Sonrisas y Sol: May 11 and 12: ¡Bienvenidos a Madrid!

After finishing up my last final at WashU at 5:30 pm on May 7, Anna helped me pack up and bring everything home. When we got home on Thursday afternoon, it was time for me to start packing and preparing for my flight on Saturday morning...a very quick turnaround! As terrible as the 9 hour flight sounded, it actually went by fairly quickly. I read a novel, looked through my guidebooks on Madrid and Paris, slept a bit, and before long I was in Madrid! I arrived around 10 am, which is 3 am central time. I was pretty tired, but mostly excited to finally be in Spain!

First picture in Spain! (Also pictured is some classmate's luggage...I didn't pack that much!)

The Barajas airport in Madrid is huge! Luckily three of my classmates were on my flight, so we navigated our way through customs as a group. After retrieving our luggage, we were greeted by one of our professors who led us to our taxis that would take us to our home stays. My host-abuela Raquel is so energetic and enthusiastic. She loves to talk and always has an interesting story to tell. She is very feisty but also very sweet. Right away, she told me we would be going to El Rastro, an outdoor flea market, after breakfast. It was exciting to go on my first adventure in Madrid!

Raquel is also hosting my classmate Eva, and it is so nice to always have a companion to go exploring with. After El Rastro, Eva and I found our way to the International Institute where we have class everyday. It is only a 15-20 minute walk from the apartment, which is so convenient!

The next morning, there was a short orientation at the institute so we could meet all of our classmates. After that, Eva and I activated our Metro cards so we have unlimited access for 30 days. The metro here is so easy to navigate and is very safe. Later on, we went to purchase our Spanish cell phones. The phone stand was in the Metro stop at the Puerta del Sol, so we explored for a bit as well. After savoring chocolate croissants from La Mallorquina, we took pictures in front of statues, and even found a fabric store! It sold all sorts of gorgeous designer fabrics! I plan on going back there soon to admire it some more. Overall, I had a great introduction to Spain!