Estoy Aquí!

      I literally danced with joy when my suitcase filled with a month’s worth of my life came to 50 pounds even.  I said hasta luego to my parents and was off for Madrid.  Oh yeah, there was that brief nine hour flight in between.   I slept for a grand total of none of it.  I made a valiant effort but ended up watching a movie, two tv shows, listening to music, and even read my entire text for class. How reading about politics in Spain from the Spanish American War to today in Spanish did not put me right to sleep I will never know.  After following the weather religiously, I had packed and planned for weather in the low seventies.  Hola, surprise heat wave!  It was about 90 degrees… and will be for the rest of the trip.  Ay Dios mío.  But the point was I had arrived!

        I was greeted by my host mother, Juliana, who is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  When I told her my name, she was surprised because her granddaughter just made a drawing of a girl she named Karli.  Could be spooky; could be destiny.  I’ll pick the latter.  When we arrived to the swanky little apartamento, she gave us a tall glass of OJ and chocolate cookies, then showed us how to work our blackout curtains and gave us time for some much much needed sleep. When we woke up, Leah and I decided to explore.  In order to do so, we had to brave the daunting metro.  The map looks like a three year old art project, being a mess of colored zig zag lines and random letters.  But, hey, when in Spain...

        My blonde hair seemed to be quite the spectacle.  Gracias, chicos, I apprieciate your calls of rubia guapa.  Still, I was a little offended that everyone automatically assumed I was a foreigner. I haven’t the faintest idea what gave it away.  Poor Leah could totally pass as a native, but with me by her side, she fell victim to “American by association.”

         Our first stop was La Gran Via, where all of the best shopping is.  I ogled at the beautiful clothes but restrained myself in preparation for later purchases.  The more practical choice was a hair dryer. Why? Because Leah and I may or may not have blown up an outlet attempting to use ours.  You can only imagine how difficult it was to translate that one.  But I digress. 

          After this, with a few hours to spare until dinner, we decided to go to El Parque de Retiro.  It’s huge and absolutely beautiful.  A lake with couples in adorable little boats, gardens with picnics, a concert in a giant gazebo… and that was just half of it.  I could have done without quite so many couples shamelessly in amor, but once again, I digress.  We returned home to a huge spread of food, that I could only eat half of, which was already twice what I usually eat.  I had to convince her repeatedly that I loved her food, I just apparently did not have the stomach of a Spaniard.  What is America doing wrong?  Anyways, I am going to bed muy contenta and ready to see the fútbol game tomorrow!  Let the loco begin!