So far, this has been one experience and life lesson after another. To tell how I feel, I decided to break everything down by the 5 senses - touch, sight, taste, smell, and hearing. And being the borderline OCD person I am, I'm going to do them in alphabetical order so I know I tell the story right! lol
Hearing
Usually when I tell a story, I rarely tell what I HEAR. Of course if I was telling about a conversation I tell the response I heard, but never have I mentioned the noise in the background. When we got to the airport in Madrid (Barajas), my ears exploded with different languages! People from all over were here just talking away in their respective languages. I just tried to keep my ears focused on what my professor was saying. I was NOT about to be separated from the group! We finally made it to the city. Honking cars and people on motorbikes filled the air. We stepped off the bus to meet our families, and I knew it was a life of Spanish from that point on. Everyone around us was just yapping away in Spanish. As the days went on, I started to hear other languages and dialects. The consistent one has been the subtle lisp that Spaniards have. They will give a word with a s sound a th one. Ex. They would thay things like thith. = They would say things like this. But I'm getting over that. I sort of come to expect it. But one thing I make sure I hear on a daily is the English language. Most of the students from Arkansas refuse to speak in Spanish on our free time. I'm slowly but surely breaking that habit by practicing Spanish when I can. Most importantly, I have been able to hear my family's voice when I need to. :o)
Sight
The things I have seen alone since I have been here is enough to fill a million blogs! The initial sight I had when this journey started was my ONE suitcase. I couldn't help but to think "Can I really live for a month off what's in that suitcase?" It's been working so far! When we boarded the plane to Madrid, I could already see that this was the Big Boy plane. It took me a while to find my seat. There were hundreds of them! I couldn't get a window seat this time, but that was ok. I just decided to watch a movie and the back of my eyelids for 8 hours. lol. The Barajas airport in Madrid is HUGE. If it were not for the 18 other people in Razorback gear, I would have definitely gotten lost. As we traveled through the city, I saw cars and bikes jetting past each other to get where they needed to. We pulled up to the place where we would meet our host families. A group of about 10 older women with different shapes, sizes, and hair colors were standing out there. I knew I was going to be living with a granny! lol. My host mom is a sweet little older lady with a pep in her step! Houses are not popular here, as everyone lives in some type of apartment complex. We got to the host, and I was happy to see that I have my own room. The city outside of the apartment was entirely different than what I'm used to. To get around, I took the metro which like an underground city of its own. I had to learn quickly how to look and see where I needed to go, and get there. If you thought the U.S. was diverse, come to Spain. So many different faces and ethnicities roaming the streets. It's amazing! Like I said, it would take too much to explain what I've seen. Go to my Facebook page and check out my photo albums! Spain Pics! More Pics
Smell
One wouldn't normally think to tell about what they smell. The smell here isn't much different, but it is different all the same. The main difference in the smell is the food. Of course in a different place and culture, the food is prepared differently. Here, you won't smell the grease frying fish, or chicken cooking (oh how I miss my American food!). But you wouldn't believe how happy I get everyday around 7:30 when I smell the dinner my host mom is cooking. Can you say HONgry?! Aside from the food, the apartment itself has a unique smell. It's almost like you know an older woman stays here, but it's pleasant. Does that make sense? lol. Every now and then, it's possible to smell other people. When just sitting there, you pick up on their perfumes and colognes, and unfortunately some body odors too. I had to double check myself one day because someone near me was foul. :-/ lol
Taste
TwoChurros con Chocolate" Look!. It's basically fried bread you dip in molten chocolate. It's quite tasty. Recently, I've eaten at some American restaurants (Subway and Burger King). At times I'm not feeling as adventurous as others, and I need a sure thing for my stomach to rely on! As far as drinks, I've really been drowning myself with water. They don't sell my beloved Dollar Juice (the Tropicana drinks from Walmart) here, and I don't drink sodas. All I have left is water. As least I'll be healthier!
Touch
What can I say about touch? The physical touch of some things is not different at all, it's just the things that I have to touch. :-/ The metro (the subway) is THE mode of transportation here. Too many times have I found myself holding on to the rail or the chair wondering who or WHAT touched it before I did. I need to go buy some pocket sanitizer just in case. lol The biggest thing I have felt here is the Madrid heat! The sun stays up here maybe for 16 hours. That means 16 hours of heat that you can't escape unless you go inside. And here in Madrid, going inside doesn't solve much of anything. Energy bills here are a killer, so the A/C is a weekend luxury for some, and a distant dream for most.
This has been only a tanch (a tad and a pinch. It's a country thing lol) of my experience here in Madrid. I'm planning on making this the best time of my life, so get ready to hear more about it! Feel free to comment, or just ask questions.
Ciao!
~Terrance B.
