First Few Days

Hey Everyone,

So I figured I would start from the beginning. The flight was not bad at all. I was sitting next to my roommate Ben for both flights. Chicago to Washington D.C. then Washington D.C. to Madrid. Our long flight was about 7 hours and wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. We sat next to a girl who had studied abroad two years before in Barcelona, and was now living in Valencia. One year ago, however, she lived in Madrid. She was a huge help because she told us many places we should go visit, how to use the metro system, as well as different types of food we must try. It just so happened she was going to take the metro to a bus that she needed to take, which then would bring her to Valencia. This metro was the same line as the one we needed to take to get to our place. The metro system is used a lot here in Spain and there are about 8 lines that all run in different directions. So travel is very fast and cheap.

When Ben and I arrived to our apartment building, we didn’t know what to expect. (There will be pictures attached once I get them up.) Out host’s name is Sonia. She is very nice and speaks little English. There is also another woman named Patty who helps with the cooking. They make a small breakfast as well as a larger dinner every day.  The first few dinners have been interesting because it is the time when we spend the most time with our hosts. I am the only one out of 4 other roommates who can understand and speak Spanish, to an extent. So it is very difficult because I am constantly translating for everyone.

The city of Madrid is awesome. We have been able to get around a little bit because our apartment, our school, and this area called Sol are all in different parts of the city. Sol is where everything seems to be happening. It is home to the Plaza Mayor which is really cool as well as hundreds of shops, little restaurants, and bars/discos. Wine and sangria are both very cheap! Which we students all like a lot.

There will be more to come as we (a group of my friends) are planning on going to Toledo for a two day/one night trip. Staying in my first hostel should be an experience in itself…