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.