Madrid

I think its way past time to blog.
So much has happened since my last post and I am hoping I can remember everything that I want to write!
Probably the most exciting thing that we did in the past week or so was go to Madrid last weekend! It was our first excursion away from Alicante! On Thursday afternoon, we headed to the bus station to catch our 3:00 bus to Madrid! The ride was absolutely beautiful-- even though it took six hours to get there! Still, taking the bus was the cheapest way to go, (only 50ish euros roundtrip) and we got to see so much of the Spanish countryside along the way. One thing that I absolutely loved was seeing so many castles! Probably every town we passed had a castle on a big hill in the center of it, making me think that these towns were sure to be hundreds of years old.
We arrived in Madrid with only an address to help us find our hostel as well as a general idea that it was close to "the palace." But, with the help of some maps, a security guard, and people at the bus station (as well as Asaf's manly directional and spanish skills-- he was the only boy in our group of seven) we managed to figure out how to use the metro to get near the palace. I have to say, that as we were buying our metro tickets and riding on that train, I felt so grown up. I kept thinking back to the days of traveling to Europe with my family and taking the metro with them, being in their care. This time, it felt strange but good to be there with my friends- older, more independent, and on an adventure.
One of my favorite moments on the whole trip to Madrid was walking up out of the subway that first night when we reached our destination. The steps up to street level took us to a big plaza and all I could see were huge, beautiful, white, etched, stone buildings all around us. It was 11 at night, and as the light of the street lamps fell on the buildings, soft shadows spread along the cobblestones. People still milled around the plaza, talking and sitting on benches. It was like a pretty picture of a serene city night, something that I thought could only be captured on a postcard. But there it was, and I was getting to interact with it!
We asked someone for help with finding our hostel, and as we made our way down the street, BOOM there was the royal palace! The palace was the first thing on our list that we wanted to see, and it was so cool that we stumbled upon it that night.  I am sure we all sounded like complete nutcases with all of our sqeals and OHMYGOSHes! As we were standing there, taking pictures and gaping at that big huge beautiful building, a loud whirring noise interrupted our royal excitement. We looked over and saw a mob of 30 students around our age crossing the street- each of them with a big ole rolling suitcase in hand. Older adults lead the way, herding the students like cowboys on horses. Needless to say, we felt pretty cool compared to them. About 15 minutes and 20 more pictures later, we decided we had better get to our hostel.
The hostel: First, I must give all credit to Hayley Hill for finding the best hostel we could ever have gotten in Madrid. Second, I must declare that I never want to stay in anything else besides a hostel again. (Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but I've discovered how cool hostels are). The place was awesome. It was right by the palace, it only cost around 10 euros a night, it was funky and modern, and we got to meet people from all over the world there!
Sleeping conditions were a little tight- all 7 of us squeezed into one room (including poor Asaf) on bunkbeds, but then again, it was part of the experience, and it was fun! We arrived at the hostel, checked in and picked up our sheets and towels. As we were paying, we heard a strange noise that seemed to get louder and louder as it approached the hostel. We all stopped when we finally figured out what it was. Sure enough, the door to the hostel flung open, and there were the 30 students, rolling suitcases in hand, speaking rapid French, ready to spend the night at the hostel! And let me tell you, sharing a bathroom with a bunch of French girls was quite an experience.
Anyways, we did so much that weekend that it would be impossible to talk about everything in detail, but here are some highlights:

Toured the Palacio Real- Got a half price ticket with our youth cards (I wish we had those in 'Merica. They are so handy.) The Palace was beautiful. My favorite places were the throne room (they still use it for official business) and the amoury. It was INCREDIBLE to see so many real suits of armor as well as armor for horses too. I was also surprised to see so many guns from like the 1500s and 1600s.
Guess I didn't know they had guns back then.

Saw the Prado Musem- Got in for free to all the musems we went to, because they have "free hours" on certain days. Soo that was exciting. Anyways, this museum was amazing because I got to see some famous paintings by some of my favorite Spanish artists that I have learned about in my extra liberal art classes at OBU (De Goya and Velasquez in particular). It was awesome to see Las Meninas in person. 

Saw the Reina Sophia Museum- LOVED seeing the works by Picasso. Not to mention, Guernica was amazing. We weren't allowed to take pics.. but I was so excited that I kind of snuck this one. Oh, and I also stole a pebble from an interactive installation piece... just call me an international art thief.

Went to the Catedral de la Almudena- It is a famous cathedral that sits right across from the Palace. It is where the prince and princess got married not too long ago. We almost did not go in, because we thought it would be boring, but I am so glad we did. It was beautiful.

Shopped- Shopping in Madrid rocks. (I didn't buy any clothes, Mom and Dad).

Plaza Mayor- Also one of my favorite places. This huge square plaza in the middle of the city, surrounded by cafes and shops. Here, we enjoyed walking around, people watching, taking in the music of the accordion players, and watching Johanna overcome her fear of street performers.

Ate Tapas- One night, we decided to tapear, so we found this cool place where lots of young people were hanging out. Our group was too large, so Hayley, Asaf, and I sat a separate table from the other girls. The waiters here in Spain get paid much better wages in the US, so nobody feels like they need to tip them. This means that wait staff can be as rude as they want because they are not working for tips. We got a kick out of how the rude waiter reacted to our foreign ways. First off, we did not order alcohol. Having a drink is pretty much what tapeando revolves around, so I am sure it seemed strange. The second incident happened when we were ordering the tapas. When I ordered a croquet de jamon, the waiter asked me how many I would like, tres, cuatro, ocho? I had already had one other tapa, so trying to be a thrifty tourist, I asked for only one. As he walked away shaking his head, Asaf told me that the waiter had mumbled, thats it?? I wasn't sure why he said that until he brought out my tapa. There on a giant white plate was my lonely little croquet de jamon. It was two inches long and about as thick as a fish stick. Oh. Now I get why he wanted me to order more. We laughed so hard, but there was no way I was ordering more. Those babies cost 1.50 each!




Experienced Spanish Food- We ate Churros and chocolate for breakfast, took advantage of the menus of the day (consisting of a three course meal for lunch- every restaurant does it) drank lots of "agua sin gas," and devoured tortillas de patatas (NOT the kind of tortillas from Mexico).

Real Madrid Stadium- Last weekend, Asaf's childhood dreams came true. Asaf, Johanna, Hayley and I went to tour the Real Madrid Stadium. I have to admit, I am not super into watching futbol but I am so glad that we saw the stadium. We got to see the locker rooms, the press room, we walked on a small part of the field, and sat in the chairs that the players use when they aren't playing during the games. I felt like at the end of the day, I had become a fan (a bandwagon fan maybe, but who cares!) It was so cool to see people from all over the world at this stadium, as well as a little boy and his dad who were ooing and ahhing over all the trophies that Real Madrid had won. We told Asaf that we were sorry he couldn't 
have shared these cool moments with his bros from school, but he told us that we had earned 5000 bro points for going with him (Sorry boys, thats what he said. You'll have to take it up with Asaf!)

Went to the Mercado de San Miguel- This was so fun! It was this big famous indoor market. We saw all sorts of delicious, pretty, and sometimes weird food. One night, Johanna and I went there to get tapas. It was so fun to go from one stand to the next, buying tiny little appetizers to snack on while we walked around and watched people.






Flea Market- Sunday morning, we went to this ENORMOUS flea market/craft fair that has been happening in the city since the middle ages! It was all outdoors on the street and went on for blocks and blocks. There were all sorts of hand made things as well as old vintage and antiques that were fun to rummage through and bargain for.

Ate Mexican Food- Let it be known that if there is only one Mexican food place in all of Spain, it is located in Madrid. It was delicious, and according to Asaf, more authentic than anything he has tried in the U.S. That is a big deal people, because every Spaniard I have talked to knows pretty much nothing about Mexico or their food.

And to top off the whole weekend, we missed our bus back to Alicante. Why? We were eating Mexican food.
As Karissa says, "If you're not on time, you're not on vacation."

Luckily, it was easy to switch the tickets to another time. Still, I'm sure it was quite a spectacle to see seven college students laden with backpacks and shopping bags running frantically through the Madrid metro system in order to get to the bus station on time.

So, that was our weekend in Madrid!

That next Monday, cold, hard reality knocked on our door as we had to wake up bright and early for classes. But this past Friday, we took our final exams and will start new classes tomorrow! Yesterday marked four weeks that I have been here! That is one fourth of our time, gone! Yikes. Makes me want to soak up every moment because it is going by fast!

This past week and a half has also consisted of celebrating Johanna's 21st birthday with a surprise party, Pakistani food, gelato, and a serenade. This week we also said goodbye to our sweet friend Martina, who is now back in Slovakia (so glad she was able to celebrate Jo's birthday with us on her last night here).
I also have started to make friends with some business owners on our street. There is a woman who owns a thrift store on our street that I like to go look around in sometimes after school. She has come to remember me each time I come in, and last week we had a great conversation. Also, a few days ago, I went into another shop close to our street and as I was looking around, I realized that they were playing Christian music. I went up to the lady at the front asked if she follows Jesus. She said yes, and gave me two big kisses on the cheek when I told her that I do too. I stood around with her and talked for awhile, and she explained what it is like to be a believer in a culture so steeped in Catholic tradition. It was so interesting. To top it all off, I found out that she goes to the same church I have been visiting! As I have said before, I love being able to speak Spanish.


I also learned a little bit more about the culture on Friday when Em, Karissa, and I decided to go to the beach. The weather was BEAUTIFUL that day, not to mention warm! We had just finished our finals, and were in a celebratory mood. So we packed a bag for the beach, put on dresses, sandals, tank tops, and all that fun beachy stuff that you never get the privilege to wear in FEBRUARY. We walked in the living room to say bye to Pepita and her friend, and as soon as they looked up... they burst out LAUGHING!! Les parecen como extranjeras, no?!! They giggled to each other and pointed at us. Oh. We look like foreigners. They said we were basically wearing a big sign on our heads that said "WE ARE NOT SPANISH." Harumph. Determined to not let it ruin the delight of not wearing layers of clothing, we headed out to the beach. Karissa and Emily found a spot on the to lay out, while I walked around and looked at the shops and cafes nearby. As I was exploring, I noticed a pretty old lady sitting on a bench, watching the sea. The second time I passed her, she called me over. "No eres espanola, si?" IS IT THAT OBVIOUS? I laughed and replied with a "Nope, I am not, how could you tell?" She said it was because I was not wearing panty hose or leggings. 
Oh well. It was a small price to pay for a nice day at the beach, and this small encounter with this woman turned into a nice twenty minute conversation about the economy in Spain and Catholicism. 
I may not always look like an espanola, but I sure do love speaking Castellano.

We have also been so encouraged by our improvement in Spanish! Sometimes it just flows out of us. I was laughing at Karissa and Emily as we were walking to the beach that day. As they talked about what they were going to do, I heard them say, "I don't need to take a lot of sun today." "How much sun do you normally take?" "One day I took so much sun.." Something about their conversation struck me as funny, but I couldn't put my finger on it! Finally, I realized, they were saying "I take sun" instead of "I tan"! In Spanish, "to tan" is tomar sol, literally meaning, "to take sun." Spanish is definitely on the brain!

We are also, very excited that on Thursday, we will head out for a long weekend in ITALY! (Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure that this is really my life.) We are SO excited to be visiting Milan and Venice this next weekend AND to be spending it with other OBU friends who are studying abroad in Austria and England this semester! We are all meeting up in Italy to hang out, celebrate a few birthdays, and eat lots of pasta. Its going to be a big beautiful reunion!

Anyways, Spain has been wonderful so far and I can't believe that so much time has passed already. I really feel so content to be here. I love experiencing so many new things and meeting so many new people.
I ask that you continue to pray for me! Pray for the new classes that we start tomorrow and the new people we will meet. Pray for steadfastness in the Word. Pray for wisdom as I interact with nonbelievers at school as well.
Pray for Pepita. I tried to bring up the topic of God to her a few days ago and it was not well received. She lost both her husband and a son within a year of each other a long time ago, and I don't think she is open to believing that God loves her or cares about her life. Only Jesus can break down her walls. She has already told us that we are different than the other students she has had. She doesn't understand why, and she also does not understand why we get up and go to church every Sunday. That's cool. That's Jesus. So please pray for more opportunities to talk to her about Jesus and to show her God's love. Also pray for wisdom to know how to do this in a loving and non-pushy way. Most of all, pray that God would work in her heart and open it up to his love.
I ask that you pray the same for Wendy. She sees us every day and I know she thinks we are different as well.

Thank you, everyone who reads this. I appreciate your love so much.

Hasta pronto!

(: