La Primera Semana

After months of anticipation, my semester in Spain has finally arrived. Taking a page out my big sister's book, I've decided to blog my experiences throughout my time in Europe. I hope that these posts can provide some sort of glimpse into my adventures, and help spread the fantastic culture of the country that I'm already beginning to love.

¡Hola de Madrid!

After a long flight, a layover in Heathrow, and lots of airport bonding with my fellow Wesleyan students, I arrived in Madrid around dusk on January 7. The first views we had of Madrid from the plane window pushed all apprehension out of our minds. One short trip later, we found ourselves stumbling off to the bus into the waiting arms of our señoras. The sight of these talkative women was intimidating, especially as they would be taking care of during next few months for our homestays. However, immediately upon being introduced to Isabel, my señora, I was pulled into an hug and kissed on each cheek. I then found myself in a taxi, along with my friend Emily, on our way to our new home, Calle de Sanchez Barcaiztegui 40.

Our señora's home is an apartment in the southeast part of Madrid. It is surrounded by other apartment buildings, each with interesting stores beneath them. We can't wait to continue exploring our neighborhood. The apartment is small, but clean and homey. Emily and I share a room and our own bathroom, and so far we really like the setup. We are also very thankful to have an amazing hostess. Isabel is a wonderful, caring, woman. Her daughter, son-in-law, and adorable twin granddaughters were visiting during our arrival. The entire family convinced me that most of the tales of hospitality, friendliness, and talkativeness that I had heard about Spaniards are true. After unpacking, we were given an enormous meal, including Spanish dishes such as tortillas (which are almost the same as our omelets). Talking with the family was difficult at first, but with a lot of patience and repetition on both sides, Emily and I are improving constantly. We're getting there little by little, or poquito a poco, as Isabel would say with a laugh.

The next morning, we had our first experience with the crowded autobus on our way back to our school, la Fundación José Ortega y Gasset. From there we took a three-day trip to Toledo for orientation sessions and sightseeing at the Fundacion's Toledo campus. Toledo was absolutely beautiful. For many years, it was the cultural capital of Spain, and it has served as a central location for each of Spain's three key religious groups throughout history: Muslims, Jews, and Christians. This multi-culturalism surfaces constantly in Toledo. We visted several churches, synagogues, and monasteries, including the principle Cathedral of Spain, which had served as a mosque before the Reconquista pushed the Moors out of Spain. All of the architecture was completely beautiful, and as a history major, I couldn't help but love soaking up this amazing heritage. The detail and beauty poured into these incredible old buildings created an atmosphere unlike any in America, and I couldn't help but be all the more thankful for the amazing opportunities I've been blessed with on this trip.

We also had several clases, learning about everything from Toledo's history to Spanish slang and customs. The professors of the Fundacion are all cheerful, helpful, and patient with our limited Spanish skills. Already, I can feel myself becoming more comfortable while speaking and thinking (or trying to) in Spanish.

They say the best way to improve your Spanish is to talk with the natives, so we decided each evening in Toledo to do just that. In Spain, the night life seldom begins before midnight, and most people stay out until the early morning, visiting cervecerías (bars) y discotecas. Still a little jet-lagged, we didn't fully embrace this custom, but a group of us did head out to a bar for our first sample of sangria and tapas. The next night, some of us did more exploring and found a fun discoteca. When in Spain...

Today we finally headed back to Madrid to get settled into our new city for good. We had opportunity to figure out the metra on the way back to our homes. Afterwards, a small group of los Wesleys, as our professors call the IWU students, took a trip to El Museo de Reina Sofia, the museum of contemporary art here in Madrid. In this beautiful city, which is home to the Prado and dozens of others spectacular fountains and buildings, we weren't surprised to find this museum full of amazing culture and works of art. The Picasso collection, including Guernica, and the paintings of Dali and other contemporary artists were breathtaking.
After the museum, we returned to another delicious home-cooked Spanish meal, and talked with Isabel for quite a while. Tomorrow, we're going to attend a church near our home and then go to El Rastro, the largest and most famous marketplace in Madrid. Monday our classes begin, and I'm looking forward to getting into an academic routine. I guess I should apologize for making this post so long, but I had a lot to catch up on just from this first week. However, I guarantee that I won't always have this much to write, especially once I have to get down to work in my classes. But until then... adios del País del Sol!