Today it is hot. Unusually hot. It is 95 degrees right now, fortunately without humidity. While I do enjoy a warm day, it is rather uncomfortable to be walking around outside. My host mom says that it usually is not this warm until the end of July or beginning of August. What intrigues me the most is that the women always wear jeans. Skinny jeans. I have only seen a handful of women who are in shorts, and I am not sure if they were actually from Spain or if they were tourists. If a woman is not wearing jeans, then it is a skirt or a dress. I do wish to fit in with the crowd, but I don't think jeans are going to happen on a day like today :)
Yesterday was a fairly normal day with classes. A lot of it is reviewing Spanish history, the Monarchy, etc. I enjoy the history part a lot and I understand most of what the professors are saying. I have my first class for 2 hours (with 2 professors) and then we have a half-hour break. I usually eat a piece of fruit during my break because breakfast and lunch are about 8 hours apart. After the break, I have my second class for 2 hours (over art). We also have two professors in that class, both named Marisa. It's a running joke that their names are the same. (I just realized that I posted about yesterday already... :)
I had to run around the city trying to find an ATM yesterday. My card wouldn't work in the Metro and I was worried that I wasn't going to have any money. Fortunately, it was only a problem with the Metro machine and I was able to get a little bit of cash. The exchange rate dropped again...which is good for me. Unfortunately, the euro is still worth more than the dollar so it is still a bit expensive.
After my ATM adventure, I went on a walk with my host mom. We drove a short distance outside of the city to visit where Francisco Franco used to live. His palace was HUGE and it was surrounded by the barracks of the former guard. It is hard to believe that only 40 years ago, Spain was a dictatorship. We then took a walk through the woods. It was really beautiful and nothing like the "city" of Madrid. I like exploring these places that are tucked away and different from the normal.
Today was the last day of class for the week. I am looking forward to being able to sleep in tomorrow! This afternoon, I met up with another student from Purdue who is in Spain for the semester. We had a cafe con leche and talked about things to see in Spain. It's crazy that even though I am over 3000 miles away from Purdue, there are still Purdue people around (outside of our group).
And to end..we had the most fantastic lunch today! it started out with cooked green beans with potatoes and carrots. I thought that was going to be it, but then we had fish with salsa verde. Oh. My. Goodness. It was so delicious!!! The fish was tender and the salsa (sauce) was wonderful! Of course, we had some bread with it as well. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and I definitely think I will be good until dinner around 9:30.
Hasta luego!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Puerta de Sol
I have now survived my second day of classes! I really enjoy my Spanish Culture class...my art class, not so much. It's basically just an art history class and it is difficult to understand all of the terminology. We don't have too much homework which is nice, although we do have a final project in both of my classes.
Last night, I went on a walking tour downtown with some fellow group members. We met in Puerta del Sol which is the hub of Madrid life. There were a lot of people (and tourists) which meant that we had to be careful because there was bound to be a lot of pickpocketers. The Metro that we came out of looked like a big fish bubble-it was awesome! After we met up, we headed to the Plaza Mayor which is a huge open space without traffic. During the Inquisition, they killed people in the square...now it is more peaceful with shops lining it and cafes. We walked along the streets and saw many local sights (see the pictures on Facebook). There are lots of statues everywhere and also fountains. Our last stop was at the Royal Palace which we will be visiting later in the month with our group.
Today after class, I headed with the group to the futbol stadium to buy my ticket for the Corazon Classic on Sunday. It is a charity event for Africa in which former players from both Real Madrid and Manchester United (boo!) will be playing. I am excited to see some futbol action with my fellow travelers!! The Metro was a bit more difficult to navigate because we had to change lines 2 times and there were a lot of people! There were also moving sidewalks which are awesome when you have to go long distances.
Lunch today was great as always! We had a lentil soup that had potatoes, carrots, and sausage (I think...) in it. And of course, we ate bread with it! After not eating since breakfast and walking around the city I was ready for a big lunch. Dinner isn't usually until 9 or 9:30 and it is more of a snack. By the time we are done with dinner, I am ready for bed.
Last night, I went on a walking tour downtown with some fellow group members. We met in Puerta del Sol which is the hub of Madrid life. There were a lot of people (and tourists) which meant that we had to be careful because there was bound to be a lot of pickpocketers. The Metro that we came out of looked like a big fish bubble-it was awesome! After we met up, we headed to the Plaza Mayor which is a huge open space without traffic. During the Inquisition, they killed people in the square...now it is more peaceful with shops lining it and cafes. We walked along the streets and saw many local sights (see the pictures on Facebook). There are lots of statues everywhere and also fountains. Our last stop was at the Royal Palace which we will be visiting later in the month with our group.
Today after class, I headed with the group to the futbol stadium to buy my ticket for the Corazon Classic on Sunday. It is a charity event for Africa in which former players from both Real Madrid and Manchester United (boo!) will be playing. I am excited to see some futbol action with my fellow travelers!! The Metro was a bit more difficult to navigate because we had to change lines 2 times and there were a lot of people! There were also moving sidewalks which are awesome when you have to go long distances.
Lunch today was great as always! We had a lentil soup that had potatoes, carrots, and sausage (I think...) in it. And of course, we ate bread with it! After not eating since breakfast and walking around the city I was ready for a big lunch. Dinner isn't usually until 9 or 9:30 and it is more of a snack. By the time we are done with dinner, I am ready for bed.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The first days
I know that I haven't been very good at keeping a blog but I figured that I should at least try to keep one while I am in Spain...so here it goes.
On Saturday morning I got up very early to drive down to Indy with my family and Corey. I ate a HUGE BREAKFAST at Sara's which was delicious :) My flight left at 1:50 from Indianapolis and from there I ended up in Charlotte. There were about 9 other people in Charlotte from Purdue waiting to head to Madrid so we all hung out together. Our flight was delayed a little bit because one of the planes had lost its nose wheel in the middle taxi-way (it was a strange site, indeed). The flight was long and boring and I didn't sleep much. I had almost fallen back asleep when the flight attendants brought around breakfast which consisted of a muffin top and juice (I really wanted coffee, but I am terrified of the condition of the water on planes so I stuck to my juice).
When we arrived in the Madrid airport, everything was good. Customs were not difficult and we quickly found where the baggage claim was. I eagerly watched for my suitcase to come around, only to be disappointed. Somehow, my baggage did not make it. I talked to the people at the counter who said that the baggage man was lying and I needed to wait 5 more minutes. So, I waited 5 more minutes and still, no suitcase. I filled out the necessary paperwork and went to find my host mom.
My host mom's name is Maria and she is wonderful! She is so sweet and she was very helpful with getting me things I needed since I didn't have luggage. She lives with her husband in a nice little house in a quiet neighborhood. After she brought me to the house, she had to go get the other student, John. I slept a lot on Sunday and then Maria and I went on a walk through a park.
Monday was orientation day at the university! Maria helped John and I get to the university which was very nice because the Metro can be confusing. Fortunately, we don't have many stops to go through and it only takes about 15 minutes. Orientation was long but they gave us a lot of good tips and information. Afterwards, we had paella, gazpacho, and sangria! Yummy! Monday night, John and I visited Retiro Park. It is HUGE!! There is a big lake in the center that people can boat on and it was very nice. We got a little confused about where the Metro station was but we quickly found it. For dinner (around 9 PM here...) we had this lovely chicken! Afterwards, I was ready to sleep!
Classes are going well. I am in a culture class and also an art history class. We are going to visit an art museum once a week to help us gain a better appreciation for what we are learning in class. I am super excited!
Tonight I think a group of us are going to visit the center of Madrid which should be a lot of fun! There are so many things to do here!
On Saturday morning I got up very early to drive down to Indy with my family and Corey. I ate a HUGE BREAKFAST at Sara's which was delicious :) My flight left at 1:50 from Indianapolis and from there I ended up in Charlotte. There were about 9 other people in Charlotte from Purdue waiting to head to Madrid so we all hung out together. Our flight was delayed a little bit because one of the planes had lost its nose wheel in the middle taxi-way (it was a strange site, indeed). The flight was long and boring and I didn't sleep much. I had almost fallen back asleep when the flight attendants brought around breakfast which consisted of a muffin top and juice (I really wanted coffee, but I am terrified of the condition of the water on planes so I stuck to my juice).
When we arrived in the Madrid airport, everything was good. Customs were not difficult and we quickly found where the baggage claim was. I eagerly watched for my suitcase to come around, only to be disappointed. Somehow, my baggage did not make it. I talked to the people at the counter who said that the baggage man was lying and I needed to wait 5 more minutes. So, I waited 5 more minutes and still, no suitcase. I filled out the necessary paperwork and went to find my host mom.
My host mom's name is Maria and she is wonderful! She is so sweet and she was very helpful with getting me things I needed since I didn't have luggage. She lives with her husband in a nice little house in a quiet neighborhood. After she brought me to the house, she had to go get the other student, John. I slept a lot on Sunday and then Maria and I went on a walk through a park.
Monday was orientation day at the university! Maria helped John and I get to the university which was very nice because the Metro can be confusing. Fortunately, we don't have many stops to go through and it only takes about 15 minutes. Orientation was long but they gave us a lot of good tips and information. Afterwards, we had paella, gazpacho, and sangria! Yummy! Monday night, John and I visited Retiro Park. It is HUGE!! There is a big lake in the center that people can boat on and it was very nice. We got a little confused about where the Metro station was but we quickly found it. For dinner (around 9 PM here...) we had this lovely chicken! Afterwards, I was ready to sleep!
Classes are going well. I am in a culture class and also an art history class. We are going to visit an art museum once a week to help us gain a better appreciation for what we are learning in class. I am super excited!
Tonight I think a group of us are going to visit the center of Madrid which should be a lot of fun! There are so many things to do here!
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