**So I
thought I would get my Matador blog going by posting what I wrote during my
undergraduate study abroad in Madrid, Spain. It's funny for me to look back and read
them, I was so naive and wide-eyed. It was my first time traveling on my own
and being away from home for a long time. I hope it will be a fun read for
anyone that has spent time in Spain, has or is about to study abroad, or just
wants to remember what it felt like the first time you went somewhere as a traveler
rather than a tourist.**

January 30, 2006 - Monday

SPAIN!: Volume 1

Okay, here it is. Without further ado: What the hell I've been up to these last few weeks in Spain.

January 10, 2006 was a blustery and frigid day in Madrid. As we landed at the airport in Spain's capital city I had already managed to get the life story out of every kid on the USAC program and force my outgoing, insistent friendship upon them. That had to do in part with the desperate need to make friends one feels upon embarking on a new adventure and also in part due to the Delta bloodymarys and glasses of wine on which I had spent my last American dollars. We stayed at a hotel the first two nights, tried to overcome our jet lag, dragged ourselves to this obscure Irish bar, and generally saw the sights of Madrid. 

The city is beautiful. To me, its best described as endlessly surprising, you'll be walking along a city street that looks like every city street in the world, then you'll happen upon an incredible plaza with massive marble statues, or the place where Inquisition tortures were held. The next street over will be lined with discos playing American oldies, further down is all shopping and zapaterias (shoe stores where I admit I've spent more time than in class).

On the third day we were taken to our USAC housing. Oh boy. I signed up to live with Spanish students. My roommates are three girls in their mid-20s: Guadalupe, Ana, and Laura. They speak not a word of English and I didn't actually meet them until I had been in the apartment for two days. I did meet the cat we have, however. Her name is Agata, which I thought meant either A Girl Cat or Avocado. Alas, its some sort of jewel. Agata is very ugly but very nice. In fact, she even gave me gift on my first night in the apartment. I came home to find she shit on my bed. Nothing says Welcome to Madrid! like a nice kitty dropping.

I never mentioned it to my roommates, as I'm generally terrified of them. There are perfectly nice girls, just not very interested in me. At first, I attempted to tell them in eager broken Spanish that I would love to hang out with them and show them my photos and tell them my life story and my dreams for the future and my past aspirations and become their amusing American side-kick who is always saying something silly but has good intentions. They nodded politely. 

Our apartment is nice, all hardwood and white walls, the kitchen is tiny but fine. Laundry situation is hilarious- they dont have dryers or even spin cylce so clothes come out sopping wet...I hang my clothes on my balcony to dry, my thongs blowing in the wind.  The very best, most incredible part of my living situation is that I live in an area called Barrio de la Concepcion, or, Town of Conception. It's not specific, as in The Immaculate Conception, or The King's Conception, just literally: Where People Are Conceived. The novelty never goes away no matter how many times I say it.

My roommate Laura did talk to me one day. She's a hairdresser and came into my room telling me she would cut my hair for free. I was totally stoked as I had already planned on this hook-up, but then she showed me the picture of what she wanted to do. Not. Kidding. She. Wanted. To. Give. Me. A. Mullet. They are the MOST popular hairstyle here and she wanted mine to be dyed orange. There are no words.

There is a very nice girl also with USAC that lives in Conception with me. Jenny, shes from Boston and goes to NYU. We also have class together so that works out nice. I've already gotten her to break up with her boyfriend at home, so its all party from here on out. I've also made some other good friends. Julia is from Chicago and spent last semester in Prague, Emily is from Reno, Paul is from L.A., Ryan is from Chico, oh, and then theres Vahe. Vahe (who I promptly re-named Dave) is one of those people you meet that is so off-the-wall and hilarious you could never really describe them. 

We've all gone out almost every night, and they ain't lying when they say Madrid is a city for nightlife! We usually start at Paul and the other boys' apartment to drink Mahous, they're these giant beers that only cost one euro and taste like Mickey's. The bars and clubs here are incredible, no cover charges and are on literally every corner. I loved Berlin Cabaret, it happened to be transvestite night so we saw a flamenco show in drag. Then they played all American oldies...so here are all these Spaniards singing "My Girl" and "Grease." Hilarious. 

Other awesome places: Kapital- literally seven stories high, every level a different type of music; Palacio- an old royal palace converted into a club, you dance in the library, in the ballroom with all these huge portraits on the walls. Also met this Spanish guy Manuel and went to his dorms to party. Its so different than at home- they get drunk and high in their dorms, no problem. One of his friends got out his laptop and insisted on showing us all the American videos he had: the last Academy Awards, three Superbowls, Britney Spears performing at the VMAs, an Ike and Tina Turner video, the Supremes singing "Baby Love." Your guess is as good as mine.

I have done some cultural things as well, I promise. The art museums here are incredible. I've never seen a Picasso or Dali in person before, it's a whole new experience. I get out of class by eleven a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays so can see a lot, plus I dont have class on Fridays because I'm in Track III, the second highest one. Speaking in Spanish daily has been one of the more humbling and rewarding things Ive ever done. At the market you don't just grab what you want, you have to ask. Like in America when you want lunch meat you order it, it's like that with EVERYTHING. You request milk, cookies, they even get fruit for you. To be able to communicate what I want in a different language is incredible, just human to human asking for food. It will be the most significant thing I take away from this experience.

Okay, enough profound shit. Lets talk about boys! Basically, all you have to do in Spain to get a guy to talk to you is look at them. Spanish girls are so reserved and hard to get that by simply making eye contact a guy is instantly by your side. But then they never go away. Add in the fact that my eyes are blue/green and I'm screwed. Colored eyes are so rare here that it's a phenomenon to them. Plus, they think American girls are easy.

I did make out with this one guy at this one club this one night. He had a tongue ring so it was like 8th grade all over again. I didn't really catch his name, but I think it was something like Igor so I don't really want to know anyways. We were supposed to hang out last weekend but then he had to have breakfast early with his family. They're like that here, living at home until they're married and staying extrememly attached to their families. I don't know how they ever bone, where the hell would they do it?

I also made out with this Italian guy whose name sounded like Ach. I guess its like A.C. (as in Slater) but come on! I can't take that seriously! Plus, his teeth weren't that nice in the light.

Other than that, let's see.....oh, Friday night I went out with this British investment banker. His name was Leon and he took Julia and I to his firm's weekly after-work cocktail party. It was a really swanky longue and here we come in hoodies and jeans because we had been at the Prado. It was hilarious, they fought the whole time over something about London vs. Essex and kept making us say things in "American." It was a fun experience but I'm over it. They all seemed exactly to a tee like the guys in "American Psycho," no thanks.

What else? Some generally funny things: the Diet Coke here is amazing and totally different, but they use it to wash floors. Weird. These Spanish friends of my friend Roxanne's cooked us squid and chorizo one night. But they cooked it in rubbing alcohol. Odd. Avocadoes cost like five dollars. A tragedy. There's this guy at my metro stop, singing "Tears in Heaven" every morning. Depressing. I have my first exam tomorrow. Yikes!

OHMIGOD! I almost forgot! I went to a Real Madrid game last week and they won! And I saw David Beckham in person! And it was sooooooooo fun!!!!!!!

Im going to visit Neva and Kyle in Italy in two weeks to see the Olympics, we got tickets to a hockey game! Ill keep you posted.

Okay, you're probably all sleeping by now. I really don't want to be one of those annoying cliched study abroad people that begin/end their letters in the language they're studying, but considering that I am an annoying cliched study abroad person here goes:

Adios!

Love,

ERIN