So Far, So Good

I will pick up from where I left off... on the plane from Philadelphia to Madrid.

I sat next to a nice woman from a ton between Madrid and Barcelona. She was on her way home from a three month stay in New York City. She was fun to talk to and helped ease my nerves as we drew closer to landing. She gave me the name of the shop that she owned and her cell phone number so that if I ever make it to her town I can meet up with her and even stay on her couch if I needed.

For some reason I was very nervous about going through customs. What if they didn´t let me in?! But I got in the line with the other non-EU (European Union) residents and waited. The line moved quickly enough and when I finally got to the counter with my passport and embarkment paper I tried to play it cool. Luckily, the man hardly glanced up from his seat, I didn´t say a word, and was on my way. PHEW! I met Pilar (my friend from the plane) at the luggage claim and tried not to look too out of place. About half of the passengers on my flight were American college students on their way to study abroad. They were very loud and excited. I tried not to stand out much.

After collecting my bag, I said good bye to Pilar and made my way to where the family and friends of the passengers were all waiting. Consuelo was easy to spot. Besides the piece of paper with my name typed on it in big bold letter she was dressed nicely and had a big smile on her face.

We said hello. She kissed me once on each cheek and I shook her hand. It was a joining of two very different cultures, right of the bat. We made our way to her car and was on the free way before I knew it. Consuelo gave me the run down on how things would go for the day. She was going to take me home, show me around, then go to work. I was to relax, eat anything I wanted, unpack, and wait for the children to come home from school. As we drove she pointed out various sites such as the police academy and the university she studied at. I couldn´t help but smile because everything she showed me had a huge sign that I could easily read.

When we got to the house we buzzed through a fast tour and the next thing I knew I was standing all alone in my new home in Spain. The house was very quiet except for the oddly unique sounds all houses have. I could also hear the occasional traffic from the street.

I immediately tried to get my computer to work, but it would not. (I´ve spent every day since working on it, but my computer does not like the modem.) I spend several hours figuring out the computer situation before settling to use the families laptop, which I am still using. I also unpacked all of my things and familiarized myself with the house.

Sara, the housekeeper, came to the house a couple hours after I got there. She is very nice and several months along pregnant. I am sure we would get a long fine, but my Spanish needs a lot of work and she understands no English. It´s an interesting combination. When we first met I thought she was trying to speak to me, but in retrospect I think she was just trying to get passed me in the hall so that she could use the bathroom. Oh well, it will get easier.

After a short nap I woke up to the sounds of people in the house. I went upstairs to see Sara in the kitchen with Raquel and Sylvia, two thirds of the 10 year old trio. They did not hear me come in and when Raquel looked up and say me there she jumped about a mile and stood there stunned for several seconds. Despite the shocking first meeting we got along fine. I sat with them while they ate their snack of pastries and fruit. They told me about school and their friends all in very good English.

When the rest of the family came home the parents did not allow anyone to speak Spanish. They want all English all the time. My grammar and vocabulary are being put to the test!

At dinner the first night everyone was very excited to find out that I enjoy skiing, snowboarding, tennis, bicycling, and most all sports. Carlos, the father, seemed particularly excited to have someone to ride bikes with.

I went to bed that night feeling pretty good about my current situation. The family seemed fun loving, interesting, and was very welcoming. The house was clean and inviting. And Spain, from what I had seen, looked like it would be the adventure I was hoping for. And despite the lonely, isolated feeling in the back of my mind... or heart, I was excited to be there.

Over the last couple days I have spent more time with the family and Tres Cantos and like them both. Tres Cantos is the township where I live. It is 22km from actual Madrid and is a very new town, only 25 years old.

I fit in well with the family. Even after only 3 days with them we are all at ease with one another. The children are eager to tell me stories and the parents are excited to tell me about Madrid and speak to me in English.

Last night, Consuelo, Raquel, Sylvia, and grandmother Pilar (not the same Pilar from the airplane) took me to Tres Cantos´down town. We went to the social center which has a library, theater, town hall, and many many people. Then we went to the mall to buy a present for one of Sylvia´s friends. They bought "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" because I recommended it, though I haven´t read it.

I got the best sleep I´ve had yet last night. I think I got a full 8 hours last night! My first night here I only got 4 hours of sleep. The second night I got 5.5 hours. The jet lag has not been fun, but it has been manageable. I could probably have slept longer this morning but with four kids in the house all sshhhhing one another that didn´t happen. I found the family in the dining room eating pastries and drinking hot milk with chocolate (but not quite hot chocolate). I ate a couple pastries and had some orange juice. So far the food here has been great! And whatever they are cooking now has my mouth watering already. Meat, onions, carrots, garlic..... hmmm. It smells awesome.

The children are studying with their mother right now. School is very important to the parents, but the children are not very good students. Later this afternoon I will go with some of the children to the athletic club and we will play paddle tennis. And though I´m not certain what that is, I´m sure it will be fun.

Tonight I am going to have my first taste of Madrid. I am going to go meet some people at a bar at 11p and then we will go to the disco for Salsa dancing at 12a. I haven´t officially met any of the people yet, but I have talked to a couple online. Jenny is from Michigan and Pablo is from Madrid. The group will be a mix of cultures, not just Spanish. My biggest concern is managing the public transportation system. Consuelo and Carlos were excited to hear that I was going to go out (they didn´t get home until 2:30am last night) and are eager to help me find the buses and trains that I will need to get where I need to go AND get back home. Consuelo graciously gave me a pre-paid cell phone my first night here, so if I really get lost I can call for help.

Things are going great. I am talking with Flynn and Allison online daily. And emailing and messaging with my mom and dad, too. I figure if I keep busy the home sickness won´t have time to take root.

Oh! I lost the cord to my camera while I was in Chicago, so I have to find a new one. As soon as I do I will post a ton of pictures. For now you will just have to listen to my stories. Sorry! I´ll get the camera cord soon. Shopping for one was a good introduction to the Spanish language!

¡Hasta luego!