Late nights and churros con chocolate

Hola todos!

It has been a busy week here in Madrid. We´re in the middle of orientation and internet has been very iffy at my house, so I´m at the Middlebury School in Spain right now in the computer lab updating you all - this means that I don´t have my photos with me, but once I get home and have internet again, I´ll come back and add some more photos.

Things have been great! I continue to find delicious food and eat too much of it, and I´ve had more chances to explore the city and all it has to offer - I could spend days just walking the streets, each one is different and interesting. Miguel sat down with me the other day and we went over a great map - it´s the same size as the one I have, but only the bigger streets are named, for clarity. He highlighted all the major streets and how to get to and from the house and the Middlebury school. The map also has all the monuments and parks etc, a great guide to everything - tapas, bars, monuments, museums discotecas etc. So that was cool - he was a "topografo" in the military for many years, mapping untraveled areas, so I think he really liked going over it with me. I like him a lot - he´s this adorable old man - he hobbles a little and wears suspenders all the time, and his belly sticks out so his pants are always a little short. Angela is great - she´s so pretty! She always has makeup on and goes to the "peluqueria" once a week to have her hair fluffed and styled. We played a game the other day - really similar to "sorry" except the rules were a little different - she had the tendency to tell me the rules as we went - usually in her favor and not in mine. She won. But it was fun. I think Miguel is more of a cards man so I´ll see if I can convince him to teach me something.

Some of the things I have noticed:
The garbage/cleaning crew is all over Madrid. I think they´re government employed. I see them around the clock and I know when I see one because they´re all wearing green body suits with neon green reflectors! Quite peculiar...
In the metro there´s always someone singing, plucking the guitar, or playing the accordion. It´s nice - like your own little song to walk to. The accordion players are usually really good. I don´t know the name of the song, but they all seem to play the same song - I think it´s the one song that the old blind man and young woman dance tango to in "The Scent of a Woman" - that´s the only scene I´ve ever watched in that movie, but I remember the song well.

This weekend was completamente loco. I cooked a big dinner with friends on Friday night and we drank wine and had a great meal. Then on Saturday I met people at the bar called "Diablito" that is orange and covered in zebra print and very posh. After being there for a while (from about 11 to 12:30) I went to a friends house and hung out a while (until about 2am) at which point we went out to some bars. We were just on time per the Madrid life style. We found a discoteca at 4am and danced until about 6:30, at which point the discoteca closed and we went over to the famous "San Gines" and had churros con chocolate. Oh man. A cup full of liquid chocolate and a plate of churros...it was ridiculous. The place was completely packed, all of people who had been out all night and were winding down, getting ready to sleep the day away. I went to bed at about 8am and woke up at 3pm. These people are crazy.

I met a friend in the south of the city and went to a magic show that night. It was pretty random, but a good show! His friends are friends of the magicians so that´s how we found out about it. I got called up as a helper and was terrified I wouldn't understand what he wanted me to do, but it was pretty visual so I ended up being ok :)

I am going to a bodega (winery) tomorrow to interview a wine taster! Should be pretty cool. More pictures and updates to come!

Hasta luego, ciao.

PS - the photos are of a beautiful mural-painted building in the famous "Plaza Mayor", my friend Fransisco sneaking in a photo of one of the cleaning people (notice the green suit!), and me with churros con chocolate at 7am...after being out all night!

Exploring: Segovia and Madrid

Hola todos!

It's been a busy couple of days. A group of Middlebury students went to Segovia on Thursday. It's a town in the mountains, about an hour north. I had no idea I was in for such a treat. It was so picturesque, just amazing! There's a 2000 year old roman aqueduct, a medieval cathedral and a castle! among other things. The whole town was adorable. I had my first "cafe manchado" which is more milk and less coffee than the 50/50 "cafe con leche". I'm not much of a coffee drinker because it tends to be too strong and bitter for me, but not this stuff! My new favorite thing is cafe manchado. It is so smooth! And not too strong, and absolutely not bitter at all. I had no idea coffee could be so good. The cool thing is that it's the same everywhere. I can go anywhere throughout Madrid, throughout Spain even, and get the same cafe con leche and it will be just as good everywhere. Anyway, we walked all over Segovia (you can walk the entire town in an hour or two) enjoying all the little shops, cobblestone pathways and the fact that every single wall had a different design on it. If I can return I definitely will, it was one of the most beautiful places I've seen, I absolutely loved it.

I woke up Saturday to sun coming into my room - the first time that has happened since I arrived, so I decided it was a day to go out and explore! I was already in a good mood as my luggage arrived that morning, and the day just got better from there. I walked the streets around my house and found a cute little park (big enough for me to go running) called Parque Berlin. Then I took the metro up north and ran into these huge buildings called "Los Torres" but other than that didn't find anything that looked too interesting other than a cafe called D'Alex (clearly, I had to go in). I went in and ordered the daily menu ("Menu del dia" is offered every day for the lunch hour - you order a first and second plate, and they give you bread, a drink of your choice and a dessert, they're usually around 9 or 10 euros) - I chose cannelloni for my first course and steak with french fries for the second, and a cafe manchado to finish it all off! The owner immediately welcomed me and helped me out with the menu (I can speak Spanish ok and understand everything, but I'm still lacking in food vocabulary). She brought me a little plate of paella since I've never had it before, and it was pretty good! Then she and her daughter talked to me for about a half an hour about all the places I can go in Madrid and what's worth seeing. I live up north, and I went even farther north, where there's nothing really. The heart of the city and the oldest parts are all to the south of my house (ie an hour by metro from where I was at the moment). Her daughter (Elena) offered to drive me down to "Sol" / the center and show me around, of course I took her up on her offer! We sped around the streets of Madrid and I feared for my life until I found out she was a driving school teacher! Ironic...anyway, it was a very nice gesture and when she dropped me off I went exploring! I was in the "Plaza de Espana" which is one of the main squares, and made my way by "El Palacio Real" (beautiful and huge palace right in the center of everything) and up to "Opera" which is a fancy shmancy neighborhood where there are street performers. Unfortunately my camera died by then, but it was pretty cool! All in all it was a great day. And today I finally unpacked my bags! I hung out with my host parents and gave them some chocolates from the US (Dagoba lavender/blueberry, Ghiradelli peppermint bark) and marionberry jam from Oregon. We talked about wine (Miguel is a big wine person, and he's diabetic...wish I had brought some wine instead of so much chocolate!) and Angela showed me how to make "paella valenciana" (valencia is where paella originated-the east coast of spain). We made it with fish (muscles, shrimp etc) but you can make it with all different kinds of meat. It was so good! And my classes with Middlebury start tomorrow!

Some things I've noticed: 1 - all the old women here are at least a foot shorter than me, and all walk around with big fur coats on. 2 - every store here plays American music, whether it's selling clothes or food or medicine, it's playing American music, and people know the songs, although probably don't understand them. 3 - the young people here are crazy. I went out with friends both Friday and Saturday night, and bars don't get going till 11, they close at 3am and then everyone flocks to the "discotecas" and dances until 6. The metro closes from 1am to 6am, so if you party for long enough you can get home via metro! We went out with some "madrilenos" last night and it was my first time really getting to know some locals. They are great! Very nice and fun to be around. The down side: smoking is permitted in every bar/club thus my clothes REEK of smoke. 4 - most of the bars here are cafes by day and serve "churros con chocolate" and "cafe", and become bars by night serving drinks and tapas, so they're essentially open 24/7, it's pretty fun to sit at a bar and sip on coffee while admiring the shelves of alcohol...definitely a different experience.

Anyway, I'm having a wonderful time. Angela continues to move my things around, the students in my program are really nice and I'm getting to know them better, and Madrid is beautiful, full of life, and culturally amazing.

Hasta luego,
~Alejandra

PS-the picture uploader is being weird so we'll see if these worked...
ok, there is the palace in madrid, the cathedral and aqueduct in segovia, and paella. if you have a facebook, look at my photos because i can upload a lot more there!

Madrid so far...

Today was fantastic. I went to orientation at the Middlebury school in Spain and got lots of information about registering, the metro, the schedule of what's to come etc. Everyone was really helpful, especially the two madrilenos (guys from Madrid) who helped us out! We went on a walking tour of the center of the city, stopped for lunch and I got to know everyone in the program. All 9 students seem pretty great, and as we are under obligation to speak in Spanish all the time, I feel mine is getting better after just one day! We walked around some more after lunch. I was amazed by how beautiful every building in el centro was. Whether it was a bank or a store or apartments, it was all very extravagant and regal. The neighborhood where I live is mostly just brick buildings so it was a nice change of scenery. We walked to a bar and ordered some cervezas (everyone knows that word) which are served with free tapas (appetizers)! We had 4 plates overflowing with tortilla de patata y jammon con pan y patatas con salsa it was all so delicious, and less than 2 euros a person! So free tapas are officially my new favorite thing. The madrilenos are great. They both attend the university where we will be studying and are very knowledgeable and helpful and kind. Tomorrow they will take us on an excursion to see El Retiro which is a famous park near the center of the city. This weekend we go on a day trip to Segovia which is about an hour and a half north, in the mountains. My host mom Angela told me it's one of her favorite places, so I'm pretty excited.

The host parents are great. I don't see Miguel (Angela's husband) very much but he is very nice and approachable. He is always watching or listening to something...whether it's the portable radio in the shower or tv in the livingroom or kitchen. Angela has been cooking many different things for me to try, to see what I like...so I'm trying to be a little more honest with her (so I'm not stuck drinking leafy green soup all semester). Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that she is cooking and not me, but I think my taste buds still need to adjust. I noticed something funny. My first morning here I went into my (I say my because I'm the only one using it) bathroom to find that all my little toiletries that I had set nicely on the counter had been put into a box and set on a shelf. My makeup box was closed and my toiletries bag moved. I can just see little Angela coming in and moving things around until she is totally satisfied. It's the norm here with host families I suppose...it's their house and just because it's my room doesn't mean it's my room. I also found the trashcan in my room had been changed and my slippers had been moved from next to the bed to behind the desk in the corner. Every time I enter I find a new little change. It's quite amusing actually. My first day here she offered to help me move in my things...perhaps I should have taken her up on that so she wouldn't have to make so many changes now ;)
Anyway things here are really great, I just hope it warms up soon! Here's a picture or two of the house and Angela and I.

Hasta Luego!

~Alejandra

I have arrived

So...I made it! Sort of...I am staying with my mom's co-worker in a town just outside of Madrid called Alcobendas, and just found out I can move in with my host mom today! Which is a relief, if only I had my luggage...

I arrived at London Heathrow airport at 10:30 am (2:30 am my time), and managed to follow the signs and get on the right buses to go from terminal 5 to terminal 2. My first drive on the wrong side of the road was fun! I kept thinking we were going to be hit, but it all turned out to be just fine! I finally found an arrivals/departures screen, which was flashing "canceled" next to, you guessed it, my flight. SO...instead of panicking (okay, I panicked a little), I found an Iberia counter (the airline that would fly me from London to Madrid) and got put on a flight that was already boarding! I pushed through large masses of people and made it on time, quite a relief! So I made it, but the luggage did not. I have had very little luck contacting the airline to get an update, but I have high hopes. The airport here in Madrid is going through a hectic phase - it was closed over the weekend due to the snow showers in Madrid, and I think it's still recovering. So I think there's a very high probability that my luggage is there, just waiting to be found!

Anyway, the family I am staying with here has been very nice. I got to try some foods last night I've never had before...one was some sort of sausage with rice in it (I didn't want to know much more) and I avoided the anchovies, but everything else was good! Their adorable 5 year old son Jaime would not try the pumpkin soup but gulped down some anchovies...crazy little kid. We talked for a while and then Jaime beat me in Mario Cart on the wii...4 times. They are a very kind family and I'm so thankful they took me in.

The only major differences I've noticed besides the food are that everything is smaller. I had heard it before, but it really is true! Everything from room size to sink size to bowl size. It is all a lot smaller, but I kind of like it. It's quaint.

Well I'm going to go hassle the airline again...see if I get anywhere. Talk to you soon!
~Alejandra

Hello and Welcome!

Hola a todos!

This will be my blog while I'm studying in Spain and (hopefully) Sweden for the spring and summer. My classes at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid begin February 2nd and end June 5th, at which point I'll fly over to Sweden and participate in a research internship on the island of Oland. A biology professor at Whitman has a research station there and has taken students with her in the past.

Feel free to come here and check out what's going on with me in my European adventures. I might create a Spanish blog as well - so those of you who know Spanish can correct mine! I'll keep you posted about that. I fly out on Sunday, January 11, and will be in Madrid by 4pm on Monday, assuming we can land in Madrid (the desert is experiencing a rare snow storm).

I hope all is well with everyone, please write if you can!

Email: gravesah@whitman.edu
Skype: graves.alex

Saludos!
~Alejandra