Why yes, I am a tourist

A lot of people have this insecurity about standing out as an "obvious tourist."  They avoid taking pictures so people think they live here.  They wear fashionable shoes over comfortable ones, even if they're walking around all day.  They ignore the fact that speaking in English makes it quite obvious that you're not from Spain.

Think about it, though.  Have you ever pointed and laughed when someone posed for a pic in front of the (insert famous landmark in your city here)?  I don't think it's weird that people want a picture in front of the Hollywood sign, or want to spend a day frolicking at the beach.

Thus, this weekend, I embraced the fact that I am still a tourist in Madrid-and I'm proud of it.

Per usual, the weekend began Thursday night with an international student night at a bar and club.  I met some Mexican guys and had a revelation: I can understand Mexican Spanish.  There was loud music and huge crowds, but I understood.  It was just so much clearer to me than Spanish Spanish (ok there really needs to be another word for that).  And now I'm kinda craving Miguel's guacamole at Alonim...

Anyway, on Friday I did what most people do on any other day.  I spent the day at a palace.
El Palacio is where the king and queen of Spain used to live back in the day, including Carlos III and Carlos IV.  Today, it is still used for some official functions, but there is another palace where the current royal family lives.  El Palacio was truly gorgeous.  You could certainly spend a lifetime there and never be able to really know all the details of each room.  There were frescos on the ceilings depicting religious scenes and some stories of ancient Greek gods, which I found particularly interesting since they replaced the traditional hero with the king.  My favorite was Carlos III as Hercules.  My other favorite room?  The great dining hall, which was 3 rooms turned into one with a huge dining room table.  Why my favorite?  It would be the perfect place to host a Powell family Passover.

Classes, fútbol, and peanut butter

I found peanut butter.

No, it was nowhere near the jelly in the market.  No, the label was not in Spanish, it was in English-and it's hekshered.  And then I found a gluten free section.

For a second there, I wasn't sure if I was still in Spain.

You see there's this place called El Corte Íngles, which is basically a supermarket+Target+Macys all in one.  Kinda like an American shopper's Disneyland.

But enough about that, and on to the more significant and interesting things in my life at the moment.  I just finished my first week of classes at Carlos III.  To my friends in college fighting for classes-imagine if you had a whole week to go to any class you want, not go the next day, and still decide that you want to take it without the fear of being dropped for not showing up and deciding to try another class at the same time.  Sounds awesome right?  That's basically how my week went.  A lot of trying things out, a lot of judging whether or not I can understand the way the professor speaks, and a lot of debating over if a class is worth taking if I have a 7 hour break before it.  A downside of my long commute to school is that it is hard to justify going home between classes, and there are a lot of long breaks.  So, although I don't miss ruthlessly fighting with telebears, I do miss the luxury of living 2 blocks from campus.

In the end, I've chosen to take: Spanish Language (which everyone takes), Colloquial Spanish (learning slang, cool, huh?), Sociology of Gender in Spain (shocker), Journalism/Media (it's awesome), and Politics and Society of Spain (so I can discuss with my big bro).  I'll let you know how they go.

Another notable thing this week: I've decided that I'm officially becoming a Real Madrid fan.  I met up with my Spanish "buddy" who has a group of international students who she is available to help with anything regarding school or the city.  She organized an outing to a tapas bar with multiple tvs, where we watched the Madrid-Barcelona game.  Unfortunately, Madrid didn't do so well.  But I was rooting for them!  I must admit, I didn't actually stay for the whole game and one of my new friends from Canada explained who the famous players were, so I don't know if I'm a true fan yet...easing my way in.

Excited to start another weekend.  I have plans to go on a day trip to Toledo at some point.  Super excited to start traveling, even if it's only a 30 minute bus ride.

Don't forget to update me on your lives!

Besos

El Primer Fin de Semana

Weekends in Madrid put weekends at home to shame.

That is, if you love nightlife.  And at least for the moment, I'm enjoying the nightlife.

The weekend technically began Thursday night, as we have no class on Fridays, something I've attempted at Cal every semester and consistently failed at, mostly due to my 5 days a week Spanish classes.  Worth it?  It seems like it.  A lot of people went to this multi-story club called El Kapital, but I opted to stay home as I wasn't feeling too great.  Desperate to stay healthy this semester unlike the 4 month cough/cold of el semestre pasado.  I think it was a good choice,

So, the fun began on Friday.  I met up with a bunch of girls to go shopping.  I know, you're shocked.  20-year-old girls in a new European city shopping?  Blasphemy.  After returning home for dinner (which I eat at 9:00 PM), the group met up again to go to El Tigre, a popular tapas bar filled with a mixture of Madrileños and Americanos.  We were delighted to find that as a group of Americans, we seem to be doing pretty well for ourselves in Spain with our ability to keep from completely embarrassing ourselves while speaking Spanish or acting noticeably obnoxious in the eyes of the Spaniard.  At the same time, some Spanish guys made fun of us for going home at 2:00 AM.

On Saturday, the nerdy lover of camp-like organized activities in me totally came out.  I participated in a scavenger hunt through the center of the city organized by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), a European student group that plans events for exchange students.  We scavenged through the city stopping to do the maccarena (which the leader could sing in perfect Spanish...interesting...), take a picture jumping in front of El Palacio, the old palace for the king of Spain, and so-on.

After that, a bunch of us wandered around the city for a while with no apparent goal other than finding a place for a diet coke.  Success.
Saturday night, we once again assumed the role of los jovenes españoles, got dressed up, and went out. This time to a bar/club with a famous drink that resembles horchata, and that is distributed through spouts coming out of the ceiling.  Don't fear, cow utter jokes were made (although I kept the fact that it reminded me of the "kiddush cow" to myself, anticipating some very confused looks).  Once again a mixture of Spanish and American 20-somethings, once again crowded, once again fun.  Sensing a trend?

Today I'm just taking it easy.  Possibly going to a travel fair to get some discounts and info.  It's a beautiful day and I'm happy to relax.  Give me a couple weeks of this constant going out and I'll be the one organizing the Saturday night movie marathon with some cafe con leche and churros con chocolate.

Missing you all at home!

So many presentations, so little time

The last two days I've been muy ocupado (very busy).  On Wednesday, I ventured off to my new school. Luckily, I met up with some other girls so I didn't have to find my way on my own (I feel a song coming on...).  I take the metro two stops to a train station, and a commuter train to Getafe, where Carlos III de Madrid is located.  It doesn't take too long, but definitely can't roll out of bed and get to class in 5 minutes like I do in Berkeley.  Wednesday and Thursday were two long days of presentations and welcomes and explanations (oh my).  A Spanish student who we had met at our hotel took us on a tour of campus in what us Californians considered freezing cold weather.  It might have actually been freezing-as in 0 degrees as we say here in Spain. The director of the program welcomed us and told us about all of the great opportunities we have and how we are here mainly for classes and all that jazz.  I mean, classes sound great but let's be honest, they're one of many reasons why I'm here-life experience, fluency in Spanish...  We ate lunch in the cafeteria where I was wryly greeted with a menu of sandwiches and baguettes, and one sad sad salad.  Apparently being gluten free isn't quite as trendy as in LA and Berkeley.  I think I'm going to start bringing my own lunch.  Later on, each of the professors gave a short presentation about their classes, which was pretty helpful.  Some of them spoke very clearly and at a decent pace while other rushed and mumbled-guess whose classes I prefer.  Today we had more professor presentations and received some info about extracurricular activities we can participate in, including theatre, choir, and dance!  Apparently, most universities in Madrid don't really have extensive arts programs, but Carlos III takes pride in theirs.  Guess I chose the right place.  Also took a placement test and discovered that I'm really not a fan of la gramática en español.  My father was only a grammar police in English.

Besides school, I also experienced one of the madrileño's favorite past times-rooting for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona at a pub.  I (legally, of course) went out with some friends from the program to a bar near puerta de sol, which is basically the heart of shopping and nightlife.  Unfortunately, the bar was just as crowded and sweaty as a rush week frat party and we had to squeeze our way through to find a place to hang out.  Oh, and to watch the game.  Since Madrid is my home for the next 4 months, I felt obligated to root for them, but, like the Dodgers so often do in LA, they let me down.  (Ok, the Dodgers never personally let me down because really, American's favorite sport is way less exciting than Europe's and the Dodger dogs frankly aren't worth sitting through 7 innings.  But they let my brother down, so I have some sympathetic knowledge).  After the game-watching crowd cleared out, it was quickly evident how many American exchange students were there.  The bartender even spoke English pretty perfectly.  It must be a thing.  I'll keep searching for wear the real Spanish students hang out.

Today after school, a bunch of us walked around el Parque del Retiro, a big Central Park/Golden Gate Park type place in the city.  It was a beautiful time of day, as you can see in the photo.
Now I'm just relaxing in my room.  Still struggling with sleep a little bit but it's getting better.

As my adorable niece Lilah would say, besitos!

As you've probably heard from facebook, I've arrived in Madrid.
Contrary to popular belief (or maybe just my own), I managed to find my way around the Dallas airport, the biggest in the US, find my suitcases in Madrid, and successfully take a taxi to my hotel.  The fact that there was another girl from my program on my flight helped calm my "I have no sense of direction" nerves.  At the hotel, I was greeted by a sea of luggage and English.  After checking in with the hotel and meeting the program coordinator, I went to my room, relaxed for about 10 minutes, and then went with the rest of the group on a little walking tour and lunch.  We were going to walk around the city more but it was freezing and raining, so we decided against it.  Next up, our orientation.  Remember the sea of English I mentioned before?  Dried up.  The program coordinators explained some basic safety tips, emergency procedures, our schedule for orientation at school, local customs and etiquette, etc. all in Spanish.  By this time, I was having physical difficulty keeping my eyes open but I think I managed to grasp the important information.  After the orientation, I took a much needed nap.  I know, you're supposed to stay up until nighttime but that just wasn't feasible.  Surprisingly, I managed to wake up and join a group for dinner.  We walked through Plaza Mayor and found this mercado that had lots of different stands with tapas, pastries, and wine.  I tried paella de verduras (vegetables)...easing my way into just not asking what the meat is...  Then, after a little more walking, the exhausted group of American students went to bed.
Today has been great but overwhelming.  I met my host mom aka senora today.  She's really nice and speaks no English.  Trying to keep up with the Spanish is a bit challenging; feeling nostalgic for my Spanish teachers at Cal who always spoke so clearly.  I have no doubt that it'll get easier though.  The apartment is surrounded by markets, shops, and busy streets-a big city like I've always dreamed of.  The metro stop is 2 blocks away.  Everyone seems friendly.  It's just really amazing how quickly they all speak.  I find it hard to believe that we speak English at that speed, but I suppose it must be true to the foreign ear.  Now I'm just relaxing after eating lunch (at 3 PM...oh hey new food schedule).
Tomorrow, I have a tour/orientation at my school, Carlos III.  It's going to take about an hour to get there on public transportation.  The adventures continue on.

Packing, Family, and Gluten Free Pizza

Transitions-a time to say goodbye, a time to say hello; beginning a new journey; the most exciting and terrifying moments.
Today is my last day in the United States for the semester.  That means the last day in the comfort of home surrounded by the people who know me best (while eating gluten free pizza, one of my new favorite indulgences and quite possibly my last pork-free meal for a while...).
It also means the beginning of an adventure that I've been waiting for since I was, let's say 6 years old.  While most people become aware of study abroad programs when they get to college, my first encounter with the opportunity was when my oldest sister, Rachel, went to Israel for her junior year abroad.  Naomi went to Israel and Washington D.C. when I was 9.  Jonny went to Paris when I was 12.  I waited eagerly for my turn.  I was even lucky enough to have an incredible abroad experience early when I spent 3 months in Israel in 10th grade.  But the college abroad opportunity still awaited.
Now, at 20, it's my turn for a junior year journey, my journey to Madrid.  Why Madrid, you may ask?  Well, while thinking about going abroad, I wanted to achieve 2 goals-travel around Europe and learn Spanish.  Those goals combined with my love for big cities made Madrid the perfect option.
Over this entire winter break, I've been trying to picture what my life this semester will look like while soaking in all of the best parts of my life at home-going to camp, quality family time, singing endless musical theatre songs with my brother and cousin, dancing, shabbat dinners, and spending time with my best friends.  Lucky for me, all of these things will be waiting for me here when I get back.
I'm going to miss my friends and family at home and in Berkeley so so so much.  Hopefully, this blog will help me stay connected to you (so bother me if I don't update it!) so you can follow my life in Madrid and traveling around Europe.  Travel recommendations are always welcome.
I love you all and I can't wait to talk to you soon!
-Rebecca