Stem-changers and 10pm sunsets...

Has it only been two days? Monday feels like forever ago. Somehow last night I was just too tired to open my computer. The past two days have been interesting and I am feeling more and more comfortable here. There have been frustrations also. And today in class, for the first time since I arrived in Spain, I felt a little tingle of homesickness... but I sucked it up, spoke in Spanish, and decided to feel better. So anyway, the past two days...

Yesterday was all about Madrid. Class was okay. I felt very, very frustrated about the many verb forms I have forgotten since high school. I am in a class with students who have taken 12 hours of college Spanish (I haven't had a class since Fall 2004 in high school) and therefore I am sure I seem incredibly, well, dumb to my professor. I can hang, just need to review those stem-changers! After class we had a few hours for lunch and I talked a group of four friends into being adventurous and just TRYING something new... they have eaten a lot of "McDonald's" in Spain. So they were open and willing despite none of us knowing what we had ordered. We had a small idea... but were actually completely wrong. My meal was the best, I think. I had fresh grilled fish in some yummy wine sauce and boiled potatoes. I was proud of Jordan; she ordered a salad and celebrated the strange ingredients. Tori, bless her, struck out with both courses. The first being nothing like she asked for and dessert being so bad the servers actually brought her a new dish free-of-charge. It is all part of the experience and prevents us from getting too comfortable to learn new things. It ended up being a great lunch, nonetheless. Here, you can see how much our server enjoyed it.

Lunch lasted over 2 hours and we felt like authentic Spaniards... actually, far from it, but we loved the restaurant. We returned to the school for a tour of Madrid that was very much just a stroll through streets trying to figure out the significance of certain objects. Why was everyone taking a picture of that door? The new fresh market impressed me. It is located in a really cool part of the city and (as you can see) has fresh EVERYTHING. Delicious! I mean, if you cooked that fish, I bet it would be delicious. I want a fresh market in Hattiesburg! The fruit stand reminded me of the little boy in Aladdin who almost gets his hand cut off because he steals the fruit from the market. Remember? (Again, Disney movies brought to life.)

Shortly after the fresh market tour, Jordan and I were separated from the group. This moment of "uh oh, where did everyone go?" began a very fun adventure! We ended up in The Plaza Mayor and had a blast! Shopping in Madrid is incredible. I bought my favorite perfume(because I have been wanting to buy some in the states for a while, and here I need it all the more) at a tax free store. I know this means I do not have to pay import expenses when I return to US through customs, but not exactly sure how that works. Jordan and I had frozen lemonade, tried on fun dresses, and really enjoyed the feel of El Plaza Mayor. Apparently, we also found the Easter bunny. The Plaza is full of people dressed in costumes, mostly American images. We saw Superman, an American Indian, Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey Mouse. These characters stand in the street with a jar that says "Photos" and people actually pay to take their picture with someone dressed up! How silly is that? Wait... that's exactly what I did with the bunny. But he let us put on these glasses so it was worth the 30 cents. It was all the festivities of New Orlean's Jackson Square with a fun Spanish twist.

Jordan and I went to the park again last night to exercise and chat. It is still ranking number one as my favorite place. Especially for all of the fun we had today! Immediately after class this morning Tori, Jordan, and Renee (all super cool Southern Miss girls) and I started "park day" by buying yoga mats to lay on. We changed into our swimsuits, picked up lunch, and headed for a 4 hour picnic and tan in the gorgeous park (I still don't know the name of this one. Madrid has many parks.). It was a blast. You know how we, as the good tourists we are, take pictures of all random things? Well, I am pretty sure the locals are equally enthusiastic about photographing the Americans. I am so very much a foreigner.

Class was amusing today. Since it is our 3rd day of class, none is adjusted to the schedule yet. It was hump day today, right? The exhaustion, lack of sleep, and strange schedule has everyone sleepwalking through school. Today no one spoke very much and several times my maestra stopped the lesson to ask what was wrong with us. She now thinks she is incredibly boring (not true) and that none of us care about the class (false again). I explained the issue to her after class and she laughed and told me to stop drinking so much alcohol at night. What? No ma'am, jet lag not hangover. Ah! Language barriers and college student stereotypes. Besides, the only alcohol I've had is at 2:00 in the afternoon and it's cheap weak wine mixed with orange soda, ha!

My frustrations center around my living situation. I think I am getting played like a fiddle. I may have to explain more later as I think Dr. Sanchez wants to intervene. Everything is fine. I have everything I need. Just a strange "host home" situation. (I'm afraid I will find every expression of "host" and "home" strange after my sweet South has set standards so high.)

But all is well. Tomorrow we will explore The Prado Museum and Friday we leave for Barcelona. ... Oh my goodness, I just had the most intense craving for a bowl of milk and cereal. Yup, I miss the refrigerator and pantry, ha.

I miss much more than that. (Most things start with "m".) I am going to sleep now because tomorrow will undoubtedly be another adventure. Tomorrow I have exactly 40 days remaining... I will make the most of them. Promise.

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you." Number 6:24-25