"Cuando en Madrid..."

I heard a few of you were getting worried that I had not written in awhile but I am alive and have many stories for you. Let's begin with last weekend (February 10th-14th). Five of us girls, Allison, Sara, Jodi, Deena and I left for Madrid on Thursday night around 11PM. This was my first time flying RyanAir which is the low-fare airline that connects all of Europe and I was pleasantly surprised with my experience, and the fact that it literally took 45 minutes to get to Madrid. After arriving and checking in at our hostel, it was around 1 AM but we obviously needed to go out. We found a small, Irish pub close to our hostel called 'Dubliners." A little bit of irony for you: Irish bar, the waiter refused, REFUSED to speak to us in Spanish (only English) even though he was clearly Spanish, they had a basketball game on TV and we met two Italian men who did not know English or Spanish...It was just a culture-mixing night! After one beer, we headed back to our hostel to rest up for the full day ahead of us on Friday. The absolute first thing we did that morning was get our noses pierced...

Es una broma! (it's a joke!) Don't worry, I am not coming home with a nose piercing but my friend Sara is. And her parents still (2 weeks later) have no idea that she got it pierced. After that excitement, we went to Plaza Mayor which is a gorgeous plaza in the heart of Madrid. It was designed in 1619 by Juan Gómez de Mora and since then public ceremonies, bullfights and condemnation of heretics (Spanish Inquisition) have taken place here. We also visited the Palacio Real where the royal family used to live. The stunningly beautiful rooms required us to walk through it twice, and to get our 5 Euros worth. We then ventured back to Plaza Mayor and enjoy a lunch of paella (the traditional dish of Spain) and una copa de vino. After lunch, we just happened to stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall cupcake shop and decided to go in and buy something for desert. All of a sudden, the heavens parted and a flash of light beamed down as I saw a DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!! I wasn't even looking for one and I found it! The last one!! It has yet to be opened and is currently residing in my closest until I am brave enough to open, drink it and realize I probably won't have another until the end of June. Finally we headed to the Museo del Prado since it was free after 5 PM. Before entering, Sara and I decided to look for a café to grab some coffee. And of course, what's the first one we see? Starbucks. Hello America, thanks for taking over Madrid. I can't complain, as soon as my caramel latte hit my tongue I was in heaven. I am not a huge art fan, not that I don't like it, I just haven't taken an art history class before but I was blown away by the Prado. It's one of the world's top museums and contains Valazquez's "Las Meninas." (google it :)) We spent two hours in there and still didn't see everything! By 8 PM everyone's feet were aching so we decided to head back to the hostel, rest, eat and then what else do you do in the city that has more bars than any city in the world?? (FACT: from my lonely planet book) In fact there are 6 bars for every 100 inhabitants. Right before we ran to catch the Metro, we met Sara's friend Maria who is from Madrid and studied abroad 4 years ago at Sarah's high school as an exchange student. This girl is absolutely gorgeous! Dark skin, hair and eyes and about my height. I'll keep my description of Friday night short since Saturday deserves more attention. I went with Sara and Maria over to Maria's friend Ines's apartment to hang out and enjoy some wine. On our way over there we walked through Puerta del Sol, which is the center of Madrid and where a bunch of guys are handing out flyers to different clubs/bars. After saying "no, gracias" about 10 times this guys asked if we wanted to go to Kapital- the largest club in Madrid, 7 stories tall- I told him we were going tomorrow (Saturday) and he was like, "Okay here are some discount cards for you and your friends. Also, call me tomorrow and I will put you on the guest list." He writes his number on one of the cards, hands us about 10 of them and we say thanks and leave. He also spoke fluent English. We all kind of rolled our eyes because we didn't want to get our hopes up but decided we would call Antonio tomorrow. This will be important later. We ended up staying at Ines's until 3:30 AM just talking, laughing and drinking. When we finally ventured out, we tried to get into three different clubs and were denied into all 3 because they were too full. It was still a blast hanging out with Maria, Ines and their friends!

Saturday we went to El Buen Retiro which is a HUGE (probably 70 acre) park to have a picnic and relax. It was a beautiful day probably around 60 degrees and it was nice to just relax. Later we stopped by Reina Sofia which is another art museum that houses Picasso's 'Guernica" which is a tribute to the Spanish Civil War. After a quick nap we began to get ready for what turned out to be quite the epic night. After calling Antonio earlier that day, he said he had all of us (7 girls) on the guest list for the night and told us exactly where to go and what to say to the bouncer. I was starting to get excited because that meant we didn't have to pay 15 Euro, which is around $20 to get in. After enjoying some home-made Sangria (boxed, red wine and fanta) we headed downtown around 1 AM. According to Maria, it's normal to go to the bathroom in the street so I stood watch while her and Sara found a deserted street to empty their bladders. Arriving at the club, there was a line about 100 people long. We walked around to the other side where the bald guy with the computer was standing and Maria told him we were with Antonio. He then handed us more discount cards and told us to wait in the line. I was so confused. I thought we were on the guest list so we a) didn't have to wait in line and b) didn't have to pay. Luckily, the line moved fast and we were inside in about 10 minutes. Unfortunately we had to pay but we received two free drinks with admission. Maria wanted to show us the entire club so after walking up 7 flights of stairs and seeing everything from a separate mojito bar to a rooftop terrace, we returned to the semi-calm third floor to turn in our drink coupons. I noticed I had a few missed calls from Antonio and debated whether to call him back. Maria said no so I listened to her but then he called again! I finally answered and told him that we didn't get in for free. He said to meet him on the 7th floor and we would chat. I was a little annoyed at this point but we all went up to meet him and his friend, which proved to be worth it. He apologized but explained that a lot of times the "guest list" doesn't matter on Saturday night's because it is so packed. Then, he said, "I'll be right back." He went to talk to his manager and we got a VIP room!! it was just us five, free bottles of champagne and anything else we wanted!! And after seeing how crowded the first and second floor was I was glad we weren't smushed in the mob. The club was definitely an experience. There were male and female dancers on the stage in front and probably close to 20 DJs! Insane! Antonio and his friend, were really nice and not creepy at all. They just wanted to have a good time! So around 5:30 AM we decided to leave and just as we were walking out of the club Antonio tells me he makes the best tacos (he's from Mexico) and asks if we want "free tacos."

I now need to preface my next actions with a story from Summer 2007. This was the summer of tumbling nationals in Daytona Beach, FL and I went down with my mom, Hannah, Hunter, Annette, Keylie and Britton Gibson. One day, we went parasailing which I could write a whole other blog entry about. After returning from our epic adventure, my mom and Annette both soaking wet, our "guides" Rambo and Borat (yes, these were the names they called themselves) asked my mom and Annette out on a date!! Thinking they would be the intelligent women that they are, I had confidence they would laugh, say no thanks and walk to catch up with their children who were trying to get away from these creepers. Instead, they say YES and Annette tells them where we are staying!!! Of course I am flipping out at this point and am like, "You can not go on a date with them! They are creepy and they gave you fake names!" and Annette said, "Hil, my mom always said if you can get a free meal out out of the deal, go for it!"

SO taking this brillant advice, Sara, Maria and I jumped in a cab and headed back to Antonio's for FREE tacos. And man were they good! After chatting, eating and dancing to Shakira for probably an hour, we told the guys thanks and headed home...at 6:30 AM. When in Madrid...

Sunday was a very chill day and we had basically conquered everything we wanted to see/do on Friday and Saturday. Sara and I were chilling in the hostel, trying to decide what else we wanted to do when I had an epiphany. I wanted to go see Santiago Bernabéu where Real Madrid plays. We had bought a 10 trip mass for the Metro (subway) when we first arrived and still needed to use up some trips so we headed north for the afternoon. The stadium is huge and so cool!! I really hope Cody and I can make it to a game when he comes to visit in May. They offer tours but I think we are going to try and do that when he comes. After trying unsuccessfully, about 10 times to sneak into the stadium we finally headed back to our hostel. Our flight back to Alicante wasn't until Monday morning so packed, relaxed and went to bed earlier than we came home the previous night.

Carpe Diem

This phrase is the staple of the Spanish lifestyle here in Alicante. For those that don't know, it means "seize the day." Every day I feel like there are 100 things I want to do but only have time for about 5 of them. I keep telling myself I am here for 5 months but in reality, it's almost been 1 month already! To begin, I apologize for such a long absence in between posts. I could use the excuse that I have been "busy" but everyone is busy. My honest answer is that this past week I began my semester-long classes beginning, finding my way around campus (which is more difficult than one would think), planning trips to other cities, and connecting with the people in my group whether its sitting down to watch a Real Madrid game or dancing until the wee morning hours in El Barrio. I am taking four classes this semester: Spanish for the Health Professional, Women Literature, Spain Through It's Popular Culture and History of Spain. The last class is my direct enrollment course which means I am in a class with other Spanish students, not just the people in my program; i.e. Americans. All of them are taught in Spanish and sometimes it becomes difficult to pay attention for 2 hours straight, considering my brain is working the entire time. Mondays and Wednesday's I only have one class which is the public health course and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have my other three classes. I like my schedule so far and enjoy the classes. I have already learned so much about Spain! And, coincidently, more about the States. When you learn about the Cold War in 6th grade and don't hear of it again, it's hard to remember the exact years it happened. Thanks to Spanish classes, I will be fully educated upon my return home :)

My family continues to be amazing and I feel that I grow closer to them everyday. One night last week Lidia poked her head in my room to tell me her and Ariadna were going to look at a new car. She doesn't have one and has to borrow her brother's if she needs to go somewhere. I smiled and said, "Just looking? Solamente ver?" She laughed and reassured me that yes, they were ONLY looking. Two hours later she came home with an extra set of keys in her hand and told me she purchased it. It's a little two-door, silver car but is perfect for her and Ariadna. She has already purchased seat covers and hello kitty sun visors to spice it up. I have ridden in it twice and I can tell she really enjoys driving it. I learned in my Pop Culture class that many cars here are manual because Spaniards enjoy driving and to them, it's not driving if the car is automatic. Another interesting cosa (thing), is that people WANT to live in the city. According to Alicantinos, if you live outside the city you are viewed as poor or weird. They don't have suburbs here because the people that have money want to live in the city; they want to be around other people and enjoy the noise. This is also why many Spaniards have their televisions on during the entire day; they want company. Sorry mom but I don't think you could fit into this culture :) Back to my family, Ariadna and I hung out in my room the other night and painted our nails, watched Justin Beiber videos on youtube and talked about our favorite singers. Lidia walked by and asked if it was okay that she was in my room and I laughed and said, "Por supuesto!" (of course). I'm so lucky I am living with a family that can be my home away from home.

The weekend proved to be a success as I made it to the beach to play some frisbee and hang out with friends. It's not quite warm enough to lay out in a bikini but we had fun nonetheless. Saturday night was also fun as my friends and I (about 6 of us girls) went out for sangria...at midnight...and I didn't go to sleep until 6 AM Sunday morning. I'll spare the details but it was a really fun night! We almost went to the beach to watch the sunrise but people had to catch a bus home and everyone was getting tired. That was the latest I have stayed out since I have been here. Remember, this is the Spanish lifestyle. Many places don't open until midnight!

I feel like I am starting to become part of the Spanish lifestyle which is a benefit of living abroad rather than traveling abroad. Because of QUIJOTES, I am constantly speaking Spanish in and out of my house which helps me blend in with Spanish women. I also have taken on the dress of 'españolas' and try not to wear sandals (which is a dead give away you are an American) even though if I was at Iowa, that's all I would be wearing in 65 degree weather. On Sunday night (well, actually Monday morning here) a few girls and I went to the American bar called Havana to watch the Super Bowl. After watching Cristina Aguilera screw up the national anthem, we stayed until halftime and then decided we were too tired to watch the entire game. On our way home, there was 5 of us, we were all talking about how glad we were that we had chosen Alicante for study abroad. It couldn't be the more perfect city as far as size, the generosity and kindness of the people, it's safety and obviously, the beach. We were also comparing the states to here and decided there wouldn't be as many dogs and kids along the sidewalks in the states.

I want to tell you more but have class soon! I hope this makes up for my long absence. Remember, every day is a gift, that's why they call it the 'present'! Carpe Diem!

Sending my love from España,

Hilary