It took long enough to figure out how to start this, but I finally did! For those of you who do not know, I am living in Madrid, Spain, for the next 10 months or so:D It is extremely exciting and I cannot wait to tell you more about it!

I have had the pleasure of being a part of group 9 “NUEVEEEE” and could not have asked for better. Awesomely eclectic group of people. I came to Spain for a few reasons, and I wont get too far into that, but I feel the same as I did in college. I have no idea what I am going to do with my life! I have an inkling, but it feels more like 800 inklings. No pasa nada.

L to R is Amanda, Kenzie, Marie, Valerie, Colbs, Vivien, AAROOOON, and Jacob (because their names will probably come up over the year).

I just know there is a lot of world out there and I want to be a part of more of it. The Sarah McCutchan will be here very soon to do the same as well as have more purposeful reasons behind being here. I have already learned so much about this place, like the statue above, and look forward to learning so much more!

I am slowly working my way to becoming a Madrileño here in Spain. Being a Madrileño is an entirely different way of life that I think I will continually be working on here. The organization I worked with (CIEE) welcomed me at the hotel where orientation would start. Orientation lasted 4 days and we did so many things. Much of the day was boring and contained a plethora of information. In hindsight, it was too much at once. After the orientation sessions, every evening we would go out to either sightsee or have lunch over tapas or raciones. TAPAS… these are like, little finger foods or large snacks that all food places have all the time. Many restaurants give you free tapas when you order beer or tinto de verano which is red wine mixed with club soda and some juice I believe… Raciones is alllllmost the same thing except it is bigger and the concept is that you share it with the table. So, I love raciones the most. There is a restaurant I went to with my orientation group called El Tigre.

This place is famous for the amount of tapas they give you for free with your cerveza, tinto de verano, or any alcoholic beverage. Yes, all of that food was free. My beer just cost me about 2 euros more! After being here for roughly two weeks, I have realized that alcohol is much more associated with the social aspect of life. It is not so much about getting drunk than enjoying time with your friends and family. They also make it hard not to drink beer because it is cheaper than water… I have also realized, or learned, that the Spaniards, or Madrileños (more specifically), have what they call “siestas”. These are naps that you take between 2 and 5 in the afternoon. Usually, naps fluster me for the rest of the day but I am starting to get used to them. Back on track! My orientation group and I have spent our evenings going to dinners where they give you shots of this special cider drink, watch flamenco musicians, dancers, and singers, and a bar where the horchata drips from a stalactite.

It was not until orientation was over did life get a little harder or start to seem more real. I have a 2 week homestay with a lovely lady named Olga Hernandez and her information said she spoke English and French. My friends, the paper was wrong. She does not speak a single word of English and I have not even attempted the French. So, dinners are interesting with my homestay roommate, John. Our communication is some times in short phrases and whatever I say is more like caveman talk. However, they are my favorite conversations. Olga is a head chef at a school so I really feel like John and I lucked out. I figured out that I LOVE Ensalada Rusa de Marisco. It is a Russian salad with a variety of fish and do not ask me what all kinds because I do not know. I just know it is freakin delicious. Anyways, it has been an exhausting journey trying to converse with her but I am learning so quickly and am so grateful for being placed with her. This sort of inspired my apartment, or piso, searching. One of the things I have to do on my own is find one to live in. In my case, I have to find a specific habitación, or room, within a piso. I want Spanish roommates but it seems to be the harder route! I cannot tell you how hard it is to meet up with a stranger, where most of them do not speak English, and learn about the apartment and then make a decision based on what I saw/the gist of whatever the heck they said. TOUGH decisions… So, I still do not have a piso to call my own yet but, hey, I have 9 days. Update from when I started this. I have no place to live still, but 5 days is more motivating!! It is a wonderful experience as I walk around different neighborhoods and learn more about my home for the next several months. Speaking of this apartment hunt, we need to bring some people over here to experience the metro system. SO efficient! I have been doing so much walking and metro riding. One can figure out the system in 2 days and turns into a breeze. I can get anywhere in the city for 20 euros a month! Being here has also expanded the opportunities for travel. I have already planned a trip to Paris with Sarah for a festival where I get to see Bon Iver and other artists. I am currently working on a trip to Germany, but I will update you all as I go:)

Since I waited so long to make my first post, I will share more of the past few days rather than just the beginning. Not too long ago, I stopped in a shop called “Mercado de Toledo” where there were soooooo many swords, daggers, and knives all based thematically by their placement in history and culture. For those of you who know this side of me, I will be taking a trip to Toledo very very very soon. Also! Something rather interesting! Apparently, it only rains 10 or so days out of the year and it rained 2 days ago for almost 6 minutes. I was the only person who thought it was cool haha. I also discovered a phenomenal flea market that goes through an entire town in West Madrid called La Latina. 

This picture was just one street! Anyways, I have more to share but will definitely save it for later posts:) I just wanted you all to know that I am living my best life, making friends, experiencing the world, and just content with my current existence. Each day is filled with elation and I look forward to it staying that way. Welp, I know I forgot something but, hopefully, my writing will get better and you will actually enjoy reading what I have to say haha. It has been hard to gather my thoughts since I have been here. So, I understand if the post is rather sporadic but fear not. I will get better!! All the love. Until next time…