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Published: September 15th 2009
Group Pic
Night out for Santiago's 23rd Birthday.Thursday, September 10: A group of 15 celebrated "Santiago's" (Harry/Jaime/James) birthday. We went to dinner in Plaza Santa Ana, which, by the way, it is NOT common to go out in a group larger than like 6 here in Madrid. I shared paella with 2 other people. It was DELICIOUS! It even looked pretty when the waiter brought it. After, we found this cool club, and ended the night at a bar.
Friday, September 11: I went to buy my ticket for the bull fight on Sunday Sept. 13. On the bus on the way there, I met a husband and wife that live in my neighborhood. They were telling me that they have the head of a bull hanging in their house, because he was a matador a long time ago. Direct quote from the wife: "Cuando era mas delgado (When he was thinner)." They were really nice, and it was neat to know that I met real-life matador! Then, I met on Calle Atocha (next to where we had stayed the first night in the hotel) to have lunch with the girls. It was a Thai restaurant named: Phuket Thai. After, I went to see the library and
With the birthday boy
Santiago in the middle, and the girls are: (L-R) Alex, me, Bri, and Sarah bookstore of the Reina Sophia Museum (as an assignment for photography class), followed by shopping in Sol with the girls. In the evening, I met with Maite. We had our first session: I am teaching her English, and she is teaching me Spanish. It's a fun way to get more practice in. 😊 That night, I went out with Alex, Bri, and Sarah. We stopped at a bar between Plaza Mayor and Sol, then met up with my Intercambio. An intercambio is a person that lives in Spain and attends the same University I do here. We are matched up by one of the program directors based on our interests. The purpose is so that I can learn more Spanish, and he/she can learn more English. Also, it helps to know people that live in Madrid, so that they can show us "foreigners" the local spots and secrets to the city. I was matched with Hector Munoz. Us girls met up with him and his friend and went to a churreria named San Ginez. It is open 24 hours! haha! We then went to a club and danced the night away! It was my first time in Madrid going to
Delicious Paella
This is the paella that I had on Santiago's birthday. Don't worry, it was not all for me! 3 of us split it, and shared the rest! :) a more local hang-out spot, and staying there until 6 am! I arrived back at home at 7 am and went to bed.
Saturday, September 12: I didn't wake up until the afternoon! Wowee! Today was a bum day. I got homework done and spent time on the internet. One thing that I haven't mentioned is that the metro is really easy to use, but I do not live super close to things. I have learned more than others how to use the bus system here in Madrid, but it is VERY complicated. I only know the ones that take me to/away from my home. It is about a 45 minute commute to school. I leave my house at 8:05 am, and walk to the bus stop 5 minutes away. I take the bus (115, 200, or 204) to Avenida de America metro stop, and hop on the metro (line 9) to the University. This is the quickest route. I arrive to the University at about 8:50 am, and walk to class. At least I can read or do homework on the metro before school. From downtown (including time to switch metro lines, etc.) it takes anywhere from 35
Churreria
At the churreria, meeting my intercambio minutes to 50 minutes to arrive back home, depending on which part of downtown I am coming from. The metro stop closest to where I live is Avenida de la Paz (off of line 4).
It is Sunday, September 13, 2009. This morning I went to El Rastro. It is the outdoor fleamarket in downtown Madrid. It was HUGE!!! There was so much to buy and so many stands set up. Everything was pretty reasonable. However, I only bought a ring for myself (it is silver and hand-made) for 8 euro. 😊 I plan on going another Sunday in the next month to buy gifts for family and friends. El Rastro runs from 10 am - 2 pm. I stayed for a couple hours with my friends, then had lunch. After, we went to H&M off the Gran Via metro stop, and found so much cute clothes! However, I'm trying to minimize the amount of shopping done for myself, and maximize the amount of shopping for family/friends and maximize traveling. Yay!
It is Monday, September 14, 2009. Last night, I went to see the bull fight at the Plaza del Torros, off of the Ventas metro stop (lines
Torros
La Plaza de los torros 2 and 5). It started at 6:30 pm. There were outdoor vendors in front of the stadium, selling peanuts, candy, etc. Watching the bull fights was definitely an EXPERIENCE! It was sad to see the bulls hurt, and later killed, but I figured it's part of the culture, and I wanted to see it once. The matadors were all done-up in their costumes/uniforms, and they were very talented. There were 3 main matadors, and each fought 2 bulls. They traded off: each fought one bull, one after the other, then there was a second round. I did not know that 6 bulls were killed in 1 event. 😞 Tonight, we had a dinner at our house for a neighbor (also named Christina, but I think without an 'h' in her name). She turned 18 today. Second week of classes has begun. I'm keeping up with everything pretty well, and having a lot of fun in dance class! We have learned Sevillanas (from Seville, Spain), Merengue, and Salsa. We practice it all at first by ourselves, then with partners. Also, I am enjoying photography class, because our first assignment is to take portrait photos. There are different techniques, and many things
to look out for (lighting, background, etc.).
It is Tuesday, September 15, 2009. I have added all of the blogs to this website that I had been writing throughout the past 2 weeks (but I hadn't put them on a blog website). So far, Madrid has been quite fun, and there is always something new to see! I am looking forward to this semester! This Thursday is my host sister's 11th birthday, and we are having a dinner here with all her friends. On Friday, the USAC group is going on a day trip to Segovia, ,Spain from 8:45 am - 5:30 pm. It is about an hour outside of Madrid. They are famous for their cochinillo (roast-suckling pig). We'll see how that goes! 😉 Keep checking back on my blog to stay updated! Thanks for reading!
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mom
non-member comment
Fun
Mija, can I fly down and be with you???? Just kidding. That sounds like so much fun. Six bulls die at one event??? That is too much. Poor bulls. Have fun at your day trip. Those little towns outside the city are the ones that are so charming and authentic. Wish to go someday. xoxoxo