It’s been about two weeks in Madrid and life has finally begun to settle down. Along with that I have quickly begun to fall in love with the Spanish lifestyle. The people are so friendly, there is always something to do, and life here is so much more relaxed. In an effort to catch up on everything, I'll go through the basics first : life at home, classes, and school, and then of course all the exciting adventures we have had to far. Our senora continues to be amazing. Over the past week I have been able to get to know her and her family better, as well as practice my Spanish (have I mentioned she doesn't speak any English?) and learn about Spanish culture. She has lived in Madrid most of her life and therefore has great advice on everything for us including discos to find at night, holidays, and Madrid's most popular sights. She, like many other Spanish women of her generation, is always making sure we are eating enough (come mas, come mas!), sleeping enough including post-lunch siesta, and taking full advantage of our time here. She never asks for our help in cleaning or other house chores, and while I understand this is part of the culture, I almost feel bad having her, what in my mind seems like a lot, work so much for us. I'm quickly learning that this is what she is used to and for her it isn't necessarily more work, just part of her lifestyle. I'm taking a class entitled "Women's Roles in Spain," and it has been very interesting see our lectures in the classroom reflected in my senora and other Spanish women.
Speaking of classes... It's only been two weeks, and I'm very quickly beginning to feel lazy. Between my very relaxed class schedule and no homework, I'm realizing I'm going to need to find something to do with all my free time. I've been embracing it for now and getting to learn the city, yet this has been something very different to get used to. I'm taking four classes here: International Marketing, International Communications, Women's Roles in Spain, and Arte en el Museo del Prado (Art in the Prado Museum). I only have one and a half hour of class on Monday and Tuesday, a six hour break in between two classes on Wednesday, and four hours of class on Thursday. Friday's are off except for some in which we visit the Prado Museum for my art class. As you can see, with no homework yet, time has not been an issue... :o) Instead, we've been eating, sleeping, and spending money- welcome to Madrid, haha.
My overall impressions of the city thus far have been great, and I can't wait to see how the next two and a half months will continue. Until my next update, I'll share with you some of the more notable experiences (although there have been plenty!) from the two weeks...
Chocolate con Churros: The Nightlife
Madridleños have a thriving passion for life, and they say this is reflected in the renowned nightlife of the city, supposed to be one of the best in Europe- it took about, oh less than a week, for us to quickly learn why. This past weekend, after seeing Madrid at night Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we are quickly getting to know the discotecas and the places to be including Dubliner's, O'Connell's Street, Palacio Gaviria, Joy Enslava, and Kapital just to name a few. For those of you that have studied in Madrid, I'm sure these names bring back great memories. Nightlife in Madrid truly doesn't being until around midnight with tapas and sangria, moving to a disco around 2 or 3 in the morning when the crowds hit. Both Friday and Saturday night this weekend, we proceeded to take the metro home (at 6 in the morning!) along with crowds of others, and could easily have stayed out later... no wonder siesta exists. I was talking to my senora this week and she says she only needs about three hours of sleep a night, and she's probably around sixty years old. When I told her I left Sol at 6, getting home at 7 am, she said (translated from Spanish), "Oh my, we used to get home around 5 or 6 am, but I guess times are changing." :o) Feel free to make your own impressions, but I think I may have found my city.
One of the renowned traditions after a long night out in a discoteca is going to a Chocolateria for chocolate and churros- it really is as amazing as it sounds, especially at 4 or 5 in the morning.
Daytrip to Toledo
About an hour an half south of Madrid is Toledo, the for
mer capital of the Holy Roman, Visigoth, and Muslim empires. Today, Toledo still has many cathedrals, synagogues, and mosques reminiscent of the time when all three religions dominated. The city's many hills wind around the monuments in small, alley-like streets filled with restaurants and shops boasting Toledo's renowned swords and marzipan (actually mazapan, a tradition begun in Toledo in 1212).
Once inside the walls of the city, we had the opportunity to tour a convent, see San Juan de los Reyes (la sinagoga) in the city's Jewish quarters, la Mezquita, and of course see "El entierro del Señor de Orgaz," the most infamous painting of El Greco. After a day of touring the city and taking in the stunning sites, we ended our day with wandering the streets and sampling the marzipan.
Corrida de toros: The Bullfight
Bullfighting season in Spain lasts from March through October. Our arrival in Madrid marked one of the last few weekends of the year the events would take place. With that said, this past Sunday we attended a Corrida de toros (bullfight) with a "It's now or never" mind sight. As it's such an important part of the culture of Spain, we walked into the event open minded, however it is never a experience I will have again. If you ever attend a bull fight, I highly suggest thoroughly reading about them before hand in order to appreciate and focus on the traditions and aethetics of the sport rather than the blatant grotesqueness.
The "Plaza del Toros" is located in Las Ventas, Madrid. After coming up from the Metro, the sheer size of the stadium is overwhelming. Built in 1931, the stadium sits 25,000 people, and the day we went, it was full. Each bull fight involves three toreros (bullfighters) and six bulls, two bulls per torero. The toreros are judged based on the aesthetics, the time until death, and the assistance required. When they say it is a fight until death- they aren't kidding. Having arrived a little late, we did not enter the stadium until the second bull. However seeing one was enough for me to handle. After watching the bull being stabbed in the neck for the first of many times my heart immediately lurched, and I knew this was not going to be a pleasant experience. At one point during the fight, the bull managed to gain control and literally threw the torero into the air by his horns. My heart again sank as I watched a man being thrown without knowing what the ultimate outcome would be... Needless to say after fulling watching one bull, I had had enough. Throughout the remainder of our time there, I had to force myself to think of the cultural experience paying more attention to the attire of the torero, his movements, and the intricate process involved in this historic sport. Knowing this was a once in a lifetime experience, I do not regret going, yet this is never something I would like to repeat. Those are only my opinions though, I understand the significance this has in the culture, and feel free to make your own judgments.
Sightseeing in the city: Templo de Debod and Palacio Real
Living within a large European city automatically equates to culture overload. With that being said the first week has been filled with getting to know the different Plazas, discovering the importance of large, random buildings, and simply taking it all in. More to come soon on these two sites as they are very impressive with their history and grandeur…
The only thing that goes through our mind is MOVE and FAST. We start walking/running towards the police along with others, caught in a furry of not knowing what is going on or even what to do! We end up finding a spot (and by that I mean a nook in the wall) to get away from the danger. For about twenty minutes, we’re standing in this nook watching police shoot large rubber balls (my friend Aubrey was hit by one reflecting off a dumpster-oww) and protestors throwing large rocks in return. We finally decide it is safe enough to move, and walk down the street, turn the corner only to see more protestors, dumpsters turned over, and crowds of people everywhere. We finally duck into a café, where we proceed to stay for the next hour or so. The action continues, and we have front row seats as the situation continues to intensify. After about an hour and a half, we decide it’s safe to go outside and wander a bit more. We can’t go back to our hostel yet as the entire center square including the town hall is roped off. This is insane. We finally watch as the police untie the ropes and the drama, about three hours later, has come to an end with streets littered, over-turned dumpsters on fire in ever corner, and life slowly easing back to the norm once again…
After Friday’s adventure, the remainder of the weekend was much more low key and relaxing. We took advantage of this weekend but truly using it as a vacation instead of running up and down the city sight-seeing. Saturday including shopping, enjoying amazing food, walking 
