After having my laptop break 3 hours before leaving for the airport, being hit by a truck and our car being totaled, and losing my iPhone the first night here, I am finally in Madrid to stay. So yes I have the worst luck in the entire world but at lest I made it! Upon landing in Spain, I was picked up by a Liam Neeson-esque man in all black who whisked me and two other girls into a black van. Speeding across the highway we spoke in broken Spanish to him and said "Oh si, si" in response to almost everything he said. Arriving at my dorm around 9am, all the students and staff were asleep so this man and I had some bonding time waiting on the curb. Once we eventually squeezed into the tiny elevator and reached my room, I was greeted by a half naked man. While meeting my new roommate for the semester and speaking with the dormitory "mother" Esperanza, a guy in super tight boxers, a flannel, and sporting a large beard walked into our room to introduce himself. Guess there's no shame here.
Some great artwork someone so kindly left for us in our dorm room.
Notice the nice ecstasy pill on the stoner's tongue.
My roommate Kristen and I decided step one on this Spanish adventure was sleep. After a long nap we decided to join up with Marina, the other BC student in our dorm, for lunch. It's quite cute how they do meals here. Since the dorm consists of about 20-30 students, each meal is cooked individually and is served at small dinning tables. Over a meal of rice and fried eggs, we met Fernando and Andres, two students at the university. Fernando is 29 and still studying here so not exactly sure what his deal is...but they seem nice! Besides their interest in a wet t-shirt contest after lunch and the extended invitation to a heavy metal concert, I think we can be friends.
That afternoon we went on a beautiful tour of the city before a group dinner of tapas and sangria. From grilled peppers to tortilla espanola, the food was amazing and the atmosphere in the little packed restaurant was so fun. Adventuring into the Spanish night life made for an interesting first night. Seeing as we are in Spain, the obvious choice for bar number 1 was O'Connells, the most Irish bar in city. After a pint of Heineken and a tequila shot, we migrated to a Reggae bar...I'm not exactly sure where the Spanish culture is coming in here but we shall see! Instead of the planned 3am churros, I was mugged and my iPhone now belongs to the city of Madrid.
All in all, I love Madrid. The city is a mixture of quaint apartments and quit streets combined with a wild nightlife scene and thousands of different cuisines and types of people. Despite some minor panic attacks yesterday, I think I will do just fine here. Running in the drizzling rain though Parque del Oeste, I truly realized that I need to make the most out of every minute I am here. It really is a once in a life time opportunity.
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