Well, well, it's been quite a while. Last week was pretty eventful, but tame compared to what's coming up. I apologize again for the long post, I've got to update more often. Let's see: last week was the first week of classes, and the first time everyone in my study abroad program got to meet. On Tuesday, we took a placement test which was a bit challenging, but overall it wasn't too bad. I got placed in group B2B, which is a bit above average. Either I got lucky, or...
The placement test was super accurate, because I felt completely comfortable on Wednesday, when we had our first class. The first class I had was Oral Comprehension and Expression. As it was the first day of the trimester, we did the whole ice-breaking routine: what's your name, where are you from, etc. It's unbelievable how diverse my classes are. Although I'm in an American study abroad program, we don't take classes together; we're kind of thrown in with all the other foreigners. My class consists of [but is not limited to]: Russians, Germans, French-Egyptians, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese...the list goes on. Surprisingly, this works to everyone's advantage, as it kind of forces us to speak our common language: Español. Anyhow, we spent the class chatting amongst ourselves and with our profesora [who reminds me of Drew Barrymore's role in Donnie Darko].
Thursday, we had Grammar. Now for our language classes, we meet in the same room at the same time every day, and the professors rotate. I like this structure a lot, as it brings the class a bit closer. Anyway, our Grammar teacher is a riot. She is super intimidating, and the title "Mad Spanish Woman" describes her perfectly. She's really cool though, because she is obsessed with grammar. I'm a bit OCD [that's CDO, alphabetically] at times, and I really like learning the structure of languages. Oh, I'm also a bit weird. Class was far less lax, but it was a welcomed contrast.
Friday was Written Comprehension and Expression, and I won't lie: that class is pretty darn boring. There's nothing wrong with the professor, or the material, it's just that being taught how to read again is dull. We read a short story, and watched as our professor struggled with PowerPoint. After class, I went with Jose to an electronics store, where I finally gave in. That's right, I bought a cellphone. I decided that I needed one, now that I was making new friends and such. The phone is a pay-as-you-go, and quite frankly, it's a piece of junk. I could really care less; it makes and receives calls, and that's all I need. At night Teresa and I went to Teresa's friend's bar, iReal. We stayed there for only about an hour, then went home, because in the morning I had to get up early.
This brings us to Saturday. Saturday, I got up early and made my way to the Moncloa Metro stop. Of the dozen or so people in my program, only four of us showed up for the excursion to Segovia. There were also three others from another program from the same company. We took a mini charter bus northeast to the town of Segovia. When we got there, we got out and went straight to the town's most famous landmark: the aqueduct. Today, the aqueduct in Segovia is the best preserved Roman aqueduct in the world. Up until the mid-twentieth century, it was still in use, and even now it still works! We met our tour guide under the aqueduct, and she led us through Segovia. I feel like now is the appropriate time to confess: I hate tours. They always lead you through the most touristic places, and the guides just spit out facts from Wikipedia. We passed by so many cool alleys and mercadillos, I wish I could have just left the group and explore. Oh well, I suppose it's a reason to return one day. We walked through the Jewish Quarter, saw some cool Moorish architecture, and walked around the outside of the immense cathedral, which was quite a sight. It was tough navigating through the streets, as most were closed off due to a triathlon being held that day. We somehow managed to get to el alcázar, a fortress on a rocky crag at the corner of the town. This castle served as Walt Disney's inspiration for the Disney castle. Although Mickey Mouse didn't greet us at the door, it was still impressive. We wandered through the halls and rooms full of crazy tapestries and gold furniture, and even through an exhibit of medieval weaponry and armor. Afterwards, thankfully, the tour was over, and we were granted freedom for the next few hours.
The three people from the other program went off on their own, so us four newbies stuck together. Two of us, Mwafaq and a guy we call Miami, payed to walk to the top of el alcázar, while Michelle and I went to a tiny bar to wait for the other two to get back down. We had some pretty awesome sangria and relaxed in the shade for a while. We met back up with Mwafaq and Miami, and we all agreed that we should get lunch. We found a restaurant and sat outside on la terraza, a fancy name for chairs on a sidewalk. The view at lunch was ridiculous. In the distance were snowcapped mountains, and directly next to them rolled the greenest fields I have ever seen. The restaurant was situated toward the top of the city, so in front of the fields and mountains sprawled traditional Spanish buildings and streets, along with the aqueduct. I couldn't believe all this was in one spot; it was like a dream. However, this was not the highlight of lunch. No, the best part of lunch [and the day], was what I had to eat.
I enjoy a good sandwich. They're so simple, yet the options are limitless. If I had a favorite food, it might be some type of sandwich. For lunch, I decided I would get el Segoviano, unsure of what was on it. To my surprise, this was the best sandwich I have ever eaten in my entire life. Between two pieces of toast sat jamón [ham], lomo [tenderloin], roasted red peppers and a fried egg [I also suspect there was some olive oil]. The top piece of toast had a perfect circle cut out as to not break the yolk of the egg, and the removed piece was the perfect toast-circle for dipping in the yolk. The sandwich was so simple, yet so delicious. The ingredients were few, and it was just satisfying to eat. It was perfectly complimented by a caña, a small glass of beer. Anyway, enough of the food porn, on to the rest of the day.
After lunch we met back up with the group, under the aqueduct. We got back on the short bus, and drove about 40 minutes to la Granja. La Granja used to be the summer residency for the kings of Spain, as it was a bit cooler there, at the foot the mountains. We took another [not so] lovely tour, and saw all of the crazy things they had there. It was kind of like an episode of MTV's Cribs, there were countless rooms of pretty useless stuff. Gold chairs here, priceless crystal chandeliers there, the oriental artwork room, the room with one statue, the room with a dozen statues. It was interesting, but in reality we were just looking at rich people's stuff from a long time ago. After the tour, we walked around the gardens for a bit, then headed back to Madrid.
We all went to our respective houses, and I took a nap. When I woke up, I went to go meet my fellow study abroad-ers at a bar to see the Barcelona-Madrid game. For those out of the loop, this is like the most important game in Spain. Imagine if the Redskins played the Cowboys while the Yankees played the Red Sox, and you get the picture. FC Barcelona is the sworn enemy of Real Madrid, and this annual game is referred to as El Clásico. We met up at Fénix, a pretty nice bar by Madrid standards, and watched the game. While [to this blogger's dismay] Madrid was being dominated by Barça, Mwafaq and I met some really nice Bulgarians, and a pretty cool Moroccan. After the game, we went to iReal to meet my cousin, and hung out there for a bit. We eventually went home, tired from such an exhausting day.
On Sunday, my cousin Alberto took me, Teresa and Ricardo to El Hipódromo, the horse track. I've never been to a horse race, and it was actually pretty cool. During the final race, I bet a little on the underdog, and he ended up winning! Five Euro later, we went back home, got a quick bite to eat, and then I left to go meet my fellow Americans at the bull ring. I've never been to una corrida [a bullfight], and I have to admit it was pretty weird. It's a hot topic, a lot of people are against the tradition of killing bulls for sport, while others see it as an important defining cultural icon of Spain. Should you ever go to a bullfight, know that the ticket prices vary like any other event. The closer you are to the front, the more expensive; the seats in the shade also set you back more than the ones in direct sunlight. Being thrifty college kids, we got the seats in sol, the sunny section, and in the very top row. But hey, €2,50 [here, a comma is used where we use a period, and vice-versa, e.g. 1.000.000] for seats isn't bad at all. It wasn't warm where we sat, it was sweltering. We cooled off with some overpriced tinto de verano [wine and soda], and watched the fight. Because it was still early in the season, they use smaller bulls, and as the season goes on the toreros [bullfighters] gain experience, and the bulls get larger and meaner. There were a total of six bulls, and when each one came out, they went through the same routine. Several flagmen use capes to taunt the bull, before running for cover behind walls. Then, a man on a horse with a lance enters the ring, and stabs the bulls behind the neck, weakening them, so that el matador can perform. After, the three flagmen each attempt to place two barbed flags in the bulls' shoulders, further angering the now exhausted bull. Finally, el matador comes out and does a series of passes, before ultimately maneuvering the bulls to a position where he can make a swift stab between the shoulder blades, down to the heart, killing them. A good