I've decided that since there is waaaaay to much that has happened to go into great detail, I'm going to make a list of things that I've discovered. However, we did take a day trip to Segiovia last Sunday that you get to hear about. The 44 of us in the program took a big bus which took about an hour because we had to go of course go through the mountains. Our guide (who is also our professor for the art and architecture section of our 'curso intensivo') told us that going by train through the Sierra takes 25 minutes. One of the first things we saw was an aqueduct; it is purely astounding that it is still standing without anything holding the stones together. A lot of areas are really touristy, but is is a beautiful town with small cobblestone streets and a stunning cathedral.
1. They are super serious about their ham. There is some sort of ham product in almost every meal they serve in the dorm we're temporarily staying in, and there was even ham on a vegetable sandwich that I got.
2. The milk is processed in a different way than in the US and until it is opened it is not refrigerated. WHAT.
3. The merto is your best friend...until it closes at 1:30 in the morning.
4. Diet Coke is Coca-Cola Light, it doesn't taste the same!
5. Spaniards don't want to admit it if they don't know where something is, to they will tell you to go two blocks and ask there. Just wait til they walk away and ask someone else.
6. Madrileños really are night owls. I hear that there are still people in line to get into clubs at 3am!
7. Stores and restaurants have pig legs hanging on the walls...I told you about the ham thing, right?
8. People drink wine and Coke together...?
9. There are a lot of bad drivers.
10. When people come up to you to try to entice you to go to their clup with coupons, the best thing to do is ignore them.
11. I still can't believe I'm living here!
Fortunately, I now have a place to live when we have to move out of the Colegio Mayor on Wednesday! I haven't met the people that live there, but I know it will be all students and the apartment itself is really well kept and in a nice area. Also, there is no smoking! I had pretty much given up on making that a requirement, thankfuly I didn't have to sacrifice my lung health. A few people in the program found places that they really like that aren't available until October 1, so they are looking at staying in a hostel for two weeks. It really isn't as scarry as it sounds. Our curso intensivo classes started on Monday. We have to go through everything so fast and, yes, there are exams...merrrrr. Things are going pretty smoothly now that we have a schedule and pretty much know our way around. Tomorrow night is an event called 'La noche en blanca' that is supposed to be a huge cultural experience. They line a lot of streets with bright lights, museums are open and there are a lot of other arts related events that I can't currently recal. Hopefully you'll get to hear about it on Sunday. ¡Buenas tardes!