1 Week down, 40 to go!

A few minutes ago it officially became my 7th day here in Madrid. Last Friday around 11:20 my flight touched down at Barajas airport and I began a very interesting adventure. I'm not talking about negotiating large amounts of luggage into tiny taxis, but rather a year of living and working in my favorite foreign country. Time and again I have admitted that I did this program because I didn't know what else to do after graduation, plus the time to do "crazy" things like this when you're young.

While ridiculously exciting, there have been some trying times (posts about the bank and at&t). This time around things are generally easier. Sure, it frustrates me when the bank stops working at 2, but thanks to my prior time in Spain, I was in some way prepared for this. Even with my history in Spain one thing that will constantly challenge me is the Spanish insistence on mumbling and/or speaking quickly. As much as it kills me to admit it, it is tan obvio (Spanish for "so obvious") that my native language is not Spanish. Yet I have experienced several instances where people continue to mumble or rush through what they have to say. Under no circumstances do I want them all to speak English and accommodate me (in fact it bothers me when people automatically revert to English instead of giving me a fair crack at Spanish), but rather I would like some recognition that I am trying with their language and that it would be helpful for them to speak clearly. In a few weeks, maybe even days, my listening skills will improve and this will be less of a problem.

In much better news, Monday is my first day of orientation for my job! I'm excited to get going and to have something to do most days, other than wander my neighborhood. Last night I met up with one of the other girls who will be working at the same school as me. Eimear and her friend Blair met me in Sol and we shared some tapas. We sat and chatted about prior times in Spain, about Washington DC (they attended Georgetown) and various other topics. Both girls are very nice, though I could tell that Eimear was stressed about apartment hunting. I can understand how that process would suck horribly, which makes me even more grateful for the place MariCarmen hooked us up with.

So, in summary, things are happening. Stay tunned for updates! Also, the picture is of my street, you can't really see my door, but I live about a half a block in.