Helen is my Hermana de España

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My Big Adventure: Week One, Part 2.

As I am quite a bit more energized than I was at 3 in the morning, I am going to pick up where I left off on Friday evening (Saturday morning).

Friday:

Because we are studying in a foreign country, our school was kind enough to give us Fridays off from classes. However, one of our classes is a Travel Class, and this Travel Class usually takes trips on Fridays. I am in the Art/History Travel Class and on Friday we went to Segovia. If I were to be completely honest, (which I have no reason not to as the only people this next statement might offend would be my Art/History travel class teacher or a resident of Segovia, none of whom I believe are following this blog... and if you are please continue to read as it does get better) I would say that I was a less than thrilled to spend my first Friday in Spain in Segovia.

When we arrived in Segovia, we first went to La Granja (I will refrain from giving you a history lesson but here is the wikipedia link for anyone interested! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_La_Granja_de_San_Ildefonso) and I am happy to say that I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed myself! Maybe it was the company (Helen), or the beautiful garden paths with towering tree canopies that changed my mind... but whatever the reason, La Granja was really wonderful. As was Segovia. Known for is aqueduct, Segovia is much more than just a home to this "monument" (I add quotes because it was recently officially named one according to my tour). Segovia also specializes in white bean and meat soup and baby pig. Helen and I (both vegetarians) were SO excited for lunch! Actually when lunch time came around we asked if there were vegetarian restaurants in Segovia and there was one! So we meandered down the Segovian streets trying to locate this place only to find it was "cerrado." So we went to a different place and got tortilla (remember in Spain that is eggs and potato) because that was a safe option and we knew that we liked it. However, Helen and I learned the hard way that not all tortillas are alike. We realized this when it started oozing raw egg. [Flash back to the previous night when we had raw salmon. Our "estomagos" were not happy.]  

After lunch, the tour resumed and we went to see the castle in Segovia. A little "chisme" (gossip)- rumor has it that Walt Disney saw this castle and modeled Cinderella's Castle after it (the one in Germany is Sleeping Beauty's Castle). The castle was beautiful but it may have been more fun posing for pictures with our "Knight in Shining Armor." 

Saturday:

Saturday began at 2:30 pm. Our plan was to wake up and go running early so we could enjoy a nice leisurely lunch and explore our "nuevo ciudad." We decided instead (as lunch here ends at 4) to skip the running and go straight to lunch. On our tour of the city, I had seen this gorgeous restaurant with beautiful umbrellas facing the royal palace. I convinced Helen that we needed to go there for lunch during our tour and had reminded her about it every day. This seemed like the perfect day. 

When we arrived, I realized that the restaurant was not at all what my imagination had lead me to believe. (I had seen the umbrellas from afar and they were the pretty beige kind that I associate-apparently incorrectly- with cute, quaint and fresh salads. My imagination had filled in the rest.) In addition, the restaurant managed to sneak meat into everything on its menu (pesto ravioli- with chicken! Mozzarella sticks- with hidden ham! Rasberry sorbet- topped with ground beef!! ...seriously, the Spaniards and their "carne."). 

I have not outright said it yet, however if you are clever you will have discerned that my roommate Helen is much more than a lovely friend, companion, listener etc. Helen is just very useful. I like having her around for many reasons (she is excellent company, we laugh a lot etc.)  but also A. she usually knows where she is going B. if she does not she will pull out a map and C. she always seems to have a back up plan. Today, thankfully, Helen had a back up plan. Not too far from the Meat Mecca was a cute little vegetarian restaurant. We found our way over there and completely fell in love. 

In addition to being completely vegetarian, this restaurant had vegan options, celiac options and bright green walls. Helen and I got two different things to share, loved them both and vowed to return. 

Then we went to Court Ingles (essentially the ultimate English department store). This place is so huge they could not fit it into one building. There are three buildings. The first building that we entered was the electronic building. However, we did not find that out until the 7th floor when we realized that they could not possibly be hiding groceries (Reason for going to Court Ingles: we have been on the hunt for hummus!! No store has it, which is strange to Helen and I because they claim to be following the Mediterranean diet. Restaurants serve it, no where sells it.) behind the electric pianos and records and camcorders. [For any T-Squad/Board members that are reading, on our way back down the 7 stories they started playing Michael Jackson Beat It and I started to Beat It right there on the escalator!! Thinking of you!!] 

Second Try: We went across the street and into another Court Ingles. This building was the Bloomingdales section of Court Ingles. We spent more time trying to navigate this (getting lost in the strange shoe styles that are popular here now- apparently they are bringing back metal studded platform heels) building until Helen found a map that told us to go down to the basement. In the basement there was an entire market complete with fresh fish, produce and every different kind of yogurt possible. But no hummus. 

Progress: this time when we asked if they had hummus they A. understood us and B. knew what we were talking about. 

Sadness: Helen and Kendra are still hummus-less. 

Freshly armed with orange juice, soy milk, popcorn and japanese rice crackers Helen and I went back into the the Plaza (that is where all of this has taken place... Plaza Mayor). Just as we are about to get back onto the metro we see someone holding Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Obviously we stop them and ask where they got it. We follow their directions but before we get to Ben & Jerry's we spot a gelato place with a huge line. Naturally we had to peek in. I ended up getting rice pudding gelato and spumoni and Helen ended up in the corner too overwhelmed by the choices to make a decision. We shared. And then we watched a group of men playing instruments in the street. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Madrid.

Saturday Night:
This deserved its own heading as it lasted longer than my whole Sunday Day. Ill explain.
As I unofficially turned 21 about a week ago (please see previous blog for explanation) I am now free to go out to clubs. And I can think of no better place to strip me of my clubbing innocence than club Kapital!! The SEVEN STORY club in Madrid!!

My emotions pre club Kapital: nervous- this was my first club. excited- this was my first club.
My emotions entering club Kapital: overwhelmed- there are 7 stories each boasting its own music theme. excited- we were dancing!!!!!!!
My emotions at 2:00 am (after being in the club for 1/2 hour): anxious: there is NO WAY that we will all be able to stay together- the club is seven stories high and packed with people that all look the same in disco lighting.

I eventually stopped caring and started dancing when I realized that we would be there for another 4 hours at least (in Madrid, the metro closes for only 4 hours, from 2 am to 6 am. So when you want to home after going out, you either make it to the metro by 1:30 [meaning you will have only been out for about two hours as the night starts at 11] or you stay out until 6 when the metro re-opens and everyone goes home.) and [parents, this is so you know that you raised me well] Helen and I had a meeting spot incase something bad were to happen.

Fun thing I learned: Shakira's song "She Wolf" is just as good in Spanish as it is in English. People in Spain howl along with her just like we do in America.

Thing I will do next time: Sneak in a flask- filled with an energy drink. I wanted to fall asleep at about 4:30 and tried to on one of the couches but apparently that is not acceptable.

Helen Story of The Day: A Canadian bought Helen a drink which she did not necessarily need/want so she poured it into the corner when he was not looking. Responsibility at its best!


Sunday:
Sunday can be summed up in one sentence. I stayed in my jammies all day. We woke up at four only to realize that we had missed the Madrid Market and our chance to go paddle boating which ended up being for the best as it was raining.

Best/Worst part of my day: I was filming the rain with my camera and Helen thought I was just taking a picture so she started singing "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plane." I then accidentally deleted it because I pushed the down button which I thought was "play" but it was actually "erase."

Monday:
Yesterday was pretty uneventful as well... We went to the park again and I ran 5 laps (on a 3/4 mile track) without stopping!! Something I have not done since my cross country days!!
For Dinner: We had rice topped with fried egg. It was delicious!

Today:
This morning Helen and I were running late (it was exceptionally cold when we woke up, so we had to mentally prep before getting out of bed. Lovely Helen though made us tea!!) only to find out that I beat my teacher because she was running late too! I had Spanish this morning and I absolutely love my Spanish teacher. In addition to the fact that she wears really cute clothes in varying shades of whites, beiges and pastels, she is very "amable" (kind) and exceptionally supportive.
Lunch: We had another vegetarian lunch today! Today it was felafel salad with garbanzso beans, beats, cole slaw and other great veggies.
After lunch we had our Travel Class and after my Travel Class I met my new friend for tea at this adorable outside cafe. One more reason to love Madrid.
Now Helen and I are about to go to Al Campo to stock up on more snacks!! (We hoard food in our room as we cant afford to eat out every day but we are not allowed to eat the food at our house for lunch... thank goodness for bonebelle cheese and crackers.)

Hasta Manana!!

My Big Adventure: Week One, Part 1.

In the anticipation of My Adventure, I had very high ambitions of blogging every single day. Clearly that has not happened. However, I am convinced that if I just sit down and write myself a schedule I will somehow manage to overcome the forces working against my blog (e.g. lack of sleep) and write every day. Today, when Helen and I were running, the very first stop light (the first time I tried to write this sentence it sounded like Helen and I ran a stop light [e.g. breaking the law, being unsafe etc.]- parents if you are reading this please know that Helen and I DO NOT have a car -- in fact we prefer the metro, one of the many reasons we are planning a possible future here in Madrid) turned green the second we arrived so I am taking this as a sign that everything will go as planned.
So to recap my week.

Monday:
This was my first day of class (before I proceed I would like to mention that the song that I am listening to is Be Ok by Ingrid Michaelson. Helen and I have decided that this will be one of our many Theme Songs for Our Big Adventure.) and it started out... IN SPANISH!! This was "una surpresa" for me and many of my classmates (we signed up for International Communication in English). My favorite part of the class was when the professor asked (in Spanish) if I understood Spanish. I answered a completely different question. So... no. I don't quite understand Spanish. At least not yet!! Goal 2: Learn Spanish (Goal 1 is the age old cliche of college students and abroaders to "Find Ones-self" but before you write this off, "Finding Myself" will continue to be an underlying theme with varying degrees of levity -- everything from... Yesterday I found out that I do not like half cooked salmon [this is called foreshadowing. See Thursday for this story] to: Monday I learned that I spend too much time analyzing negative things in the past instead of focusing on the positive parts of the future.).  Then I had two more classes and got out by 2:30.
Funny Roommate Story of the Day: Helen and I are both in the Spanish speaking Comm. class and while doing introductions, Helen was attempting to describe herself as "adventurous" but she actually said that she was "promiscuous."I, as her "companera de cuarto," testified that Helen is not promiscuous as she is in her "cama" "todos los dias" sin Spaniards.

Tuesday:
I had class again in the morning, made a new friend around lunch time and toured Madrid in the afternoon. The tour was amazing*!! We saw a palace, cathedral, great lunch spots and a man dressed up like a goat. WOAH, WHAT?? Yes. He later peeked out of his metallic (yes, metallic) goat suit to whistle at us ladies as we walked by. Oh to be a foreigner.
Successes Of The Day: Helen and I found a vegetarian spot to eat!!
Not-So-Successful Part Of The Day: jumping and squealing like a little girl in front of my whole tour group as another street performer -who, in my defense, was actually pretending to be dead- jerked "awake" and snarled at me.

Wednesday:
Not much happened in the morning but things started to heat up around lunch when my "Nachos con queso y frijoles y jalapeños" came with secret chicken. Thankfully my new friend Kristin graciously ate it all. Wednesday evening Helen and I met Kristin at the park but managed not to see her as the park is "muy grande." I mentioned the park in my first blog and my love for it has grown exponentially in the past few days. We ran at the park Sunday, Monday and Wednesday this week and each date was better than the last. Today especially was wonderful as I found a Spanish "amigo" to run with. I did not know his name, favorite color or what he know about the Apollo space missions** but we ran at the same speed and that was all that mattered. We did not speak or look at one another, we just kept running to the same beat until I could not run anymore. We waved "adios" and I felt a little less homesick.
Later this evening I had my VERY FIRST LEGAL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE!! I joked that I was unofficially turning 21 as I will be able to consume alcoholic drinks from now until forever [I turn 21 on December 1st, while abroad]. I had sangria and a huge plate of tapas (they came free with the drink) and a nice conversation about --(I don't remember. My lack of memory has less to do with my consumption of alcohol and more to do with the topic which was something like San Francisco or the weather or my favorite thing about dogs [that they love you always]. I was also very excited about/distracted by my tapas because they gave me Manchego Cheese. The cheese was more memorable than the topic, sadly.)-- with a kind man from Singapore. I plan on going back here.

Tip of the Day: Always make sure you confirm TWICE when you set up a meeting place with your roommate. Helen and I managed to loose one another and just about wet ourselves thinking of being alone in the city.

Thursday:
Yesterday. Yesterday I learned that I love my Spanish teacher (she seems to think that I have "esperanza" [hope] when it comes to learning the language). I learned that I do not like it when people make strange throaty noises to confirm that you understand what they are talking about. I have a teacher who does this. However, she wrote a 1,080 page thesis on wooden ceilings so any credibility that was lost with the throat thing has been gained back in full.
After class on Thursday, I got to talk to friends from home and it was so, so wonderful to SEE them (thank you Skype) and say "hola."
In the evening, Helen and I decided to walk to Al Campo (the Spanish child of Costco and Target) to get a hair dryer, phone card, pasta sin gluten and a good laugh. We walked into the store and saw that instead of push cards or hand baskets, Al Campo has a combo of both! Hand baskets with wheels. These trail behind you like a dog with short legs. We could not stop laughing.

Then there was dinner. We got home to find that our señora had made us salmon. Helen and I are both vegetarians who eat fish when it is served to us (technically called a pescatarian but when you say it out loud other people hear "apescaterian" and they think you are telling them what religion you identify with) so we were excited that it was salmon and not chicken (which she had mentioned she might be making). Our señora has this endearing quality of standing over us and watching us eat, while speaking to us in Spanish. This means that dinners are usually a lot of "si" "si" "gracias" "no lo se" and furtive glances to Helen to see if she "comprendes." Tonight, our señora was telling us how the program neglected to tell her that I am allergic to wheat, Helen is lactose intolerant and neither of us eat anything with legs. As she was telling us this, Helen and I realized that our salmon was not quite fully cooked. Light on the outside- fishy and gooey on the inside. Right about now our señora told us that we would be eating salmon once a week. Then she left the room. Helen and I look at each other and she goes for the trash can. However, quick thinking helped us to remember that raw fish in the trash can would probably smell in the morning. So Helen ran back to our room to grab a fresh Al Campo plastic bag and we put the salmon in the bag and back in our bedroom. We cleaned the kitchen "rapidamente" while trying not to make any noise (keep in mind we are doubled over with laughter) and told our señora that we were going to go get some ice cream down the street. We grab my purse, put the salmon inside, and rush out the door. We then deposit the salmon in the garbage outside. Tenemous un buen noche.

As it is 3:32 a.m. here I am fading fast so I will have to continue tomorrow. Thank you family, friends, roommates and loyal readers (Kara) for loving me just the way I am. It is very mutual.
Hasta manana!



*Please see pictures! (They will get attached as soon as I figure out how)
**This is a reference for Sam, or anyone else who has read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

My first full day in Madrid!!

So today was my very first day in Madrid! It started off great... at 4 in the afternoon. Yes, Helen (roommate) and I slept until 4 P.M. There is a first time for everything! You might be thinking "Wow. That girl had a rough night." but no... I was just jet lagged. I actually slept a total of 15 hours which lent to my lethargy this afternoon. However, lethargy did not prevent Helen and I from exploring our new "ciudad." We went on an excursion and ended up at a park! This park made me reconsider my american citizenship- it was that amazing. It had a driving range, soccer fields, cafes, rose gardens, a wading pool and a running track. We have decided to visit this park "todos los dias," if not to run then to do homework and read, or just be together as amigas.

Tonight we had an amazing dinner of gazpacho (una sopa favorita) and tortillas (not the american kind that is either corn or flower, but this is an actual dish here in Espana made of eggs and potatos!). For dessert Helen and I ate the rest of the gummy candy we bought today at the market.

Tomorrow we have class from 9-2:30 and then we plan on taking a siesta. I have yet to meet any spanish friends however I did manage to get us lost on the metro. Besides the rice that tasted strangely like the underbelly of salmon, things in Madrid have been pretty mild.

Until manana!!