First day in Europe, in Spain!

Today was long, eerie, action-packed, and amazing!  Ya me encanta Espana!  Luckily we're taking a break in our 5-bed hostel room with 4 others from the program. To give you a good idea, it's currently Jan. 27, 8:35pm, and I haven't slept since waking up in the morning of Jan. 25 from home in California. Packing for four months is a pain, especially when you want to bring everything, there is a 50 lb. weight limit, and you have to consider lugging around all your belongings by yourself. Throughout the flight I wasn't able to sleep and I tried to refresh my high school Spanish before arrival.  I was getting nervous and anxious about the whole trip.  I didn’t know what to expect.  A group of us were supposed to meet up at the metro station by the orange ticket machines, but I never found them.  I waited for what seemed like an hour but I saw no one when I decided to leave as early as possible to the Luiz Velez Student Hostel thinking they may have already left also.

Now the worst part of the day was the journey to the hostel, one that I wouldn’t ever take again solo and with a lot of baggage, I had an idea before I left California about how to get to the hostel, but a piece of paper is not the same as navigating inside the metro in person.  I was fortunate to meet a pleasant old couple from Ireland who were heading in the same direction and got off one stop before mine.  There were the sweetest and friendliest people, and the husband-still in good shape- assisted me in carrying my 50lb luggage as I still had to lug around a carry-on and a backpack.  

The last metro line we took had packed cars with people shuffling in and out and all around the place.  After the old couple had left me before my one last stop, and during the time I had to manage my 2 luggage bags, there was a crazy, creepy looking guy who shuffled around behind me and attempted to pick-pocket my backpack.  I tried to keep my eye on him and my luggage, but it was not until we both got off a stop that a woman next told me that he had opened my backpack, and sure enough the front was unzipped.  I was so frightened but I don’t think I really had anything important in the front pocket- at least I think he wasn’t able to get anything.  What scared me the most was that he was so sly I didn’t feel or hear anything, probably because he was mumbling the whole time like a “cray cray” trying to muffle out any zipper noise and little did I know I would be the victim.  These pick-pocketers are pro, and right afterwards I put a lock on all the zippers of my backpack.     

So there are two problems with the Spanish metro.  1.) In packed cars it’s so easy to pick-pocket people and 2.) it doesn't always have escalators and elevators throughout the metro, which is really inconvenient when you have a carry-on and a heavy suitcase to carry.  Luckily the old Irish guy helped carry it for me until the last stop.  There were only stairs and I had my backpack, carry-on suitcase, and 50 lb luggage.  For some reason at the exit there were no people in sight, so I carried it up the stairs myself.   It was torture and finding the hostel was difficult.  I had to walk around and ask multiple people directions to the hostels but they were unsure themselves.

However, the best part of the day is that I made it to Spain!  My group all made it to the hostel safely, everyone is really nice, and Madrid is so beautiful and interesting.  Theresa’s friends, Daniel and Corque, Madrid residents were our really helpful tour guides.  They treated us out to some coffee, and then at night our little group had a little fun trying some tapas y las cervezas at La Tigre.  Fue divertido!

Madrid has beautiful architecture and buildings, narrow streets, and lively people during the night.  It was nice to take a stroll through Madrid at night with an awesome group of people.

I wasn't able to take many photos today but I'll be sure this time to take more and post it. 

-Nite.