Here are a few photos of the sights I have seen. First, we have a roudy game of football in front of the Reina Sofia art museum. It was a plaza with cafes and restaurants swarming with kids, dogs, elderly, tourists, locals- the plaza had it all. Not to mention the museum was hosting an excellent exhibit of different artists´ attempting to intermingle humanity with technology. If anyone can make it to Madrid before the exhibit leaves in November, I highly recommend it. Next we have my bed room. My roommate comes tomorrow, so my last breath of privacy will be greedily breathed tonight. And most exciting... Carmen made delicious Paella the other day! We were able to finish almost all of the pan because it was so good. I am on a short break from classes, so I must be getting back to lean the History of España. Hasta Luego.

Frequenting cheap internet shops adds an experiencial flair not found in travel guides. Myself and other forigners enjoy the low rates to call home or skype our loved ones. It is an atmophere of countless languages and the strange comfort of the mass communications of the internet. I happily join in.

Last night I was able to go out with some friends and real Madridleñas (people from Madrid). It was fun to see the city from such a different perspective. No one knew we were foreigners, until we spoke at length, and so we were able to strike up conversation with ease. I was surprised at the graciousness of our Spanish hosts. They were eager to talk about similarities and differences between the countries, and take us to the places they loved. Me pago, me pago is a common term meaning, I pay, I pay. I admit thought, it took me some time to relax and chat much in Spanish.

I have been finding more similarities than differences here in Madrid compared to the United States. The metro rides could very well be a morning on the Broad Street line in Philly with the same people reading their free Metro papers, keeping to themselves, reading, listening to music, or reading the Metro maps. Sometimes I am surprised to hear people that look and act like the Americans I know speaking Spanish.

This afternoon my host mother cooked a delicious meal of Paella. She says the best Spanish seafood comes from the North because it is colder. There were clasm, oysters, mussles, and shrimp. I took some pictures to show, but my camera battery just died. I will have to post them later.

I am headed out to the Reina Sophia Museum of Modern Art beacuse it is free Saturday afternoons. Pablo Picasso has many paintings there which I am excited to see. Hasta Luego.

Surviving the first week.

Some how, I have found much more time in my days here. It is a drastric change from being a student at Temple. The classes are in a different format in this program so I have less homework. The only assignment will be the final exam and there are no text books, just lecture notes. However less strenuous the courses are, it is very difficult to understand what the professors say and I am often flustered if called on in class. Paciencia, paciencia, paciencia. That is one thing I am learning.

Considering that classes do not consume most of my time, I have had the great pleasure to spend time with my classmates. They are all interesting and come from all over the world. After several days of looking for friends, this is a huge relief. There are many interesting connections in the class. One student has been to the Torchbearer´s school in Costa Rica, Capenray. We have lots in common to say the least. Another student is from Sopporro Hokaido! She doesn´t know the Hinkelman family though. She does know SGU, but never attended it.

I am about to go out for "tappas" with girls from class. Tappas are small portions of different meals served at bars. This is my first time and I´ve only heard great things! My language skills are slowly improving as I chat with my host mother about politics, the weather, and news, and as I attend classes and spend time with my friends. I still have much to learn and feel far behind my other classmates. Hasta Luego!

Vale Venga

Hola. Only four days have gone by but I feel like I have been in Madrid for a very long time. I have several feats of which I am proud. I have been on 10 trips through the metro and have not been lost and I rather prefer their system to Philadelphia´s subway. I went to the Pharmacy to buy some cold medicine and chatted with the pharmacist about how I feel (it was like taking a spanish conversation test in class about sickess). I attended church today but arrived an hour early so I stepped into un cafe de desayuno (a breakfast restaurant) and had some coffee. The service was held in a beautiful historic building which echoed when the woman spoke. Based on the language barrier and the echo, I understood nothing. We did sing Oh que un amigos nos tenemos en Jesus (oh what a friend we have in Jesus). I think I will try to find a church without an echo next week.

There is a famous cafe where Hemmingway frequented for the churros y chocolate which I ran into with the group one of the first nights. We made plans to return, but couldn´t find it. Lucky for us, churros are every where and we were able to find a second option and eat there.

I am learning so much and classes have not even started. They begin tomorrow morning with orientation and then classes on Tuesday. I am very excited and hope to make some Spanish friends. My classes are only with international students, but there will be other opportunies to meet Spanish students.

muchas cosas nuevas

Jet lag provides unexpected douses of wakefulness which I will quickly take advantage of.

It is about 9 pm or 21:00, but I am a bit too tired to go out again for dinner. Instead I am feasting on left over plane snacks and am quite satisfied! These past few days have called into action all of the character building qualities I have learned thus far. Patience, confidence, humility, endurance, humor- it could go on and on. However my emotions sway, the things I have done so far have truly been beautiful.

The hotel we are staying at for the first three days is a 4 star hotel in the heart of Madrid. The room surprises me because of its tranquility amist the whirl of the city. It is not far from the Plaza del Sol which is a large, pedestrian friendly area for shops and restaurants. Walking along the stone streets, it s the towering Spanish architecture which sets Madrid apart from other city's I have been to.


In the center of Plaza del Sol is the symbol of the bear and the tree which is an attraction and meeting point for many people. The other night, after having dinner with the group, we walked in search of cold medicine and post cards only to walk in to la Plaza Mayor. Originally built for public affairs such as theater performances, religious productions, and royal parties, the Plaza looks like a large courtyard with restaurants and attractions lining the outskirts. The moon had fully risen when we arrived, but people of all ages were socializing as if the sun were as high as the moon. We sat down at a restaurant for water- which was 3.30 euros- and became part of the night in Plaza del Mayor.
Today was another adventure of stumbling upon a lovely sight. Two others from the group and I wanted to find a park to write post cards in. We headed towards la Plaza Espana which was, to our surprise, was hosting art exhibits and a dance performance. It was unifying to applaud and shout "guapa" with the crowd. Also in joining the crowd, I posed next to Don Quijote and his companion Sancho in front of the fountain.

I am standing tall on the left, but only to reach the horse's hoof.