Gosh it's been quite a long time since I last posted. I never got to El Escorial- heard it was a little lame but I'd still like to go. I also never made it to chocolate and churros- by 3 am I was exhausted and opted for bedtime.

Following the weekend was a week of school followed by a weekend in Salamanca. I only stayed one night and didn't see the convent I wanted to, but it was still lots of fun. The people there were the kindest I've met so far. We talked to shop owners and waiters and all of them were friendly and warm. The waiter for lunch spoke slowly and clearly-- explaining things we didn't understand. He made sure we were happy and even complemented my Spanish. When we were leaving on Sunday morning, we asked a man to point us in the direction of the bus station. Instead of just telling us, he and his daughter walked for five minutes with us to make sure we knew the way. Little things like that to make you feel at home.

Salamanca was small and easily doable in a day's time. We spent the most time jumping from hostel to hostel trying to find the best deal possible. After settling in, we had a fantastic (and inexpensive) lunch and headed over to the double cathedral. Walking around there, my Italian friend and I discussed religion and beliefs and the Church. This kind of talk normally occurs when you have to pay to see a church, but it was fascinating all the same. My guide book took us on some great views of the town and by the end of the night I was exhausted. But we still met up with my friend from Montreal's friends and had a nice time.

The next week was full of school, projects, studying, planning my mom's visit, and finding flights to Paris. In short, stress :) But there were some other small adventures tucked in here and there. This weekend I need to try and save some money, but I'm hoping to get a cheap ticket to a soccer game for Saturday night.

Things I've learned:

1. The rain makes me tired and boring

2. I was developing some serious back problems. I couldn't figure it out and tried sleeping with a pillow between my knees. That didn't help enough and it was getting to the point where walked to school in the morning was difficult. Yesterday I bit the bullet and took one of the mattresses off my bed (I had two stacked on top of each other). This morning my pain was significantly diminished and I felt way better. Thank God that problem is solved. I can no way afford a chiropractor or a new mattress here!

3. I'm getting so much better at understanding Spanish. I've started watching movies or shows in Spanish and just listening carefully has greatly affected my comprehension!

4. Some of my teachers are really cool about being an exchange student and are willing to be lenient. Which is great because I normally have no idea what is going on. Always a plus.

5. Some things here are insanely cheap- frozen food for example. I bought tons of frozen vegetables and things like that for 6 euros. FRESH veggies on the other hand- not even worth it.

6. It's still hard to make plans with people. Speaking in person, everyone is so excited and willing, but in the end, things mostly fall through. It's really tough.

Sorry cats, I know I'm the worst blogger you've ever met. I do it for my own benefit, I swear. I really don't know what all happened after that last post. I know I probably went out and had an OK time. In fact, I think that's what happened. I think I went out, it was alright, and I started to feel ill by Sunday. That must be it. Because after that I got sick. Very sick.

I continued to go to classes and meet people, but by Wednesday I was feeling pretty awful. Thank you mom for buying me a thermometer because I had a temperature of 100.1 I think. Although having a fever helped me whip up some unbelievable homemade macaroni and cheese! Hooray! I went to bed, skipped my classes the next day, and slept until 4. Sounds lovely, but I'm leaving out the chills and night sweats.

Thursday night Arielle had planned for me to go with her and her boyfriend's friends to a fundraising party. I didn't go to the party but did hang out with them for a little while so that I could meet them. It was hard to understand what was happening and thus I couldn't participate. Also, they were too nervous to speak to me- in either English or Spanish. But that's ok, hopefully I'll get an exchange friend to practice with!

Although Thursday afternoon I had a fever of 102 (?) by Friday I was feeling much better. Arielle and I got some breakfast, had a long chat, did homework in a park, and then made dinner together. It was a really nice, healthy day. Except that we made pizza.

Saturday I went to Segovia with Maggie, a friend from ICADE, and one of her friends who lives in Segovia. It would have been wonderful but it was raining all day. I saw the aqueduct of Rome, the Cathedral, and Alcazar. I practically wet my pants with the excitement of being in a real castle!!! (Pictures to come soon to facebook!)

We had a nice lunch, had fun walking around, and a good nap on the bus ride home. I just wish I could have seen the landscape, appreciated the city, and had dry feet. Alas, instead I had to buy an umbrella, was blowing my nose all day, and shivered in the Cathedral.

Sunday I got up (not an easy task) and took a train to Toledo. I must have forgotten my heart there because I fell deeply in love. The city is rich in Medieval history- with Arab influence very apparent. There are rolling, rocky hills hugging the city, with rivers in valleys skirting the borders. I met two Italian girls, an Austrian boy, and a French girl-- all of whom I became friends with and like very much. Also there were a Colombian friend, her friend, Maggie, and my French friend. All found my screaming and clapping with excitement annoying and amusing. Well, probably just annoying. I honestly couldn't help but jump with excitement and clutch my heart-- it was really that breath-taking. We walked-- hiked rather-- up and down the hilly town, looking for all the treats my guide book told me about. That also made me memorable-- I was the trustworthy guide, taking us in all the wrong directions. So my Austrian friend helped bear my cross.

We saw the Cathedral which was unbelievable. It was very gothic, but there's one section near the ceiling where the light shines through on very romantic (technically Baroque) statues. The contrast is striking (time to gasp). The the enclosed choir, one crazy woman decided to ignore the ropes and sit in a choir chair. She wasn't kicked out, just yelled at. Naturally, she did it again. It drives me nuts when people don't respect history.

The cloister of the Cathedral was closed (lame because we paid 7 euro to get in!) so instead we went to the Iglesia de Santo Tomé, where the famous El Greco painting, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, is. This painting was ginormous and gorgeous. Toledo is full of El Greco works, because he lived and died there. The Cathedral had a whole museum (one room actually) with many works of his. The church itself was very small and not exciting, so we left. After that we found the Monastario de San Juan de los Reyes where they had the most gorgeous cloister full of plants, orange trees, and Arab architecture. We then walked downhill to Puente de San Martín, a bridge where something important happened that I can't remember.

On the way back I bought some marzipan treats-- yum!-- because apparently that's a big thing here. Sadly, I didn't have enough time to go looking around shops or see Alcazar, so I think I'm going to go back some other day during my stay here in Madrid. If it gets any prettier though, I think I'm going to have a heart attack.

Monday I got up, continued to blow my nose, went to classes, and went to bed at a reasonable hour. Tuesday I did the same, but went out with my French friend after classes. Later that night we went to a bar to watch the Real Madrid vs. Lyon game. It was fun because Real Madrid hasn't beat Lyon in years. I was with French friends so we rooted for Lyon- although the game was a tie. After that we went to a Hawaiian bar and after that we went to a bar where they played Backstreet Boys. We all walked home because it was such a nice night out-- don't worry, family, I was safe and walked with two friends.

Wednesday I had a class cancelled, so I got up at noon, went for a run, took a shower, and went to one class. After class I hung out with Maggie until we went to this chain bar and had yummy tiny sandwiches and drinks- on Wednesdays everything is one euro! But it was so crowded that it took us an hour to get a table and nearly another half hour to sit down! I went to bed at a reasonable time and got up for class today. No coffee because I was planning on napping. However, I'm drinking coffee now as I blog in preparation for tonight.

The plan is to get tapas with my friends, then go to a nearby bar, then go to a party hosted by the exchange group at my school. If all goes well, I will still be up for churros con chocolate in the morning. Then, lunch with my new friends, a good nap, and a themed party at my friend's house. Saturday I'm looking at maybe going to El Escorial (a castle near Madrid) and Sunday I should really do some homework. Maybe work a picnic in somewhere. Phew!

Things I've learned:

1. How to cook beans without burning them!

2. We really need to buy toilet paper.

3. Having a cold sucks

4. The weather here is unbelievable- it was 65 degrees F today!

5. I sweat a lot. And I look crazy cus I take off my jacket and just wear a t-shirt around while the Madrileños wear winter coats.

6. That makes me nervous about what March is going to do to me. Or April. Or May.

7. I refuse to think about June.

8. I'm getting very stressed with my classes here. I'm not enrolled in them yet, even though I've turned in my papers and talked with my teachers. Therefore, for 3 of them, I can't look up the slideshows online, I can't see what book I have to buy (and read), I can't see when our final exams are, and I can't see what homework and projects I have to do. I feel like a complete slacker- I'm not the kind of girl who goes out on a Tuesday night.

9. I'll tell you something-- I'm the kind of girl who has two jobs and 18 credits and-- if she's lucky-- keeps her friends.

10. I guess that's what this experience is about- changing who you are and what you do normally. I'm so used to having a schedule of what I need to do by a certain time that uncertainty is killing me. I'm sure all of this is for my own good blah blah blah but it's not easy. I know I need to chill out a lot, but I still want to be serious about my work. Not having the ability to take it seriously is driving me crazy.

11. One of my teachers showed us the final exam grades from the previous semester. More than half the class failed. Crap.

12. It is possible to save money here. I have committed to wait to go grocery shopping until all of my other groceries are gone. It's taking a while and I would really appreciate an egg.

13. I really need to start wearing walking shoes when I go somewhere. After Segovia I was in crazy pain. After Toledo I was dead. Problem is, something comfortable and cute is too expensive. I take cute over comfort. It's a problem.

14. My Spanish is at a standstill- what I'm hearing in class still isn't clicking. Especially when I'm writing down the notes as quickly as humanly possible.

15. I've been gone so long because I was sick.

16. I also dread writing this because it takes so long.

17. Mostly though, I've been meeting people. It's so interesting- I hang out with people from all over the world and we speak English. And yet these kids know at the very least three languages. Most of them know four. It frustrates me that I'm so limited. I want to learn French very badly but I know how frustrating it is- Spanish alone is an endless sea of learning. I will never be perfect at it, just as I will never know all the words there are to know in English.

18. For a perfectionist such as myself, this is really annoying.

19. I'm planning my Spring Break travels, travels to Milan (bought a ticket!), to Las Fallas, to everywhere. It's stressful, but exciting!

20. I wish I could remember all the funny little things I think during the day. They're about the culture, my experiences, and little thoughts. They're wildly entertaining. Just my memory sucks.

21. I think I'm narcoleptic. It makes a lot of sense actually.

22. I cannot be on time. I'm either outrageously late, or quite a bit early. It is impossible to be on time here.

23. The Spanish are nearly always late and are definitely always on their phones. It must be a cultural thing.

24. One thing I've definitely learned is how to stay out of contact with people. I don't use my phone unless absolutely necessary. I've definitely toned-down the texting- down to maybe twice a week? This does not mean I want to change my plan when I get home, Dad. It's frustrating to rely solely on word of mouth and the internet. I'm totally in the Stone Age over here.

25. My entire school is in the Stone Age. I have an assignment due next Wednesday in one of the classes that I can't access on the internet. The teacher hasn't added me and I can't email her because she doesn't have an email address through our school. So I'm supposed to be psychic and guess what the assignment is going to ask me? Oh and I have no notes for the class and no book.

I'm forgetting a lot so I'll try to do better next time and take notes! xx (that means besitos- the two kisses that you give people when you say hello and goodbye-- something that the intercambios [exchange students] haven't completely figured out yet. are we French, German, Austrian, Austrian, or American?)

So turns out I couldn't make it the whole way through the superbowl. Arielle and I took the night bus (settle down kids- it's not Harry Potter) at 4 in the morning and I got up excited (?) for school the next day. My first class, human resources, was impossible. I couldn't understand a thing that was being said. Maggie and I looked at each other amazed, and not because there were only four people in the room. I resolved to drop it immediately.

My second class turned out to be an economics class instead of organizational behavior. Turns out teachers change class times and room numbers whenever the like. The Spanish kids seem to know what they are doing somehow. This time change ruined my whole schedule and I now had to create a new one. On the plus side, I met some very nice kids from Montreal, some of whom were from France. We got coffees and explored.

Next I went to international business economics where I fell asleep multiple times over the next two hours. Maggie and I decided that it was an awful day. We went out for churros and chocolate with my French friends and had a great time. Then, we bought candy, ate dinner, and moped. Only after did we work on our schedules some more.

Tuesday I decided to skip some classes (who knows what I'm taking anyway) and got up eventually. I went to my econ class and made friends with a girl from Colombia. We decided to be traveling buddies as well as take some classes together. Otherwise, I don't even remember where I went or what I did until that night when Tim, Maggie, and I went to a Hawaiian bar to meet up with our new French friends, one of whom was celebrating her birthday. It was loads of fun and we all decided to meet up the next night to watch the futbol game (France vs. Brazil) and then maybe go to the Comitas party. Comitas is the group that pairs intercambio students with Spanish students. For some reason I can't seem to get in.... Exclusivity has always been my worst enemy.

Wednesday I learned that another class was changing its time. That meant my schedule had to change again. I was becoming displeased. I tried making more friends, but the kids really stick with their programs. It's getting tough but everyone has been very nice anyway. After my classes were over I made another friend and mourned my schedule. I met up with the Frenchies but Maggie and I were getting tired and warm. Turns out the party wasn't very much fun anyway and we were glad we left the bar early. I got pizza and we both got ice cream (note: this is the beginning of Jeanna's eating binge). Once I got home I got in bed, watched the office, skyped with friends, and ........ ate candy.

The next morning (this morning) I had a meeting I only knew about from checking my email the night before (another good thing about going home early). At the meeting we discussed my schedule and my options. I now have a promising (and working!!!) schedule. The woman I talked to was unbelievable and deserves many gold stars and cookies. She made my day. I went home, ate, took a 2 hour nap, and dashed off to Spanish. Afterwards I hung out with Maggie and my Australian friend. Then I went home, continued my binge fest, and sat around writing this. Now it looks like I might be going out....

What I learned:

1. Making friends sucks.

2. But it makes you feel soooooo much better!

3. Intensive Spanish pays off.

4. My whole meeting with my advisor was in Spanish! So thrilling!

5. My friends and family have been super supportive and now I'm finally getting into things here. Only took about a month....

So Thursday I got up, did things I can't remember, went to ICADE again, looked around for a new cafe to sit in, ate at a place called VIPS-- American food-- and went to my Spanish class. After some of us were hanging out talking and planned on hanging out later that night or during the weekend. It never happened, but Maggie came over and we hung out with my roommates and their friends. We went to a club and on the way home the taxi driver was a schister and took an outrageous way home. My roommate haggled in Spanish and we didn't have to pay the full meter.

Maggie slept over and the next day we went out for coffee and pastries. I met up with Arielle and one of her friends and we went shopping around. Afterwards, we got more candy (i dig my own grave) and skyped the girls from back home. It was really hard at first-- life just isn't the same here. Arielle and I made dinner and watched half of The Scientist.

The next day I got up late and went over to Maggie's. We went to Chueca to poke around some shops, but cut it short because the crowds were insane. We went grocery shopping and made dinner. I went home, watched a movie, and went to sleep.

Today I got up, went running, cleaned the kitchen, took a shower, and did some laundery. Soon Arielle is coming over for us to go watch the Superbowl (starting at 12:30 am here-- yikes). I have class at 9 tomorrow so this should be exhausting.

What I learned today:

1. I realized that I'm having some trouble here.

2. I caught myself counting the months till I get home.

3. The other night I dreamt about my family.

4. Its not that I'm homesick, I'm just really sad of the way my life is here. I'm slipping into wanting to be alone all the time and checking skype all the time to see who's online.

5. That's not an ok way to be living here. But I don't know what to do

I really did do all that I said I would do on Tuesday, to my own amazement as well. Getting up was probably the worst part as I did eat all that candy and consequently felt like crap. I submitted my security deposit, went back home to eat breakfast, forgot to take my medicine, and left for ICADE.

Maggie, the other girl, and I talked classes for several hours after buying our book for our Spanish class. We have a new place we like to go to-- Starbucks. No, not for its outrageously priced coffee and pastries, but rather for its 45 minutes of free WI-FI that you get with a purchase of something from the counter. I had a lot of fun though getting to know this girl from our class and I finally started to feel like I was meeting other people.

We went to class and today was significantly less fun. I took a little cat nap during the worst part (despite my large cup of coffee) and left chatting with my new classmates. I started off in what I hoped was the direction of my friend's hotel and luckily found it 10 minutes early. I meandered looking for a good place for us to eat and found this great little hippy shop that reeked of incense.

On time, I returned to the hotel and reunited with a bit of Marquette. He and I had such a great time. We walked all the way to Puerta del Sol and found a small restaurant where someone was nice enough to help us with the menu. I got the impression that they wanted us out of there (even though it was empty) as all our food and drink was immediate and the waiter just hovered (very strange in Spain). We both had paella-- which my friend said was the best he's ever had-- and I even tried sucking the shrimp head. It didn't work but at least I tried-- an accomplishment as they leave the eyes on the shrimp. His second plate was rabbit-- again I was surprised as it was quite good-- while mine was salmon. Dessert was a tiny slice of ice cream and packaged flan. The meal was slightly dry but very fun. I was discovering that the best nights had been including reminders of home.

We then walked from Sol back to his hotel and past into Casa de Campo. We didn't go far into the park as I didn't want to get lost and it was very cold out. But we talked of Spain and the culture and other Americans and what we are looking for in this experience. We've been told so many times that this experience will change you and be unbelievable right off the get-go. But that's not true yet. I feel like I've been waiting for something to start. He and I talked about how one can't just wait-- if I'm going to be awed, I've got to make it happen. I wouldn't want to be changed against my will either. Change takes commitment and work; I may realize I need to change through what I learn here, but I will be the changer. I realized I wouldn't want to be lazy in all this and just let it happen. We should be doing the work.

I also realized what it is I feel like I'm missing here, why I don't feel completely happy and blown out of my mind. I miss good, intellectual talk. I've had some with Arielle, Maggie, Tim, and this friend, but nobody new yet. I can't expect new friends just to jump the gun on it either. I need to be patient and establish a strong base before we really delve into something deeper. So I'm impatient. I'm impatient to make more friends and feel at home here. Because for me, home is comfort with other people. I found that so quickly at Marquette that now I don't know how to find it here. It was so easy to make friends before that now I'm struggling. I can only try and be patient.

We said goodbye and thank you for such a wonderful time, and we went our separate ways. I curled up in bed and, as I was feeling sick, racked up a full 10 hours of sleep.

Wednesday I got up, dressed, walked down to ICADE, talked with my program director, went to Starbucks to figure out my budget and do some homework, and then walked back to school for class. Afterwards two girls in my class, Maggie, and I all went out for tapas and drinks. We had a meter of Sangria (very funny experience as I was incredibly confused as to what I should do) and patatas mixtas. These were unbelievable. Mostly thick-cut french fries with brava salsa and aioli sauce on it. Later, a class of calimocho (red wine mixed with coke) and a bacon sandwich (yes, Mascitti family, a bacon sandwich).

On the way home one of the girls and I bought candy. Which I ate an entire bag of. Again. During the night I had a stomach ache and a dry mouth. The things we do....

Things I learned:

1. I forgot to factor in my books to my budget. Crap.

2. I may have made a huge fashion error of judgement as everyone has been looking at my olive green tights today. I swear they look cute.

3. I need to stop buying large amounts of candy only to eat it all in one sitting. Half of this equation has to change. I think we all know that I'm probably just going to continue to eat large amounts of candy so I can regret it later.

4. Eating an orange (this means peeling as well) with a fork and knife is very difficult. I succeeded proudly and with aching fingers.

5. My spanish teacher is kind of crazy, but in a very good way. She tries to make everything fun and does a pretty good job... for class.

So I finished Saturday night with pasta carbonara made by Maggie-- also incredibly delicious. Arielle and I brought a baguette, some red wine, and carbonated water (gaseosa) to mix with it. I know this information will cause my mother to have a conniption, but for those of us who can't exactly handle our bitter red wine, this is delicious. We accidentally stayed till 1 am just chatting and ran out before the metro closed at 1:30.

Sunday I got up late (yes, again) and took a very long walk (about an hour) to the Prado. This would have been wonderful and invigorating, but it was raining. When I left it was only misting, then several blocks later it was drizzling, etc. 20 minutes from the museum, however, it was clearly raining. I'm so glad I wore no gloves, had no umbrella, and wore my canvas converse. Life. But we got in free so it's all ok.

I saw Velasquez and Goya and other Spanish classical painters. I wasn't as breath-taken as I was in the Reina Sofia, but some of the works were incredible. Maybe I'm more of a lover of Italian painters. Go figure. I only stayed for an hour because I wanted to meet Arielle for an early dinner in Sol. Another 20 minute walk in the pouring rain just to realize that, naturally, early dinners don't exist in Spain. We went to her favorite Italian restaurant and sat with a small dish and cappuccinos talking for an hour and a half before we ordered. This was the best meal I've had yet. The pizza with mushrooms (setas) and Italian ham (prosciutto) and five cheese and truffle gnocci were only outshone by our conversations. We talked of American education systems, economics, Belgian history, and more. As of yet, the best night I've had in Spain was right there.

I learned from my previous two mistakes and took a metro home where I promptly put on warm, dry clothes and snuggled in some blankets. I skyped back home and went to sleep.

Today was a very good day. Looking back on it with my crappy cup of tea (it's black tea but you would never be able to tell. I'm so grateful I bought a box with 50 teabags), I can only be distinctly proud of myself.

I got up later than I meant to, helped edit a personal statement, was late to meeting Maggie (yes, Dad I know that's not a good thing), but let life get better from there. Maggie and I walked around Fuencarral, a street close to her apartment that connects Alberto Aguilera (where my school is) to Gran Via (if you know Spain or Spanish you get why this street is so named). Our mission was botas. Boy did we see botas. As anyone can tell, I'm picky and a perfectionist. My mom knows this the hard way as it's generally a toss-up if I will ever wear something she buys for me (the gold earrings however, wearing now and almost every day). I know exactly what short grey boots I'm looking for and I almost found them but decided against it at the last minute. We must had gone into roughly 10 or more zapaterias (shoe stores) and still no dice. I did, however, buy a pair of short black boots for only 7 euro. Now that's a deal. The grey ones I was considering were the same price, but I just wasn't completely happy. So it goes.

Afterwards I bought a cheap slice of pizza (re: heaven) and we went back to Maggie's for some long-awaited peanut butter. We then went to our first Spanish for Foreigner's class at ICADE. Finally!!! Meeting people and making friends!!! Such a breath of fresh air! I've been spending time with Arielle's friends at SLU-- all whom I like very much-- but I really needed to meet other international kids at ICADE. Class was actually fun and not difficult. I'm hoping to organize a class outing to a bar for tapas after class sometime this week (we get out at 7:30 so that's acceptable).

I walked home (after forgetting my boots in the classroom and running back) and made a pit stop to pick up some very cheap, somewhat stale candy. It's worth it and I can't wait to eat it all! But maybe I'll make some dinner first. Some beans and tuna in a vinaigrette with a fried egg on top. Pure protein, pure deliciousness.

Tomorrow I'm planning on submitting my fianza (security deposit) with my roommate in the morning, meeting Maggie and another girl from our class to start scheduling our classes, going to Spanish class, and then meeting a friend from Marquette who's visiting Madrid to get dinner. Will I complete it all? Stay tuned to find out (even though I'm a major dork about the drama of this blog).

Things I learned today:

1. My tea sucks. Did I mention that?

2. I love shoe sales.

3. Duh.

4. My mind blanks out whenever I ask an important question. The more irrelevant something is, the better the chance I will understand it. Super.

5. I'm learning how to use a percolator. I found one in the cabinet and can't live like this anymore.

6. My English is getting worse. I was afraid of this!!

7. I hate uploading pictures, so to all my adoring fans, hold your horses.

So Thursday I went to orientation again. Almost being late and nearly sprinting through the rain was incredibly worth it for a 5 minute presentation on safety at the university. Bottom line: just don't be stupid. Afterwards we were introduced briefly to all the individuals that would be working with us at ICADE in the business department. We then had time to speak to each of these people individually. Still though, no real opportunities to make friends.

After this we went to the basement where I figured out my email, username, password, etc. Although I'm still not sure if the email will work. I then made about 5 more copies of my passport as that's just like cocaine to these people. Note: the printers are impossible. You must ask at least 2 people for help and ruin their printing experiences. But they were both extremely nice.

After this we went to Tim's apartment where we had delicious pasta that I inhaled to get back to my room on time to go to the bank. I had met my landlord on Wednesday and he had to be paid! But the bank was closed and I was late anyway. Beware the 6 line on the metro and Tim's apartment entrance-- both like to detain you.

So I got groceries and just hung out until later that night when we went to a club. Arielle slept over and the next day we awoke-- very late mind you-- and got coffee, juice, and a panini. I discovered that I made the 4th highest (out of 6 levels) in my Spanish proficiency test! I am officially "vantage or intermediate". I'm actually thrilled.

We were going to go to Palacio Real but instead went to Reina Sofia, an amazing modern art museum. We met Tim, Maggie, and some of Tim's roommates there and poked around discussing various pieces. I had been shaking with excitement because my guidebook told me something very interesting: Reina Sofia is the home of Pablo's Guernica. This immense piece honestly choked me up. Having studied it I was able to discuss various aspects and what it means. Arielle read the overview sheet and shed even more light onto the painting. Truly an awesome work.

We searched for my favorite Picasso, something I know as The Blue Woman aaaaand I was wrong. It's actually called Blue Nude. And it doesn't live at the Reina Sofia apparently. I was displeased, but nothing could ruin unbelievable art in front of me.

We left the museum and went out for a light dinner and sangria. I tried shrimp eggs, oxtail, and manchego cheese. All actually very delicious. I'm really trying here to handle the seafood. So far, so good-ish.

We then went back to my apartment and hung out until we left for a house party in the suburbs. It was all very American. I made friends with someone from Scotland and then took a cab home. I stayed up watching things on my computer and got up very late today. I've finally showered, cleaned up, and had something to eat. Soon enough though, Arielle and I are heading over to Maggie's to make dinner and maybe watch a movie. Just a nice, easy night :)

Pictures of Guernica and Reina Sofia to come

Things I learned today:

1. I don't know if I could ever suck the brains out of a shrimp. But I heard it's the best.

2. I bought really cheap cookies but I looooooove them

3. The milk I bought is funny tasting. Apparently not all things cheap are tasty.

4. My protective keychain from my brother almost got me arrested at the art museum. That was terrifying. Luckily what appeared on the x-ray couldn't be found in my purse. The most distressing thing is that they thought I would cut pieces of art. I was appalled.

5. Pasta carbonara made by my roommate is unbelievable.

I just figured out how to upload pictures so the last three are actually a little bit old. The third and second to last pictures are from Retiro Park, and the last picture is from Plaza de España. The earlier ones will be explained :)

So yesterday I stayed in all day and tried to figure out my schedule for ICADE and I got a lot done but started to feel like a hermit. I went to the Saint Louis University in Madrid soccer game where my roommate was playing and cheered on SLU with Arielle and her friends. I'm now officially a member of the SLU cheer team and will be attending the rest of the futbol games.

Afterwards I went back to a bar I had been to where we had free nachos and pizza. Naturally the nachos were covered in pork and barbeque sauce (because that's Mexican?) and beans. Pork is everywhere. Even the word for meat, "carne," is translated into "pork" here in Madrid. After stuffing myself with pizza (with various kinds of pork on it), nachos, and two claras (beer mixed with a sort of lemon soda or sprite), I was ready for bed.

This morning I got up early to get ready for my orientation at ICADE. I met Maggie and Tim at the gate and we walked up to take our Spanish placement test. Naturally, we were lured into a false sense of proficiency with a simple beginning to the test. By ten minutes left, I still had 20 out of 100 questions. Needless to say, I rushed. I hadn't studied, however, because I wanted the testing to accurately reflect my current abilities. One girl finished within 20 minutes, but she was wearing high heels, so it must've all been wrong anyway.

We went to a meeting on the University with a video full of Harry Potter music, terrible voice-overs, and completely useless information. It was a recruitment video, but we were already there... Without some caffeine in my veins I took a baby siesta in the middle of the presentation on housing. I was intrigued when I learned about a program called Comitas where an exchange student becomes paired with an international student for help and mutual understanding.

More excitingly, I met someone from Italy and we chatted about school and where we are from, but when I learned he was going to ICAI (a separate building for engineers), I realized I probably would never see him again. But I appreciated the Italians' innate gift for stylish glasses and perfect hair.

Afterwards we went down to breakfast (rather, coffee and pastries) and stood around before our second session of information. At this session we talked about actual things- classes, scheduling, ID cards, etc. I found out I DO have an email address through them, but do NOT have an address for things to be delivered at the school. Therefore I expect all chocolate, flowers, cookies, money, etc. to be sent via Arielle (and my mom has her address :D ). I feel much better being in a room with all the kids I'll have my business classes with and seeing how scheduling will work out. Even though, it's going to be an adventure.

Maggie, Tim, and I decided to take the metro to Casa de Campo where I learned that this enormous park was once the private hunting grounds of some king or dictator or something. (Don't worry, I actually plan on learning about it). We walked about 20 or 30 minutes to the lake and had lunch by the edge. We had a classic "plata del dia" or "meal of the day". I had a vegetable soup with a fried egg on top (unbelievable) for my first plate, accidentally ordered fried squid (and yes, James, I ate the tentacles) for my second plate, and a sort of flan/bread pudding for dessert. I couldn't eat all the squid (I was given four and could only eat one), but I'm proud of my efforts. For those who know me, this is a BIG step. Because those things are so gross.

All around our table were these little birds that were begging for scraps of bread. They were all lined up on the chair and I just about died. They were so cute and determined that they deserved my crumbs.

We paid the bill and walked back, trying to warm up from sitting outside (which labeled us as crazy Americans anyway). We explored an indoor mall that was converted from an old train station (very cool) and headed back on the metro. Tim went back while Maggie and I decided to explore her neighborhood for a discount store. There are many of these stores in Madrid overflowing with inexpensive goods. We walked a long way but eventually found one, finding much else along the way. There's a store called Tiger that was pulled right out of Urban Outfitters home section, complete with Indie-Folk music. I fell in love, naturally.

I'm now sitting around avoiding my scheduling and budget for this semester, wondering if I should hold out for the classic Spanish dinner (ie very very late at night). On the plus side, my roommates and I changed some light bulbs (one of which exploded on me-- so you're not supposed to do that with the light on already?), and now everything is wonderfully bright!

Things I learned today:

1. People really are kind here. They aren't as immediate with smiles or polite phrases, but every kind interaction I have had (which are on the rise thanks to my understanding increasing) has seemed genuine. They smile and say something nice when they mean it, not because of social norms. What a concept.

2. My stomach is still not OK with the food

3. Fish is especially not OK. The thought of calamari turns my stomach over.

4. Thus, avoid the seafood section.

5. I can understand almost all of what is said to me now, as long as it's stated slowly and without a heavy accent. Epiphany! I'm going to survive!

6. I can also talk. I just need to settle down and speak slowly.

7. Apparently ICADE is going to be impossible. Super.

8. Luckily, this means that it is an extremely prestigious school. Major companies hire directly out of it-- and I mean MAJOR, international companies. I even have the opportunity to get an internship after my classes finish.

9. I have the opportunity to take a dance class here for 68 euro. My heart and body say "yes! jeanna you love to dance!", but my wallet says "are you crazy? that's $100 USD." Let the battles begin.

As I hope you know (seeing as this is for my friends and family) I am studying in Madrid, Spain for the next 5 and a half months. I arrived on Thursday and each day has been such a packed haze of motion. I’m starting up this blog so that I can keep all of my loved ones at home informed of what’s going on here in Spain without forgetting things. Also, I suck at keeping in touch with people and this helps : )

The last couple of days in Milwaukee were stressful to say the least. Waves of panic and anxiety swept over me as the 19^th of January crept nearer. Dread would be a sad, yet accurate, word to describe how I felt in those last two days. I had everything ready for me- packed, an apartment, classes figured out, everything. I just couldn’t set in stone how I was going to live and meet people, thus the fear. As meeting people is one of my greatest fears, I was terrified of doing this in another language. Just another barrier to overcome.

I left Milwaukee for Newark, meeting Tim at the gate for Madrid. We boarded and the flight was packed with Spanish people; I sat directly behind a group of students (naturally all wearing black and various shades of grey). The flight attendants were fluent in both Spanish and English (if not more), and I had the opportunity to practice just a little. The flight was 6 hours and I couldn’t sleep at all. I had prepped for this flight by not sleeping much the past two days and yet was completely awake. We arrived in Madrid at 10 in the morning their time (3 am Milwaukee time). We left the plane and went through passport checking. There was no customs to go through, so we just picked up our bags and left. Arielle met us at the gate and we headed for the metro. Without her I don’t know how I would have been able to carry all of my bags as I had packed so much.

The metro system in Spain is fantastic. You can go all over Madrid for only one euro as there are metro stops littered throughout the city and lines intersect at various points. We took ours to my new apartment and buzzed in. Arielle headed out right away to go to class while one of my new roommates welcomed us and showed me around the apartment. I have my own room with a giant armoire and two beds. We sat around resting for a while and then Tim and I walked around Madrid. The details escape me, but I know we went to Arielle’s school, had a late lunch, walked to an Orange store to get cell phones, and were disappointed to know we had to have our passports with us. We then checked out Tim’s apartment and went back to mine. Tim left for his own place with his bags and I hung out with my roommate and one of his friends. We then went out and I didn’t get to bed until four. Thus: 36 hours without sleep.

I realized how cold it gets at night here and how the building manager shuts off the heat at night. I couldn’t sleep well all night I was so cold. My roommate had washed the extra sheets for me, but I really wasn’t wearing enough pajamas. I was in bed till 1 pm Madrid time, got up for a bit, then went back to bed until 3. I then went to the cell phone store exhausted and hungry, and I struggled to communicate. After getting my cute little phone that’s going to cost me big time, I got some bread and groceries. However, I accidentally went to the store where they only sell frozen foods- albeit good ones. I dropped off my groceries and went out with my roommate to make myself some keys for the apartment, one of which had to be remade. I was supposed to meet Tim and Maggie (another person in my ICADE program) but it had gotten too late. I was going out to dinner with Arielle and the Spanish girls from her floor at her dorm, or colegio mayor. I was too tired to understand much of anything that was being said and so went back to my apartment relatively soon after dinner. We were in Chueca for dinner at a restaurant called Wagaboo where I had my first glass of clara, beer mixed with very sweet lemonade. Dinner was nice and I wish I could have had more energy to try to participate in the fast-paced Spanish conversation that was going on.

When I got home I skyped with my family and my dad could tell that things weren’t going so well. It’s not that I don’t like it here, I’m just having a difficult time with the lack of personal interactions. I see one of my roommates all the time and I like both of them very much, but they have lives and friends already. Arielle also has classes and a life of her own, although she’s been spending a great deal of time helping me find where to go and how to do things. Each day is a little better, but combined with jet lag, it’s all so difficult.

Saturday I woke up late feeling a little better, even though I still hadn’t slept very well. I met up with Arielle and her friend to go shopping. There’s a season in Spain after Christmas called rebajas; in this magical time, everything is on sale. We looked at shoes (still too expensive) and got some coffee for a pickup. I tried to use the card my mom had given me, telling the barista “creo que es una tarjeta internacional” or “I think this is an international card”. It didn’t work, but the barista was so nice, he didn’t make me pay. Later we went to H&M where the sales were suffocating. I bought some new clothes as I was quickly realizing that my style is still distinctly American. I’m trying to stand out as little as possible and these new things would help.

From there we went to El CorteIngles where I bought a pillowcase, towels, and a blanket, all about 25-50% off, and yet still expensive. I had to buy a blanket from the kids department because everything else was about 60 euro or above; so now I sleep with a manga black, white, and red blanket that says, “Who are you? You’re my hero!”

I ate dinner at my apartment while skyping with Bridget and waiting for Arielle to come back. She and I went to a local bar and had sangria, tortilla, and potato chips. Tortillas here are very different- sort of like scalloped potatoes in a quiche crust. They are different everywhere you go, but always potatoes. Food here is very simple, sometimes bland. Rarely any spice except the occasional paprika or some salt. Otherwise it’s meat, olive oil, cheese, and carbs. I took some Melatonin from Arielle and had an actual night’s sleep for the first time in a while.

I got up on Sunday ready to meet with Maggie and Tim. We went to Retiro Park, a gigantic, beautiful, old park that stretches on and on. We walked about talking for a while, and when they left I went to Café del Arte. Finally some coffee and a Panini-- even though I accidentally was given the wrong one—and an opportunity to practice my Spanish. My roommates speak French and English mostly in the house, so I’m not totally immersed.

I then met with Arielle and she took me to a Chino, or a small store run by Chinese-Spaniards that have everything for an extremely low price. I bought many necessities for my room for about 10 e. She helped me figure out some of the streets close to my apartment. We dropped off my purchases, and I left to go to Dubliners, an American/Irish bar in Puerto del Sol to watch the Bears vs. Packers game. I met some kids from the Marquette en Madrid program and obviously bonded with the Bears fans. I refuse to talk about the game, but I had loads of fun regardless.

I went back and slept nicely. It’s now Monday afternoon and I am working out a banking issue. M&I bank says I withdrew $400 when I received no money at all. Thankfully Arielle is going to help me talk to the bank in Madrid first thing tomorrow morning. On the plus side, I bought a new transformer from the Chinos and now have clean, straight hair. Hairdryer: intact, expensive transformer from REI: demolished.

Things I’ve learned so far:

1. the food is very simple

2. only tip a very good server, and then it’s less than a euro

3. sometimes expensive transformers still explode

4. it’s about 45 degrees F here, but it’s extremely cold at night

5. general groceries can be less expensive

6. liquor is very cheap and people drink at all times of the day

7. many people smoke; its common to smell weed on the streets

8. swearing is extremely normal; even the worst things to say are common.

9. When I say I’m going to ICADE, people groan; apparently my school is impossible. Great.

10. I’m wearing gloves in my apartment to write this. Brrrr.

11. Still adjusting to the cheek kiss thing. There are all these intricacies—even to handshakes. My roommates and I haven’t found a good system yet as we live together and there are many hellos and goodbyes. Or maybe I just don’t get it yet. It’s always a little awkward when I meet someone for the first time; American students don’t really greet that way.

12. I’ve seen so many people pick their noses

13. Personal space is different. I can’t tell if I should grab food we are sharing or ask or wait to be offered or what. Manners are so different, but in this way they seem more sincere as they’re used when truly grateful or sorry.

14. On that note, not saying “excuse me” when you nudge someone is also uncomfortable to me. Only once has someone said “Perdon” and that’s because she almost knocked out my coffee.

15. Faked warmth from people isn’t seen. I feel as if I’m disliked, but I think it’s really just customary not to be as overly polite as some people are in the States- especially those in jobs of service.

16. I’m spending a lot of money already. Even on just food and necessities.

17. Guys stare. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m American or have light hair or have light eyes or what. But boy do they stare.

18. I think I know why time isn’t that big of a deal here—it takes forever to get places. I feel like I’ve done so little but it takes so much time. Speed and checklists and agendas aren’t priorities.

19. We give each other missed calls to say things like “i’m outside waiting” or “get on skype” or things like that to save money

20. Many of the people I’ve met from Europe have lived in many countries and speak many languages. It’s true that American students are behind in this tool

21. Jet lag sucks.