No Hay Arañas en Madrid

I moved in with Julia today. My room is huge and there is a lot of storage... which would have been fabulous if I hadn't been restricted to a 50 pound suitcase. Qué lástima. I like the piso a lot. Julia has traveled around the world and so has lots of collectables. It's very eclectic and homey, so I already feel comfortable. I really like Julia, too. She's very talkative, and is so far an excellent cook (she made paella for me today, sans rabbit). Also, she told me (after I asked) that I will probably never see a spider here, and that there are only bugs in the summertime, which is really a load off my mind. For those of you who are unaware, I have a severe case of arachnophobia, so this is very good news for me. Julia was also telling me today that I have to start thinking in Spanish if I want to be able to speak Spanish well, so I was sitting in my room trying really hard to do that today. I felt a little ridiculous, but it'll hopefully start to feel more natural as time goes on. "La cama es azul... La calle es ruidosa... El perrito es blanco."

Speaking of Whitey, he's having a great time. He really liked the hostel that we were staying at, but we're both very happy to be settled in and unpacked here at the house.

Whitey Checking the Time

On His Way to the Balcony

Surfing the Net

Trying to Hide in My Slipper

Lounging

I found out that I am going to be living here with two other Americans for the first month being here. I met them tonight, and they seem like very nice gentlemen. They are actually in my program so we'll probably have some classes together which should be fun. We sorta talked in half Spanish - half English, which was sufficiently awkward, but we're all estudiantes here so we've got to practice.

I can hear a child crying in the piso below me which is, well, annoying. And all I can think about is this serial killer who supposedly lures women out of their houses with a recording of a baby crying. What if that's happening to me? But then again Molly, my fifteen year old sister, is the one who told me about said killer, so I'm not sure how reliable her story is. Yo echo de menos a mi familia.

Yesterday we went to La Reina Sofia, one of the art museums in Madrid. There were so many famous paintings and sculptures, and lots that I'd never seen before. The architecture of the museum was beautiful in and of itself. But most importantly, I got to see Guernica, a work by Picasso that I have been learning about for several years en mis clases de Español. For those of you who don't know, it's about 11 feet tall and 27 feet wide. I couldn't wait to see it. Let me tell you - it was unbelievable. I'll post a picture, but it won't do justice. Seeing such a massive - and famous - work of art totally boggled my mind. It was amazing, and I can't wait to go back.

Guernica

Muy grande, ¿no?

Lamia, Andrew, & Hannah

Me, Posing With a Painting of Blair

"Ha entrado la España de Franco!"

Dalí

The Courtyard Looked Like the Secret Garden

A couple of nights ago, we went to Kapital, una discoteca grandisimo en Madrid. But it wasn't just any danceclub. It was a seven story monster. In theory, it had potential to be lots of fun. But can't quite imagine who thought it would be a good idea to have seven clubs in one building. It was super crowded, but not until about 3:30 a.m. when all of los Españoles came. Clubs here are open until 7 a.m. or so, sometimes later. Ayayay. It was exhausting, to say the least.

Bad news: I got lost again today.
Good news: I figured out how to get home without anybody's help. Ten points for Gryffindor!

Unas Chicas Bonitas

But seriously... I'm so happy about the no-spider thing.