Vivo en Madrid

All I can say is WOW! I have been living in Madrid for a little over a week and I´m already in love! The way people smile, the free snacks (tapas) when I order a glass of wine, the way the locals speak, the architecture, the history! Everything is perfect!

I have been a little delayed in my writing because I was visiting my Mom for two weeks before I left to Madrid. In addition, I am using the family computer because we are waiting to get the WIFI gadget in the mail so I can use my personal laptop. It is not like back home where you just run into a Best Buy then within twenty minutes of being home, voila, you have WIFI! So, my official excuse for not writing about Spain yet is..... I did not want to tie up the one computer! Once the WIFI arrives, I will be writing more regularly and updating the blog with photos.

My host family in Spain could not be better. They have been very warm and welcoming from the start. I have a cute cozy room with a comfy bed, shelf, and a nice closet to store all my things. We have a maid named Midalia who comes once a week to do laundry and clean the house. I make my bed every day when I am here, but I guess it is not good enough because she remakes it every time. LOL

My first week was filled with exploring Madrid, learning how to use the bus and subway, and attempting to make friends. The first few days I was nervous because I did not know anyone. I have made an extra effort of getting to know people, however, and have made a handful of friends. I have even found other individuals to tutor in my spare time.

This past Monday I enrolled at a Spanish language school called Paraninfo which is located on Calle De Princesa near the Moncloa metro stop. I found it to be the most reasonable of all the private language schools. New classes start every Monday. The public schools are even more reasonable, but they follow regular school semesters which means you would have to enroll in January or September for the classes. My teacher is great and I look forward to going to class each day.

After class, I normally will go to Starbucks and study for a bit, or visit museums, walk around aimlessly, or hang out with some friends.

It is very different here. I am compiling a list of things that are different compared to the U.S. that I will write at a different time. As for now, I have to go because there is a line accruing for the family computer.

Hasta Luego for now!