After three weeks of constant traveling, I am happy to finally be back in Madrid for a few weeks to catch my breath!
I really needed it, because I actually had to work this past week. Although my program is run through Hamilton and claims to maintain a high academic standard, the reality is that this is Spain and no one works that hard. Thus, I've been cruising rather easily this semester so far. I guess it's a good thing because it's given me the opportunity to travel and enjoy the city without constantly being bogged down by papers and tests. The downside is that now we're in the last month of the semester (crazy!) and my academic brain is out of shape. We don't have a library in our building and the rules about who can use the "public" libraries are really sketchy, so I've been doing all of my work in my homestay aka in my bed, which really isn't conducive to getting a lot done. Next week I have a grammar exam as well as a 10-page anthropology research paper due, so this past week I spent a lot of time in our Centro working after my classes. The work paid off, because I finished my essay on Thursday afternoon and was ready for the weekend!
Although I'd been out of Madrid (and more important, Madrid nightlife) for almost a month, I decided to take it easy and get some rest. On Thursday night some friends and I went to a jazz club in the Alonso Martinez neighborhood. It was a smaller group than usual and we could actually converse because the music wasn't too loud. It was great to catch up with some of my friends on the program that I hadn't seen in a while because I'd been traveling so much!
On Friday I went to a "cultural activity" run by the program's administration. What that entailed was walking around the Plaza Mayor area for an hour and then going to eat Mexican food. It was really fun because a) we didn't have to pay b) it wasn't spanish food and c) we got to hang out with the directors and talk to them in a non-academic environment. Although the meal we shared was technically "lunch," my roommate and I didn't get home until 6 pm! That night I went with a big group to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter 7! If you know me at all, you probably can guess that I was bouncing off the walls with excitement. IT WAS AWESOME! We watched it in version original with spanish subtitles, which was not too annoying and rather funny because some of the terms had goofy spanish translations. For example, whenever anyone called anyone else "mate" (which is common in british slang, as in "what's up, mate?") the spanish subtitle would say "tío," which literally means uncle. I already knew that particular slang term, but one girl didn't and she was so confused! I guess that's one way to learn spanish slang!
Today (aka Sunday) I went to the Rastro street market again. It was just as fun/overwhelming as before, but significantly colder. It's no Hamilton, but Madrid is definitely starting to get a bit chilly! The weather is a bit deceptive because 84% of the time it's sunny out. After the Rastro I stopped home for a quick (2-hour) lunch/siesta combo and then went to meet my friends Melissa and Emma in Café Azúl, one of our favorite spots to get coffee and do homework. They have free wifi, so I brought my computer and finished my anthropology paper. I wanted to be all clear for the coming week so that when my parents and Jack are here I don't have to work and instead can guide them around Madrid! That's all for now, can't believe that I have less than a month to go!
Love,
S
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