So I have yet to be able to get pictures to update here because they're all on my phone and the wifi isn't really as quick as I'd like it to be. I'm mostly just impressed now when I can get it to do anything. Also something that worries me a tinch, the converter I have for the plugs here (which are different and have a different voltage than in the states) isn't really doing what it's supposed to and I'm pretty sure it either 1. doesn't work or 2. is going to blow up all my chargers. So there's that to investigate.
I think the perfect explanation of how I felt once I got on the airplane to Madrid and afterwards: I feel like my life is a textbook. Like someday I might be one of the background faces in a picture captioned "Borja y sus amigos estan jugando al parque".
Anyhow, so I arrived yesterday at 8 in the morning after flying all night. I took a taxi all the way home (lo cuestó 50 euros!!) and got to meet my host family. They are precious. And it has been a test to understand what they're saying. #unintentionaltextbookreferences. We went as a group then to walk around Madrid for almost the rest of the day, it was crazy! I guess what was crazy besides you know, different city, different language, different culture, different world type dealios- was once we were done walking with Prof. Alba and our tour guide, they basically said "great, well... have fun! don't forget how to take the bus to get back to the train station! Stay together! peace out bye" and left us. Twelve students with nothing but time to kill in Madrid. Sometimes I forget I'm an adult.
To answer some questions I've been asked:
What time is it by you?
-generally 7/8 hours ahead but obviously depends where you're asking from
Am I speaking a lot of spanish?
-I really don't want this to come off as sassy in a disrespectful way, but my life is spanish right now haha
Do they speak english?
-a lot of people here speak little bits of english, but I would say as a whole "no".
Did you sleep well on the plane?
No.
Do you have air conditioning?
....no.
Madrid is beautiful. It reminds me a bit of home in Madison, but in a more attractive spanish way haha. There are trees everywhere and an interesting mix of ancient buildings (read: historical), old buildings (read: ghetto), with modern architecture (read: looks like a Spanish New York but not littered with garbage). You walk everywhere. We walked everywhere. You can also take the bus but straight up currently I do not trust myself and public transportation... if my feet are still kickin', I'd just rather walk. Also I was going to give another shout-out to Dad for helping me buy this awesome purse but it officially broke on Day 1. Backpack it is.
Our town, Alcalá de Henares, is also beautiful. A smaller town than Madrid for sure (since Madrid is the capital) but so beautiful. Our host parents are Gloria y Raymundo and they have two kids that I've met thus far, Borja y Mirian- if I caught their names right. Borja is 19 and he works as a lifeguard, Mirian is 11 and she watches spanish-dubbed disney channel all day. It's hilarious. I wish I could explain to you where we live better, but it's just one of those things that I personally wouldn't really understand unless I saw pictures. But anyhow, we live in the attic of their apartment-that sounds like dusty old ceiling-basement, but it really just means room at the top floor with slanted ceiling. There are two beds, two side tables, a little desk, another little table, a closet, a mini fridge and we have our own bathroom! And a sweet window that I can't remember the name of... Mom, whatever we have in the kitchen on the ceiling for "natural light" is what we have. What's funny about our room is the slanted ceilings and the bathroom. No joke, I can't stand straight in a good 40% of our room, also the bathroom. There isn't enough space for a standing shower so we have this sweet bathtub. To say the least, I've put off showering maybe a little longer than I should have because I'm intimidated by bathtubs that have shower head attachments. Haha............
So that's that. Oh hold up, one more thing. We totally went to church today, it was awesome!!
So there are advantages and disadvantages to where we live. The other kids in the program live with separate families, so we're all spread about in Alcalá but all within walking distance of each other and the university. Kat and I happen to live super close to the university [hallelujah], but.... very far from church haha. We actually walked today and it really wasn't that bad, 30 minute walk. Kat has a way better sense of dirrection than I do so I'm probably going to spend the next 3 months as co pilot or we are going to need an hour to correctly get across town. We pass this awesome soccer field on the way to church that has this sweet art on it:
TU ELIGES TU PROPIO CAMINO.
TU ELIGES TU PROPIO REINO.
TU ELIGES TU DOMINIO.
I think that's it, but I can't remember. Honestly it's in giant person-sized letters and goes on for a whole block so it's hard to read in the first place. I'll get a picture some time. But yeah, there's graffiti everywhere but it's really cool. As in, not swearing and and drug references everywhere, it's actually beautiful to look at. Also it's probably is swearing and drug references... I'm american. What do I know haha.
Anyhow, our ward is pretty big. I couldn't give you an estimate on the size because it didn't feel big to me, but that's what the missionaries said. Yes, it's all in spanish. Possibly the quickest spanish I have yet to hear haha. But the building is beautiful! Apparently I think everything is beautiful, but I want you to visit the building for our homeward and then go anywhere else and try and tell me that the world isn't beautiful comparitively haha. That is an old building. I met a lot of people and thus part the hardest thing in regards to that is understanding their names. They are not Carlos, Margarita, Maria, and whatever else classic Mexican name you probably have in mind... I have to ask everyone how to spell it because I definitely don't always understand how they said it. for example Borja the son of our host family? Definitely thought he said Bolsa. Which means bag.
Thus far it's been really fun. The people are very forgiving or at least patient with the faces I must make when I somehow get lost in translation and they have to start their sentence/monologue from the beginning haha. But for the second day, I feel way more comfortable than I thought- my spanish is a lot better than I give myself credit for. My understanding is the exact amount I give myself credit for haha.
Lastly,
it is stinking hot here.
all. the. time.
my poor roommate has to hear me fuss about it probably an excessive amount... but seriously I can only imagine this is what it feels like moments before spontaneously combusting. As someone who has grown up with the heat set at 65 year round and windows open in the Wisconsin winters (thanks Dad), I pretty much feel like I'm on fire. All the time. And it doesn't cool down until like 3 am. It's coolest in the mornings at like 6 or 7 am and it just climbs until like 10 pm or so. So that is definitely different haha.
That's basically it for today. Lastly, a Sunday thought for y'all!
el Señor esta en todos lugares
God is in all places.
this is a sound bite from someone at church today, but it touched me so I wrote it in mi libro de estudio personal. In the United States where everything is familiar, I'm accustomed to the patterns of living, I have places that I find to be quiet places to think and listen-I already have an idea of God and how He interacts with me in my life. Since moving to Spain, I know it's important to remember that God is not the reino of solely the United States and nothing else- because his children have a global spread. God cares for everyone. And If I know that God cares for everyone in all places, I can know that God cares for me in this new place. Probably especially so with all of the little anxieties that sneak up on you when you have big change in your life. I actually ran into a girl I knew from freshman year who is serving her mission in Spain and literally just transferred to Alcala, but it was such a happy thing to see a familiar face in a new place. God is good:)
Thanks for reading this far! Or skimming to the bottom because I added a picture haha. Here's the picture you've probably already seen on Facebook with Sarah, Kat, Alyssa, and I from when we went to Madrid. I have no idea what the building is. They all look the same because I'm American. Sorry.
Con amor!!
JD
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