2 weeks in Spain

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Hola from Madrid! So, I've been here 2 weeks and have had trouble sticking to writing in my paper journal every night. I'm going to try to write daily in this blog so my friends and family know what I'm up to during my semester abroad! My first 2 weeks here have been amazing-it feels like I've been here for months, I feel at home. I'm living with a Senora as well as 3 other girls here to study Spanish and architecture. They are amazing! We have really bonded and I'm so glad they are here with me to explore Madrid.
What have I been doing here? Well, we have had orientations about safety, academics, housing, etc. every day as well as intensive Spanish classes to reacquaint ourselves with the spanish language. That has been the biggest challenge for me so far....at home I thought that I spoke Spanish well enough, but here I'm realizing that I don't know anything!!! It is incredibly difficult for me to communicate with native Spaniards, so much so that I have been avoiding doing so or just letting my friends do the talking. I need to make more of an effort to speak Spanish with the natives because I won't learn anything if I don't practice!!! It's difficult to get used to feeling ignorant and humiliated every single day!
Last Saturday our group took a day trip to Toledo! Unfortunately it was really foggy and cold, but it was still amazing. The city is so old, all the narrow little streets and old cathedrals and synagogues were great. We visited the Cathedral, an old synagogue, and basically just took a walking tour of the city. I look forward to returning there for a day when there is warmer weather because the stores were fabulous!!! Of course-me planning my trips based on shopping. I know Carrie is ashamed of me!! 😊 After the walking tour we stopped at a lookout point and took pictures of the city. Absolutely breathtaking!!! I loved it and can't wait to go back and take more pics of the town.
Also last week we went to El Retiro which is this amazing park in Madrid. It reminded me of Central Park and I'm sure it will be even more gorgeous during the spring and summer when the trees are green and people are out boating on the pond. Rachel and I walked around the park for a few hours before going to do some apartment hunting.
I want to split up these blog entries since I've been so behind so.....

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