PS amsterdam next weekend!!!!!
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Spain. Spain, Spain, Spain. No matter how many times I repeat it to myself, it still hasn't set in that I'm acutally here. Ever since 6th grade when I knew what studying abroad was, I knew that one day I would make it to Spain.
The days leading up to my trip were extremely stressful--my last final was Friday May 14 and I left May 19, and in between these dates I had to go to and celebrate graduation, pack for my two-month European voyage, and simultaneously move out of my house (RIP Tichenor/The Block) and put my life into storage. Being the extreme procrastinator that I am, I had not finished packing until it was literally time to leave. My friend Liz drove me to Newark airport, all the while telling me about her time abroad in Spain last summer and pumping me up for my journey ahead. After I checked my bag, it finally set in that yes Amanda, you are leaving the continent for two months.
The flight was about 7 hours, not awful but not a great flight either. I have trouble sleeping on planes but there were movies/tv shows on demand which helped. Landing in Madrid Thursday morning still hadn't driven into my head that I was indeed in Spain.
I was greeted by our group directors, two pretty women in their late 20s that seemed to the the epitome of the flowy, carefree style that is Espana. After meeting some of the other students in my group, we were bused to our four star hotel in Madrid.
In the past, I had head bad things about Madrid, that it was too overcrowded and that it was a dirty place. Madrid was beautiful! It reminded me so much of Manhattan, it even had a large open park that had been reffered to as the Central Park of Madrid. Driving through the city we gawked at the adorable tavernas, bars, shops, etc until we arrived at our hotel, a pretty swanky place in (as far as I know) the heart of Madrid. We immediately tossed our luggage in our rooms and headed out to explore the city. Later a group of about 12 of us went out to dinner at a random restaurant on a corner of a plaza. Eating outside to enjoy both the sights and the weather, I happened to turn around and see my friend Patrick from high school walking with his mother. Needless to say I was in shock, everyday I realize more and more what a small world we really do live in.
Dining out is such a different experience in Spain. No one seems to have any concept of time: it's a struggle to even get the waiters attention for the check rather than in America where people seem to be rushed in and out of restaurants. People sit and chat and linger over sangria long after the meal is over. Neither of these things are bad, just extremely differnt cultures that need to be embraced and adapted to.
I was in shock my first night to see that the sun literally does not set until at least 10:30 pm, which helped my quickly adjust to the Spanish custom of not going out to dinner until 9 (at the very earliest) and going out at night around midnight or so.
