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"