¿dónde estamos?

One of the common themes for a lot of us here seems to be getting lost. It's really amazing that with meticulous directions and memorized maps, it still takes us an extra thirty minutes, minimum, to get wherever we are trying to be. And then, by the time we have actually found whatever store, restaurant, or bar we were looking for, it's siesta and everything is closed.

For example, the other night I went with a few friends to run an errand that should have been only a 15 minute walk, but ended up being 30 (which really isn't too bad). It should have been easy to retrace our steps to get back to the room quickly--in theory--but it probably took over an hour until we finally stumbled upon our dorms through sheer luck. Streets curve, turn, and web all directions; there is no grid like in San Francisco. Plus, street signs are difficult to find, so half the time I have no idea what road I'm even on.

But despite the futile errands and blistered feet, getting lost has been one of the best parts of being here. For one, it's more quality time with whatever other astray friends that happen to be with me. Even though I oddly feel like I've known the other students here for such a long time, I have to keep reminding myself I've only been in Madrid for three full days and we all just met. Yet I definitely believe that the haphazard wandering is a major contributor to the relationships I've made here.

Plus, getting lost is the best way to get familiar with the city and all of its elements. There are so many experiences I would have missed had I used GPS and quickly reached my destination. Besides, it's all about the journey, isn't it?  I think exploring is a much more appropriate term than being lost. Tenemos aventuras nuevas cada día.

the longest day of my life

And probably one of the best. I left Monday morning for Madrid, and arrived exactly 24 hours later. I had some awesome company on the plane, which was great because that nine hour ride from Dulles to Spain would have been brutal without it.

When we got off the plane our bodies were telling us it was almost 11 at night, but the hot Madrid sun was kindly reminding us our day was just beginning. Jet lagged and exhausted, we were running on nothing but the sheer excitement of having finally arrived in what many of us had been waiting years for. We arrived at the Chaminade, our temporary dorms, with the entire day free for whatever our corazones wanted to do. A few new friends and I walked around the area where we're living, which is surprisingly dead. It's in the area where the actual university is, and all of the students are gone until mid-September. Nevertheless, it was great to get out and explore.

After lunch (which is served at 2pm in Spain), even though we were definitely ready for bed, we decided to make the most of our first day in the city and take the Metro out to el Parque de Retiro. The Metro is a lot like BART, only cleaner, cheaper, and way more efficient. Madrid has mastered public transportation, hands down. The park is what I imagine Central Park to be like in New York. It's massive, and was full of amazing things. A glass palace, elaborate fountains, and an old marble plaza were just a few of the things. We even saw a live movie set being shot right there in the open. The best part was definitely stopping every thirty minutes to just lay in the grass and take a nap. America really needs to get on board with siestas, they are the panacea for all of life's problems.

We were back in time for dinner at 9:30, and I fell asleep in disbelief at how much had happened in what felt like one never-ending day. 

Preface

My last night in the United States. The suitcases are filled, all 3-oz liquid bottles are in a ziploc baggie, and my passport--with visa affixed--is waiting patiently to be stamped. Tomorrow at 7:43AM, I will leave from SFO and land in Washington DC for a little afternoon tryst before hopping aboard another plane for Madrid-Barajas Airport, scheduled to land almost a full day later at 7:35AM on Tuesday, local time. I have literally been waiting for this day for years, and it all feels so surreal now that it's actually arrived. Two of my cousins studied abroad, one in Rome and another in Dublin, and it was hearing about their experiences back when I was a high school freshman that initially inspired me to do the same. I'm definitely nervous and even a little afraid, but my eagerness greatly overshadows any trepidation.

Quick overview: I will be living in Madrid, Spain, for the next year (with tentative plans to return home in August 2012). I'll be studying a variety of classes in la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, one of the oldest colleges in the world with an overwhelming student body of 100,000 pupils. Upon arrival, I'll move into a dorm room for the first 10 days, in which time I am responsible for going out and finding my own apartment for the remainder of the year. The group I am going with are all from the CSU system, but I am the only one from Cal Poly and the others are strangers to me thus far. Some of my classes will be with them and other international students, some will be normal university classes with regular madrileño students. All classes will be in Spanish.

I have many goals for the year, such as perfecting my Spanish. I may never speak like a native, but I better get pretty damn good.

Also, being open to anything and everything. I'm really not a person to turn down an experience, whether it be meeting new people, going out to a new place, or (especially) trying new food. I am aware of how lucky I am to have this opportunity, and I plan to take full advantage of it with no second thoughts or regrets. No one gets anywhere exciting by saying no.

I imagine that yes is the only living thing -ee cummings 

I hope to have many more posts following this one! I will be disappointed if I don't. Hopefully they are beneficial and enlightening to others as well as to me, or at the very least mildly entertaining.

¡Buenas noches!