After the initial culture shock and adjustment period, I was rearing to go. Since I only have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this past week on Tuesday I decided to go see the city. Being a person who is not great with directions to begin with, I decided to try a hop on hop off tour around the city so that I could get my bearings. The following day I finally received a message from my language school about activities that they offer in the evenings. That night I met up with a group of young 20 somethings who were learning Spanish. Even the other Americans wanted to speak Spanish with me, which I appreciated. Normally when I see someone from my native country, I would just speak English with them. In this way I was forced to speak Spanish.
The next day I tried some delicious tapas at various restaurants down town, and then on Friday I have my Spanish class. Later that evening I flew to Lisbon, Portugal for the weekend.
I had reserved a reasonably priced 4 star hotel and was looking forward to seeing the sites and relaxing in the evenings. The first night I ate dinner in the mall food court next to my hotel. I obviously do not speak portuguese, and the kind woman behind the counter did her very best to try and explain to me what types of dishes they offered. My dish of choice was nothing to write home about, but it did the trick.
When I got back to my hotel room I played with the buttons on my roommate like a fascinated 5 year old. The hotel is very high tech and I could control everything from my blinds to my lights and everything in between with the push of the button. Once I got over that, I settled in for the night.
On Saturday, despite the fact that I had wanted to just relax in the hotel room, I knew that I should go out and see the city. I was able to find a hop on hop off tour and went ahead and did that. I got off thet tour on the beach and treated myself to ice cream and a nice meal. Later, after going back to the hotel to relax, I decided to go ahead and take a taxi to the local castle on the hill. The view alone was worth the price of admission and I was glad I had made the effort. After exiting the castle, I hailed a cab and was pleasantly surprised to begin a nice conversation with the driver. I learned that he was also a teacher, and that teachers in Portugal are even more underpaid than those in the states. He, like me, has a second job so that he can support himself. Despite the fact that he is so severely underpaid, he was so kind and positive that speaking with him made my day.
In the evening I went to an Italian restaurant near my hotel, after which I was happy to return to my fabulous hotel room. The next morning I had breakfast and was off, ready to head back to Madrid.
On Monday I had Spanish class again, after which Maria and I went to a museum and looked at the beautiful paintings. There was one on loan from the Detroit Institute of Arts, and I was like a proud parent admiring my childs work.
On Tuesday I took a day trip to the nearby city of Toledo, a beautiful town on a hill that inspired famous painters such as El Greco. I especially enjoyed the train ride I took around the city, during which the audio guide told interesting stories behind various landmarks. It was a long, hot day, after which I was happy to return home.
By Wednesday, afer my Spanish class had ended, I needed a little taste of home. So I decided to go to Hard Rock Cafe Madrid, just a short walk from my language school. Despite being fully aware that what I was about to order was calorific, I went ahead and ordered the twisted mac and cheese and ate every last drop.
Today I went ahead and relaxed at a university pool and then met with a friend of a friend. It was good for my Spanish, as she doesnt speak English.
All in all, things are going well and Im loving my time here.
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