Aranjuez

Yesterday a few of my new Madrid friends and I decided to take a day trip to the city of Aranjuez. It's about 45 minutes outside of Madrid by the Cercanías trains, which meant I took my first train ride! The main train station in Madrid is Atocha, so we met there and off we were.

Cercanías ticket

Aranjuez is in the southern part of the Comunidad Autónoma of Madrid (there's the city of Madrid and the province of Madrid, kinda like New York, NY) where the Tajo and Jarama rivers meet (much like the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in St. Louis!) It's famous for it's Royal Palace (Palacio Real) and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Construction began on the palace in the 16th century and wings were added on up until the 18th century. It was basically used as a summer

home for the Spanish royal family to escape the difficulties of city life. It's good to be king. Aranjuez is also famous for its strawberries, which aren't in season at the moment, so no strawberries for me on this trip. :(

Here are some pictures of our arrival into Aranjuez.

Yesenia, Me and Theresa

Train station of Aranjuez

Ayuntamiento

Pedestrian street

Having fun at the Tourism Office

Entering Plaza de San Antonio

Jump!

Fuente de la Mariblanca (fountain)

And here are some pictures of the Palace and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside.

Can you see Theresa waving? Yup, that's how big this place is!

There was also a Plaza de Toros in Aranjuez:

And lots of beautiful gardens with more fountains around the Palace.

Black Swans!

And that was our trip in a nutshell!

~Caralyn

My Neighborhood (barrio)

Hi all, I don't have much news at the moment so I thought I'd share some pictures of my neighborhood that I took yesterday.

I did have my orientation a few days ago which went more or less smoothly. The presenters took their time through the unimportant stuff and then flew through our legal document information. Of course. And they looked at us like we were the idiots. I did meet some cool people though so hopefully now I have some new travel companions.

I'll keep you posted on where we decide to go first :)

Puerta de Toledo (glorieta = roundabout)

This isn't my school, but my school will be similar (colegio  bilingue)

Chevrolet dealership

Kebabs!!

Yup, that's a Dunkin donuts at a gas station :)

Top of my street

Looking down my street

You never know when you'll need some Betty Crocker!

Prado Ticket

~Caralyn

Qué emoción! Qué incertidumbre!

This day has been a complete turn-around from yesterday. I don't know what it was about yesterday, but there were some major bad energy in the air...or maybe it was in the water. It doesn't matter. All I know is that I was beginning to question my coming here in the first place. It's been very isolating living in a foreign city and only knowing a few people. On top of that I have a lot of free time to kill and unfortunately, it's killing me. I am such a worry-wort. It runs in the family. I have this ability to imagine myself in the worst possible situations and then telling myself that's exactly what's going to happen. It almost never happens, however, so I'm not sure why I do this to myself. Todo salirá bien. It'll all work out. It always does.

Part of my turn-around has come from a pep talk with a good friend and the arrival of an old friend. Unfortunately one doesn't live here and the other won't be here for long, but it's definitely what I needed.

I attempted to get some sheets and towels today but I chose the worst time to go shopping. The siesta stuff still throws me! Ugh. 2:00pm seems like the perfect time to be out running errands and such, and in the US it would be, but not here. So to make better use of my time I headed to the library closest to my house and got a library card (carné bibliotecario). Life is good. I think I'm going to start collecting all these various library cards I've acquired in the last few years. And yes, university IDs totally count!

Carné

Anyway, the woman who got my card up and running couldn't have been more helpful. Even though a line formed behind me, she took the time to show me around. All she had to do was yell at Roberto (Alberto?) to man the desk and we were off. Keep in mind, this library was not very big but she pointed out everything: the dvds, cds, literature section, reference section, computer lab, how to get on the internet if I needed to, the foreign language section (books in English, HOLLA!) and even the magazines. She then explained how everything was organized and gave me a brochure with a list of all the libraries in Madrid I could use and the services they offered. Jackpot. This is one of those moments I wish every American could experience. I was clearly foreign and yet instead of brushing me off (goddamn foreigners speaking that gibberish!) she acted as if she had nothing but time to help me. So wonderful. Definitely helped change my day around. Amazing how a little kindness goes a long way.

(On the flipside, I ALSO wish all Americans could experience rudeness as a foreigner, because we tend to treat foreigners with disdain in our own country and feel as if we are superior or more intelligent in some way. Let me tell you, it is a horrible feeling to be looked down-upon just because you can't express yourself the way you want in a second language...especially when you know you are a smart and well-articulated person in your native language. So, as Ellen says, be kind to one another)

I then spent the evening wandering around the Museo del Prado with Cari. It's free in the evenings during the week so it was the perfect place to walk and talk in air conditioning. The paintings were great too. It was nice to catch up after so long, and the labyrinthine halls of the Prado were just the place. Maybe by the time I leave here I will have a mental map of that place. We got turned around so much!

 

             This chicken likes gin & tonics                                When Plan A just doesn't cut it

The best part of the evening came with the Real Madrid v. Manchester City football game (partido de fútbol). It was part of the Champions League in which all the best teams in Europe compete. It's a big deal here and across Europe. Champions League final = Superbowl, but on an international scale. We found a comfy bar, ordered some tinto de veranos (mix of red wine and lemonade) and let the drama unfold. The first half was nothing special but things heated up in second half with back-to-back goals and then a surprise goal from Ronaldo almost at the very end. Real Madrid 3 -2 Manchester City. Hot damn! I should've brought my bufanda with me. And my jersey. And maybe I should've bought that Real Madrid sheet set...

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/video?vid=7059b9e2-bb83-4813-ac0c-45d0309da7cf&from=foxsports/foxsoccer/videomodule-home

All in all, a good end to what started off as a depressing and mopey day. Thank god for friends...and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Calle de las Huertas

~Caralyn

Address update

I can't believe I'm saying this but I've found an apartment and moved in! I wasn't planning for it to happen so fast, but when life hands you something great, you jump on it. He/she who hesitates is a damn fool: best advice ever. So now I've had a chance to unpack and start making my room my own. Unfortunately, all I have to decorate are my Cardinals pennant and Real Madrid bufanda (scarf). Let the collection of souvenir trinkets begin!

I'm still not feeling 100% in my new home. I think it's going to take a bit to feel cozy. Right now it's just a lot of space (or more space than I thought I would have) and somewhat quiet. The front door looks out onto an inner patio and the window in my bedroom looks out onto a small tree-lined street. As Raelynne said, the trees remind me of Missouri. Since there isn't a lot of vegetation in this city, any greenery is definitely appreciated.

I leave you know with a few pictures I snapped yesterday of my apartment and some other random things around town.

 

                              Tostas!                                                        At La Taberna de Moncloa

Metro ticket!

                                          My room                                                     View from my window

                                   Kitchen

Living room

                                                                        Bathroom

And my new Address is: C/ Ercilla, 9, 4º, 3ª

                                      28005 Madrid

                                      España
Feel free to send me something! :-)

~Caralyn

Made it!

I can happily say I made it to Madrid without a hitch. What a relief! I'm currently sitting in my friends living room typing away. I've slept, showered, eaten and popped a few ibuprofen so I feel great. I do have a stye in my eye and a horrible canker sore but I'm in one piece. Maybe that's too much info! Whatever.

I left St. Louis this morning at 11:30am and got into Washington D.C. at 2:30 (ET). No turbulence or anything, which I was worried about because it was a very tiny plane...only about 20 rows maybe.

In D.C. I had about 3 hours to kill, so I pulled out my ipod to see if by chance there was some free wifi...and there was! D.C., you are now officially my favorite airport. The 3 hours went by a lot faster with websurfing and messaging involved! Thank god for wifi. I did have some trouble with my shoes while I was there. I like to forget that a certain pair always tears my heels to shreds and so walking through the airport did them in. To the point my feet were on fire. I pulled over to the side and meant to trade them for a pair of sandals I was hauling in my bag when a woman stopped and asked me if I had blisters. It was so crazy. I was just thinking how dumb it was to not pack band-aids and wondered where I could get some in an airport. And then this woman appeared and just handed me a bunch of Dr. Scholls wrap- thingys to put around my heels. I was in shock! I did not expect someone to notice, much less care, that my heels were raw. Lady, I am forever grateful, and I will pass it on.

The flight from D.C. to Madrid was also uneventful and I got to watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and The Five Year Engagement (I'm an Emily Blunt fan). They were ok, but helped pass the time.

I landed in Madrid at 7:45am (12:45am for everyone back home) having not slept a wink on the plane. There is no worse feeling than being exhausted and smelly after traveling all day. Needless to say I was very happy to see my friend Raelynne and her boyfriend waiting for me when I got all my bags. Which brings me back to where I started with this post.

I will say this trip to Madrid was a lot more difficult emotionally-speaking than I thought it would be. My dad choked up at the airport which made me upset and it followed me the whole way here. I think I cried about a dozen times just in St. Louis, before I even got on a plane. Ugh. It's going to be an adjustment. So I'm taking it one day at a time.

~Caralyn

Buen Viaje!

Bennie Coco and I

It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon, my last afternoon at home for awhile. I'm still in shock that I've reached this moment. The last few days have gone by so fast and yet the summer as a whole has crawled by. Very conflicting. I'm not sure how that happens but there you have it.

And, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm packed!! For the most part. Everything but my winter coat has made it into 2 large suitcases, a carry-on bag, my purse (which has to fit in my carry-on) and my laptop case (which is only holding my laptop so doesn't really count...wait - yes it does, my laptop is the other half of my brain!).

 Anyway, times like these make think of past travels. I still remember the first time I flew on a plane. I was 8 and we were headed to Colorado. There had been countless times before that trip when I had gone with my parents to drop my grandma off at the airport on her way to visit my aunts. It was always a mystery to me what lay beyond the arched doorways at Lambert. I remember being very excited to fly for the first time just for the fact that I could finally see the inside of the airport. It's no mystery to me anymore. More than 15 years later I realize that airports are all the same no matter where in the world you are, which is comforting and a let-down at the same time. I've done quite a bit of flying since that trip to Colorado so I'm excited/nervous to say that this is the first time I've ever bought a one-way ticket! Don't ask me when I'm coming back - I have no idea. All I know is that I will come back...eventually. Hopefully with more pictures and funny stories to tell.

Mom and Me

Some things to look forward to in Spain (in no particular order):
1) Kebabs
2) the Metro - no more driving for awhile!
3) FOOTBALL!
4) Seeing old friends and making new ones
5) Walking across the street to do my grocery shopping
6) Teaching! Little kids! Oh my!
7) Making my way to other countries - Istanbul, Turkey is at the top of my list
8) Churros and chocolate
9) Manchego cheese
10) Dry air - if you have oily skin, you know what I'm talking about!

Wow, I'm kind of embarrassed that almost half my list is food! Sad thing is, I could totally add more to it :/

I've gotten asked a lot of odd questions about my upcoming travels this summer. Most everyone wanted to know when I was leaving, and until about a few weeks ago I had no idea. This is part of life in Spain - you just can't plan ahead because no one else is. I also get asked: "What are you bringing?" and most people are shocked when I tell them I'm not bringing my sofa and TV with me. Try as I might, they just wont fit in my suitcase. Sorry ya'll, I gotta keep it simple. I'm also not bringing my dresser or bed or car. I know...crazy. Again, not gonna fit! This might sound strange and hard to understand, but my life is going to be a bit different in Spain. Mom thinks this is a good brain exercise. Could be.

I mostly get asked if I'm coming home for the holidays. No. Birthdays or other special events? No. Football games? I'd love to, but no.Will you bring home a matador? Yes. Yes, I will. His name will be Diego and he'll have a house in Madrid, Sevilla and somewhere in the Canary Islands. It's going to be epic. And we will have beautiful bilingual babies - a triple threat!

On a more serious note (not that Diego is trivial), I am really really sad I'll be missing out on some cool stuff while I'm gone. But there will be more holidays and birthdays in the future, and I just have to be content that  everything will still be here when I get back. Love and miss you all.

Wish me luck!

Home sweet Home

~Caralyn