Getting Settled
Yesterday we took a tour of Madrid and I completely fell in love. We live about 6 blocks from Santiago Bernabéu, and for those who don’t know that is the stadium for the soccer team Real Madrid. It is located in the financial district which is full of shops and and upscale restaurants. The center of Madrid where most of the action takes place is called Sol and the most popular area for people my age is called La Latina and it has tons of clubs and places to get tapas which is basically bar food but extremely good. All these places are accessible from the metro which is located less than a block away from the college and the metro is really cheap.
I could see myself living here over any other country that I have visited so far. The buildings have so much character while all the street signs are made out of the Spanish tiles. The streets are lined with trees and flowers and lastly the people are very welcoming here. It is safe enough to walk by yourself and it is amazing to see the tiny shops that you will discover along the way. Not to mention, the weather is beautiful here.
I’m setting into my routine. We are provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner here at the cafeteria, but they are only offered from specific times. I have been waking up around 8am to get breakfast, then I head out to explore the city for about 2-3 hours (depending on how lost I get!) then I come back to relax, do homework, eat lunch, then I have class at 2:30. I definitely could get use to living here who knows, I might “accidentally” miss my flight home!
Back to Europe!
After a full 48 hours of traveling, I finally am in Madrid!
This set up is completely different from the set up in Florence. For one, we’re all in a big dorm and I have my own room with a private bathroom. This building is run by nuns which means that there are quiet hours, restriction on guests, and also we have to turn in our key every time before we leave the building. The ups to living here are that we have a pool and restaurant on the first floor of the building and we also have maids who come in to clean our room and wash our sheets weekly, ahh the luxuries! I live on the 8th floor of the building and I have a great view of the square which is beautiful at nighttime. As of right now, I have no idea which part of the city we are in, but I do know that we live in more of a residential area that is filled with locals.
Today I start my Spanish Culture and Civilization course which goes from 2:30-5:45. I don’t know how many days a week I have this class but hopefully I will find out more information today. Until then!
