What in the WORLD have I gotten myself into?!?!?

I had an inkling that this trip was going to stretch me, challenge me, and force me to adapt, but I had no idea what kind of adventures would await me and it has only been ONE day. Are you ready for this? It’s going to be a wild ride.

Day 1: Adios Estados Unidos: It’s a small world after all.

I was really proud of myself because I tamed my “pre-departure grind” for this trip! I usually get NO sleep, run eighty errands before my flight leaves, and get on the ‘last nerve’ of whoever takes me to the airport. This time I got four hours of sleep, ran two errands, and made my flight with twenty minutes to spare. I’m improving J My daddy took me to the airport. I was feeling good because my bags weighed 40 and 50 pounds respectively. Well, that was before I added 3 sweaters, golden oreos, oatmeal, and legal pads. You guessed it. There I sat in the floor at the Continental bag check trying to squeeze out 2.5 lbs. and .5 lbs respectively from each suitcase. After overloading my carry-on and parting with some of my hair gel I was ready. To my surprise, my childhood friend Chylon was on my flight to Houston so we giggled, took pictures, and giggled some more on the 1-hr flight. I usually fly into Houston Hobby Airport so I was a bit ill-prepared for the insanity of Houston’s Intercontinental Bush Airport. I leisurely ordered Schlotzkey’s Deli and chatted with my server before I realized that my gate had been changed and I had FIFTEEN minutes to get from Terminal C to E without using the train. I went into panic mode and all efforts to look fabulous went out the window. I walk/ran to the terminal with at least 30 lbs of baggage. By the time I got on the plane (the last passenger) I was sweating, breathless, a bit cranky, and overwhelmingly thankful that I didn’t get left! LOL. The flight to Newark, NJ was 3 hours…only to be followed by a 6.5 hour flight to Madrid. I must say that I was really impressed with Continental’s transatlantic flight. The seats were mildly comfortable. I jammed to Mary J. Blige, Common, and Alicia Keys because they had a great satellite radio show (that repeated every two hours-lol) You could even watch movies, play video games, and make phone calls (for a small price…lol) Some of you may be nodding your head and thinking “duh…” but this was my first international flight, so I was semi impressed! The food wasn’t bad. I had a chicken meal that resembled a lean cuisine and I ate a croissant and fruit for breakfast. Unfortunately I didn’t sleep at all because I forgot to get Tylenol PM from my dad (I needed it to silence my brain). AND my seatmate was coughing as if she just escaped her tuberculosis diagnosis. I didn’t want to be too American and strike up a conversation, but eventually I talked to her. She was from Mexico and was also studying at a university in Madrid. We switched travel stories and talked about the city. Ultimately I was glad that I talked with her because I learned two very important things. 1.) I could manage Madrid 2.) She was not contagious.

We arrived in Madrid at 9 am (2:00 Central Standard Time). Aside from a numb/sore bum-the trip was not bad at all. I exchanged money while waiting for my luggage. Let’s call this “Rhonda’s first Madrid Mistake” I hope it’s not to be followed by many more, but I should have remembered that the exchange rate would be insane in the AIRPORT. I should have waited to get to a regular bank. Lesson learned. Thankfully all of my luggage arrived. I had more than a little trouble dragging 100 lbs. through the airport but I found my group by accident before heading up a flight of stairs (to my certain death. I’m not sure I would have made it. LOL) As soon as I saw the director (named Inake) he began asking me several questions en espanol. I just stared blankly at him and stammered “No me entiendo” (I don’t understand) He looked at me with confusion as if I had enrolled in the wrong program. At that moment I felt so incompetent. I said a little prayer-begging God to bring back the Spanish that I hadn’t spoken seriously in two years. LOL

We rode a shuttle to my host family’s house. When the driver called my name as the next stop I suddenly got REALLY nervous. I thought I was ready for this. I thought this would be a breeze after semester at sea. Well…I was scared. I got out of the bus and my host mom, Maribel began speaking to me en espanol. When I didn’t respond she looked at the director and said, “Is this the girl!?! She doesn’t speak any Spanish!?!?. He explained that I was tired and nervous and I felt like crap…all over again.

The building looked pretty shabby on the outside, but that’s common for big cities. When we went inside, I was comforted by the marbled hallway and the elevator. We live on the 7^th floor, and the space is small but cozy. Immediately Maribel started smoking and talking to me more in Spanish. I was not excited. After a few hours I was already much better at communicating.

My first adventure was to get a metro pass some minutes for my cell phone. She drew me a map and explained the directions and I was off. She doesn’t live in the center of town, so the walk and directions were maneagable. Did I mention that Maribel does not speak ANY English?! I shouldn’t expect her to accommodate my language because I am a guest in her house and in her country…She promptly informed me that there would be no English spoken in her house after the first few days. At first Maribel seemed a bit robust and pushy, but I’m warming up to her.

About those adventures…I went to a gas station to take my pictures for the metro pass which I got at a local tobacco store. I had a bit of trouble filling out the application, and I just couldn’t whip out a 3 lb dictionary with ten people in line behind me so the owner helped me. It was a pretty funny situation. I couldn’t add minutes to the cell phone because I didn’t have the phone number on me. I returned home feeling moderately successful. Maribel kept telling me to relax and calm down. I guess the tension was all over my face. Lol. She fed me lentils, vegetables, and bread for lunch. It’s a pretty common meal in her house and it wasn’t bad. After lunch I took a nap and prepared for my first meeting with ISA (International Studies Abroad).

An evening in the city

The Madrid metro system is easy to navigate-complete with colors, numbers, and arrows.(It even has the people who deliver speeches, sob stories, and talent acts for money- it made me miss NYC! lol) I live about 40 minutes from the center of the city. I arrived at Puerta Sol (the center of the city) a few minutes behind schedule, but the group was still there. The center of Madrid is BEAUTIFUL. Complete with buildings from the middle ages, Christmas lights, and millions of people…It was just my speed. We walked to the ISA office and had orientation meetings about everything from safety to excursions, and academic placement. For those of you who know my academic anxieties…I have great news! I am staying in Madrid! In a moment of dramatics I told my friends and family that I would return to the states promptly if I didn’t test into advanced classes at the university here. I need 15 upper level Spanish credits to graduate on time-and if I couldn’t get them here, I’d just go back to Arkansas and finish. Thankfully, I will be able to get into advanced courses-even if I have to enroll against the advisement of a professor. We’ll have tutors too so I’ll survive. YAY!! After the meeting we toured downtown and looked at the exteriors of a few famous buildings. It was cold, raining, and windy. Needless to say, me and my fresh perm were glad to get back on the metro and head home.

When I arrived home, I was tickled to see an all American dinner. Chicken strips, FRENCH FRIES, ketchup and chicken noodle soup. LOL. I asked Maribel if that was our “transition meal”. She said yes and informed me that we would be having paella (a traditional Spanish rice dish) tomorrow. My roommate, Kathryn, arrived while I was at the meeting. She’s a student at Texas A&M. We chat for a while and I talked with Maribel some more before heading to my room to email, unpack, and unwind. I wish I could say that I rested well. I woke up at 6:00 am with a splitting headache. It was worse than any I could remember, and the pain even went into my shoulders. I prayed I wasn’t having an aneurism (don’t laugh. It hurt really bad.) I stumbled to the kitchen, took some aleve and ate a few mandarin oranges. Kathryn suggested opening a window because I thought the pain came from all of the cigarette smoke. I thought she was crazy since it was 30 degrees, but I put on thermals beneath my sweats and took her advice. I was reluctant at first because we do NOT have heat in our rooms very often. Maribel thinks we’ll adjust to the cold. L I was cold, but the air was SO refreshing and I drifted off to sleep. We were supposed to eat breakfast together but we didn’t wake up (today 1/6) until 2:00 pm. That’s only 7:00 am Arkansas time so I guess I was a bit jetlagged after all. LOL. I took my customary shot of pepto bismol and ate a traditional Spanish lunch. Highlights…there were pomegranate seeds in the salad (yummy) and squid in the paella (sketchy). So far, my stomach hasn’t gone into total shock-thank God. Kat. and I were supposed to explore today but everything is closed and this weekend is a huge holiday. Three kings day is like Christmas in the states so there are children EVERYWHERE. We were supposed to visit Lo Rastro-a gigantic flea market in the center of the city that draws millions of people every Sunday. Since we slept through everything, we will just take some pictures of the city tonight and I will try to visit a church and the market next Sunday. I suppose I’ll study Spanish for a few hours before heading to the city. I know this message is a bit lengthy…Consider it an orientation-lol. I’ll be much more succinct in the future!

I can’t tell you how many times in the last two days I’ve asked myself “What have I gotten myself into?! What were you thinking?!” This I know for sure. I have put myself in a position in which I HAVE to learn Spanish to survive. I know that I will be more culturally aware and linguistically proficient (lol) after this experience. I know that nothing could have prepared me for this. What have I gotten myself into? Something new. Something fresh. Something good.

Ciao,

Rhonda