I have visitors!

Today my mom and dad arrived in Madrid. Although their plane was super delayed and they missed their connection, they eventually made it safely. I picked them up at the airport and we came to my house so they could meet my Senora and see my house. She was so great and drove them over to their appartment that they rented. I had no idea how to get there and we had all the luggage so the ride was very much appreciated. The appartment they are staying in is sooo nice. There is a porch with a table, although it's not quite warm enough to use. There is a little kitchen with all the dishes and pots and pans we could possibly need. The living room has a sofa that folds out into a bed as well as a table and a tv. There is a nice bathroom and even a little staircase up to the roof! I think they are really going to enjoy living there for the week. After we dropped off all of their luggage and freshened up a bit, we went out to explore the city. I took them to the center of town and we saw the Royal Palace, one of the things on my mom's to-do list. They are going to go back one day while I am in school and go inside. Then we walked some more and saw Sol, the center of the city, and Gran Via. We accadentally walked all the way to the park so we decided to check that out too. Retiro park is my favorite place in this entire city so I loved showing it off to my parents. I showed them all the places I run and my favorite fountains and even the crystal palace. The Reina Sofia is free on Saturdays so we headed over there to see our favorite paintings. I have been learning about Guernica for my entire Spanish speaking career so it was pretty amazing to see it in real life. It is huge and really has much more meaning when you see it in person. I brought the book that Ben gave me for Christmas and read everyone the information provided about the painting. The other American tourists listened in and were thankful for the additional information. Slowly, we started fading and decided to head out and get some dinner. We went to a tapas bar that I have been to before and really enjoy. It was pretty empty since it was early for dinner (8:30). We ordered sangria and three different tapas. They were all delicious! Then we found a bakery and got some sweets to munch on as we walked back to the metro. I guided my parents back to their appartment to get some sleep. They are exausted since they haven't slept for approximately 48 hours. Tomorrow we are going to do some shoping and have lunch here at my house with my Senora. I am so happy that my parents arrived safely. I can't stop smiling, it is so good to see them and to play tour guide! I'm sure we'll have more adventures to comment on soon!

Carnival in Alicante

This past weekend, Christy, Sondie, and I flew to Alicante to visit some of our friends from Ripon who are studying there. Friday me and Sondie have art class in the morning so we couldn't leave until later in the day. For art class we went to the Palacio Real, which is not the palace where the actual King and Queen live, but it is still pretty amazing. This is where they host their royal functions and such. Every room has a famous fresco on the ceiling and is decorated very dramatically. I am really enjoying our art class because the format makes so much sense. Thrusdays we have class in the classroom and talk about a theme or type of art. Then Friday we meet somewhere in the city and actually see the art we just learned about. However I dislike the fact that it meets every Friday morning because it definitly makes traveling harder. Anyway, we left Friday night around 9:00. The flight is really short but our plane was an hour delayed. We arrived in Alicante at 11:20. The last bus from the airport was at 11:10. We were very sad but decided to just take a taxi. The taxi man droped us off right in front of our hostel and Theresa was there waiting for us! We checked in and went to check out our room. After my last hostel experience I was a bit hesatint, but it was great! There were three beds, two twins and one double. There was a little balcony and best of all there was heat! We decided to explore the town a bit before going to bed. When we planned this trip, we had no idea that this weekend was Carnival. Carnival is celebrated all around Spain but it is not a very big deal in Madrid. Alicante is on the mediteranean and it is celebrated much more there. There were decorations everywhere and three stages with concerts and such. We were all pretty tired so we just grabed a quick bite to eat and went to bed. In the morning we went on a hunt for a supermarket. We were trying to spend the least amount of money possible so buying groceries just made sense. We met up with Theresa and she showed us the market. The food was so fresh but I was not prepared to see fish THAT fresh. They still had heads and eyes!! We baught some delicious fruit and went to a real grocery store to get sandwhich stuff. Then we had to walk back to our hostel to put it all away because it was too heavy to carry around. Tour guide Theresa showed us all around her city, starting with the most important- the beach. Although it wasn't warm enough to swim or lay out or anything, it was still nice to see the ocean. There is a huge boardwalk that we walked out on to get a good view of the water. Then we looked at the little shoping stalls around the beach. We found a nice restaurant with outside seating and had lunch. Lunch in Spain takes about two hours so after lunch it was already 5:00. Theresa left us to go take a nap and get ready for her night and we decided to do some touristy things. There is a castle in Alicante that is super tall and from the top you can see the entire city and out into the ocean. We found the bottem and found an elevator that takes you to the top. It was the most amazing view I have ever seen. I knew it would be beautiful but I had no idea how far I would be able to see! We walked on the way down for as far as we could and then took the elevator the rest of the way. I guess the castle started as a fort for protection because you can see the entire city and protect all of the people. Over the years it housed various kings and had other various uses. Now it is a tourist attraction and has an art museum inside. After that we walked around the city a bit more and looked at the kids all dressed up in their costumes before heading back to our hostel to get ready for carnival. We weren't really sure what to expect so we each baught a mask and wore a niceish dress. Don't worry, we fit in quite well. We got beautiful and headed out to the city. The streets were full of people and music. We listened to some music, danced, and had a pretty good time. Me and Sondie even tried a gofer (a waffle with gooey chocolate all over). It was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. When we got tired we walked back to our hostel and went to sleep. We could still hear the party hapening in the streets all night long. Sunday morning we slept in a bit but had to check out by noon. Our flight wasn't until 11 at night so we had a lot of time to kill. We walked around the beach a bit more and found the bullfighting ring. We went out for ice cream and met up with our other friend Lindsay for lunch. We still had a lot of time left so we found a biodiversity exibit by the water and went. Sondie is a biology major so she was really interested in the science aspect of it all. I thought it was pretty interesting. Finally we were ready to catch the bus to the airport so we waited at the little stop. All of the sudden we saw our bus...going the other direction on the other side of the street. We ran to catch it but it didn't stop so we had to wait 40 minutes for the next one. We made to the airport ontime and caught our flight and everything. We made it home tired but it one piece. Now for another week of school! This week can't go fast enough because my parents are coming this weekend! It's pretty late here so I will post pictures later!

Granada

I spent my favorite holiday weekend in Granada being a tourist. It was an adventure to say the least. The Erasmus group at my school organized the trip and I decided to go so I could meet other international students and have the trip all planned for me. The group left at 8:30 am on Friday, but I had class until 12:00. Being the good student that I am, I went and talked to the Erasmus people and told them I couldn't miss class during my first week of school and they told me I could take a later bus and meet them at the hostel. This all seemed like a great idea. Sondie is in my class and we are so adventurous, we knew we could figure it out on our own. We took a 1:30 bus and got to Granada around 6:30. We were told to take bus # 3 or 33 and were given the address of the hostel. Granada is not as big as Madrid but it is still a huge city. We had no idea where to find this bus and once we were on it, we had no idea when to get off. After riding for about 15 minutes, we saw a big plaza and decided to get out and walk around. Most hostels are near big plazas. We got a map from the bus station and headed off. Unfortunitly, our map only labeled about half of the streets and the hostel we were looking for was on a tiny alleyway. We got horibly lost for about an hour and asked everyone we saw if they knew where our hostel was. No one had ever heard of it. Finally, on a whim, we took a little side street/alley and there was another person there with luggage in front of an unlabeled door. This was the hostel. We got let in and talked to the man who ran the place. He was very confused to see us because all of the beds were already full for Erasmus. We explained that we were coming late but the organizers knew we were comming. He said that the Erasmus group was staying at two hostels and we must be at the other hostel. I thought I would cry. We consulted our map and headed back out into the city to find our second hostel. This one was much easier to find but again had no proper sign telling us we had arrived. The women in this hostel was expecting us but said there was no room for us to stay together. At this point I was just happy to know there was a bed for me. I stayed with two girls from Bulgaria. They were not thrilled to have a third roomate but eventually opened up a bit. I found out from them that it was almost time to meet the group at a plaza nearby to go see a flamenco show. I, of course, had no schedule or itinerary so I followed them. I met up with all of my friends who were staying at the other hostel and we got on the bus. The bus took us to a lookout site where you can see the Alhambra all lit up. It was absolutly georgeous. Then we went to a flamenco show that was in a cave. We got there early so we had to wait outside in the cold for about a half hour, but it was definitly worth the wait. The audience sat in a circle in the perimiter of the cave and the dancers danced inside the circle. It was pretty impressive. Then the bus took us to some bar and droped us off. I had no interest in being at a bar and was starving because I had yet to eat dinner. Me and Sondie ventured off in search of food, but were sad to discover that everything was closed since it was 2 in the morning. We finally found a little smoky bar that served us nasty bar food. Then we found our hostel and called it a night. My room was freezing and all I had was one tiny wool blanket that itched. I could hear everything that was happening outside and woke up when my Bulgarian roomates came home singing and chatting in Bulgarian. The next morning I was tired and cranky...and hungry! Sondie and I went and got a good hardy breakfast at a cafe and then it was time to meet for our tour of the Alhambra. For those of you who don't know, the Alhambra is Spains most visited site. It is a walled city that was the last Moorish city to be conquored by the Christians during the reconquista. It is full of beautiful architecture, art, and gardens. We had a guided tour which was extremely helpful because I had no idea what I was looking at. There are so many parts to the Alhambra that our tour lasted 3 hours. When it was over, we decided to walk back to town instead of take the bus. This way we could see more of the city and could see beautiful views of the Alhambra. By the time we were back in the city we were starving. The group split up for lunch. Since it was in the 60s, we wanted to eat somewhere outside. We found a little patio restaurant and ordered our drinks. 30 minutes later, our waiter still hadn't returned so we decided to leave. We went to a chinese/spanish restaurant instead and it was absolutly delicious. The Erasmus people had told us we were staying in a hotel so I did not bring a towel. Backpacker's Hostels do not come with towels so Sondie and I began a mad search for towels. We found a strange little everything type store and baught the cheapest towels possible. We went back to our hostel and showerd and got ready for the Valentine's day fiesta Erasmus was throwing. Our hostel was having its own fiesta on the roof so we decided to check it out. There were making paella in the hugest dish I have ever seen. We met lots of other international students and had a really good time. Then we went to the Erasmus party which was at a club in town. It was pretty fun, but very crowded. I met up with my roomates and we decided to take a taxi home. I slept much better that night. Sunday, Sondie and I decided to get up early to go explore the city since we had missed the tour the first day. I had my guidebook and my walking shoes and I was ready to go. We walked all over the city looking at monuments that we weren't sure what were. We climbed up the side of the mountain and got a great view of the ciry. I really wish I would have had more time in Granada because I really love the city. The streets are marble and beautiful and there is so much to see and do. Unfortunitly, it was Sunday so most things were closed. We met up with some friends and had lunch at an Italian restaurant and got our things together to leave. The bus was almost an hour late so we didn't leave until almost 5. We rode a double decker coach bus that made me very mostion sick. It was the longest 5 hours of my life. I was able to sleep a little but I was so glad to finally be home. Overall I think the trip was a success. I wish Granada wasn't so far away so I could go back- maybe next time I am in Spain! Although my Valentine's day wasn't typical, and hardly anyone was wearing pink, I still had a good holiday. I think next year I will have to celebrate twice as hard to make up for the lack of celebrating this year. I hope everyone back home had a great Valentine's day and knows that I love them and miss them!

First Classes

There has been a lot happening in my life since my last post. Friday night I went to see the Ballet Folklorico de Madrid. Although we had front row seats, we were late arriving so we had to sit in the very back. From the back you could see all of the formation changes and get a pretty cool visual image. At intermission we moved to our actual seats and it was like seeing a whole different show. We could see the amazing costumes the dancers wore. Each one was so intracate and fabulous. We were so close we could see the expressions on their faces! I thought it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. They did all sorts of traditional dances, including ballet and flamenco. Saturday I had a relaxing day with my host family. I went for a run in Retiro park and had a HUGE lunch with some of my senora's friends. We ate paella (and by we I mean they since there is lots of meet in paella). Then we sat around eating, talking, and relaxing for a few hours. Saturday night a group of us planed to go to a discoteca called Kapital. This is one of the hugest and most famous discotecas in Madrid. It is seven floors with a different type of music and dancing on each floor. On the sixth floor there is a movie theater and the top floor is a lounge for relaxing after all that dancing. Well discotecas don't even open until midnight and they don't really get going until 2 or 3, so I had to take a nap in the afternoon to prepare myself. We first went to a couple smaller, free clubs and danced until it was appropriate to go to Kapital. Kapital is so huge we didn't even make it to all of the floors. We had to wait in line to get in, wait in line to check our coats, and wait in line for the bathroom. There were just so many people there! We finally got to dancing and had a really great time. It was hard to not loose anyone but we stuck together pretty well. Needless to say, I slept pretty late Sunday so I missed el Rastro, the famous flea market. Luckly it happens every Sunday and I will be here for another 4 months. Me and Sondie went to the Prado Sunday afternoon durring its free time. Apparently a lot of other people had that same idea. Again there was a lot of waiting in line, but eventually we got to go in and see our favorite paintings. Luckly I am taking an art class that meets at all different art museums around the city so I will definitly get another chance to visit the Prado. Yesterday was my first day of classes. I had my language class first, which is about what I expected. It is an intense study of grammar and speech. I think it will definitly be good for me. Then I had a 4 hour break in my schedule so I thought I would check out some other classes. This week we can go to any classes we want to see how we like them and then we turn in our final schedule on Friday. I sat in on Spanish literature but there was nothing very thrilling about the class. After that was my medioambiente y sociedad class (Environment and Society). I think I am absolutly going to love that class. We discuss the relationships between environment and human beings and take excursions around Madrid and other parts of Spain to view the actual environment. Today I had two more classes. The first is called cuentos, which means story in Spanish. In the class we will discuss the characteristics of short stories and practice reading and writing short stories in Spanish. I think this will be great practice for my Spanish writing skills. My last class of the day is my favorite of all. It is called estudios culturales (Cultural Studies) and the teacher is just a little ball of energy. I am really interested in the culture of Spain so it should be a good class for me. For lunch, me and a few others ventured to a little sandwhich shop in town that all the students rave about. Now I know why! You can choose anything to put on your sandwhich...I mean anything and it is really cheep. You get the sandwhich on a whole baguette. I got pesto, havarti cheese, tomato, and lettice- not very adventurous I know, but I will definitly back to try more things. This afternoon it was really sunny and finally in the 50s so I went for a nice run in the park. As you all know, Valentine's day is quickly approaching. I believe that Valentine's day is the most wonderful holiday in the entire world and I am trying to wear all of my Valentine's day socks this week leading up to the big day. I've also madly been working on Valentine's for my family whenever they aren't home! Well, school really tires me out so I am going to go rest up for my third day of classes!

Chinchon

Yesterday we had nothing to do for school and nothing to do for AYA, so Sondie and I decided to take a day trip to Chinchon which is about 30 miles southeast of Madrid. It was a daytrip recomended in many of my travel books. We found a bus that went there cheaply and easily. The town in quaint and historic. It is known for its Plaza Mayor which is round and holds bullfights in the warm weather. There are ruins of a castle that was built in the late 16th-century but was later abandoned and turned into a liquor factory. While looking at the castle, we met an old man who told us a lot about the history and the archetecture. He also helped us find the local tourist office for a map. We ate at a restaurant in Plaza Mayor which was delicious and reasonably priced. Then we did a little walking tour with the map provided by the tourist office. We saw the Iglesia de la Asuncion as well as the Teatro de Lope de Vega. All of the roads in Chinchon are small and bumpy. There were a ton of hills so it was a great workout. Chinchon is famous for a liquor called Anis which was made in the abandoned castle. Everyone said we had to try it so we did. Apparently it is a sweet drink that people drink at Christmas time. It tasted like black licorice and was not my cup of tea. Then we headed back to our bus stop and made our way back to Madrid. I am very proud of our independence. We planned and executed an entire day trip by ourselves! Last night was international student night at a club called Pasion. A few of us went but it wasn't quite what we expected. It was mostly Americans and everyone was speaking English. The music was all American and it was so loud and crowded you couldn't hear anyone talk. Neadless to say, we did not stay long. Tonight I am going to see the Ballet Folclorico de Madrid which I am very excited about. I'll let you know how it goes! Oh, and here are some pictures of my wonderful perro, Oso.

Snow in Madrid?!

Apparently it hardly ever snows in Madrid. The snow usually falls north of here or in the outskirts of town. Needless to say I was quite surprised when I woke up Sunday morning to snowflakes the size of golf balls. They were huge and wet! They weren't sticking to the ground of course because it wasn't cold enough for the ground to be frozen and it had been raining all night. The city of Madrid shut down for the day. My senora said of course we would not be going anywhere since it was so horible outside. So instead she made a huge lunch of paella and invited Matthew over for lunch. Matthew lived here with my senora last year and is from the US. We ate and talked all afternoon and then settled in for our siestas. That is my kind of snow day! Today I started my orientation at the University. We took the written part of our placement test and then had a welcome reception. I ate so many delicious Spanish foods! Then each professor came to tell us about their class. Unfortunitly this was right after we ate and was 3 hours long so it was hard to pay attention. There are lots of classes I am interested in taking but I will have to wait until I take my oral exam and find out what language class I am placed in before I make my final schedule. Tonight I watched CSI in Spanish and actually understood most of it! Maybe I'm improving after all (or maybe the plot is almost the same in every single episode of that show). Well that is all for now. More updates to come.