Studying Abroad in Spain – Introduction
I can finally say that I’ve been to Europe entirely on my own! I’m not with family, friends, or college acquaintances (though I 
actually found out that there are some people from QC here). I’m totally on my own! After being left off at security by my parents, the trip was quite easy. No luggage to carry, no family to get in a fight with. The line through security went surprisingly quickly. I was hoping to be diverted to the quick lane, but that wasn’t even necessary! JFK has finally found a system that works! But, because I popped through in no time, I had two hours to spare. I guess I was kind of missing company at that point, and I would have loved to turn on my cell and call someone, but… I wanted to start the on my own experience in the most authentic way possible – no contact until I arrived!
Like mother – like daughter. I fell asleep while the plane was taxiing and probably got about an hour’s rest before waking up. Food (pesto pasta) was served as I watched a movie (About Time). I was very disappointed to find out that the on-flight games no longer are included, and to play, it costs $5! Sorry Delta, but I won’t give you money for Solitaire!!! There were two groups on my flight, one from Rutgers and the other I wasn’t quite sure of. Overall, the trip overseas was non-eventful, which is good considering what “eventful” could mean on an airplane (crashes, hijacks, you name it!). I slept most of the time, drank plenty of fluids, ate my fair share, and ultimately got a pretty decent amount of rest.
The Madrid airport must be huge. Once we landed, the plane took another 10+ minutes to make its way to the gate. On top of that, it seemed as if I walked miles to customs and then to baggage claim, stairs included. I was a bit afraid I wouldn’t be able to wield my hefty turquoise suitcase. When I got to the conveyor belt, I ended up pulling two HUGE bags that I assumed were mine (how many people have turquoise baggage?), only to find out they weren’t. Not only that, but I wasn’t able to get them back on the belt on my own!
When I finally got everything together, I made my way to the express bus, which would take me to the Atocha Station near my orientation hotel. When I arrived, my room wasn’t ready yet, and so I received an orientation packet and rested a bit before deciding to search for some free Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the hotel charges for Internet, so I decided to save money and go to McDonald’s down the street. In addition to surfing the web, I was able to have a tasty, and familiar, McPollo Sandwich!
What I really wanted, though, was to be let into my clean room so that I could pass out, without worries, until our 5:00 walking tour of Madrid. And that is just what I did! I slept from about 12 until 4; plenty of rest! When I went down to the lobby to wait for the group, I ended up sitting with some program members. Later on, but still before the tour, some other students invited us to a bar, so we walked, talked, and sat with them just to get some fresh air and introduce ourselves.
The walking tours were conducted in Spanish and in English. Because it was my first activity of the coming weeks, I decided to stick to the English so that I would understand my surroundings a bit better. I also had made a friend who doesn’t know any Spanish, so I thought I’d join her as well. Our tour guide’s name was Elena, and she will be giving us another tour when we go to Segovia. She was very nice, and she showed us the main areas of the city: the plazas, the streets, the markets, and so on. The most interesting things that she pointed out were the street signs. Each street, or at least each major street, is decorated with a tile street sign that depicts the history of the city. I didn’t take any pictures on this tour because I thought that I’d be walking around on my own, at my own pace, at a future date, so I will better explain these signs then.
The tour ended at La Plaza Mayor, and we were free to roam around until our 8:30 dinner. I went with a bunch of people in search of a bar in which to watch the World Cup. On the way I chatted with various members of the group, and I had an enjoyable time. Being the kind of introverted person I am, I was glad that people came up to me and asked me my name, introducing themselves. Everyone seems quite friendly!
I had run out of water by the end of our first day’s excursion, and I was getting hungry. We made our way back to the hotel and were eagerly awaiting our group meal. And boy did the hotel not disappoint! We were given heaps of bread, a vegetable salad (I ate a lot of broccoli and cauliflower), chicken fingers and fries, and some sort of frozen yogurt dessert. To be honest, I was filled after the veggies!
At this point in the evening, 10:16, I think I’m going to head off to bed after organizing my luggage a bit – I kind of made a mess earlier when I first got in my room. Everyone else, or at least a lot of people, are going to watch the World Cup (America versus Belgium), but as I’m not really interested in the game and I’m tired, I thought I’d just catch up on some “Z’s.”
