De Houston a España (From Houston to Spain)

Hola :) 

Well, I am sitting here in my bedroom, in my apartment...IN MADRID...and I absolutely LOVE it. 


My 5,000 mile journey to Madrid began on Friday morning. Of course I procrastinated on packing and only got two hours of sleep, but it was well worth it to spend some last minute time with my family. My brother came down from Baton Rouge that afternoon, and that night my sister surprised us all when she rang our doorbell. We woke up at 0730 and left the house by 0800. When I arrived at IAH airport the nerves and butterflies still had not hit me yet, but when it came to telling my family goodbye there were a few tears...the airport was incredibly dusty! 


My Spanish was put to the test even on my flight from Houston to Miami --it was a direct flight to Puerto Rico. This older woman sitting next to me saw me stretching before I took my seat belt off after landing, and told me (in Spanish): "I'm so tired." All I could do was nod, agree and say "Si".

The real test came when I entered the international terminal in Miami. Everyone was in line waiting to go through security and have their passports verified. You could tell the tourists from the people returning to their respective native homes without them even opening their mouths. The line moved quickly and smoothly, and once I was past security for a second time, my wait began. One thing that I have learned about the Spanish is that time is not really a big deal to them, but it makes for a wonderfully laid back group of people. The plane was over an hour late and took longer than it should have to board. However, boarding an aircraft is always an interesting experience for me, because I have problems reaching the overhead compartments. Luckily, the very handsome and well-dressed Spanish man that I was sitting next to put it up for me. The flight was 8 hours and 50 minutes. During the entire flight, the flight attendants only spoke to me in Spanish. I found it ironic that a few of them spoke ENGLISH to the SPANISH couple in front of me. However, it was great preparation for my arrival, because most people here do not indeed speak English. Besides, my goal is to learn Spanish.

When I hit the ground in Madrid, I had to stop and look in awe at the gorgeous Madrid Barajas Aeropuerto. It looks extremely futuristic and artistic. It is so streamlined and easy to maneuver around in. After I passed through passport control, I snagged my luggage and took a cab to my new home. 


I actually arrived right after one of my roommates who was waiting to be let into the building and we entered together and met our host mom: Sra. Mari Paz Pool. 4'5 at best, and the sweetest, most bubbly lady you could ask for. She showed us around the apartment and gave us an hour to settle in. Then we took a tour of the surrounding area and purchased a metro pass. We live right beside the shopping center of Madrid in the Plaza Olavide. Our apartment is situated on top of Cerveceria ;) 


This area is beautiful, and I can't wait to explore it more. Sundays are lazy and no cars are on the streets, so children play and people walk their dogs. It's a wonderful family atmosphere with a myriad of places to eat, shop, and simply chat with people. Mari showed us the metro stop and helped us purchase a metro pass. We walked around the area and she pointed out important stores and also great places to find rebajos (sales)! Afterwords, Mari returned home and my roommates and I went back to a little bakery that we had passed. I had hot cocoa and a salchicha which resembled a kolache -only better. 


We went back to our apartment and I began unpacking. I suppose I should tell ya'll about the living arrangement. In our apartment building the Pool family occupies 3 floors -each floor is its own apartment. I live on the 5th floor. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large living room, a dining room, and kitchen. It's not modern, but that's the best part of it. Gotta love vintage! 

I have a beautiful view of Plaza Olavide from my own personal balcony. 

Plaza Olavide

 

Another view from my balcony. 

And now here are pictures of my room!

So after unpacking and organizing we had dinner upstairs in our host mom, Mari's, apartment -also cute and cozy! We had sopa de pollo(chicken noodle soup), ensalada(salad), croquetas (breaded sticks filled with mashed potatoes and chicken), and yogurt with almond candy for dessert. I'm looking forward to Spanish cuisine. 

Tomorrow is day one of orientation. 

And so marks the end of day 1 in Madrid.