After a month in Madrid these are some things I've noticed,
experienced, and lived through.
1. Society - No matter where you are, you can still survive and
enjoy yourself. A lot of people told me they were too scared to pick up
and leave what they knew and felt comfortable with. I had some of those
reservations, not knowing what kind of people I would meet, keeping a roof over
my head, the financial burden of moving, but anything is possible. It's
true I don't have all of my favorite people, things, or places right here with
me, but I am trying to experience a new type of culture and living so I can spread
my knowledge to others.
2. Searching
2.1 Toledo – This was a very cool city. It used to be the capital of Spain so the
historic significance was very prominent.
All of the streets were cobblestones and very skinny. We enjoyed a day of walking around and
exploring the city and I got to go one my first ever train ride!
2.2
El Pardo – One of the
most notable buildings is the "Royal Palace of El Pardo", built in
1406 by the order of King Henry III of Castile. It was the first
large edifice built in the area. The Palace of El Pardo was the residence of General
Franco when he was
head of the Spanish State. It is located
next to the Manzanares River and is home to the royal hunting grounds. They stock the grounds with deer and boar so
when we went hiking we saw a lot of wildlife.
Unfortunately, there was a fence around the hunting grounds so we couldn’t
gain anymore elevation.
2.3 Madrid Race Day
The Vuelta a Espana is a very well known bike race that goes
through Madrid on the last day. We
watched the race and then walked to a new friend’s house for homemade tapas.
3. School
3.1 Trent and I recently completed our Teaching
English as a Foreign Language course (the reason I have not posted anything to
my blog in a month.) The class was one month from 10:00-15:30 every day
with only a 30 minute lunch break. We had to write 3 research papers and
perform 5 practice classes, 3 for the class and 2 for a real student. I
learned some new tricks for foreign language students and it is a lot different
than working with a whole group of first graders.
3.2 Did you know that in Spain the
percentage of passing is 50/100? If someone could explain to me how that
works, please let me know.
3.3 Also, did you know that the standard
photo copy paper size is 21 cm/31 cm...That’s the long size. Try using a
different size paper and tell me how you like it…
3.4 We are starting to do private classes
now, but have to travel all over the city on the metro to get there. This
is very common among English teachers and it does allow us to see different
parts of the city.
3.5 I am still working on my masters
courses too! Time management has been
very hard because I have been torn in all directions. I should graduate in December if all goes
according to plan though! (As long as I stop procrastinating. If you know me, I am very good at this skill,
and I have a whole new city/country to explore!)
4. Siesta
4.1 Let me
first start with the typical Spanish day. In the morning people go to work or
school around 9am-10am. Their biggest
meal of the day is lunch around 2. Most
people take off and a lot of businesses close after lunch until around 6-7 for
siesta. Dinner is typically a lighter
meal around 9pm-12pm.
4.2 Tapas -They
serve bread and potatoes everywhere!
4.3 I love
siesta time J
5. Shadows
5.1 Some of you may think we are crazy, but did you know that
it is common for people of all ages to stay out until 6 in the morning on the
weekend nights?
5.2 Exploring at night is very cool because all of the
buildings are lit up. Many young people like
to hang out in plazas and buy beers for 1 euro on the street.
6. Soon - Look for info about Amsterdam, finding some
mountains, and whatever comes our way.
