In fact it's really a miracle I was even able to string a coherent sentence together in Spanish. But really. All I want to do right now is snuggle down underneath my covers and conk out. But if I ever want to beat this jetlag thing, that can't happen. So, instead, I'm going to blog.Well, we made it! It's been an absolute whirlwind the past couple days, but we're all safe and sound! My perception of time has taken a severe beating in the last little while, I barely know what time it is, let alone what day. I slept for eight hours of our lovely eleven-hour plane ride, and it was absolutely glorious. We got to Alcalá around 6pm on Tuesday, and first thing we met our host mom, Juana. (And by we I mean my roommate Elizabeth and I. She is absolutely fantastic! I can't forsee any roommate struggles which is going to be so nice. The only problem is that she doesn't like tswift, so it's a good thing I brought headphones.) We then went straight to our house on Calle Violeta. Here it is!
We live with Juana and her two sons, Daniel and Guillermo. They are super nice and very welcoming, but they talk sooooo fast. Most of the time I'm able to pick out the gist of what they're saying, but sometimes all they get in response is a blank stare, and will promptly repeat themselves for the Spanish-challenged Americans. We really are grateful for their patience, and we're trying as hard as we can not to be so ignorant! There is also a student from the Czech Republic living with us, and she is just a sweetheart. Between us we speak enough combined English and Spanish to get by, and we get along really well.
The past couple days have been spent just getting to know Alcalá and becoming familiar with our routes to school, the train station, etc. There are so many different things to see, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we have three months here, we don't have to see everything in one day! One place we're around a lot is Plaza Cervantes, it's just a block from Alcalingua (our school), has a bunch of little shops, and most of the buses stop there. Not to mention, it's beautiful, just like most everything here. Here's a little shot of it last night:
We've seen some absolutely fantastic things so far, but some of the things I've loved the most are the really stupid things that make me laugh, and that no one in the group really understands, leading them to believe I am slightly insane. Today we had our first trip in to Madrid, and saw some incredible architecture, but my favorite part was people-watching (lesbihonest AKA creeping). I saw a Spanish man who was a mix between Brian Williams and Carter Livingston. Later I saw a Spanish version of Ethan Moore, as well as our good friend Lucky. And to top it all off, on the train I found a Spanish ginger. Also Anna and I love all the super cool elevators they have in Madrid, so that's brought us a lot of joy, as well as a couple dirty looks. Our bad. I'm aware I have a strange sense of humor, but you can't deny that this Spiderman fellow is about the greatest thing you've ever seen.
We found him in the Plaza Mayor de Madrid, which was absolutely beautiful, and had the greatest mix of people, from the bubble man to the dog-cart racer, from the old ladies dressed to the nines to this fellow who agree to take a picture with me. Our directors told us before we left to try to "be travelers, not tourists," and we've been trying so hard, but there are some opportunities you just don't pass up.
Why can't they make doors in the U.S. like the ones here? I seriously want to take a picture of every one we pass. While venturing through one of Madrid's many cathedrals, we happened upon this, the oldest door in all of Spain. It's fine, whatever.
So far my experience with the food here has been so great. Like too great for my own good. Our host mom, Juana, has been easing us into the local cuisine with basic things like pasta and ham with nummy cheese and a delicious salad that's more like pico de gallo than anything else. And tonight she made Torilla Hispañola and good gracious it was so delicious. After our little guided tour of Madrid, we took off on a mini adventure of our own, and got our very first taste of churros con chocolate. And ohhhh boyyyy. Dangerous.
One of the things that continues to amaze me about what we've seen of Madrid and Alcalá is that everything is SO BEAUTIFUL. Seriously every tiny street is absolutely breathtaking. Our guide today said that everything beautiful was built before the 20th century, and it really is so true. I don't know if there is anything in the U.S. that can compare to this architecture, and the history that comes with it. Like this picture of one of the random streets we passed. Is this real life??
That is not to say that everything here is perfect, because that would be very naive of me, wouldn't it? Actually, on the train ride from Alcalá to Madrid, I was a little unprepared for how bleak some parts of it were. Not everything about these places is romantic and idyllic; I guess where one extreme exists, the other has to as well. Vale?
Honestly, when I first got here I was super homesick. I missed my friends and family and was being completely destroyed by my Spanish shortcomings. Twas a little rough. I know, stop complaining about this ridiculously incredible opportunity, right? Regardless, that's how it went. But now as I'm getting more comfortable with our host family, the girls in the program, and Alcalá, I'm becoming loads and loads more optimistic, and I can tell it's going to be hard to leave this place.
Really I'm just in awe of everything I've seen so far, and I can tell that's not going to wear off any time soon...
NSP moment:
While on the bus home today-
Me: "Hey, is that our stop?" Elizabeth: "Nope." Me: "Oh, I recognize this now, there's the park we pass on the way to the school." Elizabeth: "Uhhh, I don't think so." Me: "Is that our street?" Elizabeth: "No, that's not it." Me: "Please don't ever let me ride the bus home by myself."
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