El Tigre! My favorite bar in Madrid thus far

El tigre is basically a hole in the wall bar that is extremely small and ALWAYS packed. But aren't those always the BEST types of places to go? On any weekend night it is so incredibly packed you will be standing and touching at least four other people. If you even make it inside the bar you will have to push past dozens and dozens of people in order to make it anywhere. Why make such the hassle for such a small and cramped place? It has the best drinks and tapas drinks you will find anywhere in Madrid except Cien Bocadillas on a Wednesday night where everything is 1 euro! Order 1 HUGE mohito at el tigre for 5 euros and get a plate of tapas free with your drink! It is one of the best deals in all of Madrid. The tapas are actually a full plate too ranging from croquetas (my new favorite food), potatoes with hot sauce, breads and cheeses and more! It is more of a local bar where americans will go but it is definitely a well hidden secret of Madrid! My taxi driver didn't even know where it was or the street it was on when we asked him to drop us off there! I thought taxi drivers were supposed to know where everything was!

While in Madrid...Eat chocolate con churros...CHECK

Chocolate con churros is one of Spain's most typical desserts and as a tourist it is a MUST have before leaving! However, a spanish churro is much different than the ones served in the United States at various theme parks and fairs. Instead of tall sticks doused in sugar they are typically round fried pieces of dough with just some powdered sugar sprinkled on top. The chocolate in Europe is much more rich than the chocolate in the U.S. as well. However, when combining the fried dough with melted chocolate it is a craving you won't be able to resist while in Spain!

While in Madrid....See a Flamenco show... CHECK!

Flamenco is an exotic dance considered to be a very large part of the culture in Spain. One cannot visit any part of Spain without seeing this amazing colorful and vibrant form of dance. It is usually accompanied by a guitarist and clapping. Girls will usually wear the traditional dress that is very dramatic in its coloring and very large at the bottom. On Wednesday I was able to see my first Flamenco Show in el teatro Munoz seca with our IES program. Having never seen a flamenco show and only hearing about them in my spanish classes I thought we were going to a restaurant to watch one couple dance flamenco. Instead I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to a two story theatre for an hour and a half showing of flamenco! The show we saw below was called Ballet Flamenco de Madrid.

The show consisted of various performances by multiple dancers. The show opened with smoke filling the entire stage and theatre and one flamenco dancer appearing in the middle of the stage. Two men accompanied her for an amazing opening performance of clapping and very aggressive but beautiful movements. The energy in the room increased dramatically when the stage was filled with more and more flamenco dancers dancing and clapping completely in synch! The castanet is the instrument in which the dancers use to clap. It is very difficult to learn yet very amazing to watch and hear.



The picture to the right are the instruments in which the flamenco dancers use when performing. They are generally made out of shells of ivory or hollow hardwood and held in the palm of the hand of the performers. They are a very difficult instrument to learn however when performed in flamenco it is one of the most exotic and interesting instruments you will ever hear and see performed.







The dance to the left was my favorite performance of the night. All of the performers were dressed in very vibrant colors illuminating the stage. The performances with multiple dancers are the most amazing because everyone is so in synch with each other it is an amazing thing to watch. The show was an hour and a half of amazing flamenco dancing in an amazing theatre right in the center of Madrid.

My trip to the spanish doctor's office

Due to the fact that I'm in a foreign country I delayed going to the doctor for as long as possible. However, once I could no longer control my constant coughing I finally had to make an appointment. And what an experience it was. I was extremely nervous about getting to the doctor because this was going to be my first time walking around the city of Madrid alone as well as taking the metro alone. However, the metro of Madrid is 1,000 times easier than the subways of NYC not to mention much cleaner. I didn't get lost on the metro but once I got off the metro even though I had a clear drawn out map in front of me I still got lost. Shocking I know. After walking around aimlessly and knowing I was somewhat close to my destination I hailed a cab not wanting to be late for my appointment. When I told the cab driver my destination he probably wanted to kick me out right then and there. "Esta aqui" as he pointed 2 blocks over. I was literally right next to the street. Even taking a cab ride did not help me though because I told him the wrong number address so when I got off I was about 10 numbers off. You would think I could just walk down the street and find it but that was not the case. I walked up and back down the street multiple times before asking a passerby "donde esta el numero uno!" And then he pointed to the building right behind us. This building had no signs of a doctors office and looked like an extremely nice apartment complex or museum! Still not thinking I was in the right place I walked up to the first floor and finally a sign for the doctors office!

Let me describe the image for you of my doctor's office: Fireplace, wooden shelves with very old books on them, wooden floors, nice paintings hung all around the wall, and to top it off a large wooden desk in which my doctor sat behind. This was definitely the nicest doctor's office I had ever been in! Although the procedure went the same (taking my blood pressure and heart rate etc.) I was a little skeptical. He was not inclined to give me antibiotics until I told him I really thought I needed them. After begging for antibiotics I was also prescribed cough syrup. (something that would never happen in the U.S.) Although it was a little different of an experience it was still basically the same.

The pharmacy here: The U.S. needs to take a note on how the Madrid pharmacy's work. When you drop off a doctor's prescription in the pharmacy's here you get that prescription right then and there! No waiting, no coming back and making another trip! It was fantastic!

SEGOVIA! One of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled!

Yesterday we traveled to the city of Segovia located about an hour North of Madrid. After a short bus ride with our IES program we were dropped off in front of Segovia's famous aqueduct built in the second century. It is one of Spain's most prized and best preserved ancient monuments. When you hear of Segovia this is one of the first things that comes to mind. The aqueduct is built out of granite blocks of brick and stretches to about 2,950 feet! It was great being able to visit it with friends and a free tour guide loading us with information! 

After visiting the aqueduct we walked through the city which was constructed of very old and beautifully architected buildings. The streets were very narrow but everything about the city was amazingly beautiful. Our second stop was the Cathedral of Segovia, the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life! It is a Roman Catholic religious cathedral located in the center of the city and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The cathedral was built in the 16th century by Juan Gil Hontanon a famous architect of Segovia who deals with Gothic type style buildings. 

The palace of Alcazar was next on our list of places to visit in Segovia. Alcazar (located below) is one of the most distinctive palaces in all of Spain. Alcazar was originally built in the 12th century and served as a royal palace for kings and royal ceremonies and is surrounded by an extremely large and deep moat. Each room had the most beautifully architected ceiling I have ever seen in my life. The view from inside the palace looked out over all of Segovia because it is located on the largest hill in the city. You are able to see everything from inside of the palace. There was a special room for where the royal ceremonies took place as well as several rooms dedicated solely to artillery gear that the knights used to wear. It was one of the most interesting rooms of all. 

       
              (Moat of Alcazar)                                           (Artillery room)

After touring the Alcazar castle we had to climb down the extremely high hill that the palace is located on. The steps were extremely steep and it took us a while to get down them. We then visited the church of Vera Cruz. The church of Vera Cruz was used for the Knights Templar, a medieval secret society. It is a 12 sided structure with a tower also overlooking the city. The church was built in the 13th century. 

After a long tiring day of walking around Segovia an sightseeing we ate a 7 course meal at a restaurant about a half hour away. The lunch included roasted red peppers, una tortilla, croquetas, bread with tomato paste spread, salad with tuna, chicken as the main course, and ponche. (a spanish dessert) A great finish to an amazing day!

The customs of Spain

One of the customs of Spain I have grown to love is the siesta, a scheduled nap built into your day between the hours of 2 and 5. The siesta should normally last about 2 hours however, Becca and I have been extending our naps because of all of the activities we have been doing.

Another custom of Spain I have grown to not love as much is the hours of the day in which lunch and dinner are served. For an American waking up at 8 and eating breakfast is normal however, waiting until 2 or 3pm to eat lunch is an extremely long gap. You don't want to snack too much either because mine and Becca's senora makes extremely large lunches and it is considered rude to not finish your plate. (They will think you don't like their food) It therefore makes it extremely hard to adjust to the meal time differences. Spaniards do not eat dinner here until about 10pm which is another extremely long gap between lunch and dinner. For an American, 6 or 7 is usually dinnertime therefore also making it very hard to adjust to the new dinner time here. The first day we came home from class me and Becca said "we were starving" which for us is obviously an exaggeration but our senora thought we were so hungry she made Becca and I EXTRA food that we could barely finish. We have not said we were starving again!

Another thing we have been trying to get used to is the lateness of everything. No one seems to go out early here, it is not until at least 1pm that the clubs begin to fill up and even then they are not full until around 3pm. Because of this club promoters will offer free entrance until about 1:30pm which sounds crazy because in the U.S. the club would be completely packed by this time however, in Spain it is a totally different story. Unlike the U.S. the clubs do not close until 6am and many people will stay out until this time because it is also when the metro opens back up as well. Ironically, the metro closes at 1:30pm causing you to have to take a taxi home or wait until 6am to catch the metro again.

These are only a few of the customs I have begun to get used as I'm sure there are many more to come!

Mi nueva familia y mi paseo a la escuela

To the left is mine and Becca's host mom for the next four months. She doesn't speak any english but likes to learn some of the english words that me and Becca use. When in our homestay spanish is the only appropriate language except when me and Becca are in our room by ourselves english is alright. She is a great cook and looks out for us at all times. The thing I'm going to have to get used to the most is she is a COMPLETE neat freak and if anyone at all knows anything about me... well let's just say I have a hard time keeping anything clean at all. But I'm a guest in their house and will not break her rules! Besides that she is a great host mom, the apartment is decorated beautifully and everyone is more than welcoming!




Tonight we went to Orange Cafe which altough it was completely geared towards Americans was still a fun and very interesting experience!

Above is a picture of Becca's and I walk to class. ALL of the trees in the park we walk through lean to their side. Es muy interesante! The parks here are beautiful however, just like in New York they are very dangerous at night and our Senora advised us NOT to go near the parks when walking home late at night. We are trying to still scope out a good place to run everyday so I can fit into my bridesmaids dress in June! We have already booked our first trip to Ibiza in May for Becca's 21st birthday and are looking forward to a weekend in Barcelona VERY soon! Our program is taking a trip of Segovia this friday which should be beautiful and a great first trip through Spain! 

Adios amigos y seguir leyendo! 

Some of the differences

Besides adjusting to the spanish language completely there are many differences between Spain and what I have become so accustomed to in the United States.

1. The elevators are HALF the size of any US elevator I have ever been in!
2. The fast food restaurants here are nicer than some US restaurants (I passed by the nicest McDonald's I have ever seen today)
3. No free wi-fi at Starbucks, instead you have to buy something in order to get the code to their wifi network
4. The way Spaniards pronounce wi-fi which they pronounce like wee-fee (this definitely confused me a bit in the beginning)
5. Prostitution not only in alleys but in open areas such as on La Granvia which is equivalent to Times Square
6. The metro is the cleanest subway station in the world. Spain is known for this and they have definitely surpassed any expectation I ever had. They have flat screen television right next to where the metro comes in! It is not even comparable to the dark subways of New York. The Spanish metro is lit up completely with fluorescent lights
7. The spanish newspapers contain many more pages than any American newspaper. They are more comparable to a magazine in newspaper form. Some newspapers also have pictures taking up the ENTIRE front page instead of any type of hard news. This was seen in newspapers such as ABC
8. The nightlife of Spaniards! When the bars close in the US is when the Spaniards decide to go out! 2am to 6am is normal partying hours. (This is going to be a rough one to get used to)
9. Although I have not encountered any of this thus far but the pickpocketing in Europe is insane. We were told if any stranger tries to be nice to your and touches you on the shoulder to try and help you out he is basically looking for a way to reach into your bag. (They generally work in pairs so watch out! While one will kindly talk to you and distract you another will go for the wallet!)
10. Many of the lights in Madrid are time sensitive because electricity is SO expensive in Europe. Our hos mom has told us that our room light is dim for a while before it is fully on in case you are just going in for a little while there is no need to waste full energy!
11. THE KEYS! I have never in my life seen a key like my Senora has given me to our new home. Pictures are soon to come!


It's going to be hard getting used to everything but I'm VERY excited to become a real Madrid resident! But for now I'm finally about to get a real night of rest in order to eliminate my jet lag completely!

Adios amigos!

Officially in MADRID!!

I'm officially living in Madrid and absolutely loving it! Although the jet lag was a little rough at first after landing in Madrid at 8am which is 2am in the states we basically skipped our entire night and went straight to the day and doing things! We were able to get about a two hour nap in before our mandatory lunch though thank god! While basically being a walking zombie the IES:Madrid students (120 in the program) all gathered in our hotel (Hotel Princesa) for a great 4 course meal lunch. Although the lunch was great my steak was basically bleeding which made it a bit hard for me to eat. We received our schedules shortly after lunch which I'm very excited about! I'm taking the history of spanish architecture including site visits around Madrid, the history of Madrid, contemporary spanish film which includes watching movies, and El Greco, Valezquez, and Goya in el Prado Museum which takes place IN the prado museum every tuesday and wednesday! No classes on fridays and mondays means lots of traveling for this girl! Besides the language I think the thing I have to get used to most transitioning from a smartphone to a flip phone the size of a nugget!

We had our first spanish meal which I don't think any of us knew what we were ordering however we were able to get a meal, share a bottle of wine between 2, and get an appetizer for only 10 euro! That's what I call a deal! One thing I will also have to get used to is the nightlife here. Spaniards do not go out before 2am in Spain! We went to our first spanish club last night called "Chapandaz" it is literally decorated just like a cave and is supposed to have the vibe that you are partying inside of one! Pictures are soon to come but it was a very interesting experience! However, we arrived at the bar at 12:30 which is apparently so early for Spain that not only did we get in free with some free drinks but NO ONE was inside of the bar! Thank god we went in a group of about 12 people in order to actually get the party started! It was not until about 2am that other people finally started to arrive! Today we had an early morning which did not help our lack of sleep and jet lag from the night before. However, we were finally able to meet our host families! Me and my roommate Becca will be living with Carmen, her adorable husband Miguel, and their 15-year old daughter Celia. They are great group and do not speak a bit of english! It was hard to adjust not only to the lisp of their accent at first but the speed in which they talk. I have high hopes of becoming if not bilingual by the team here then definitely WELL spoken with my use of the spanish language! They cooked us a great first meal of chicken with potatoes and salad which by the way you must eat ALL of because it is rude to leave food left on your plate in Spain. Not only will I be speaking spanish everyday inside of the homestay, all of my classes will be solely taught in spanish, and none of the professors or employees at IES speak very much english as well. Understanding is the easy part but actually putting all the grammar from the many years of spanish together and speaking it is a whole other story! Es muy dificil! However, I'm surrounded by it at all times and feel like I'm improving every minute!

After a super busy day of meetings, introductions to the host family, a spanish assessment and tours of the city we went out for dinner to a great restaurant called "Cerveceria Montaditos" which was basically a restaurant of mini sandwiches. They had a selection of over 100 mini sandwiches all under 2 euro! We tried a variety of different sandwiches and the chorizo is absolutely amazing in Spain. Spain is known to have the best chorizo in the world and they are living up to my every expectation! I now know what to order when I can't decide because you seriously can never go wrong with ordering it!

Pictures are soon to come!

And we're off!!!

Just boarded my first international flight in three years. The last time I was abroad was my senior year of high school when I travelled to Greece with my senior class. The plane ride is actually a very similar sight...I would say about 75% of my plane is college students all chatting about the adventures that lie ahead for their study abroad experience! To just prove what a small world it actually is besides sitting on the plane with my sorority sister Becca I met up with two other girls from Penn State studying abroad in Seville this semester who are also on the same flight! It was great being greeted by friends after my flight from North Carolina, now I can't wait to be greeted by my new family in Madrid!

The jetlag should be very interesting once we land. What will be 2:00am in the US is when we will be landing in Madrid for a bright and early morning. This is going to be a long day!

Goodbye for now see ya in 8 hours!

What a mess!

My room and suitcases probably shouldn't look like this with less than 24 hours until take off! Somehow even with an entire week of preparation I still save EVERYTHING until the last minute. Maybe it's just a college student thing but I'm ready to be stress and mess free although I'm still getting nervous as it gets EVEN closer!

What am I nervous about?
1. Missing my flight because there have been quite a few scares in my past
2. Getting flustered when trying to speak spanish
3. Getting flustered when someone is speaking to me too fast and I can't understand! Ah!
4. Meeting my host family and making a good impression
5. Staying in my first hostel
6. PICKPOCKETING!
6. Forgetting something important (this one is BOUND to happen)


Now off to organize for the final time, I hope my bags aren't overweight!

Busy busy bee!

With only 48 hours before take off I had an entire day planned of errands that had to be run before my departure. Number 1 on the list consisted of fixing my beyond repair Iphone (which by the way the AT&T employer said he had never seen one so badly damaged yet still working :-/) This was supposed to be a quick exchange for a new Iphone in order to start marking my "to do's" off of my extremely long list. What should have been maybe an hour or two max turned into a seven hour stretch of my life that I will never get back. However, in the end my not so tech-savvy parents left the store with their own smart phones, the new and improved Iphone4! (I must add that their phone before this was a flip phone with no internet, no texting or picture messaging, and definitely no visual voice mail) Regardless of the amount of time spent debating new plans and phones my parents and I left the store extremely happy and satisfied customers. That is until I returned home to my find to my dismay that the mac computer I have had for 5 years is too old for my new technologically advanced Iphone4.

Having never had a problem with my macbook this came as a not so pleasant surprise. So instead of marking off the rest of my "to do list" and having a goodbye lunch with the girls as planned, I will instead haul myself to the mac store to wait in line for hours on end to find out that I will probably need a new computer. (Which with this little time left is completely out of the question) Unfortunately, this was not exactly the way I envisioned my next few days going!

So much to do and only 3 days until take off!

I'm about to embark on the journey of a lifetime to Madrid, Spain for an entire semester and what better way to remember such a journey than writing down every amazing moment? I will be living in the center of magnificent Spain, only a short train ride to anywhere in the country, with my new host family and sorority sister Becca. With only three days until take off I have been trying to fit 5 months worth of clothes, jackets, shoes, bags, and pharmacy products into 2 checked bags. It isn't as easy as it sounds when you're packing for two completely different seasons! However, with only three days left of planning I have only begun to acquire a list of things I must do before leaving Spain. 

1. See a bullfight
2. See a flamenco show
3. Take a flamenco lesson
4. Watch Real Madrid play in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium 
5. Take my first open topped bus tour around Madrid
6. Speak perfect spanish to passerby's on the street
7. Order my meals solely in Spanish
8. Try various spanish tapas (the quintessential spanish food) 
9. Attend el Rastro (Madrid's weekly flea market) 
10. Take a hike along the Pyrenese mountains in northern Spain 
11. Visit el Prado Museum (a must see museum when visiting Madrid)
12. Eat as many churros as possible! 
13. Stay in my first hostel
14. Visit Barcelona, Seville, and Salamanca
15. Attend el arco (one of Europe's biggest art festivals) 
16. Take a tour of the city solely in spanish
17. Immerse myself in Spain's amazing architecture 
18. Visit the Alhambra in Granada
19. Eat paella!

That is all for now so let the journey begin!