Some things I've noticed about Madrid, Spain

One.   Everyone smokes. I Knew  many Europeans smoked but I never guessed there would be smoke everywhere.  Especially the students at my school. There's a break in a class longer than one hour, and without hesitation they 'take that chance to go smoke outside. I can not remember a day when I 'm not walking behind someone and get hit by a cloud of smoke unexpectedly. It's the norm.

Two. They  sure say ' Vale '  a lot.  It's their word for 'ok' and it's pretty amusing. I'm almost sure I will say it at Least Once before I leave. 

Three. DOGS! They're everywhere! It's so awesome! It's nice 15 dogs passing by on my way home. What a treat seeing furry friends Have the freedom to walk everywhere, and dine by Their owners in an outdoor restaurant.

. 4  There is literally a bar / coffee / club every other door.  It's neat. I am not much of a bar person but I do love how every one of them has a unique style and all of them look so homey! The ones by my host home make me want to go in them and read a book every time I pass by them. I have yet to do that.

. 5  These people  love  to party.  obviously it's Something I expected- Madrid! But it is amazing to me how you can leave your house at 1:00 a.m. and go get ice cream, walk around the city, go clubbing or bar hopping, and there are still plenty of people out around 6:00 a.m.. 

. 6  You learn to say 'NO'.  Being from Miami and living in Hawaii, I have not experienced many beggars or Promoters (ironically). Coming here was a hit in the face with people asking for stuff. I got so overwhelmed the first few times I went around the city there are Un Certain Because you reach spots where there is a flock of vultures That all you eat Towards rushing to Promote Their club or bar. When you say no the first time it's not good enough. They persist and persist until you almost Have to push them out of your way or yell at them. In the daytime, if you are enjoying your meal outside a restaurant, get prepared Because They will come for you. Promoters Not this time, but many gypsies and romans asking for change or money. Again, if you say no, they '' '' will stay there and ask you 5 more times. I'm learning not to smile politely and say not, but to simply say NO. That Normally works. I hate being mean, but: sometimes that's the only thing That Works. It is understandable the amount of People that do this, since the unemployment is about 35%, but again, it is something to get used to.

7. Ham is a staple.  If I still ate meat I would be a happy person. But after a year of not eating meat (only on very rare occasions), it's not the most pleasant smell when I 'pass by a meat market. Not sure if it's the freshly cut raw pork legs hanging by the window, or the pictures of cute little pigs on the glass door but I do not like it.  

8.  So many smells!   From the sweet smell of fresh baked bread in the morning to two minutes later smelling the garbage in the streets for only a second later to be hit by cigarette smoke and then sweetly fresh fruits Nose creeping into you, you never rich flavor can expect what you're going to smell.

9. Transportation. It's all about walking or riding trains / m here! Which is great for two reasons- you always stay fit (Relatively), and you get to see everything around you! All the cute little boutiques and stores, restaurants and cafes that you 'Would certainly miss if in a car. On the other hand for that second part, it Could Be really dangerous for your wallet to walk by all those cute places.

There are others That I can not think of now, things are expensive That except (other than Vuelos to other countries), But This trip is exciting and culture-shocking and perspective-changing and everything else! I'm glad I'm here but I know it's going to take a great deal of getting used to.

My first day in Madrid!

I can not believe I'm in Spain!
Left Hawaii at 8pm on Sunday night to Newark, New Jersey, Which was nine hours (!!!!) and had to stay in the airport for a whole 8 hours, just to catch a 7 hour flight all the way to gruesome Madrid, getting me here at 9:30 am on Tuesday. Needless to say I Only had six total hours of sleep in 24 hours (Which May be plenty for some of you but this girl loves her sleep!) I met a girl in the airport in Newark who was studying abroad Also, though in Granada, and we hit it along! (? Is that how you say that) When we got to Madrid, I met up with her and we tried to find our way around; Which cab or bus we needed to take, finding an ATM, etc. Once we got all that we Exchanged contact information, said our goodbyes and parted ways. Having someone that's going through the same process as you by your side makes the stress level decrease a ton. Speaking acerca stress! I had a freakout moment on the flight Because I had just realized That I am not going To have data, or wifi When I arrive at the airport and I did not even save my host mother's address in my phone! It was in my email, so all I Could acerca think was "how am I going to get there!" Luckily I had my visa papers Which Contained That information! So travlers future, plan ahead so You have to undergo Currently That stress.
Besides That, I caught a cab to my host home because i did not want to be traveling on trains and buses With All the baggage I had, and risk getting lost. The cab driver was very accommodating, pointing out That Were remarkable places in the That city and historical sites I should visit. We finally got to the street of where I'm staying but We had passed the apartment, so we HAD to do a couple more circles Because He kept taking the wrong turn (do not worry it did not cost me extra) and it was actually worth it Because by the time we finally arrived at the place, my host mother was just getting home! So she and her daughter in law Greeted me very joyfully and helped me carry my two heavy bags up four flights of stairs! The only thing on my mind then was "wow I am going to lose weight while I'm here." Immediately after she Showed me my room She Told me to sit on the dining table and served me breakfast, imagining That I was hungry (more like starving) and we chatted while I ate. She has this really funny That parrot will repeat anything it hears, and honestly it scared me Because it makes incredible: sometimes human voices. Anyway, right after I ate I went straight to my bed and collapsed. Could not I go to sleep right away because i have a balcony and I was just staring out and hearing the chatter outside. I wanted to meet my mates house but They Were in orientation, the way I was supposed to be, and I guessed they '' '' 'Because They Were not exploring went back after two hours after orientation ended. After falling asleep finally, I woke up a couple times thinking I slept till the next day and panicking thinking I missed the second day of orientation, but when I '' '' Realized I was good I fell right back asleep. I ended up sleeping for 6 hours, waking up, showering (my house mates Were still not here) and hanging out in my room. I was planning to take in my street to walk around 8PM, but by the time I was ready, my host mother HAD Announced That She was making dinner. Shortly after, my house mates arrived! They are super cool girls and all about me Told Their Day, and to little bit about themselves. One is Colombian and one is American, but they '' '' 'Both eating from Connecticut. 
Soon after they '' '' 'arrived, the food was on the table in September, looking amazing! Our host mother cooked us HAD pumpkin soup, grilled chicken (grilled chicken), croquettes (!!!), tomatoes and bread. The food was so amazing, but I was having trouble finishing Because first off, there was so much food! And second, I have been a pescatarian for a year now and I gave in to eating a piece of chicken and ham croquettes Which the HAD in them. When we were done, we Talked a bunch! I brought them a little gift from Hawaii, some necklaces and they '' '' loved it! They felt bad they did not get me anything.
After dinner, we made some plans for tomorrow since we have a campus tour. Now I am just in my room at 1:46 a.m., acerca to go to sleep after a long fun day! Can not wait to see the city tomorrow!

My apologies if there are many grammatical errors, it is Difficult writing straight on the blog since I'm using and it keeps translating google.es Between Inglés and Spanish Constantly and deleting some of my words without me noticing. From now on I will write my entry elsewhere and then copy and paste!