On Monday, August 31st, I arrived in Madrid. My expectations were vague. I knew no one, and the anxiety of the unknown began to set in along with my exhaustion from my all day and all night travels. I made it through the airport with my luggage and was met by my driver (thank you dad for hiring a ride for me) who drove me to my residence hall. If you are planning on studying abroad this might be something to look into. I used Blackline service and it costed around $50. It definitely took some of the stress away knowing someone would be there to pick me up. After arriving at the residence hall, I was greeted by the front desk receptionist and guided to my room. The room is around 12' by 12' with plenty of storage, a desk, a bed, and shelves. If you choose to stay in the residence hall don't worry about packing sheets, towels, or pillows; all are supplied for you.
I immediately unpacked and then took a much needed nap. Once I woke, I found a store called El Corte de Ingles (somewhat resembling Macy's), where you can basically buy anything. I bought some of the things I needed and explored the city a little more.The residence is pretty close to everything and is only a 30 minute (very pretty) walk to the center of Madrid. After returning to my room, I got myself ready for class the next day and laid down to try to fall asleep; this is when I began to really regret that nap. After tossing and turning for a few hours and trying to ignore how hot the room was, I finally fell asleep at 3:30 a.m.
The next day I woke for the first day of my Spanish intensive course. With the help of GoogleMaps and the residence hall receptionists, I had a basic understanding as to how to ride the Metro to campus, or so I thought. After 20 minutes on the metro that was only supposed to take ten, I realized that I was lost and had ended up...well I'm still not sure where, but I knew I had taken the wrong line. I got off as soon as I realized this (20 minutes late to class at this point). Thankfully, the man working the ticket booth was very helpful and directed me to where I needed to go. After arriving at the correct station (30 minutes late now), I still needed to navigate my way through the streets to campus. After multiple failed attempts at reading my map, I finally found the school 45 minutes late for my class. Slightly (very) disheveled from the heat and anxiety of my lateness, I found the room. The teachers were all understanding and walked me through everything I needed to know. I was able to take my placement exam with time to spare, and after I was finished, made it back to my dorm with no trouble at all. I'm slowly learning that things tend to work themselves out.
That afternoon, I went exploring some more to La Puerta Del Sol, the center of Madrid. There are tons of things to do and see here, and the streets are flooded with people speaking all kinds of languages. I found a small restaurant, and sat down at a table outside with my book as I ate my meal.
Today, I made it to campus with no problems at all (I made sure to leave an hour and a half early). I was assigned into a small group of thirteen students that I will be studying Spanish with for the rest of this week and next. The group may be small, but that does not limit the amount of diverse nationalities placed into it; they include: Italy, China, and Korea just to name a few. Going into this program not knowing anyone, I was nervous I wouldn't make many friends; however, after today I realized this is not the case at all. Many students are in the same position as me, and are just as willing to talk and exchange numbers to make future plans.
After three full days in Madrid, I am slowly adjusting to the culture and life I will be living for the next four months. Wish me luck!
