Hoy Comienzan Las Clases

by dmottier

I know, I know. It’s time for an update, huh?

Well, classes started today. I’m taking Derecho Español y Europeo (Spanish and European Law), Estudios Culturales (Cultural Studies), Medio Ambiente y Sociedad en España (Environment and Society in Spain) and a language class. So far, I like my classes. Mind you, I’ve only had two of them and spent most of today introducing myself… So, I’ll let you know how I feel about them in a few weeks.

I can’t grasp the fact that I’ve already been here for 10 days. I want to share every moment of orientation week with you, but it’s become somewhat of blur. To start the week off, I lost my phone. Not my new, really old-school, spanish flip phone… but my American iPhone. My iPhone that has had 2,000+ photos on it, important contacts, FaceTime and of course Snapchat (which, by the way, people here don’t know about). Not to worry, mom is sending me a new one and iCloud saved most of my data. Aside from that unfortunate event, my week was wonderful: full of lots and LOTS of walking and one too many visits to 100 Montaditos. I’ve acquired a montón of new friends here (I now tend to trade English words with Spanish ones that make more sense, I apologize). I’ve  managed to be late everywhere I go, even though Soleil and I purposely leave disgustingly early. And I’ve seen incredible Spanish monuments that have made me fall even more in love with Madrid each second.

After a tour of my new campus, an atrocious Spanish placement test and a few discussions regarding the side effects of “culture shock,” our lovely director, Isabel, gave us a taste of the city. Our first Madridian experience was at Tablao Las Carboneras, where we enjoyed an enormous Spanish dinner, sangria and a Flamenco show. During the week, we also spent some time at El Museo Sorolla, El Parque Retiro and at El Rastro (a huge flea market that occurs every Sunday in Madrid). Isabel even introduced us to a few Spaniards hoping to learn English. I could probably give you more specifics, but pictures speak louder than words, right? (sorry for the cliché)… so, “see below for more details” as they say.

La Flamenco

Palacio de Cristal en el Parque del Retiro

El Rastro

Aside from activities with the Stetson/Marist group, we’ve also spent some time getting to know people from other programs. There are 200 American Exchange students studying at Carlos III, so it’s been nice seeing some new faces everyday.

On a side note, this whole everyone-uses-public-transportation thing is still a little new for me. Soleil and I have encountered some interesting people on the Metro (late at night and early in the morning). Just to give you all an idea, the concept of PDA does not exist here. I’ve been told it’s because it isn’t normal to bring people into your house, but regardless of the reason… there’s PDA everywhere. The Metro in Madrid is also extremely quiet, almost all of the time… unlike NYC where you hope your eardrums don’t pop, it’s quiet to the point where you’re praying that the person passed out next to you is alive. (You all will see what I’m talking about when Soleil uploads her photos to Facebook).

Anyway, to finish off the week, Soleil, Isa and I went with some of our wonderful new friends from Madrid to El Escorial, about 28 Miles from Downtown Madrid. El Escorial is the historical residence of King Philip the II and contains one of the most elaborate churches I’ve ever seen. We explored the property, felt like royalty at lunch, and climbed the mountain for a breathtaking view of Madrid. It was the perfect Sunday spent with some spectacular individuals.

El Escorial

El Jardin de Philip II (or de Héctor Fernández Del Campo)

La Inglesia

I never could have imagined I’d be this happy after my first week in Madrid. Partaking in an adventure completely out of my comfort zone, with very little Spanish speaking experience, I’m extremely relieved to feel so at home here.

Stay posted, I’m off to London this weekend, so I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories for you soon.

Alvarito, Héctor and Madrid

Un beso grandísimo a todos !
– D