Beware of Bathrooms

Okay, so our señora was convinced we put things in the toilet we weren't supposed to and caused the clog that is still not fixed. I want to go on record and say...te prometo que solamente usé el papel que estaba en el baño...seriously!

Good news...it is getting fixed and she has another bathroom yay! (that would be seriously bad news if that weren't the case).

But on to more exciting things. Joan (my roommate and I) had a great time exploring Sol (the center of Madrid). Yes, it's hot here, but the Madrileños are well aware of this and have prepared themselves (and us) for the heat. In parts of Sol canopies connected from the tops of buildings create shade for pedestrians definitely making for more pleasant window shopping etc.

Somehow I ended up in an Irish bar with the other American students and was not surprised when the people already there were busy watching the first football (not American....) game of the season. Don't worry, I'm going to try to make that my first and last stop at an Irish Bar.

Today was orientation where I was able to meet both the staff and the students who did not go on the walking tour. What I love about the program is that there are students from other American universities. After orientation we all left campus (again, just two buildings) to get some complimentary paella which was amazing :).

Things just taste better in España.

Oh air travel...

Word to the wise: ALWAYS pack a change of clothes in your carry on because you never know when Brussels Airlines will decide to deliver your luggage to the airport late.

Everything was going smoothly (maybe too smoothly...?) and then I got to Brussels. Thankfully, I met up with two other NYU students studying abroad who happened to be on my flight to Brussels (one studying in Madrid, yay! the other in Prague). However, the girl also going to Prague and I had to sprint (okay walk/nearly jog super fast) to our connecting flight to Madrid because there was almost an hour delay in JFK. They were actually holding the plane for us and other late passengers, crazy! But we made it, whew!

After getting off the plan in Madrid, I went first to get my bags, naturally. I watched as Ellen (the other student studying abroad in Madrid) got her bags and waited nervously for mine. Like George Bush's tax breaks, they would never come :(. Bad news: had to wait on a line for almost two hours in order to get process my lost baggage request. Good news: they supposedly were delivered to the airport at 5:30 pm (hope that is not a lie like when a teacher says this test really isn't difficult and then you look at it and want to cry...) and will be brought to my apartment (well my señora's apartment) tomorrow morning (no exact time...)

But on to more exciting things! My señora seems wonderful. She does not speak a word of English, which to me is great because I've been practicing my Spanish, seeing as she is the only person I really know in Madrid right now. She showed me around the neighborhood (el barrio) Ríos Rosas, which is lovely. It's quiet and tranquil, a nice change from the hustle and bustle I'm used to in NY, although I know the city center, which I'll be seeing tomorrow on a walking tour, will surely be busy. She brought me to an amazing mall (sorry forget the name, but there are various ones around the city) that has literally everything, so I was able to pick up a few things I needed for tonight that were in my checked luggage. That mall is dangerously close to where the apartment is.

And of course I must mention the food. I tasted possibly the best melon I have ever tasted in my life today. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I hadn't eaten in I'm not sure how long or if it was really that amazing, but it tasted like dessert...and it was fruit :)! Honestly, I'm not even a huge fan of honeydew (at least I think it was honeydew) but that was honey you should really eat me dew! And for dinner, an understated pasta dish with just the right amount of delicious cheese (goat perhaps), roasted red peppers, tuna, and corn yum! To finish, pear yogurt...we don't even have that in the US, right?

Everyone please, please, please, cross your fingers that my bags arrive tomorrow!

Hasta luego!