November updates

Pictures!

This is the most recent picture of me, from this weekend when we went to Salamanca. The cathedral is amazing. You might think that by now I´d be weary of yet another cathedral, but they´re all so different from one another, and this one is particularly spectacular. It looks even more amazing at sunset, but uh, I don´t. =) The sun was shining straight into my eyes and I couldn´t help but squint. Just look over my shoulder. That´s the best part of the picture anyway.


Sam and me in the Plaza de Cibeles in front of the Palacio de Comunicaciones! When he came to Madrid, we spent some seven hours or so strolling around the city, catching up, comparing study abroad programs, and making eachother miss Albuquerque. Thanks for a little taste of home, Sam.


Emily and me actually at the very same place as above, but at daytime and infront of the Cibeles fountain. That day I caved and went to McDonald´s. Oh, but not for a bigmac and fries, oh no. Who would have thought that one of the best places to get a salad in Madrid would be McDonald´s? Welcome to Spain.


Libby and me thoroughly enjoying a Spanish pastry. Yeah, I know, It looks like doughnut. But it´s a Spanish doughnut.
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I had the best day today. I feel like my experiences in Spain are just getting better and better. And while my time is running out, and I have exams to prepare for and hard Spanish plays to be reading and a gazillion papers to write (no exaggeration, either), I’m playing pretty hard too. It is so worth it!
My day was pretty simple, and it didn’t go perfectly by any means, but I am simply in a state of mind where I don’t want to let any small thing get to me and make me have a bad day. Let me explain. Today was a holiday in Madrid, so I decided, along with six friends, to check out the Rastro--this famous huge flea market that’s usually only on Sundays. Since we had class in the morning till 12:30, by the time we finally made it to where the Rastro is held after booking it to the train station and the half hour trip to the city, it was almost 2:00 and all the shops and booths were closing up and the streets were clearing out—that darned siesta! So our experience certainly doesn’t accurately exemplify the true Rastro experience, but we enjoyed browsing nonetheless.
We eventually started making our way back to back to the metro, so we could head to this tram in the middle of the city called Teleférico that goes to this big park with lots of trails and paths and disembarks on a hill with beautiful views of the Madrid skyline, including the Palacio Real and the Catedral de la Almudena, and…. Well anyway, when I got to the metro station, I realized that while at the Rastro, someone had robbed me of my metro/train/bus/every-form-of-transportation-that-I-need-to-get-to-and-around-Madrid-pass. At first I was really bummed out, and then I was just pissed. I mean royally seething. If I had known hexes, I absolutely would have been cursing the thief. I bought a one-trip ticket for the metro and griped all the way to Teleférico, saying that I hoped something bad happened to whoever took my pass for every time he or she swiped my pass at a metro or train station or bus stop. There is just no excuse for stealing my pass. None.
But then I got on the tram and let the smooth ride and the pretty vistas at sunset soothe me. I realized I seriously needed to chill out, because although I think I was pretty justified to feel the way I did at first, I was no fun to be with as long as I was pissed off, and I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy the day. The tram isn’t very high off the ground, so we got to see a lot of, um, detail. We were right above this beautiful park when all of a sudden the tram car this hill with a road that runs through the park. There were about six or seven prostitutes lining the side of the road, each one about fifteen yards from the next. I was really shocked to see them so out of context—they weren’t exactly on a sleazy city street. I started thinking about what their lives must be like. So what if I have to spend 50 euros for another transportation pass? Yeah, I’d really like to not have to pay that, but at least my wallet wasn’t stolen. At least I wasn’t hurt. At least I’m not a prostitute like the half-dozen girls we saw flashing cars of families coming to a park for a picnic on a holiday. Unlike them, I really enjoyed my walk around the park this afternoon. What a day I was having in comparison! So I perked up. I remember what I told my sister Janae when I was getting ready to come to Spain—that I wanted everyday of my semester to be a little better if only because I had spent it in Spain.
Even the train ride back to Alcalá from Madrid was better than usual. I appreciated the sunset, the company, even the Spanish strangers. When we got back to Alcalá, the six of us split the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life (probably because I don’t remember the last time I’ve eaten pizza—especially Dion’s caliber). We made our way to Calle Mayor, where some of us parted ways, but this cool chic Brittany convinced me to come play pool with the two boys from the group. I totally smoked those boys. I even made a shot behind my back (I was as surprised as them). And to finish off my day, I read an email from my sister and heard all about how awesome of a goalie she was in the NM girls state soccer championships. I walked the half hour or so to my apartment with a smile on my face. And when I walked in the door, I told my sweet senora Nieves all about my day. She seems to care about all the little details as much as I do—I remember when I walked in one afternoon and said to her “Nieves, acabo de ver el hombre mas guapo de todo el mundo esta tarde,” (“I just saw the most handsome man in the whole world”—yeah, this was definitely a one time occurrence.) and she said back to me, “ Pues, dime donde para que yo pueda verle también!” (“Well, tell me where so I can go back and see him too!”) I love my conversations with her.