Hola!
Today’s post is probably going to be a bit longer, since I didn’t update the blog yesterday. Sorry for the delay (for those of you who noticed!).
As you might remember, Maria has been trying to set me up with the daughter of a coworker for a language exchange deal where I help her with English and she helps me with Spanish. The daughter, also named Maria, is 21 and is a student teacher right now. We spoke on the phone on Tuesday and arranged to meet at McDonald’s, which is 5 minutes away from my apartment, on Thursday at 11, before I have class. I was very nervous about finding her since we’ve never met before, so I told her that I would be wearing a red coat. When I got to McDonald’s yesterday morning, she came right up to me and asked if I was Elizabeth. That was easy! We went inside (it was a super nice McDonalds… very fancy and chic), and sat at a table. I wasn’t exactly sure how she wanted to do the exchange, but she said I should speak in Spanish and she would speak in English. She asked some questions, but I did most of the talking, which is odd, since that rarely happens. She said that my Spanish is very good, but we both struggled through the conversation, trying to define things using words we both understand. Before I knew it, it was noon and I had to go to class. We have arranged to meet weekly to talk and help each other. I think it will be a wonderful way for me to practice Spanish, as well as help Maria with her English. I am not a great teacher, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember to pronounce words clearly, but I hope to improve as we continue. Even though I was very nervous and a little apprehensive about the whole arrangement, I feel that it will be a wonderful, fulfilling experience.
After meeting with Maria, I walked to campus for my Positive Psychology class—this is definitely my favorite class of the semester. The professor opens each class with an activity of some sort, and yesterday we did an exercise where he asked us to imagine that it is the last day of our life (we’re 99 or 100 years old and have lived a full life) and to write our “legacy” about what we did, what we were like, etc. throughout our life. It was an intriguing assignment and made me feel very hopeful about everything that I can/want to accomplish in my life. It also serves as motivation to make sure I achieve my goals. What an interesting way to begin class, right?!
For lunch, I went with a few friends to a little sandwich shop near campus and got a turkey sandwich. It was good, but it could’ve used a little more meat. At 4, I went to art history, which is not my favorite class. It’s not terrible, but the professor wants a lot of participation, and I simply don’t know enough about art to have many good contributions. It doesn’t help that there are only four people in the class. After that, I went with 3 friends to a bar near campus for an “end-of-the-week sangria celebration”! Of all the sangria I’ve tried, this was the best. So, we’ll probably be making that a weekly tradition. :)
Thursday night is party night for us Madrid students, so I went out with a group of friends. We spent the evening hopping from bar to bar, which was fun. I went home on the metro (because it’s cheaper than a taxi) so I was home by 2 AM when the metro closes. Fun evening with great people.
Victoria, Maya, and me with our pints of sangria
Tri Deltas love España!
Friday (today) is my free day, which is something I totally love about this experience. I made plans with Victoria to meet up at 10:30 to shop. The major street near my apartment is lined with shops and a few cafes, so we just went down the street, stopping in the stores that looked good. I ended up buying a cute purse for 7 and a cool jacket for 15 . I’m happy with the deals.
Around noon, we hopped on the metro and headed to Sol. Mom has been in contact with this great travel agency called Madrid & Beyond, and, following her suggestion, I Google-mapped the address to try to find it. With the knowledge that it is a 10-minute walk from the metro and on a street that begins with “B,” Victoria and I ventured through Madrid to find it. After walking for what seemed like sufficient time and not finding the street, we agreed, “we’ll just go to the next one… and then the next one.” We came upon this awesome building that Victoria wanted to take a picture of, and it was definitely the grace of God telling us to stop right there because I turned around, looked at the number on the building, and there was Madrid & Beyond! It was not what I expected though. The office is in an apartment style building, and I had to use the intercom to ask to be let in. When we got upstairs to the office, the woman who greeted us was a little confused by our presence (at least that was what I thought), but I asked for Nigel and told her my name. Nigel came out, and when I introduced myself, he knew me right away! He was very kind, showing us around the office, and then leading us to his office to talk about Madrid. We asked for some suggestions for things to do on Fridays when we don’t have class, and we had a great conversation with him. Nigel printed out a list of suggestions/advice/places to go and directed us to other sources as well. He was extremely helpful and friendly. As we were leaving, he commented on what a pleasure it has been to work with Mom; he said there are some people that just warm your heart, and Mom is one of them. The people from Madrid & Beyond will be rolling out the red carpet for my family when they visit Madrid!
(If you want to check out Madrid & Beyond, follow this link: Madrid and Beyond )
Following that fun stop, Victoria and I explored that area of Madrid a bit more. I had never walked around there during the day, so it was fun to see the plazas and streets in the light. We took some pictures in Plaza Mayor and visited Mercado de San Miguel—what a cool place! It reminded me of farmers’ markets (I think the one in Kansas City, specifically) and Pike Place in Seattle. I believe it’s the oldest market in Madrid (or Spain… not sure) but it was recently renovated. The inside is absolutely amazing—tons of stands selling everything you could want: fruits, vegetables, cheese, bread, churros, wine, coffee, champagne, fish, sushi, meat, tapas of all sorts, and even books! I could’ve spent hours in there. But we were both really hungry and needed lunch, so we just browsed and moved on. I’ll definitely be back there though!
It may not look like much from the outside, but the inside is amazing!
Plaza Mayor
Me being enthusiastic in Plaza Mayor :)
We ended up at a chain restaurant called Rodilla for lunch. I had never been there before, but it was good, so I might go to the one near campus if I need to mix it up some time. After a leisurely lunch with fun conversation, we waited outside by “our fountain” (the one where we always meet—consistency makes it easier to meet up!) for our silly friends with Friday class to arrive for some more shopping. We bounced around from store to store, but I didn’t buy anything else. It was definitely less crowded in the shops closer to home than in the ones downtown in Sol. But it was a very enjoyable afternoon and quite a fun day. I got home a little bit after 6, Skyped with some Creighton friends, and then had dinner. Early to bed tonight because I have to be at campus at 8:30 AM for the day trip to Salamanca… and the high is 38º F there tomorrow! Burrr! But Nigel recommended a great wine store where we can do a wine tasting—right up my alley! That should keep us toasty.
All my love to the moon and back,
Elizabeth ♥
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