Day 31

I left South Carolina a month ago, and it seems like I have been gone a week. I am having so much fun. I love Madrid, the people, the language, the culture, everything. My friend Beth, who is studying in Granada in southern Spain, came to Madrid yesterday. She got here at about 11:30 pm and we had to walk from the metro stop because the buses were no longer running. We didn't want to go out because I live in the outskirts of the city, and when the metro stops at 1:30, our choices would be to stay in the city until 6 or walk home. So we went to Burger King and got ice cream instead :) Some people went to the amusement park in northern Madrid, but I didn't particulary want to go so I went to two museums instead. I went to the Chapel of San Antonio de la Florida. It was about a 20 minute walk from my house. It had Goya's tomb (famous Spanish painter) and some of his frescos (a specific type of wall/ceiling painting). Something that I thought was funny was that written on Goya's tomb was R I P. I have no idea if it means the same in Spanish as in English, but I thought that was a little funny. Then I went to the museum of Reina Sofia. I saw Guernica, the famous painting by Pablo Picasso. This painting was in New York City until Franco, the Spanish dictator, died. It depicts the bombing that Franco okayed saying that the Germans and Italians could "practice" bombing on a small Spanish town. I also saw many paintings by Salvador Dali, and many other artists. Reina Sofia only houses contemporary art. I don't think I will ever understand how a piece of white paper with one scribble on it, or a tan piece of paper with random circles on it are considered art. I mean, I can draw lines and circles. I guess I don't appreciate the meaning as much as I should (sarcasm). I went by myself because I think that is the best way. I didn't feel rushed by anyone who didn't want to stay any longer, and I didn't get bored waiting on someone else. Then I came back, took a nap, and here I am now, writing on my blog. I have no idea what I am going to do tonight, but I have a list of things I would like to do tomorrow. Hasta luego.

Day 29

A week and a half since I wrote last. I went to Toledo this past Saturday with Tandem. It was awesome but I think Segovia is going to be my favorite. It seemed as if I walked uphill the whole time. Figure that out. I saw some painting by El Greco (famous artist) but his most famous one was in a different church. I was in the same city but didn't get to see it on that trip. We also walked by his house in Toledo. We also saw the Tajo River, the river that borders three sides of the city. I saw the remains of one of the bridges. Double date on Friday night with Erica was fun. Then Sunday was Noche en Blanco (translation: Night in White). It is a Spanish holiday where everyone stays up all night and the metro and buses run late. My senora told me that last year was better than this year because no one has money to spend this year. We walked around. Ate at a Mexican restaraunt, then hung out for a while. Somebody told us that the Royal Palace was going to be lit with all different colors, but we were disappointed. My education class started on Monday. 3 hours is a long time to sit relearning stuff that I already know. I have different teachers each time (2x a week) so it shouldn't be that boring. The syllabus looks really interesting. I am hoping to learn a lot. Art should have started this week, but the teacher's father was in a car accident so we will start this next week. That class in only for an hour and a half. Monday through Thursday I have class from 9:30 to 5 and Friday is only 9:30 to 1. Long days. I have the same thing to eat for lunch everyday: a sandwich with ham and butter, a sandwich with cheese and butter, and pineapple grape juice. I was so excited when I got lunch meat ham. Before I had been eating "Spanish ham" which isn't exactly cooked. Smoked would probably be the best part, but it looks and has the texture of raw meat. I couldn't eat it. I have been shopping way too much, but there are so many cute things here that are so cheap. For example, I bought a shirt yesterday for 3 euros, which is about 4 1/2 dollars. And the great thing about Spain is that I don't have to match what I wear. I can wear a navy shirt, black shoes with a brown purse if I want to. It's great! Emel left this past Saturday, and Alvise is leaving this Saturday, so I will be the only one here. Pablo (my 5 year-old "nephew") can keep me company when he isn't annoying the mess out of me. But his cuteness makes up for it. Sometimes. We play tickle monster and the other day I did my homework with him laying on top of me watching tv. He had a blast listening to my heart beat. I am starting to understand him. He mumbles a little when he talks and he has the little-kid vocabulary and mistakes, but I am starting to learn. His favorite show is Ben Ten. Figure that. Actually there are a lot of American shows in Spanish. I have seen The Simpons, Me Myself and Irene, the Hangover, and I can't remember what else I have watched in Spanish. But I like watching them if I am familiar with the movie I am watching; then I can understand it.

Day 19

On Saturday, Tandem took a group of us to Segovia. It is a very old city, I think 2nd century BC. The US is only 200-something years old and I went to a place 10x that age. It's a cute little town about an hour north of Madrid in Castilla y Leon. I saw the castle that inspired Walt Disney. I felt like Cinderella. It was so beautiful, well the outside was. The inside was typical of any castle, nothing too exciting. I did see armory. I also saw the acuaducts of Segovia. They were so tall and so advanced for that time period. We also went into a church. Amazing. I also saw the church where Queen Isabel the Catholic was coronated (first queen of Spain...interesting to me). There was a military band festival when we went, so we got to listen to music from the Italian, Spanish, and German (?) military. I laughed when they started playing the James Bond theme song. Then on Sunday, I did absolutely nothing and it was wonderful. I woke up late, took a nap, watched tv, did homework, and absolutely nothing. Then today, I watched a Spanish movie at Tandem. I have seen several Spanish movies since I have been here, mostly by Almodovar (most famous in Spain). But the movie I watched today had a very young director and young actors, and it was strange. I don't even know how to start explaining it. I now have another person living here with me. She is German and I don't know how to spell her name, but it is pronounced M-L, I think. She is a secondary teacher of French and English in Germany. She speaks five languages. I am quite amazed. I wish I knew that many. But two is enough for me. Alvice (Italian roommate) is sick and I hope I don't get sick too. I am trying to stay away as politely as I can. Tomorrow, I am going to go with Tandem to take cooking lessons. We are going to learn how to cook tortillas. In Spain, a tortilla is basically a potato omlette. That is the best way I can think of how to explain it. It is about 1 inch think filled with tiny slices of potatos. This should be an interesting experience. Alvice also gave me a bunch of his songs yesterday, so I now have a wider variety of American songs, Spanish songs, and Italian songs. I don't understand of word of Italian, but he translated some of the songs for me and they sound really cool. I realize there is no flow to my blogs and I go from one subject to another then back again, and I apologize. I write like I think...no organization.

Day 16

So I officially fail at this journal thing but I don't care anymore. I can just catch up. I went to the the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) on Wednesday. It was absolutely huge! It is actually in Madrid, within walking distance from my house. I had to pay because the United States isn't a part of the European Union. I think we should join. Then we would get discounts and free things. There were so many salons in the palace. The queen and king each had like ten rooms for whatever. The walls were decorated with statues (I don't know how they did that) and elaborately painted ceilings. Sometimes, the chairs match the rug or the wallpaper, so you know it is one-of-a-kind, and probably cost more than I'll make my whole life. It would be so much fun to live there for like one week. Then I would want to go to a normal size house because I would always get lost and break things. There were also original photos by Goya. It is so weird to go into buildings twice as old as my country. I learned more about the history of the kings and queens of Spain. I also learned that the original silver was melted down by Napoleon Bonaparte's brother to help pay for the war, so all the silver is new. Erica and I started another class on Tuesday. We only have it twice a week, so it's not that bad, but it is hard. It is for practicing for the DELE (think AP Spanish given by the Spanish government). There is a writing section, oral comprehension, written comprehension, matching, oral presentation, and everything else you can think of. Then yesterday, all the Americans had to take a pronunciation class. I knew I was a little bad, but I didn't think I would have to relearn how to talk. Apparently my southern accent makes it almost impossible to pronounce some things correctly. I would say something like I thought she was saying it, but apparently it was different. Also, the v and b make the exact same sound, so vivir and beber sound alike. I have to practice my vowels every day. If you heard me you would think I was crazy. I have to say aea, iou, uae, aeui, ouea, etc. I got some weird stares at the bus stop this morning. This has been my second week here and it has flown by. I was homesick for the first three or four days but now I am fine. Yesterday, I was a little homesick when I listened to the songs "Small Town USA" and "Where I'm From." I went to Burger King yesterday to have something American. My Italian roommate, Alvise, said Burger King doesn't count as a restaraunt, and here it really doesn't. An observation: the only time you get ice is when it is with coke, and then only sometimes. Tandem is taking us on a trip to Segovia tomorrow and I am excited, but they told us to bring a jacket because it is cold in the mountains. I am excited to be cold for once. Madrid is a desert. It is literally considered a desert. It has not rained since I got here. It almost did once, but it didn't. So at night, I have to choose between quiet and hot, or wind and loud noises. There are these 3 old ladies who sit out every night and talk (or should I say yell) until 1. And there are always kids out until 2 in the morning. And I went to bed last night at 11, which is considered early. The food here is the most different thing I have noticed. I have squid in ink sauce. It was good until I started to think of what I was actually eating. They put vegetables in everything. I also have freshly made bread with every meal. Erica and I found this shop where everything is cheap. I bought "parachute pants" which are apparently coming back in style, and a shirt. I am going to spend so much money there.

Day 11

So I realize that I am not very good at this daily journal thing but sometimes I am too tired or too busy to write so I wait a few days then write it all. Friday, school, then Erica and I went to los Jardines del Campo del Moro (the gardens in front of the Royal Palace). It was pretty but we just sat on a bench in the shade and listened to music. Then on Saturday, Tandem took a group to El Escorial. It is the old Royal Palace turned monastary near Madrid. We rode a bus and I fell asleep on the way there and the way back. There were so many things that I wanted to take pictures of but couldn't because they didn't allow it. Almost all of the ceilings were painted and it was beautiful. They had painted intricate scenes from the Bible or Spanish history. There was a hallway called the Hallway of Battles and the walls were painted with scenes from famous battles, but they were not grotesque and bloody because women and children would see it. The library looked like it had a million and a half books. There were books in Greek, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, and I don't know what else. And if I understood the guide right, the earliest book is from from the 4th Century. The ceiling in the library was also painted but the theme was a little different. Socrates and other famous philosophers were painted on the ceiling. Also, there were sections painted for mathematics, science, medicine, theology, philosophy, history, and several more -ologies. I also saw the tombs of all the kings and queens of Spain (all except for 2). It was a circular room for the kings and only the queens that gave birth to the future king. One king had 4 wives but only the one who was the mother of the next king was buried in there with him. There were also many rooms filled with caskets of princes and princesses. But what got me the most, was that was a room with the princes and princesses that died before the age of 5. I also saw the kings bedroom. It had a doorway to the sanctuary because the king who had it built was sick and he wanted access to worship God. The sanctuary was the prettiest part of the tour. It was huge. The altar looked to be gold-plated, and the background was full of pictures of saints. Since we could not take pictures, I bought postcards with pictures on them. I took a nap after we got back, ate supper, and then went out with the rest of the Americans. The bus that I normally take home closed at 11:30 (I didn't know this) and the metro closes at 1:30, so at 1:20 I was panicking because I didn't want to walk all the way home from Sol. Luckily, I caught the metro that goes closest to my house, so I was okay. I am never catching it that close to closing time again. Today was the first time since I have been in Spain that I got to sleep until I woke up. I woke up at about 10:30 and it was a good feeling but I am still taking a nap this afternoon. :)

Day 8

Yesterday, Tandem gave a tour of the Plaza Mayor (pronounced My-your and not like a politician). It is like a "square." It has statues and a fountain in the middle and then restaurants and shops around. After the tour, a professor took us out for drinks. I tried sangria (think wine cooler). It was pretty good. After that, the American kids went out to eat at a ristorante italiana. I only had dessert because I had already eaten. Then today was a normal day. It is not even worth it to talk about school. I mean, what can I say? It's school. Erica came back to my house to "study." Then we went to the Museo de Prado. It is the most famous museum in Spain and one of the most famous museums in Europe. I saw Velazquez, El Greco, and Goya. Amazing is the best word I can think of right now. My favorite was Las Meninas. I had always heard how big it was and how much better it is in person, but nothing can describe looking at the real thing. I have studied this painting in 3 classes, so I know a lot about it, but it is just so amazing. Erica said that she would love to have one of the paintings in her house, but I know that I don't have a wall big enough to put this one on. I am going to have to go back because I didn't get to see everything I wanted to see this time. I still need to see Rafael. Then there is a Sorolla exhibit I want to go see, but I am going to have to go when I have a lot of time because there is always a line of about 100 people. P.S. If you don't know what artists I am talking about, research it because it is very interesting. I am starting to get used to the food. And Madrid in general. I only got lost once today.

Day 7

Yesterday after lunch, Erica and I met at Principe Pio for her to exchange something that she bought. Principe Pio is a shopping mall inside the metro station closest to my house, but is still at 15 minute walk for me. Then, all the American girls from Tandem went to el Parque de Retiro. It is so big that we got halfway through in 2 hours, but this is including the time that we stopped to take pictures. There were a lot of fountains, statues, and several big monuments. Then, we walked around a little before we all had to be back for supper. Something that is quite obvious when I got here was the schedule Spain is on. We wake up late (I have to be at school at 9:30), eat lunch around 2, take a siesta (nap), eat supper at 9, and don't go to sleep until 12 or 1. Breakfast consists of toast and coffee or hot chocalate. Lunch is the largest meal of the day and has two parts. First, we usually eat soup or something else light (I have had pumpkin, tomato, and zucchini soup so far). Next, she brings out the meat. Supper is a light meal, sometimes with leftovers or tapas. I am almost used to it, but I still get hungry around noon. Everyone drinks water in their house because everything else is so expensive. Fanta is a big deal here, so I have that some, and some coke, but only outside of my house. There are a lot of things that I am noticing that are different than in the United States. Most people here only have one, maybe two children, and they take their children out on a stroll or to a park at night because it is too hot during the day. Another thing, some people (including my house) don't have air conditioning. There is a fan in the den, and I open the windows in my room, but I can't imagine what it would be during the hottest part of the summer. Also, the handle for the toilet is on top of the toilet, not on the side like in the US. Madrid is a very dry city. Gatos, people born in Madrid, get excited over clouds, and Spain is always in a drought. There is very little water in the toilet. Just an observation. Weird, I know. Then for today, I went to class. I have to be at the busstop at 8:45 to get to school at 9:30 because I have to wait up to twenty minutes and there is so much traffic. I ride with my housemate Alvize, an Italian student that is studying translation, and an Italian girl and an German girl that live next door to me. I am so glad that I live with a guy that is fluent is English, Spanish, and Italian. Now I can just ask him how to say something so that my senora understands me. We are learning about perfect preterit (I am not going to even try to explain this one) and how to use the verb poderse. We had soup and fried chicken for lunch, then I took a siesta. I set my alarm for 5:30, but they use military time, so it didn't go off. Like right now, it is 18:30. We are going to eat early tonight at about 7 so we can go on a walk in the Plaza Mayor. Tandem does something about 4 nights a week. This week, I am going on the walk tonight, to the Prado tomorrow, and El Escorial on Saturday. I am also going to do stuff outside of Tandem. For example, I think that I am going to a bullfight on Sunday. This is still in the planning stages. There is so much for me to learn and see, so I am going on every possible opportunity so I can make the most out of this experience.