The Joint and the Juice Box

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Firstly, I'm SO sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been so caught up with life that I haven't been able to buckle down and update you people on it. SO much has happened since I last wrote. I can't believe I've already been here for a month and a half. I'd like to point out that this is the longest I have ever been away from home. EVER. And I thought I'd be homesick but I'm keeping busy enough that it only comes in pangs. No mental breakdowns yet anyway. Let's see, where to begin....

Classes are going well. I had my first test in Lengua this week- but that's boring and no one wants to know about it. Moving on...


I've really gotten into a solid routine here, and I've come to realize that yes, I AM a city girl. Who would have thunk it? But really I LOVE living in a city. And sometimes when I'm walking down the street to hop the bus to the Prado for an afternoon of Goya and Velasquez and I see something really "city", like a man who is simultaneously smoking a joint and drinking a juice box, or the old man who always plays the violin on the metro while his little old wife holds his sheet music, or when I can buy a bottle of wine in the little asian market across the street for 1.50 (I'M NOT KIDDING ABOUT THAT), or when I book a flight to Portugal on a whim like it's no big deal- I sometimes have to step outside myself and wonder at the life that I'm living right now. I mean, yesterday I visited Franco's gravesite which is a giant tomb/monument on top of a mountain where he and all the fascist civil war soldiers are buried. (Now, we all know Franco was a bad guy. He's up there with Hilter and I won't debate that- but I just HAVE to admit that the guy had amazing taste in statues. That monument is GORGEOUS. Granted he built it when Spain was dirt poor and starving, but yea, that's why they call it a dictator). And the day before that I went to Segovia and saw the Roman aqueducts and the royal palace "Alcazar". And a couple weeks ago i went to Cordoba and saw the famous mosque that the Arabs built and the Catholics decided to convert partially into a church, and then went to a concert to hear some HEBREW Spanish music from before the Jews were expelled from Spain. This is all the stuff I learned about from history books or saw in pictures and now I'm SEEING it and TOUCHING it and LIVING it and it's completely mind-blowing.

NOTE: THIS IS THE PART WHERE MY ENTIRE ENTRY DELETED ITSELF AND I HAD TO START OVER. I HAD LIKE 6 PULITZER QUALITY PARAGRAPHS THAT ARE NOW LOST IN CYBER SPACE. I'M GOING TO TRY AND REPLICATE THEM NOW. YOU'RE WELCOME.

And then of course at night we choose 1 or 2 (or more) of the infinite bars, pubs, cafes, and discos that Madrid has to offer. Usually we meet in Puerta del Sol at the famous Bear/Strawberry tree statue and then take it from there. If it's a calm night or I'm really tired or have class the next morning, I'll catch the Metro home before it closes at 2. If I last a little longer than that, I can catch the night bus back to Plaza Legazpi where I live from 2-6. But if we REALLY feel like champs and can last until 6 am with the rest of the Spaniards, then we can take the Metro back when it opens again in the morning. It's the best feeling in the world because you know that if you made it til 6: you had a great night, you're going home to a warm cozy bed which you'll refuse to leave until at least 3 in the afternoon, and you're going to wake up to the smell of your Senora cooking something mouth-watering for lunch. (JESUS I SOUND SPOILED.)

I have to say though, my favorite part of this little routine I've gotten into, is SUNDAYS. On Sundays, I sleep in pretty late depending on which mode of transportation I took home the night before, and wake up to Dama dancing around the house to KISS FM MADRID, which for whatever reason is ALWAYS playing Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing or Wicked Game by Chris Issak- and I'm not complaining. After my leisurely lunch I decide on one of three things- all of which depend on the weather. If it's absolutely gorgeous out, I go to Parque Retiro and sit in the sun by the lake where people row boats and such with my ipod or a good book (right now I'm reading The Other Bolyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. HIGHLY recommend it!!!) and just enjoy the sunshine on the lawn in front of the Palacio de Velasquez for hours and hours, like I did yesterday for example. It's so relaxing that I'm hardly bothered by the dozens of happy couples publicly displaying their affection around me. (It's a big thing here...I guess I've gotten used to it.)
If it's not PERFECT weather, I attempt to make it to the Rastro, which is a giant outdoor market where vendors sell everything from Pashmina scarves (Dad, did you want me to bring one home for you? I know how much you love them...) to Japanese hand-painted fans, to GAS MASKS. I swear, there's a whole section of the Rastro dedicated to apocalypse gear and it terrifies me. I try to avoid that part at all costs. But I can only go there if it's rainy or cold because if it's too nice out every Madrileno and his mother is there and it gets Woodstock status crowded and I'd like to return to the states NOT trampled to death if that's at all possible.
Then if it's REALLY gross out I stay home and do homework. Or, as is often the case, I sit around THINKING about doing homework whilst employing every known method of procrastination (and trust me, there are many and I know them all). Then sometimes I'll catch a movie later on. (By the way, SEE THE WRESTLER. You will not be disappointed).

Anyway, speaking of Homework, it's Monday morning and I have classes starting at 2:30 that I'm not yet prepared for- so I'll leave it here. (I'm going to imagine that a series of disappointed groans just took place- if only to preserve my own ego). But I promise I'll try not to let it go this long without writing again. I'm going to Barcelona this Thursday-Sunday so I'm sure I'll have tons to write about NEXT Monday morning while I'm procrastinating my homework. (See? You benefit from my laziness- so don't judge me.)

Love you and miss you all so much

MUCHOS BESOS

Eli.

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