Madrid y clases!

Hola!

Although it's just been 4 days, I'm already starting to think in Spanish. Crazy, huh? It's even hard for me to write this in English, because I now have a tendency to stick to Spanish. I guess that's what happens when you are completely surrounded by a language! I can't imagine how it will be when I return to the United States at the end of this program.

The last few days have been incredibly busy! Yesterday we went to Madrid! It was so much fun. Our host families all took us to the train station at 10am (the program is so organized, by the way. All the host families know exactly what to do) and one of our professors, Fausto, served as our tour guide. He showed us how to use our train passes, which trains to take, and gave us a personal tour of Madrid. Even passerbys stopped to listen to him!

The trains were very nice-nothing like in America. They were comfortable, and are a main source of transportation over here. As a result, the train stations are super busy! Before we left the station, we stopped in the bathrooms. Turns out Madrid doesn't have public restrooms (aghhh) so you have to go when you can. The train station restrooms were pretty gross, though. None of them had toilet paper, but thankfully a few of us had kleenexes!

One of the coolest things about the train station was this turtle area. I guess it was sort of a display, but it was full of turtles of all shapes and sizes! So cool! It was huge, and spanned an entire length of the train station!

We began the day with Fausto's tour. We went really fast, with him just showing us important locations. We saw El Museo Reina Sofia, which is an art museum that holds Picasso's most famous work, El Guernica (which I was dying to see), el Jardin Botanico (Botanical Gardens), Museo del Prado (another art museum), El Congreso de los Diputados, and more!

We ended up at a restaurant, El Cuervo, where we ate as a group. I had a mixed salad and chicken, which was probably the best option on the menu, unless you like fish, soup, shrimp, gaspacho, tuna, green beans, or asparagus. Dessert was perfect, though- chocolate ice cream on a hot day!

That's another thing- it gets really hot in Madrid! That morning was bitter cold, and many of the Spanish moms told us to wear jeans and heavy jackets. However, it warmed up quickly, and we were left a bit miserable!

After lunch, we all split up and were allowed to do whatever we wanted! Some people went shopping while others went to the bar. My group started by riding the metro back to the place we started at (we had to change the metro twice- and got very confused in the process. Thankfully, we had Cody and Russell with us who were able to direct us), and went first to the botanical garden. It was like nothing I had ever seen before! There was an incredible amount of plants and flowers, and it was all gorgeous. We walked all around the park. After we saw everything, we went to the Museo Reina Sofia. All I wanted to do the whole day was see Guernica, and we finally did! It's a painting that we have studied a lot in school, so seeing it in person was amazing. It's huge! It takes up an entire wall. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of it. Also, a man had a seizure while we were looking at it. That was interesting.

When we got bored of the museum, we went to a cafe and had a snack. I had some churros. Next door was a Starbucks, which took away from the experience a bit. I also saw my first Spanish McDonald's while in Madrid!

We went back to the train station at around 8pm, and it was a half hour ride back to Alcala. We all called our parents on the way back so they were there to pick us up when we arrived. Here the sun doesn't set until around 10pm or a little after, so we have plenty of time to enjoy the day!

When my Spanish parents picked me up, we started driving back to the apartment, but saw a large group of people on a blocked off street, so Teresa and I got out to see what was going on. It turned out to be a parade for the feast day of Corpus Cristi! There was a ginormous altar in the middle of the street that was surrounded by people and rose petals. Everywhere, the street was lined with people. A bit further down were some priests and altar servers which led the procession, followed by groups of people with banners bearing various images of Mary and Jesus. I asked Teresa what they were, and I believe she said the people were going to keep Jesus company.

The procession seemed never ending! We were around a corner, and I kept waiting for the end, but it never came! I couldn't count how many flags/banners there were! I think Teresa got bored because she ushered me down to the corner before it was over. I figured we were leaving, but as we turned the corner, I saw the biggest pedestal I have ever seen that was holding the Eucharist. I'm not sure if pedestal is the right word, but I don't know how to describe it. It took about 18 people to carry it on their shoulders! It was all very amazing. They stopped near us for prayers, incense, and a song (two marching bands were there) before continuing on. When the people were able to pick it up without moving the Eucharist, everyone clapped. There were many, many priests as well, all decked out in their vestments. Aside from the incredible experience, I was really glad to see the procession because I wasn't able to go to church yesterday since we had been so busy. I felt this kind of counted.

When we got back to the apartment, Teresa and I watched the world news and then went to feed the cats. Since there was a new kitty, Teresa had bought special kitten food during the day. When she feeds them, she makes sure to do it discreetly and at night. When I asked her why, she said the people don't like her feeding the cats. Apparently they don't like the street cats, and don't want them to survive. A woman came out on her balcony, saw us, and ended up glaring at Teresa until we left.

Dinner last night was chicken...again. I'm already sick of it. I guess it's popular here!

I finally went to bed around 1am, after dinner. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

TODAY WAS THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES!

And it was such an experience. Both classes are entirely in Spanish, which is a bit challenging. My first class is Great Spanish Painters and is from 9am-11:30. The professor seems nice, but the entire class was a lecture, and we already have a ton of homework. We covered an entire century of art in one day!

We then had a half hour break where one of my friends and I went to the cafeteria for cafe con leche and some pastries. Afterwards, back to classes! My second one is about Traditions of Spain and is chocked full of assignments. The first is a group project on a community in Spain, due this Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, I have my first essay due. I think I had forgot that I was going to have to do work here...I just want to go explore more!

Teresa was there to walk me back to the apartment when I got out of class. We were talking on the way back, and it turns out she has been a part of this program for 12 years, and has had the same number of students. Apparently last year's didn't know how to speak Spanish and they had to draw pictures in order to communicate! Suddenly, I don't feel as much pressure!

Jose and Teresa's grandkids are here, since they come over during the weekdays when their parents are at work. Both are boys, ages 7 and 3. They're so cute! Right now they're watching the Spanish version of Spongebob Squarepants.

Lunch was spaghetti and...chicken. It's a sign of generosity when they give me so much food, but I feel obligated to eat it all since they don't keep food. It all goes into the trash if I don't eat it. Today they asked if I would like some bread. I said no, that I was fine, but they still cut me a giant piece anyway! We drank wine with the meal, but I didn't really like it.

Now it is my siesta! In half an hour, I have to be back at school as Cristina and Fausto are going to take us all on a tour of Alcala. Hopefully we'll be able to buy phones as well. They're actually really necessary here, especially since Teresa always needs to know my plans.

One random thing that I think is interesting: for breakfast both days, Teresa has given me a croissant, a banana, and...a Kit Kat bar. I think she thinks it's a breakfast food in America.
Also, french fries come with everything! They love them here.

Here's some pictures, but for whatever reason they're out of order. Sorry!

Outside of one of the many cathedrals in Madrid...apparently there are a lot of weddings here because it's so pretty.

The main gates to Madrid.

Plaza mayor

One of the palaces

Another palace

A statue depicting Don Quixote and Sancho.

Botanical Garden

Jesus!

Fausto teaching us about the trains.

Museo del Prado

Anyway...Hasta luego!

It's dry here.

My roommate Sarina and I woke up incredibly thirsty. Plus, I have dry skin EVERYWHERE. It's a bit of a nuisance.

Last night we were all out late at a Tapas bar, which was awesome. We didn't stay out too late, though, since we were all sleep deprived as it was! I ended up getting about 7 hours of sleep.

Today we had our orientation. Our director, Cristina, her assistant Eero, and a professor, Fausto, all led it. We basically just covered safety, school, families, and general topics. I did learn, however, that talking about menstruation is completely normal in social contexts in Spain. That was a bit surprising.

For lunch we had beef or fish. I had beef, of course. It was actually really good, but not as great as the crepe and cheesecake I had for dessert!

After lunch we went back to El Corte Ingles in order to buy disposable phones. We waited in line forever, but they ran out of phones quickly. I'm just going to get one on Monday!

Today, we also met our families! We had a bit of free time after they gave us their information, and we all chose to go to a tapas bar and compare families while waiting for them to come pick us up from the hotel! I am staying with an elderly lady, Teresa Espejo, and her husband, Jose. They are both so sweet! When I first met Teresa, she immediately raved about how amazing my Spanish was, which really surprised me since I am pretty sure I don't speak well at all. Maybe she was being nice? Especially when she said I speak better than the other students she has had. I doubt that!

Jose and Teresa took me to their apartment, which is very cute! I have my own room with a bed, desk, and closet. For dinner, Teresa made me...something. I don't know what, but it was good!

One thing I've learned about Spain: eat as much as you can, when you can. In the last few days, our meals have been very spaced out and there's not much to snack on. So at each meal, I've started eating more than normal to hold me over to the next meal.

Teresa used to have a cat, who she loved, but he died after 11 years. She hasn't had the heart to get a new one, so she has adopted the cats from the streets. There's so many of them, too! Tonight she followed a routine that I'm sure she does every night: she put on her heels and a warm coat, prepared two handbags full of cat food wrapped in aluminum foil, and then we walked around town as she stopped at certain locations to feed the cats. She obviously had specific feeding locations, because at each place there would be groups of stray cats waiting for her. She even had different food for each group of cats! It was as though they each had their own preferences, and she knew them all. Only one group got store bought cat food- the others were given assorted meats. She said she doesn't name these cats, but feels sorry for them and wants to help them. She even had placed water bowls in these locations in the past, and refilled all of them with fresh water. In the process, we saw there was a new kitten!
Teresa does this every night, and Jose always walks with her. After we got back, we watched some futbol, aka soccer, and Jose tried explaining a lot of it to me. He's really into sports! Real Madrid won, in case you were wondering. Woohoo!

Tomorrow we are taking an excursion to Madrid! I'll write more later, but I'm exhausted and need to get SOME sleep tonight!
Hasta luego!

Hello from SPAIN!

It has now been more than 48 hours since I’ve slept. And boy, am I tired! So much has happened in this 48 hours; it’s been like a whirlwhind.

I’ll start from the beginning.

I wasn’t able to post a blog the night before my departure (when was that, again? I’m so off on time…) because I had been having computer troubles and my laptop was in the shop. Thankfully, they were able to fix the problem (the inability to charge) just in time for me to leave. As in, I got my computer back less than 2 hours before I left. Cutting it close!

Anyway, I made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight. Nothing like that scene in Home Alone, where the family goes running through the terminal trying desperately to make it on time. Though, unfortunately, I’ve been there. Nope, this time was easy. I’m a pro at flying now. I flew American Airlines, which was a first for me. The only worry was that there was a ton of wind in Denver yesterday, and I think one runway was closed or something like that, because all the planes were waiting in a ridiculously long queue to take off. As a result, or maybe for a different reason I don’t know of, the plane leaving my gate before my flight was running late. They consequently delayed my flight about half an hour, and, if you know me, that’s more than enough time to freak me out. I was texting my parents furiously, hoping I would be able to make my connection in Dallas. (Side note: I had no idea what time my connection took off. I just always freak out.) My dad responded saying that if I left by 2:30, then I should be fine, so I was counting the minutes until that time!

After boarding the flight, we had to wait in the ridiculously long queue for about 25 minutes, which was pretty mind-numbing considering there wasn’t much to look at. The lady sitting next to me was a middle aged Indian lady who never took her iPhone headphones out of her ear (or turned her phone off during take off/descent- GRRRRR, FOLLOW THE RULES, LADY) and made it clear she didn’t want to talk to me. I responded by eating my smelly Subway sandwich while on the flight. I don’t think she liked that very much.

Goodbye, Denver!

The flight to Dallas ended up only being 1 hour and 19 minutes. Yay! I got to DFW on time, but the plane at our gate didn’t want to leave for whatever reason, so we ended up sitting on the (uhhhh….I don’t know what the word is…. Place where planes wait) for about half an hour. I got really ancy during that time and ended up using the rapidly diminishing amount of time I had with cellular data to update Facebook, Twitter, and other various forms of social media. Thank goodness for distractions!

If you’ve never been to DFW before, be happy. It’s one of the most difficult to navigate airports I’ve ever been to. Excluding Madrid’s, but we’ll get to that later. First off, as soon as I stepped off the plane, the humidity hit me like a load of bricks. It was terrible. I’m definitely not a fan of that stuff. And the walkway stretched on for about a mile, so I was already not a fan of Dallas or the airport. By that time, it was around 5:00pm central time, and my flight was scheduled for 5:35. I basically skipped through the airport (though not happily due to my nervousness and anxiousness) and somehow managed to navigate to this tram thing, the Skyline or something like that. I followed people who looked like they knew what they were doing and prayed that I could figure out this airport. The tram thing took me all around the outside of the airport, until I arrived at my next gate about 10 minutes later. At that point I was able to see that my plane had been delayed until 6pm. Phew. I also became aware that Dallas is a crazy busy airport. Busier than DIA, and that’s saying something. There was an advertisement for the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, which I found interesting. Even Texas knows Colorado is better. There were also a ton of students in the area, who were obviously all headed to Madrid. I had no idea if any of them were in my specific program or not, but I didn’t recognize any faces. Unfortunately, all these students were taking up all the seats (there’s not too much of them) and although I had been sitting for the past few hours, I still felt the need to sit down after the rush of getting to the gate. The only available seat was at this charger station, which was an added benefit since my phone obviously thought it was a good idea to drop more than 50% in 4 hours.

I still don’t understand the concept of that charger station. There were no outlets anywhere in the airport except for at this tower. I looked. And so everyone who needed juice for their electronics were huddled around this square pillar, reaching over heads and shoulders to plug in a phone or computer. It was a mess. But I managed to find one when this young guy who saw me searching unplugged one of his to let me in the group. I thanked him and we somehow ended up talking. He was from Texas Tech, with pretty much every other student there. He explained that they were going over to Seville for a class in social structure or something like that. Hierarchies, I think. Anyway, I found out a lot about this guy just by chatting with him. He was a senior and is graduating after his month of classes. He has an English Bulldog named Sadie who he loves dearly and weighs 55 pounds. And the only words he knows in Spanish are bano (bathroom) and cervezas (beers). He’s staying with a host family, but told me he hopes they speak English. Instead of taking Spanish in high school, he took Sign Language because both his parents are deaf and so he grew up signing and wanted the easy grade. It’s funny how much you can learn about someone in just a few minutes of talking to them. Anyway, this really nice guy finished charging his phone and left saying, “Maybe I’ll see you on the plane.”

I could only get my phone to charge to 80% before it was my turn to board. Funny enough, that guy was in front of me as we boarded! I was amazed at the plane as soon as I stepped on it. It was luxurious! Comfy chairs, soft blankets, ginormous pillows, ample leg room, and nice décor. Turns out that was first class. Shoot. My new friend and I walked back further and saw a still nice, but not as fancy area. I felt that was still acceptable. But, that turned out to still not be my area. I guess I’m in the lower class seating? My friend and I walked back even further to what was obviously the third-level of the Titanic (aka working people area). Don’t get me wrong, it was still nice. But after seeing the luxury up front, I was a bit disappointed. It was similar to a normal flight, with the addition of a small cotton pillow and thin, red blanket. Plus, we didn’t have tvs on the headrests like I had hoped we would. They were spread periodically around the plane, instead. Kinda like a greyhound bus’.

 Dallas' airport!

Part of the plane...I couldn't get a good picture of the nice part.

I kept following that guy back as I walked to my assigned seat. Surprisingly, he stopped just by my aisle! Of the two seats on our side of the plane, 30A and 30B, I was 30A and he was 30B. We laughed at that because what are the chances that the only person I’ve talked to ends up having the assigned seat next to me on a plane full of hundreds of people?

I was immediately grateful, though, because I knew it would be much better flying with someone I know is nice and who I already feel familiar with. And it was! My buddy’s name turned out to be Kurt, and we really got to know each other on the 10.5 hour flight! Which was horrific in it’s own way. Kurt was 26, and I basically learned his whole life story. He was graduating late because he had actually been married before for 3 years. In those years, he worked full time so his wife could focus on school, therefore putting his life on hold. A few months ago, he returned from visiting a friend in New York City to find his wife cheating on him. So, they divorced. Sad story. Anyway, he went back to school to get his degree in sociology. He wants to become a police man and then a Texas ranger, whatever that is. And he loves serial killers like I do, so we spent a great deal of time discussing our knowledge and our favorite serial killer stories.

Oh, and he also told me that the coffee on the flight was free. BEST. DISCOVERY. EVER. I doubt I’d be awake without the plethora of cups I had.

Kurt has travelled a bit, though he’s never been to Europe. Nevertheless, he still thought my reaction to dinner was hilarious. I got very excited when they handed me a cute little tray with adorable side items in addition to the main course I was allowed to choose. (Beef and mashed potatoes vs. cheese ravioli- what do you think I picked?). He also thought it was hilariously funny that I wanted to take pictures of EVERYTHING, and that I was super anxious to see the ocean. He kept insisting that it would be dark, though, and that I wouldn’t be able to see anything. He ended up being right…

Dinner. I'll let you try to guess what it is.

Kurt ended up being one of the best travel buddies I’ve ever had! He gave me his brownie from dinner (apparently he hates chocolate and sweets- proof that crazy people do exist), he offered to charge my phone on his computer, allowed me to watch movies on his computer since the ones on tv were awful, kept updating me on times in Spain, Dallas, and Denver, and he never got mad that I kept opening the window cover, hoping to see the ocean, accidently hitting him in the face with the sun’s death rays in the process.

Guys, 10.5 hours is a long time. Like, really long. I feel like I was on that plane for days. After dinner, the flight attendants turned off the cabin lights, signaling that it was bed time for all of us, I guess. While most people were able to go to sleep, I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried. I curled up into a ball, I stretched out, I put my headphones in, I took my headphones out. Nothing helped. So I watched whatever was on tv in between attempts to fall asleep. I saw a lot of really terrible tv shows, and then a movie where I think the plot was just Joseph Gordon-Levitt riding around on a bike. Every time I looked up, that’s what he was doing. Nothing else.

Let’s just say, it was a long night. In the morning, the flight attendants gave us all coffee, croissants, and yogurt. The Office happened to be on tv, so at least I got to watch that while eating. Slowly but surely people started moving and opening up windows. It really felt like I was having a slumber party with a plane full of random strangers. But you know what? Everyone I talked to on the plane was incredibly nice and friendly. The lady sitting in front of Kurt is a missionary who lives in Spain although she is American. She gave us a lot of helpful hints about surviving in Spain, especially all the different places on your body to hide money.

Then something awesome happened. I opened the window cover to see the ocean! Seconds before we flew over the top of Spain. The result? A picture of Spain’s coast and the ocean! I’m really proud of that picture, because if I had been a few seconds later I would have missed it. Kurt didn’t think it was as cool as I did, and he laughed at me.

Spain! Mountains in the background.

We finally touched down after a sleepless flight, safe and on time! As we were descending, the flight attendants played a video of what to do after de-boarding. Unfortunately, I was too busy taking pictures to pay attention. Thankfully, I am smart and just follow the crowd because that’s all I needed to do. Kurt had to wait in a specific area for his group (they were going straight to a hostel together) so we wished each other a fun trip and then I was on my own again. Madrid’s airport is humongous. There’s so much extra space, too. I was very tired, but I somehow managed to make it through passport check, customs, and a few tram rides before I was able to get my baggage. Then I had a problem finding my program, CIEE. There weren’t a ton of signs up, and I got pretty confused. A few people asked if I needed help but I was taken aback by their accents and fast way of talking that I blanked and couldn’t ask for help. I dug out the emails I had printed off (thank goodness I did, since there was no wifi and I couldn’t access my email for instructions.) It turned out that I had flown into Terminal 4, and needed to be at Terminal 1. I managed to ask a lady how to get to Terminal 1, and in her long rambling answer, I managed to understand “green bus”. I followed her gestures outside to the bus areas, and after spending way too long than I’d like to admit trying to figure out where the green bus goes, I got on. It took me on a 10-15 minute drive on the interstate to where apparently the other part of the airport is. I would never have been able to find that. I went to the door we were supposed to meet at, but after another 10 minutes of confusion, I realized I was on the wrong floor. I went down the elevator (since I couldn’t find an escalator or stairs) and after walking a bit confused-like, was bombarded by this tiny Spanish lady embracing me in a tight hug. Turns out it was Cristina, our Resident Director at the Universidad de Alcala, who had memorized all our faces from our ID cards. She led me to the group, pulled up a seat for me, and had managed to make me the center of conversation in a group of CIEE students, all while I was still trying to adjust to my surroundings. I must have looked dazed and like a wandering zombie. I finally realized we were in a little gathering area, and most students were already there. It turned out there were three other CIEE students on my flight, but I had beat them to the meeting area. Cristina asked me something about if I knew where they were and I’m pretty sure I just shook my head.

The airport!

While we waited for the other students, we got to talk to those around us in English. One of the girls near me was a girl named Lacy, who is a friend of some of my friends, and who I had been Facebooking and texting in preparation for the trip. There was also Beth, a girl who I had a class with once and who is really nice, who came up and asked about my flight. I began talking to the other students and really clicked with a lot of them immediately. There was a guy from South Carolina, one from Virginia, a girl from Iowa, and a girl from Wisconsin, all sitting near me, and we had fun learning about each other.

Finally, the last few students showed up, and we all boarded this bus to our hotel. The guy sitting behind me, Cody, who looks exactly like Orlando Bloom, (picture included below) arrived two days ago and was already able to point out sights to us. One interesting thing is you cross the street by walking under it. Apparently it took him two days to figure that out.

Once at the hotel, we got our room assignments. We’re just spending one night in this hotel, and my roommate is a girl named Sarina, who is really nice. We both fell on our beds and took naps as soon as we got to our room. At 2:45, we left to go eat lunch. We went to this restaurant close by, where we went to an upper room. We had two courses and then dessert. We were able to choose from a few options for each course. The first course had options such as chickpea soup, mixed salad with vegetables, or spaghetti with meat sauce. Not sure how that last one fits as an appetizer, but I ordered it. So much came that I couldn’t eat it all!

The hotel.

The water at the restaurant

Salad

Kristin with the soup

Spaghetti with mystery meat.

The second course consisted of fish, ham, or chicken. I ordered chicken and it came with French fries. Unfortunately, I didn’t eat much of it because I was so full! The fish looked really gross in my opinion. You could still see the fins and the eyeballs were still there.

Fish...

I see Orlando Bloom here.

THE EYEBALL.

Dessert: Watermelon.

Taylor with the "ice cream"

Dessert also had multiple options. I ordered strawberries, while others had pears, pineapple, or watermelon. There was also flan, pudding, or ice cream bars.

During dinner we were given our agendas for the next few days. It also came with our housing information! My Spanish host mother’s name is Teresa Espejo, and that’s pretty much all I know. Tomorrow we have orientation during the day, and then our host families will pick us up from the hotel tomorrow night.

After dinner we had our siesta. Not wanting to miss out on exploring Alcala, I went with a group of students to the Corte Ingles, or the shopping mall. We really got to bond while looking at all there was to see. It was like a ginormous, upper class Walmart, Best Buy, and IKEA combined.

Walking under the street!

El corte ingles

Decoration? Not sure.

I knew my mom would like pictures of flowers.

The guys got bored while the girls shopped and tried to be cool.

I have never seen a Furby this huge before.

Alcala from the window!

Parking outside!

When we got bored with that, we walked up and down the streets of Alcala, and ended up at a fitness park where we played with some of the equipment. We all realized we were super tired, so we came back to the hotel, where I am now writing this. We have dinner in 25 minutes, which is a choice of fish or pork. I chose pork.

The daffodils (I think that's what they're called) here are ginormous!

Tennis courts.

And that has been my busy past few days! I can’t wait to see what the next few days bring!

P.S. My computer is now in Spanish....when did that happen?