, and later drink what remains like coffee. Mmmmmmmmm.... I also went running with Alfonso and Emma, finding a beautiful path in a park that holds some ancient Egyptian (yes Egyptian) ruins that are beautifully lit at night. There is also an amazing view of the city that I never knew was really there. A light rain was falling, and it felt great to get the blood pumping for the first time in a while. Went to a few bars with Alfonso and Emma later that night, and met up with my Italian friend Jessica for a bit, but headed home before it got too late.
Friday night I went out with Pablo and Burho, the Spaniards I have gotten to know a little bit, and Julie. We went down to university campus, close to my old dorm, where we came across a huge outdoor party with music blaring and Sangria flowing. Hundreds of Spaniards in the full swing of "Botellon". We stayed there for hours before heading to a fabulous discoteca in Moncloa. The name is failing me now, but it was the coolest one I've seen in Madrid so far. Packed with people, great music, and a good time.
I spent Saturday planning a trip to Sevilla with Jessica from my program. We're going on the 19th-21st, seeing a concert by a well known Spanish group, Heroes de Silencio, and staying in a hostel in the city. There will be a lot to see in just a few short days, but I'm really excited to go. Heather might join us as well. I took the long Metro journey to the bus station with Julie on Saturday to buy tickets, and was amused to see that it looks exactly like an airport, with different companies selling tickets and checking people in, and a general feeling of chaos in the air.
I'm working on planning a trip to Merida this coming weekend with Melissa and Alyia, although it's proving a bit difficult to find a hostel. This town is in Extremadura, in western Spain, and is home to many Roman ruins and architectural marvels. I'll have to do a little more research tomorrow, but I'm hoping to make it happen, as many of my roommates will be gone this weekend, as well as many from my program. There is a 3 day weekend for those who have class on Fridays, so many people are taking the opportunity to travel.
Also, Jen called me last night to ask if I wanted to accompany her and Reidar to Norway during the 1st weekend of November, as they found round trip plane tickets for about 20 euro a piece. I definitely couldn't say no to that, and I am really excited to finally visit the origin of my blondness. Lots of travel in just a few weeks, but it's best to do it now before winter comes.
Last night I went to a dinner party at Nicolas's apartment, which is about as far from central Madrid as you can be while still technically being in the city. He lives with some friends who had studied abroad in Madison last year, in an AMAZING flat. Wow, it is the perfect example of paying for location. He pays less than I do, but lives in a dream house. It takes about an hour to get there by metro, however... We had good wine, delicious food, and Emma's amazing dessert, and stayed there until the early morning. After getting home about 6, Emma and I made tea and chatted in the kitchen until finally deciding we had better get some rest.
This afternoon I had a slow breakfast of fried eggs and tomatoes, bought the newspaper from the local kiosk, and tried to get a better grip on the tense political climate here at the moment. As always, there are problems with the Basque county, but the last week has been full of arrests, illegal meetings, protests, and alleged ETA terrorist plots. I can only imagine the tensions will rise as the March presidential election approaches. This nation is even more closely divided between two parties than the United States.
I watched the Barcelona- Atletico Madrid futbol game in a bar late this afternoon with my roommate, Arun, one of his friends, and Emma. Arun is a die hard Atletico fan, but I have already grown to love Barcelona... Could cause some tensions in the house, haha... Futbol is an amazing sport, and it's definitely under appreciated in the US. Emma and I made a good old American dinner of scrambled eggs and pancakes tonight. Definitely a nice reminder of home.
Wow, I think this is probably the most fragmented, most poorly written blog I've done to date, but a lot has happened in the last week and it would take too long to really explain everything well. Maybe I'll try writing a little bit more frequently from now on...
Ah, yes, my classes. We didn't really do much the first day, mostly just went over what we'd be doing all semester. My professors seem interesting and fair, but it's hard to know what to really expect. The Complutese class is going to be hard, as I only understood about half of what the professor was saying. Hopefully by not taking the traditional Spanish approach (not going to class), I'll give myself a better chance. I'll definitely need to quickly make a friend from whom I can borrow notes, however...
Anyways, I have a long day of class tomorrow and should probably get some sleep. Sorry if this was just a bunch of nonsensical rambling.
Monday, October 1, 2007
El fin de clase, bares, pueblo, Prado, Toledo
Again, lots to tell, and little time to do it justice. Oh well. The end of last week was filled with an intense, seemingly endless study session of Spanish art, architecture, history, and grammer. I spent a lot of time studying in the park or cafes with friends, which actually was kind of nice to do for a change. Come Friday, however, I was very ready for the intensive course to be over. All in all, it was interesting and I learned a lot. Probably didn't do as well as I should have, but I've had a lot on my plate lately and although I know I will very much later, I don't seem to mind right now that my performance wasn't what it should have been. It's just very nice to be able to apply what I've especially learned about Spanish architecture and history to what I can see first hand here in Spain. It's a whole different type of learning and it makes one appreciate knowledge even more. More on that later.
Friday afternoon, Emma and I collapsed from a lack of sleep and the end of our respective caffeine highs, and later sought out a laundry mat since our washing machine did not arrive until Saturday and we were in very short supply of clean cloths. I went to Bailey's apartment to celebrate her 21st birthday with a few friends and her Spanish roommates, but I only had time to stay for a glass of sangria, as I had told the roommates I would be home before it got very late. Had dinner as usual about 10. (Helena, if you're reading this, I eat your fried tomatoes in olive oil almost every day...) Emma and I taught Alfonso and Maren how to play poker, and we put our supply of sunflower seeds to use as stakes for betting. Some friends of mine from WIP, Julie, Melissa, Alyia and Katrina went out with the four of us and Julie's Russian and Argentinian roommates to an area of Arguelles that Alfonso knows well. We went to a great bar for a couple of hours and then to a bar/discoteca about two o'clock, a time much more appropriate for such a place. It was a great time, and the first that I had gone out with Emma, Alfonso, and Maren at the same time. Alfonso is hilarious, and I'm really looking forward to living with him this year. He's probably the nicest person I've met in Spain so far as well, always asking how your day is going and reaching out to spend time with you even when he's busy.
Saturday was, of course, partially filled with sleeping in after a typical very very late night. Watched a little bit of the Barcelona game with Alfonso and Arun, as well as an episode of The Office with Emma to remind me of home. I think I'll definitely be a fan of football by the end of the year. I met up with Pablo, the guy I almost moved in with before the arrangements fell through, some of his friends, and Julie, who was with me when I looked at the apartment. She ran into him at the grocery store the other day, and he suggested the we go out with him this weekend. Sure enough, we met him at the Moncloa metro station, were introduced to his friends, and waiting a long time to board a bus with masses of other Madrilenos. They took us to a pueblo a little ways outside of Madrid, where many people choose to live due to lower housing costs. It's typical in these pueblos to have community parties on the weekends, with one area for families and another for people my age. We got off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in this little town with cobblestone roads. After walking for about 20 minutes, we came across a whole mass of Spaniards my age, and a carnival/fair/outdoor party. It was fun talking to Pablo's friends in Spanish and having them talk back to us in English because they were just as eager to practice with a native speaker. Felipe was really interesting to talk to, and he taught me a lot about how the pueblos developed, interesting phrases, and facts about Madrid. It was a strange feeling, because it felt like the Polk County fair, or Dairy Days, in Thorp, Wisconsin, but with different food and a monton de espanoles. At about 5:30 we started the long trek back to the bus station, waited for a really long time, and decided to take the train back to Madrid instead. Let's just say I very happily fell into bed at 8:00...
I went to the Prado art museum with Katrina on Sunday, the day in which it is always free. While I was there, I think fell in love with Francisco de Goya. While we saw the work of many famous Spanish painters like Valazquez and El Greco, I think Goya is on a whole different level. His Pinturas Negras are the most fascinating works I've ever seen, and they were painted in the later stages of his life, isolated at home, and suffering from mental and physical illnesses. I would have given anything see what was going on in his mind at the period of time, because it was a dark and twisted inspiration for some incredible work. I also saw Velazquez's very famous, "Las Meninas", of the royal family as well, which was quite captivating.
Last night, Emma made a huge batch of chicken noodle soup for us all to share together. It was like sitting down for a family meal, with her homemade soup, my bread, Dominik's wine, and some homemade apple tart from Alonso's family. Dominik's girlfriend was here from Germany this weekend, so there was a hilarious mixture of Spanish, German and English spoken so that everyone could understand each other.
Today I went to Toledo, rising bright and early, and catching the 9:00 train with Rebekah, Jessica, Steven, and Heather. It was nice to get out of Madrid for a day (even though I can't think of a city I have ever loved more, other than St. Paul). The fact that the US can't develop a quality rail system is unbelievable to me after seeing how it operates today. Nothing but efficiency, from buying your ticket to boarding the train, to arriving at your destination. It's so simple and yet so brilliant. It's a shame that we can't do it at home. The trip from Madrid to Toledo takes exactly 30 minutes, in which time I read a bit about where I wanted to go. Toledo is a walled city, and became the capital of Christian Spain after it was retaken from the Islamic empire in 1085. It remained capital until King Felipe II moved the capital to Madrid in the 1600s. Toledo has been and continues to be the religious center of Spain, with an almost obscene number of churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues. It held the largest population of Sephardic Jews of any Spanish city before they were expelled in 1492.
Today we saw some incredible buildings, the most noteworthy being La Catedral Primada. It was much like the one in Segovia in its design, except it includes an ever broader range of artistic and architectural styles, making it all the more stunning. It was build over the course of three hundred years starting in 1280, but contains artistic styles from even later periods. A prime example of Gothic architecture, but it contains plateresco artistic styles from the renaissance, lingering Mudejar influences from the tenth century, as well as a number of paintings by the famous El Greco. Also a few from Goya and Velazquez as well. All in all, absolutely stunning.
We also saw the inside of la Sinagoga Santa Maria La Blanca, clearly more humble in its appearance, but equally as interesting in its simplicity and Islamic inspiration. We walked down to an old (Visigothic?) bridge named la Puente de San Martin, which offered an amazing view of el Rio Tajo and the surrounding landscape. We had bocadillos (sandwiches made from baguettes) at a little bar in town, and made our way up to the highest points of Toledo for some truly extroidinary views. We visited many tranquil plazas such as la Plaza Zocodover, where we stopped for icecream, and made our way to la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, which was built before the reconquista. We also stopped at La Mezquita de las Tornerias, which contains some very beautiful arches.
Toledo is extremely beautiful and full of rich history. It's hard to know really how it compared to Segovia, by which I was enchanted, but the cathedral I think is even more impressive in Toledo. It is certain that I will have to return to Toledo again this year, at least once, because there is still so much that I was unable to see. The ride back home on the train made me drowsy after such a busy day, and I was glad to get home about 7:00 to cook and early dinner and put my feet up for a while.
My room is in desperate need of a pickup, so I think I'll get on that before too long. It drizzled today for the first time since La Noche en Blanco, and only the 2nd time since I've been here. It's now raining steadily, bringing a very homey feel to the apartment. I also need to figure out where and when I'm going to all four of my power lectures tomorrow... Ick... I havn't had even close to that much class in one day since highschool, which didn't really count. I also have a meeting during my only freetime all day, as I'm going to be a TA this semester for an English class at the university. I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting myself into, but they were eager for people to take the position, and it seems like a good way to meet more Spaniards. I think I'm mainly responsible for preparing discussion topics, facilitating discussions during class, and lending native speaker experience. I'll find out more tomorrow. It's going to be a really long day, but hopefully rewarding as well. Maybe a trip to El Escorial later this week? That's all for now. Hasta pronto.
Friday afternoon, Emma and I collapsed from a lack of sleep and the end of our respective caffeine highs, and later sought out a laundry mat since our washing machine did not arrive until Saturday and we were in very short supply of clean cloths. I went to Bailey's apartment to celebrate her 21st birthday with a few friends and her Spanish roommates, but I only had time to stay for a glass of sangria, as I had told the roommates I would be home before it got very late. Had dinner as usual about 10. (Helena, if you're reading this, I eat your fried tomatoes in olive oil almost every day...) Emma and I taught Alfonso and Maren how to play poker, and we put our supply of sunflower seeds to use as stakes for betting. Some friends of mine from WIP, Julie, Melissa, Alyia and Katrina went out with the four of us and Julie's Russian and Argentinian roommates to an area of Arguelles that Alfonso knows well. We went to a great bar for a couple of hours and then to a bar/discoteca about two o'clock, a time much more appropriate for such a place. It was a great time, and the first that I had gone out with Emma, Alfonso, and Maren at the same time. Alfonso is hilarious, and I'm really looking forward to living with him this year. He's probably the nicest person I've met in Spain so far as well, always asking how your day is going and reaching out to spend time with you even when he's busy.
Saturday was, of course, partially filled with sleeping in after a typical very very late night. Watched a little bit of the Barcelona game with Alfonso and Arun, as well as an episode of The Office with Emma to remind me of home. I think I'll definitely be a fan of football by the end of the year. I met up with Pablo, the guy I almost moved in with before the arrangements fell through, some of his friends, and Julie, who was with me when I looked at the apartment. She ran into him at the grocery store the other day, and he suggested the we go out with him this weekend. Sure enough, we met him at the Moncloa metro station, were introduced to his friends, and waiting a long time to board a bus with masses of other Madrilenos. They took us to a pueblo a little ways outside of Madrid, where many people choose to live due to lower housing costs. It's typical in these pueblos to have community parties on the weekends, with one area for families and another for people my age. We got off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere in this little town with cobblestone roads. After walking for about 20 minutes, we came across a whole mass of Spaniards my age, and a carnival/fair/outdoor party. It was fun talking to Pablo's friends in Spanish and having them talk back to us in English because they were just as eager to practice with a native speaker. Felipe was really interesting to talk to, and he taught me a lot about how the pueblos developed, interesting phrases, and facts about Madrid. It was a strange feeling, because it felt like the Polk County fair, or Dairy Days, in Thorp, Wisconsin, but with different food and a monton de espanoles. At about 5:30 we started the long trek back to the bus station, waited for a really long time, and decided to take the train back to Madrid instead. Let's just say I very happily fell into bed at 8:00...
I went to the Prado art museum with Katrina on Sunday, the day in which it is always free. While I was there, I think fell in love with Francisco de Goya. While we saw the work of many famous Spanish painters like Valazquez and El Greco, I think Goya is on a whole different level. His Pinturas Negras are the most fascinating works I've ever seen, and they were painted in the later stages of his life, isolated at home, and suffering from mental and physical illnesses. I would have given anything see what was going on in his mind at the period of time, because it was a dark and twisted inspiration for some incredible work. I also saw Velazquez's very famous, "Las Meninas", of the royal family as well, which was quite captivating.
Last night, Emma made a huge batch of chicken noodle soup for us all to share together. It was like sitting down for a family meal, with her homemade soup, my bread, Dominik's wine, and some homemade apple tart from Alonso's family. Dominik's girlfriend was here from Germany this weekend, so there was a hilarious mixture of Spanish, German and English spoken so that everyone could understand each other.
Today I went to Toledo, rising bright and early, and catching the 9:00 train with Rebekah, Jessica, Steven, and Heather. It was nice to get out of Madrid for a day (even though I can't think of a city I have ever loved more, other than St. Paul). The fact that the US can't develop a quality rail system is unbelievable to me after seeing how it operates today. Nothing but efficiency, from buying your ticket to boarding the train, to arriving at your destination. It's so simple and yet so brilliant. It's a shame that we can't do it at home. The trip from Madrid to Toledo takes exactly 30 minutes, in which time I read a bit about where I wanted to go. Toledo is a walled city, and became the capital of Christian Spain after it was retaken from the Islamic empire in 1085. It remained capital until King Felipe II moved the capital to Madrid in the 1600s. Toledo has been and continues to be the religious center of Spain, with an almost obscene number of churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues. It held the largest population of Sephardic Jews of any Spanish city before they were expelled in 1492.
Today we saw some incredible buildings, the most noteworthy being La Catedral Primada. It was much like the one in Segovia in its design, except it includes an ever broader range of artistic and architectural styles, making it all the more stunning. It was build over the course of three hundred years starting in 1280, but contains artistic styles from even later periods. A prime example of Gothic architecture, but it contains plateresco artistic styles from the renaissance, lingering Mudejar influences from the tenth century, as well as a number of paintings by the famous El Greco. Also a few from Goya and Velazquez as well. All in all, absolutely stunning.
We also saw the inside of la Sinagoga Santa Maria La Blanca, clearly more humble in its appearance, but equally as interesting in its simplicity and Islamic inspiration. We walked down to an old (Visigothic?) bridge named la Puente de San Martin, which offered an amazing view of el Rio Tajo and the surrounding landscape. We had bocadillos (sandwiches made from baguettes) at a little bar in town, and made our way up to the highest points of Toledo for some truly extroidinary views. We visited many tranquil plazas such as la Plaza Zocodover, where we stopped for icecream, and made our way to la Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, which was built before the reconquista. We also stopped at La Mezquita de las Tornerias, which contains some very beautiful arches.
Toledo is extremely beautiful and full of rich history. It's hard to know really how it compared to Segovia, by which I was enchanted, but the cathedral I think is even more impressive in Toledo. It is certain that I will have to return to Toledo again this year, at least once, because there is still so much that I was unable to see. The ride back home on the train made me drowsy after such a busy day, and I was glad to get home about 7:00 to cook and early dinner and put my feet up for a while.
My room is in desperate need of a pickup, so I think I'll get on that before too long. It drizzled today for the first time since La Noche en Blanco, and only the 2nd time since I've been here. It's now raining steadily, bringing a very homey feel to the apartment. I also need to figure out where and when I'm going to all four of my power lectures tomorrow... Ick... I havn't had even close to that much class in one day since highschool, which didn't really count. I also have a meeting during my only freetime all day, as I'm going to be a TA this semester for an English class at the university. I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting myself into, but they were eager for people to take the position, and it seems like a good way to meet more Spaniards. I think I'm mainly responsible for preparing discussion topics, facilitating discussions during class, and lending native speaker experience. I'll find out more tomorrow. It's going to be a really long day, but hopefully rewarding as well. Maybe a trip to El Escorial later this week? That's all for now. Hasta pronto.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Acete de oliva
I've been in love with olive oil all my life, but I never thought that at any point I would need to take it through an IV. I have almost reached that stage.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
El piso, la noche en blanco, y mas
So, it's been a while since the last update, but it's been pretty busy around here lately. It's exciting getting moved into my new home for the next 10 months, and finally feeling a little bit more settled and independent. The roommates are all very very friendly, and I think we'll all get along very well this year. It's much different living here, because everyone including myself is constantly on the move in this enormous city and seldom at home for long periods of time. The two Spaniards are named Alfonso and Arun, the German guys Dominick and Morritz, and then there is Maren from Illinois, but has lived in Argentina for a few years, and Emma from Madison. Everyone has their own very distinct personality which makes things interesting. Alfonso is very outgoing, has lots of energy, but is either working or doing other things much of the time. Arun is a bit hard to read... he's working overtime right now so he works like 12 hours a day. He's a bit odd sometimes but he has promised to teach me everything he knows about football and has lent me a huge book to learn about all the players and teams. Maren is a bit quiet, but starting to come out of her shell a bit more, when she isn't talking to her boyfriend on Skype... which is what she's usually doing. I think that's about to change soon though when she gets busy with classes and things. She speaks very well, and I thought she was Spanish the first time I met her. Morritz is a bit reserved and never wants to speak Spanish, which makes it a bit weird in the house, as that's definitely all we speak here. He's very nice and laid back, and nice to have around. Dominick is really really fun, and I went out with him on Friday with some of his Italian friends from class. Got to know two of them really well, Jessica and Alessia, from towns close to Florence and Venice, and we went out last night together.
Speaking of last night, it was the second or third time Madrid has hosted "La Noche en Blanco". It comes from a phrase to "pasar la noche en blanco" which roughly translates to having day blend into night and night back into day, and everything feel like a half-dream, half-reality. "To pass the night in white". Picture millions, literally millions, of people in the streets from 9 pm until sunrise. All the museums stay open, concerts in the plazas, exhibitions of all kinds. I saw people between the ages of 5 and 70 out on the streets at four o'clock in the morning.
Definitely a one of a kind experience.
Today was the first time I think we have all been here at the apartment together, and it was really nice to sit around the kitchen and have lunch, talk, and organize our lives here. Wea also talked about little things like fridge space, cleaning schedules, etc, about which I think we're all on the same page. Our apartment will definitely stay very clean this year, which is a lovely change, and a necessary one with 7 people sharing a shower and relatively small communal areas. After having doubts a few days ago about whether or not I had made the right choice in living here, I feel really good about it today. I think it's exactly what I wanted.
Homesickness comes and goes, but it's definitely been getting better the last few days. I went running in the park Friday afternoon and found that to be a perfect escape from the bustling big city. Had cafe con leche yesterday with Jen and Julie at a cafe that I'm starting to frequent. Got some studying done, but as always, conversation and enjoying Madrid seems to be the priority. Just little things like being able to walk into a store and ask for something I need or talking to the bus driver about where I need to get off without having to think too hard or get all worked up is a huge relief. I'm still not adjusted to the fast pace at which Spaniards speak, and definitely have difficulties understanding at times, but I feel like it's slowly getting better.
Anyways, that's all for now. Arun wants me to watch a football game with him as he's screaming "Valencia!, Valencia!, Valencia!" all through the apartment as his team has finally scored. Ah, that reminds me, when I got home at 5:30 this morning, I saw that the Badger-Iowa game was in the 4th quarter. I was absolutely THRILLED to watch the live written descriptions of what was happening in the game as we battled it out in the final minutes. If there is one thing I miss more than anything, it is spending Saturday afternoons at Camp Randall. What I'd give to sing Sweet Caroline or Swingtown with my fellow Badgers as PJ Hill carries us to victory... Oh, but mom and dad, I miss you too...
Speaking of last night, it was the second or third time Madrid has hosted "La Noche en Blanco". It comes from a phrase to "pasar la noche en blanco" which roughly translates to having day blend into night and night back into day, and everything feel like a half-dream, half-reality. "To pass the night in white". Picture millions, literally millions, of people in the streets from 9 pm until sunrise. All the museums stay open, concerts in the plazas, exhibitions of all kinds. I saw people between the ages of 5 and 70 out on the streets at four o'clock in the morning.
Definitely a one of a kind experience.
Today was the first time I think we have all been here at the apartment together, and it was really nice to sit around the kitchen and have lunch, talk, and organize our lives here. Wea also talked about little things like fridge space, cleaning schedules, etc, about which I think we're all on the same page. Our apartment will definitely stay very clean this year, which is a lovely change, and a necessary one with 7 people sharing a shower and relatively small communal areas. After having doubts a few days ago about whether or not I had made the right choice in living here, I feel really good about it today. I think it's exactly what I wanted.
Homesickness comes and goes, but it's definitely been getting better the last few days. I went running in the park Friday afternoon and found that to be a perfect escape from the bustling big city. Had cafe con leche yesterday with Jen and Julie at a cafe that I'm starting to frequent. Got some studying done, but as always, conversation and enjoying Madrid seems to be the priority. Just little things like being able to walk into a store and ask for something I need or talking to the bus driver about where I need to get off without having to think too hard or get all worked up is a huge relief. I'm still not adjusted to the fast pace at which Spaniards speak, and definitely have difficulties understanding at times, but I feel like it's slowly getting better.
Anyways, that's all for now. Arun wants me to watch a football game with him as he's screaming "Valencia!, Valencia!, Valencia!" all through the apartment as his team has finally scored. Ah, that reminds me, when I got home at 5:30 this morning, I saw that the Badger-Iowa game was in the 4th quarter. I was absolutely THRILLED to watch the live written descriptions of what was happening in the game as we battled it out in the final minutes. If there is one thing I miss more than anything, it is spending Saturday afternoons at Camp Randall. What I'd give to sing Sweet Caroline or Swingtown with my fellow Badgers as PJ Hill carries us to victory... Oh, but mom and dad, I miss you too...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Companeros de piso, los Bajos, Van Gogh
I spent Saturday morning lounging around a bit, something I really haven't had time for since I arrived here. It was nice to sleep in, catch up on my Badgers (I really miss watching them every Saturday afternoon), and writing a few emails, etc... I was happy to see that we are comfortably seated at #7 at the moment, and should stay there after our win yesterday. Longest winning streak in the nation, not too bad... Got to love PJ Hill. I'm jealous of all of you who get to watch them this fall. I had a cafe con leche with Emma down at el parque del oeste, very close to our apartment, after she dropped off a load of things there and we met our other Spanish roommate named Arun. Seems like a nice guy, and he loves football, Valencia in particular, so that will be a nice way to learn more about the rest of the world's favorite sport. The cafe where Emma and I went is ideal for studying. A nice little oasis only a few blocks from busy calle Princesa. Just enough people there to keep it interesting, but very peaceful as well. I went back last night and met Dominik, the other German piso-mate. I can tell that he's going to be really chill and a lot of fun this year. Athletic guy with long blonde hair. Kind of reminds me of my cousin, Byron, but he doesn't bounce off the walls so much... Speaks Spanish very well, but in a distinctively German accent. Hilarious. There's another girl who moved in that is from the US, which I wasn't too pleased about, but upon meeting her, I thought she was from Spain. She looks and speaks like she's from Spain, so I think it will work out quite nicely. The three of us talked for quite a while last night, and Alfonso came home just as I was leaving. I was having some doubts about the roommate situation the last few days, but now I'm really excited about it. I think it's perfect. I now have my keys and my big suitcase in my room. A little dusting and I should be ready to start putting my things away. My bed isn't the greatest, but it will do with some sort of mattress pad, I think.
I went with Clemencia, Danny, Meghan, Melissa, Stephen, and Jenn last night to try to get into the last few hours of a Van Gogh exhibit downtown. It's all from the last few months of his life, and I guess he started to move in a completely new direction. Unfortunately, it was all sold out even after they extended the last entrance until midnight. We came back to the dorm, and I met some other friends at a piso in Arguelles. We went out searching for a group of bars called los bajos, and found them without too much trouble. It was a great night all in all, highlighted by being caught up in a Spanish bachelor party. I've seen a few of these so far, and they always make the groom dress up in some ridiculous outfit, (last night it was all leather, with ass-less chaps). Caught the metro home when it opened again at 6:30 this morning.
Now it's time to start thinking about classes a little bit, as I register tomorrow. Three of the classes I want to take are on Monday and Tuesday. So... If it worked, I could squeeze a fourth into those two days as well, meaning I'd have this art history tutorial in the Prado every Wednesday, but other than that, have 5 days every week to do other things. It would be a very long two days, but it sure sounds tempting to do... It's nice getting this September course out of the way, and then only having to take 4 classes instead of 5. Also, I'm thinking of taking some sort of sports class, maybe self-defense? The problem is, I think those are usually on Mondays too. Always wanted to do that, but never have. I figure a sport would be a good way to meet some more Spaniards... There's also a meeting tomorrow for different volunteer activities, which I think I'll do as well. Teaching English is also something I might start once I get into the rhythm of my real classes. We'll see. I've realized that every time I'm not busy doing something, I start to miss home and Madison. Much more than I expected. It's very easy to feel lonely when there isn't something else constantly on my mind or other people around. It remains to be seen whether or not that feeling remains the whole year, if it gets better or worse, or whether it's just part of living so far away from everything and everyone you love. In the meantime, I'll just stay busy.
I went with Clemencia, Danny, Meghan, Melissa, Stephen, and Jenn last night to try to get into the last few hours of a Van Gogh exhibit downtown. It's all from the last few months of his life, and I guess he started to move in a completely new direction. Unfortunately, it was all sold out even after they extended the last entrance until midnight. We came back to the dorm, and I met some other friends at a piso in Arguelles. We went out searching for a group of bars called los bajos, and found them without too much trouble. It was a great night all in all, highlighted by being caught up in a Spanish bachelor party. I've seen a few of these so far, and they always make the groom dress up in some ridiculous outfit, (last night it was all leather, with ass-less chaps). Caught the metro home when it opened again at 6:30 this morning.
Now it's time to start thinking about classes a little bit, as I register tomorrow. Three of the classes I want to take are on Monday and Tuesday. So... If it worked, I could squeeze a fourth into those two days as well, meaning I'd have this art history tutorial in the Prado every Wednesday, but other than that, have 5 days every week to do other things. It would be a very long two days, but it sure sounds tempting to do... It's nice getting this September course out of the way, and then only having to take 4 classes instead of 5. Also, I'm thinking of taking some sort of sports class, maybe self-defense? The problem is, I think those are usually on Mondays too. Always wanted to do that, but never have. I figure a sport would be a good way to meet some more Spaniards... There's also a meeting tomorrow for different volunteer activities, which I think I'll do as well. Teaching English is also something I might start once I get into the rhythm of my real classes. We'll see. I've realized that every time I'm not busy doing something, I start to miss home and Madison. Much more than I expected. It's very easy to feel lonely when there isn't something else constantly on my mind or other people around. It remains to be seen whether or not that feeling remains the whole year, if it gets better or worse, or whether it's just part of living so far away from everything and everyone you love. In the meantime, I'll just stay busy.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Tengo un piso y mucho mas a decir...
Finally, I have an apartment, and what a great feeling it is. Not exactly the situation I was looking for, but I'm excited for it none-the-less. I'm living in the perfect area, in Arguelles, two metro stops from the Complutese, on the fabulous calle Princesa. I'm also just a few blocks from a lovely park in Moncloa. My room is fairly small, but just what I need, and best of all, I have a balcony right off my room. I'm living with 2 Spanish guys, two guys from
My new address will be:
In other news, we took a group trip to
It was also interesting to learn that a high-speed AVE train line between Madrid and Segovia is almost complete, making the trip less than a half hour. This should certainly spur development away from the big city, hopefully easing the pressure on skyrocketing housing costs in Madrid (300% in 7 years), but at the same time, may have negative effects on Segovia's charm.
School has been picking up a bit, and it's really hard to actually believe we're taking classes that count back at home. That idea is still so foreign to me, and grades sort of seem like playthings... Hopefully that will change, but it's just so hard to want to think about doing any homework when there is so much else to do, despite the fact that the classes are quite interesting in the September course.
I'm addicted to cafe con leche. It's so delicious. And these chocolate filled pastries called napolitanas con chocolate. Good thing I found a grocery store that sells them for practically nothing... or maybe not so good...
What else to tell... hmmm... it's been a long time since I last wrote and my memories are failing me at the moment. Life is still great here, and I'm anxious for this September course to be over, which will be hell for the next few weeks, and to move into my apartment and start the actual semester. I think it will all feel a bit more real at that point. It's been a great time in the dorms with the people from my program and the few sporadic Spanish students that are around and that I've met, but it still just feels like I'm only visiting for a little while. It will be fun to get settled into real
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Mierda, necesito un piso...
So, the apartment search continues...
I've seen every imaginable type of place to live this year, with all sorts of different people. Nothing, however, has really felt right until yesterday. Either really nice places where the people living there don't thrill me, or people that seem okay in a really really crappy place in a bad neighborhood, or in the worst cases, both. I came so close yesterday. I went to see a friend's apartment, which is amazing, as it's right out of a scene from L'Auberge espagnole. Not the most amazing apartment, but people from all over the world settling in to live together. And it's a very open space, a rare feature in the flats of Madrid. People from France, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and the US all gathered under one roof with an amazing landlord. I looked at a place one floor up while two really cool girls from Portugal were doing the same. After talking to them, we all saw the possibility for the same type of atmosphere if we moved in and waited for a few more roommates. The problem is, they can't move until November and will be leaving in February. Definitely burst my bubble as things finally seemed to be going my way. It would have been so much fun. I'm still thinking very much of living there, but all of the rooms are still empty so I'm going to wait and see who might be moving in. I have another lead on a place that seems promising and am seeing that tonight. The main question I've been asking myself is whether I want to live with people from all over the world, who are all students and in the same boat, or do I want to live with Spaniards, who possibly work, and can't identify with this whole experience. On the one hand, it would be so cool to live with people from all over and go through this all together, but the Spanish doesn't flow quite as quickly and therefore I wouldn't pick it up nearly as fast. I just still don't know exactly what I want to get out of this year. Learning the language and making friends are both a top priority, but it's hard to find in an apartment right now.
I think this whole paragraph sounds completely illogical as I have been rambling on and on and not really reading or thinking about what I'm writing, so if that's the case, I apologize...
In other news, I finally had tapas yesterday, which is a little snack with a drink around 5-7 o'clock. Reider and I stopped at a little cafe on our way home from piso hunting and it was quite nice. A little toast covered with chicken and brie, and una cana de San Miguel. (Ah, what a name...) After returning to the dorm, I finally had some time to take a dip in the pool with some others. Very very nice. Do we really have to leave by the 19th...?
Last night, we went down to la puerta del sol, one of the most beautiful plazas in Madrid. We checked out a couple bars and took in the bustling nightlife. We went to a discoteca for a little while, which was pretty intense. Crazy techno music and lights with paid dancers up on these small stages... kind of weird... They really know how to party here in Madrid, no question about that. We took the night bus home since the metro closes at 1:30, and had to navigate on the fly as we didn't really know what bus to take and where it would take us. But we made it home safe and sound. Jennifer, Nate, Alyia and I went down to the courtyard at the down to chat when we got home and were invited to play cards by some really nice Spanish guys who I've already talked to a few times today. It was really similar to Eucre, and we even played their version of b.s. Anyways, I didn't get to bed until seven this morning... Typical weekend night for a madrileno... I don't know how they do it!
I had lunch (my breakfast) with three professors from southern Spain who are here for a conference and staying in the dorm. Really cool to talk to them and I even had to courage to ask some political/historical questions about post-Franco Spain to the two history professors.
Anyways, I'm off to find a Chino. (Yea... very politically incorrect way to say a cheap store run by Chinese immigrants, but Spaniards don't seem to think much of political correctness in general.) I need some shampoo and laundry detergent, and maybe some snacks. Hasta luego...
I've seen every imaginable type of place to live this year, with all sorts of different people. Nothing, however, has really felt right until yesterday. Either really nice places where the people living there don't thrill me, or people that seem okay in a really really crappy place in a bad neighborhood, or in the worst cases, both. I came so close yesterday. I went to see a friend's apartment, which is amazing, as it's right out of a scene from L'Auberge espagnole. Not the most amazing apartment, but people from all over the world settling in to live together. And it's a very open space, a rare feature in the flats of Madrid. People from France, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and the US all gathered under one roof with an amazing landlord. I looked at a place one floor up while two really cool girls from Portugal were doing the same. After talking to them, we all saw the possibility for the same type of atmosphere if we moved in and waited for a few more roommates. The problem is, they can't move until November and will be leaving in February. Definitely burst my bubble as things finally seemed to be going my way. It would have been so much fun. I'm still thinking very much of living there, but all of the rooms are still empty so I'm going to wait and see who might be moving in. I have another lead on a place that seems promising and am seeing that tonight. The main question I've been asking myself is whether I want to live with people from all over the world, who are all students and in the same boat, or do I want to live with Spaniards, who possibly work, and can't identify with this whole experience. On the one hand, it would be so cool to live with people from all over and go through this all together, but the Spanish doesn't flow quite as quickly and therefore I wouldn't pick it up nearly as fast. I just still don't know exactly what I want to get out of this year. Learning the language and making friends are both a top priority, but it's hard to find in an apartment right now.
I think this whole paragraph sounds completely illogical as I have been rambling on and on and not really reading or thinking about what I'm writing, so if that's the case, I apologize...
In other news, I finally had tapas yesterday, which is a little snack with a drink around 5-7 o'clock. Reider and I stopped at a little cafe on our way home from piso hunting and it was quite nice. A little toast covered with chicken and brie, and una cana de San Miguel. (Ah, what a name...) After returning to the dorm, I finally had some time to take a dip in the pool with some others. Very very nice. Do we really have to leave by the 19th...?
Last night, we went down to la puerta del sol, one of the most beautiful plazas in Madrid. We checked out a couple bars and took in the bustling nightlife. We went to a discoteca for a little while, which was pretty intense. Crazy techno music and lights with paid dancers up on these small stages... kind of weird... They really know how to party here in Madrid, no question about that. We took the night bus home since the metro closes at 1:30, and had to navigate on the fly as we didn't really know what bus to take and where it would take us. But we made it home safe and sound. Jennifer, Nate, Alyia and I went down to the courtyard at the down to chat when we got home and were invited to play cards by some really nice Spanish guys who I've already talked to a few times today. It was really similar to Eucre, and we even played their version of b.s. Anyways, I didn't get to bed until seven this morning... Typical weekend night for a madrileno... I don't know how they do it!
I had lunch (my breakfast) with three professors from southern Spain who are here for a conference and staying in the dorm. Really cool to talk to them and I even had to courage to ask some political/historical questions about post-Franco Spain to the two history professors.
Anyways, I'm off to find a Chino. (Yea... very politically incorrect way to say a cheap store run by Chinese immigrants, but Spaniards don't seem to think much of political correctness in general.) I need some shampoo and laundry detergent, and maybe some snacks. Hasta luego...
Monday, September 3, 2007
Buenas tardes,
This is the first of what should be many posts while I'm abroad, and should hopefully serve as a means to describe my daily life in Madrid. Instead of selling short anyone who has a remote interest in my life, I thought it better to condense my writing into a single blog. Of course, talking to all of you could never be replaced, and it won't be, but this will also serve as a journal of sorts in which I will record my memories from this hopefully memorable year.
09/03/2007
It has been quite a whirlwind since I arrived here Thursday morning. As we descended into the city, groggy and cramped, we were greeted with a brilliantly red sunrise over the dry landscape of central Spain. Quite a spectacular greeting, I must say.... Our group, a mix of 30 some students from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Purdue, seems to be quite friendly and fun. We arrived at el Cologio Mayor in the late morning and settled into what will be our dorm for the next few weeks. Much nicer than I expected, with private bathrooms, and even a swimming pool... Yea, a swimming pool... Unfortunately I haven't had any time to swim in it yet. It has been very very busy getting orientated around campus, going to group meetings about academics and housing, as well as exploring the city with my new friends. Only a few hours of sleep for a jet lagged body the first few nights I was here. I guess it's not a surprise that I have finally started to drink (and actually enjoy) coffee. Meals are served here at El Colegio, also known as "el negro" because of it's blackish brown bricks, and Marissa is our friendly Spanish senora who serves us lunch around 2-3 and dinner around 9:30 or 10. Amazing how quickly you adjust to the different schedule...
As for adjusting to a different schedule, everything kind of caught up with me Sunday morning when we got home about three and I decided not to set my alarm since the city shuts down a bit, especially in the morning on Sunday. Not a good idea, as I slept until 4:30... in the afternoon... I was not very pleased when I woke up, to say the least. The previous day had been full of walking (at least 15 miles) and seeing dozens of neighborhoods, markets, parks, and buildings. El Parque de Buen Retiro puts Central Park to shame. I did manage to salvage the day by seeing El Palacio Real and its gardens, which is probably the most fantastic thing I have ever seen. The king's palace is absolutely enormous and beautiful, and its gardens even more so. I also saw the Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol, which I had seen at night earlier on. The faint memories I have from my family's trip to Spain are especially cloudy from our two jet lagged days in Madrid. This is definitely the most beautiful big city I have ever seen. There is such an appreciation for art, architecture, and green space, along with a perfect blend of modernization and conservation.
The city is equally beautiful by night, as I've gone out with the people from my program. We are increasingly wary of going out in larger groups, as it is obviously much harder to blend into the Spanish nightlife as a large group of guiris (horribly obvious tourists). Mostly it has just been trying out a few different bars around the city and ordering either una caña o un mini de cerveza or sangria. A mini is the opposite of what you might expect... Still haven't found it in my foreign soul to stay out until daybreak. Something tells me that might be the last cultural aspect I adopt...
We had our placement exams today which split us into two groups for our September course according to skill level. Very surprisingly, I managed to make it into the higher of the two. Not exactly sure how I feel about that as I seem far inferior to most in the group at least when it comes to speaking Spanish. Again it seems as though a test score has overstated my real ability/knowledge of a subject. I guess it will make me better in a shorter period of time, which is good, even if my grade should falter a bit.
Meanwhile, today I officially started looking for a piso (apartment). I did only online searching today and had a lot of leads, but upon calling, they were either already rented or not at all what I expected. I called one guy back an hour after I first contacted him because he was out doing something, and an hour later his mother answered the phone telling me about their house... Thanks, Ricardo... The first few calls I made were quite nerve-wracking, and I definitely blanked out on my Spanish halfway through the calls. A bit embarrassing... It's getting a lot easier now though, and as the nerves go away, it's a lot easier to understand. Tomorrow I'll check the paper version of El Segunda Mano, which has many more listings, and hopefully set up some appointments for either tomorrow afternoon despues de clase or Wednesday when we get the day off to do exactly that.
We took a bus tour this evening which I thought at first was way touristy for us to do, but it actually was really nice for helping to navigate the city and put random metro stops into a more real understanding of Madrid's layout. I'd already seen a lot of areas, but now I feel like I have a better handle of things. Plus, I finally saw where Real Madrid plays, and knew immediately that I NEED to see a game. What a thrill that will be.
As for the sentimental side of things, it's been a lot easier to be here than I originally expected. Although my Spanish is still terrible, and will be for a long time, and although I hardly know anything about the city and country in which I'm living, I already feel at home. I did the moment I stepped off the plane. Madrid is such a welcoming place, even if the people often are not during random moments on the street. I notice it in my few conversations with Spaniards in the bar at night or the way I actually have seemed to blend in during my few solo journeys on the metro so far. The soul of Spain is so very much alive, and it would be hard for anyone not to be drawn to it. I miss you all so much, both family and friends. The thought of not seeing many of you for so long is very painful, yet I can't help but think that this year will fly by faster than I want or expect.
This is the first of what should be many posts while I'm abroad, and should hopefully serve as a means to describe my daily life in Madrid. Instead of selling short anyone who has a remote interest in my life, I thought it better to condense my writing into a single blog. Of course, talking to all of you could never be replaced, and it won't be, but this will also serve as a journal of sorts in which I will record my memories from this hopefully memorable year.
09/03/2007
It has been quite a whirlwind since I arrived here Thursday morning. As we descended into the city, groggy and cramped, we were greeted with a brilliantly red sunrise over the dry landscape of central Spain. Quite a spectacular greeting, I must say.... Our group, a mix of 30 some students from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Purdue, seems to be quite friendly and fun. We arrived at el Cologio Mayor in the late morning and settled into what will be our dorm for the next few weeks. Much nicer than I expected, with private bathrooms, and even a swimming pool... Yea, a swimming pool... Unfortunately I haven't had any time to swim in it yet. It has been very very busy getting orientated around campus, going to group meetings about academics and housing, as well as exploring the city with my new friends. Only a few hours of sleep for a jet lagged body the first few nights I was here. I guess it's not a surprise that I have finally started to drink (and actually enjoy) coffee. Meals are served here at El Colegio, also known as "el negro" because of it's blackish brown bricks, and Marissa is our friendly Spanish senora who serves us lunch around 2-3 and dinner around 9:30 or 10. Amazing how quickly you adjust to the different schedule...
As for adjusting to a different schedule, everything kind of caught up with me Sunday morning when we got home about three and I decided not to set my alarm since the city shuts down a bit, especially in the morning on Sunday. Not a good idea, as I slept until 4:30... in the afternoon... I was not very pleased when I woke up, to say the least. The previous day had been full of walking (at least 15 miles) and seeing dozens of neighborhoods, markets, parks, and buildings. El Parque de Buen Retiro puts Central Park to shame. I did manage to salvage the day by seeing El Palacio Real and its gardens, which is probably the most fantastic thing I have ever seen. The king's palace is absolutely enormous and beautiful, and its gardens even more so. I also saw the Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol, which I had seen at night earlier on. The faint memories I have from my family's trip to Spain are especially cloudy from our two jet lagged days in Madrid. This is definitely the most beautiful big city I have ever seen. There is such an appreciation for art, architecture, and green space, along with a perfect blend of modernization and conservation.
The city is equally beautiful by night, as I've gone out with the people from my program. We are increasingly wary of going out in larger groups, as it is obviously much harder to blend into the Spanish nightlife as a large group of guiris (horribly obvious tourists). Mostly it has just been trying out a few different bars around the city and ordering either una caña o un mini de cerveza or sangria. A mini is the opposite of what you might expect... Still haven't found it in my foreign soul to stay out until daybreak. Something tells me that might be the last cultural aspect I adopt...
We had our placement exams today which split us into two groups for our September course according to skill level. Very surprisingly, I managed to make it into the higher of the two. Not exactly sure how I feel about that as I seem far inferior to most in the group at least when it comes to speaking Spanish. Again it seems as though a test score has overstated my real ability/knowledge of a subject. I guess it will make me better in a shorter period of time, which is good, even if my grade should falter a bit.
Meanwhile, today I officially started looking for a piso (apartment). I did only online searching today and had a lot of leads, but upon calling, they were either already rented or not at all what I expected. I called one guy back an hour after I first contacted him because he was out doing something, and an hour later his mother answered the phone telling me about their house... Thanks, Ricardo... The first few calls I made were quite nerve-wracking, and I definitely blanked out on my Spanish halfway through the calls. A bit embarrassing... It's getting a lot easier now though, and as the nerves go away, it's a lot easier to understand. Tomorrow I'll check the paper version of El Segunda Mano, which has many more listings, and hopefully set up some appointments for either tomorrow afternoon despues de clase or Wednesday when we get the day off to do exactly that.
We took a bus tour this evening which I thought at first was way touristy for us to do, but it actually was really nice for helping to navigate the city and put random metro stops into a more real understanding of Madrid's layout. I'd already seen a lot of areas, but now I feel like I have a better handle of things. Plus, I finally saw where Real Madrid plays, and knew immediately that I NEED to see a game. What a thrill that will be.
As for the sentimental side of things, it's been a lot easier to be here than I originally expected. Although my Spanish is still terrible, and will be for a long time, and although I hardly know anything about the city and country in which I'm living, I already feel at home. I did the moment I stepped off the plane. Madrid is such a welcoming place, even if the people often are not during random moments on the street. I notice it in my few conversations with Spaniards in the bar at night or the way I actually have seemed to blend in during my few solo journeys on the metro so far. The soul of Spain is so very much alive, and it would be hard for anyone not to be drawn to it. I miss you all so much, both family and friends. The thought of not seeing many of you for so long is very painful, yet I can't help but think that this year will fly by faster than I want or expect.
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