Parks, Pastries, and Seemingly Everything In Between
One of the first things I saw in Madrid after I stepped out of the airport was a giant 3M building followed by a Honeywell building, making me feel much closer than 4,319 miles from home.
I've already/only been in Spain for 10 days, and I keep oscillating between feeling like I've been here forever and feeling like I have no clue what's going on.
The Spanish have a very peculiar way of describing themselves: "Spain is different. Not better, not worse, just different." And I keep finding myself coming back to this mantra when talking with my friends in the program, when joking about something weird I observed, or when I feel downright out of place.
All that being said, my first two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I have been trying to make sure every part of my day is filled with something purposeful, whether it's exploring a park, talking with my host family, or climbing a mountain (yes, that means no Netflix lol (Ok, minimal Netflix)).
With that being said, here is a snapshot of what I have been up to!
1. Initial Impressions
2. Food
So apparently my host padre, Pedro, was a Michelin Star Chef in a city in northern Spain called San Sebastian. Needless to say, everything he has made is delicious. He and my host madre, Cristina, ran a catering business for some time, and I was lucky to get to make a tart with Cristina for her and her stepdaughter's birthdays! Oddly enough, the recipe we used was in German (Cristina is half German), so I got to simultaneously learn new words in Spanish and German. It wasn't confusing at all! I feel very lucky because I really really like my host family. It has been really fun to get to know them so far and to practice my Spanish (which they seem to be very impressed by) in a low pressure way.
Additionally, the pastries here, even those from the grocery store, are just SO far beyond what you typically find in the States. I have yet to determine if this poses a serious threat to my health. Stay tuned.
3. Mountains
Much to my delight, one of the girls from the program found an easy way to get to a mountain range about an hour outside of Madrid. Seven of us ventured to the town of Guadarrama for a hiking day trip. Before we started, we used the term "day trip" loosely, but after we got lost and rained on, what we thought would be a leisurely exploration turned into a full-day adventure.
The views were well worth the slips and scrapes, and I can't wait to return. It was really great to be so immersed in nature after having been in a huuuuge city for two weeks (Madrid's population is over 3 million).
4. Exploration
There are so so many different neighborhoods and districts within Madrid that I cannot possibly see how I can get to know them all in only four months. But I am certainly going to try my hardest. We were told that 80% of the businesses in Spain are family owned, giving each area its own unique charm.
A significant portion of Madrid is occupied by public park spaces. El Parque de Buen Retiro is a 350+ acre park with fountains, mazes, glass buildings, and much more than I have yet to see. This, along with Parque Oeste, has been a great place to go running with some of my friends from the program, Jessica and Claire.
On the way to El Parque de Buen Retiro from my host family's apartment is La Plaza de Toros. This is the arena that has and continues to host bull fighting events. While I am not sure how I feel about attending a fight, I did get to enter the arena one night when there was a market featuring local meats, breads, olives, cervesas, and much more.
This past Sunday, Jessica and I went to El Rastro, which is a weekly flea market that occurs in one of Madrid's many neighborhoods. There was a sea of people, live music at every corner, and stands selling everything from antiques to clothes to flowers. It was a really neat experience and I can't wait to go back again, because there was simply too much to take in in just one visit.
5. More Pictures
I feel like this post is long enough already, so I am just going to add some more of my favorite pictures (realizing now that I haven't taken as many as I thought because I keep telling myself that I have four months to take pictures and shouldn't worry about it. I need to step up my game!).
Thanks for reading this far!
I've already/only been in Spain for 10 days, and I keep oscillating between feeling like I've been here forever and feeling like I have no clue what's going on.
The Spanish have a very peculiar way of describing themselves: "Spain is different. Not better, not worse, just different." And I keep finding myself coming back to this mantra when talking with my friends in the program, when joking about something weird I observed, or when I feel downright out of place.
All that being said, my first two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I have been trying to make sure every part of my day is filled with something purposeful, whether it's exploring a park, talking with my host family, or climbing a mountain (yes, that means no Netflix lol (Ok, minimal Netflix)).
With that being said, here is a snapshot of what I have been up to!
1. Initial Impressions
- "Dos Besos" is real. Also the Spanish concept of personal space is much smaller than I am used to (yay opportunity for personal growth!)
- People here talk really fast, or maybe I just think really slow
- It is normal to stay out until 7:30am. This is usually when I wake up because my self-prescribed bed time is 9pm. Will have to make some adjustments....
- It really IS a Midwestern thing to say "Sorry" or "Ope!" when someone ELSE bumps into YOU
- Every single child here is SO STINKING CUTE
- AND SO ARE ALL THE ABUELAS AND ABUELOS WHO EACH HOLD ONE HANDLE OF A SHOPPING BAG IN BETWEEN THEMSELVES
- Food. Yum.
- Every single Spanish female is at least a 7/10 and also soooo fashionable
- Siestas are a glorious invention
- There is so much to do in so little time.
2. Food
So apparently my host padre, Pedro, was a Michelin Star Chef in a city in northern Spain called San Sebastian. Needless to say, everything he has made is delicious. He and my host madre, Cristina, ran a catering business for some time, and I was lucky to get to make a tart with Cristina for her and her stepdaughter's birthdays! Oddly enough, the recipe we used was in German (Cristina is half German), so I got to simultaneously learn new words in Spanish and German. It wasn't confusing at all! I feel very lucky because I really really like my host family. It has been really fun to get to know them so far and to practice my Spanish (which they seem to be very impressed by) in a low pressure way.
Additionally, the pastries here, even those from the grocery store, are just SO far beyond what you typically find in the States. I have yet to determine if this poses a serious threat to my health. Stay tuned.
Much to my delight, one of the girls from the program found an easy way to get to a mountain range about an hour outside of Madrid. Seven of us ventured to the town of Guadarrama for a hiking day trip. Before we started, we used the term "day trip" loosely, but after we got lost and rained on, what we thought would be a leisurely exploration turned into a full-day adventure.
The views were well worth the slips and scrapes, and I can't wait to return. It was really great to be so immersed in nature after having been in a huuuuge city for two weeks (Madrid's population is over 3 million).
There are so so many different neighborhoods and districts within Madrid that I cannot possibly see how I can get to know them all in only four months. But I am certainly going to try my hardest. We were told that 80% of the businesses in Spain are family owned, giving each area its own unique charm.
A significant portion of Madrid is occupied by public park spaces. El Parque de Buen Retiro is a 350+ acre park with fountains, mazes, glass buildings, and much more than I have yet to see. This, along with Parque Oeste, has been a great place to go running with some of my friends from the program, Jessica and Claire.
On the way to El Parque de Buen Retiro from my host family's apartment is La Plaza de Toros. This is the arena that has and continues to host bull fighting events. While I am not sure how I feel about attending a fight, I did get to enter the arena one night when there was a market featuring local meats, breads, olives, cervesas, and much more.
This past Sunday, Jessica and I went to El Rastro, which is a weekly flea market that occurs in one of Madrid's many neighborhoods. There was a sea of people, live music at every corner, and stands selling everything from antiques to clothes to flowers. It was a really neat experience and I can't wait to go back again, because there was simply too much to take in in just one visit.
I feel like this post is long enough already, so I am just going to add some more of my favorite pictures (realizing now that I haven't taken as many as I thought because I keep telling myself that I have four months to take pictures and shouldn't worry about it. I need to step up my game!).
Thanks for reading this far!
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