Sooooo

I promise I will update this soon! Oh, and that I am still alive. I'll attach a picture to prove that I haven't been taken... Yet.

A Random Update

So, I should warn you that this is an utterly random update about a single event that occurred today. It will probably be rather boring for you, but this isn't your blog. I write what I want! Also, no worried emails dear family about the subject matter you will soon read.

As you may realize I do not have a car here in Spain. Instead, I rely on the public transportation system. My trips often revolve around the bus schedule. Because of that I don't stay in Madrid past 11:30pm as that is when the last bus leaves. Well, it says 11:55pm, but I did not want to risk missing it. There is a night bus, but I had no idea where I needed to get off or where to find the darn bus in the first place.

Guess what happened tonight. I conquered the night bus! Yeah, I am pretty proud of that.

Sophie and I went to see a movie in Madrid, but the only showing we could make was at 10:30pm. I was a little anxious, but I decided to squash those feelings and just go ahead and take a chance. Oh, we saw Antes Del Anochecer. Just in case you were wondering. It was also a rather good movie. But, that is besides the point! This isn't a movie review blog!

Moving on!

Sophie and I walked to the metro and said our goodbyes for the night. She and I take a different line. I arrived at Moncloa and had no idea where to go next. So, I followed the other people as they seemed to know. The only open exit took us outside, and I had no idea where to go from there. As luck would have it, the bus I needed happened to arrive at that very moment and stopped across the street. I again followed a huge crowd of people as we all waited to board the bus.

I had manages to successfully find and board the bus I needed; however, where to get off was a completly different matter. I knew that one stop was too far so I was going to just exit the stop before that one. Thank goodness I was actually paying attention or else I would have greatly over shot my home by a long ways! The stop I needed is actually right in front of the sports club, and is only a 10-15min walk to where I live. Which is a huge relief because I was worried that once I got off the bus I wouldn't know where to go!

The even better news of this story is I can now stay later in Madrid with friends without having to worry about catching my bus. Well, the metro stops at 1am apparently, but that's a different matter.

Also, is there anything quite as peaceful as walking under the moon in a quiet city and only hearing your own footsteps?

The Ups and Downs

Hello my beautiful, avid readers! What shall I inform of you first? My Spanish is still muy mal. Oh woe is me! Will I ever get the hang of this language? I swear my tongue works against me as it refuses to make the sounds needed of it.

I have also been quite ill with homesickness. Such a sad sickness really. It often involves teary eyes and a sadden soul. Now, it is not that I don't love Madrid. I think it is a lovely city, and I am enjoying my adventures out into it. It doesn't prevent that longing for my own niche I've made some 6,000 miles away. I am filled with a longing for the loved ones that are back home (that are eagerly awaiting for my return). I miss my family, my friends, and of course mi amor (Estabon!). I know it is not an uncommon thing to be homesick, and everyone tells me that it will pass. However, I think that I will constantly miss my loved ones. I may have the travel bug buried inside me, but I am still quite a homebody as well. I will enjoy my time here, but I will also be counting down the days until my feet touch California once more.

Well, shall we move on to less depressing topics?

Today I ventured out into Aranjuez with a wonderful girl named Sophie. She is another au pair here, but she is from Ireland (the lucky lass!). We took the train which was a great experience in itself. I love train rides and this was my first here! We got off on the wrong stop, but that is what exploring is about right? Making wrong turns here and there, but finding things you never thought of before. We waited for the next train and jumped on once more. Three stops later we were at our destination! It is a beautiful place about 40 minutes south of Madrid. Do not fret! I will attach pictures below. So demanding...

Anywho! We got a late start and arrived there maybe past 5pm or so. Our first priority was to find food as we were both starved. Finding food was quite the challenge. Everywhere was closed! Hours here are so different than the US. We finally found a place, but the kitchen was closed for another 15-20 minutes. So, we ordered some cold cokes and they gave us some chips.  Oh, another thing that is different here than back home is that refills on drinks cost money. Which is terrible for me because when I get hot I gulp down my drink. Which I did today... It is a strange thing to miss about home, but I miss my refills! When I return I shall be like Thor and shout "ANOTHER" every time my drink is finished. Okay, back on track! We got our food and fed our tummies. Once our tummies were quite happy we went to explore the Royal Palace and the beautiful gardens. It really was quite beautiful. I think it is my favorite place so far here in Spain. I could spend hours there. Before it got too late we jumped back on the train and headed back to Madrid.

I suppose that is all for now. Next weekend I am going out with Sophie again, but this time to hang out by a lake. That will be fantastic considering it is so hot here I am pretty sure I am going to just melt into a puddle.

Officially finished my first week in Madrid

Okay, so today (or yesterday now) marked a full seven days since I arrived here in Madrid. I have been here for a whole week! Wow, it doesn't feel like its been a week. The days really are flying by. I am trying to plan a trip to Barcelona this month and it feels like this month is going to be over in no time at all!

You might be wondering what has happened since my last post. Well, fret not my dear ones for I shall tell you of my adventures. First and foremost, you should know that I started a Spanish class! Hooray! I've already picked up quite a bit in the week I have been here just by being constantly exposed to it. Tonight (or last night) I had my first class and it was great! The teacher is fantastic! I was a bit worried, but he is a very funny and patient teacher. In my class there are about 16 students. Only two of us are American. Most of the class is made up of people from Poland and China. All the students are great! They are all very helpful and a cheerful bunch. I am very pleased with the class I am! Hopefully, I will soon be speaking Spanish!

Oh! Random tidbit time. I learned today that I speak Spanish with a Mexican accent, and I need to stop it. I need to practice, practice, practice to break away from that habit. It is subtle things like how they say gracias. My tongue needs to be pushed between my teeth when I get to the "ci" part of gracias. Also, I need to learn to make the hard "r" sound which also involves my tongue, but this time it touches the inside of my top front teeth. My poor tongue... It isn't use to making these sounds. I will get it down though!

Next, I went into Madrid last Saturday and happened upon the Pride Day celebrations. It was amazing! There were so many people. They had roads closed down, and they were just filled with people. I've never been to something that big before. It was quite the experience. I will attach pictures below.

On Sunday I went out with an au pair from Poland. We wandered around Madrid for several hours. She had a handy map that showed all the famous places that tourist want to see when they are in Madrid. So, we started walking and saw practically all of them. I will post pictures of the places I saw below.

Be forewarned, some of the tile that makes the sidewalk is loose and it caused me to trip and actually hurt my foot. It has been painful to walk for the past couple days, but carry on I must! My host mother says it is not uncommon for people to fall in Madrid and actually break something. Which doesn't surprise me because everywhere you look there is someone with a cast on. I really hope I am not next...

Well, when I wake up tomorrow I will be beginning my second week here in Madrid. Only 11 more weeks left abroad!