Last I blogged, it was nearly two weeks ago and it was just after the welcome event at my university. Here I am, on the evening of September 13, with a lot more to say.
First off, these past two weeks have been all about settling in, and let me tell you it is not as easy as it seems. Settling in begins with having a fixed school schedule, and then finding time to cook and clean and hang with new friends and of course communicate with friends and family back at home… not easy stuff. Ultimately it boils down to settling into a routine, but not too much of a routine so that your life becomes boring, you know.
Cooking hasn’t been that bad for me. I made a sad egg on the first day since my mom left (no, I will not share such a disappointing picture), but since then I think I’ve been eating fairly well. It’s new to me to remember all have to take on the responsibility on my own of eating the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables and everything but I think I’m managing ok, in fact I went on a massive fruits and vegetable shopping spree last week that cost me only 13 euros, and that’s for three bags full of stuff!
Check out a couple of my meals:
I made my school schedule and school doesn’t seem like it’ll be overly difficult this year, and the classes in Spanish really aren’t that difficult to understand, though I am slightly concerned about writing my exams in Spanish, hopefully I’ll be able to manage. It’s actually underwhelming that the only class I have in English seems like it’ll be the most difficult to follow; my teacher is Spanish and has a lot of trouble speaking English, forgetting words all the time and making grammatical errors aplenty on his class powerpoints… I wish I could just sit him down and correct his spelling and grammar but that would just be inappropriate. You’d think teachers teaching in English would excel in the language right??
My roommates and I get along really well and I’m happy to have them here with me. The nightlife is also pretty crazy, but perhaps at times too crazy because it’s happened twice now that I’ve gone out at night and not gotten into any club then had to go back home because I just wasn’t going to get in anywhere… which sucks because a whole night is wasted.
Now, just today, I took my first trip from Madrid, hopefully the first of many. My roommates, a few friends and I went to Toledo, the ex-capital of Spain, for the day. This charming town is approx. one hour and a 10€ bus ride from Madrid and definitely worth the visit for anyone coming and spending some time here in Madrid. Its narrow streets and breathtaking view are worth the trip. Take a look:
If everything goes according to plan, then I’ll be going to Valencia sometime in the next couple of weeks as part of a school trip, and it’ll be perfect timing to catch the beach and some delicious paella. In the meantime, though, I’m still here in Madrid to study and so I can’t forget to focus on my courses, although the social life here is just so, so great!
¡Viva Madrid! ¡Viva España!
Studying Abroad in Madrid!! 