This past week was rough. But before I get to that, I'll start with last weekend--my trip to Valencia.
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, about 4 hours from Madrid by bus. It's a beautiful city, right up the Mediterranean coast from Barcelona, and I think all 48 of us that went had a great time. We stayed in a cute little four star hotel a short walk away from lots of shops and restaurants and the hustle and bustle.
On Saturday, our program took us to the aquarium--the biggest in Europe, I think?--which was SO BEAUTIFUL! It was a lot of fun to walk around and look at not only the animals but also the really cool architecture in the area. I took a lot of pictures that I'll post as soon as I find my USB cable...
We stopped briefly at the science museum, which was also really interesting (highlights were the hatching chicks and the female body exhibit) before an enormous lunch of paella Valenciana at a restaurant across town. The food was delicious, and I left completely stuffed. A few of us walked around after lunch to digest, and after a short nap, I got ready for a night out dancing! It was a great day, my best in Spain at that point.
On Sunday, everyone went to the beach. The water was perfect, very refreshing before a 4 hour bus ride back to Madrid. Only when we returned did things start to go downhill. In preparation for my first day of classes on Monday, I ate dinner and went to bed early, only to wake up several times during the night vomiting and feverish. It was a horrible night, and I was still really sick the next morning and unable to go to classes. My RA called a doctor, who came to our apartment and told me I had gastroenteritis, which is basically a stomach bug. I stayed in bed all day and slept as much as I could, and luckily was able to go to school on Tuesday. I wasn't able to eat much all week and only started feeling better on Friday. I was SO HOMESICK while I wasn't feeling well! It's really hard being sick in a new country, and all I could think about was laying in my bed at home. It was a horrible week, but things started to turn around once I started feeling like myself again.
I'm adjusting day by day. The thought of being here until mid December still scares me, but I'm learning to like it here. In a little time, I'm sure I'll dread the thought of leaving. I've already learned so much about myself, more than I ever thought I would in just two weeks, so I know that 4 months will be completely worthwhile. I'm anticipating more bad days to come (of course there will be bad days scattered amongst the good, it's normal) but I'm looking forward to all of the amazing things I will do, see, and learn in the time that lies ahead.
I miss you and love you all! I hope everyone is well, wherever you may be. Please email me to let me know how you are doing!
Much love,
Lauren
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
First few days
Hi everyone,
I arrived, safe and sound, in Madrid last Thursday after a long and tiresome overnight flight. There were several other IES kids on my plane, so we met and chatted for a while before trying to get some sleep. IES staff members greeted us at the airport and helped us catch cabs to Hotel Husa Princesa, where we spent our first night. Everyone was completely exhausted during lunch -- we tried to introduce ourselves, see where people were from, but after an hour of that we were in zombie mode, slowly eating and staring around the room with heavy eyes.
Later in the evening, several students at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid took small groups on walking tours throughout the city. I was NOT prepared for the three hour trek my group went on, and though it was nice to get aquainted with some neighborhoods, all I could think about was going to sleep. I slept like a rock and woke up the next day feeling much better.
On Friday, everyone moved into their permanent residence for the semester, some to dorms, some to homestays, and some, like me, to apartments. My apartment is great! We have a nice kitchen, a large common room with a pretty view, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. I live in a decently sized double with Te'Niijah. Shauna and Alessandra live next door in another room, Andrea lives in the single down the hall, and our RA, Nuria, a recent graduate of Complutense, also lives next to me in a single.
Saturday was the most exciting day as of yet. Everyone met at our study center on Complutense's campus, where we boarded busses headed for Segovia, a historic town about an hour outside of Madrid. There, we explored old churches and learned about the architechture. We also saw the aquaducts and an old Spanish castle. It was very beautiful, and our enthusiastic tour guide, Mario, made it a great tour. We stopped at a beautiful and HUGE restaurant on our way home where they fed us course after course of delicious food. I took una siesta pequena when I got home--food coma.
Sunday was a day of rest, so I slept in and picked up a few groceries before heading to El Parque de Retiro, Madrid's Central Park, for a walking tour. The park is beautiful! There's a lake in the middle where you can rent row boats for relatively cheap, tons of sculptures and fountains, and a lot of people running and biking throughout. It's definitely somewhere that I hope to spend a lot of free time.
This week is the beginning of our orientation classes. We'll be placed into the appropriate Spanish class for the semester and learn about Madrid's history and culture. I'm looking forward to starting class next Monday and really settling in here, but so far, so good. I've met so many nice, fun, interesting people--I think it's going to be a great semester. I miss you all back in the states!!!
Lauren
I arrived, safe and sound, in Madrid last Thursday after a long and tiresome overnight flight. There were several other IES kids on my plane, so we met and chatted for a while before trying to get some sleep. IES staff members greeted us at the airport and helped us catch cabs to Hotel Husa Princesa, where we spent our first night. Everyone was completely exhausted during lunch -- we tried to introduce ourselves, see where people were from, but after an hour of that we were in zombie mode, slowly eating and staring around the room with heavy eyes.
Later in the evening, several students at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid took small groups on walking tours throughout the city. I was NOT prepared for the three hour trek my group went on, and though it was nice to get aquainted with some neighborhoods, all I could think about was going to sleep. I slept like a rock and woke up the next day feeling much better.
On Friday, everyone moved into their permanent residence for the semester, some to dorms, some to homestays, and some, like me, to apartments. My apartment is great! We have a nice kitchen, a large common room with a pretty view, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. I live in a decently sized double with Te'Niijah. Shauna and Alessandra live next door in another room, Andrea lives in the single down the hall, and our RA, Nuria, a recent graduate of Complutense, also lives next to me in a single.
Saturday was the most exciting day as of yet. Everyone met at our study center on Complutense's campus, where we boarded busses headed for Segovia, a historic town about an hour outside of Madrid. There, we explored old churches and learned about the architechture. We also saw the aquaducts and an old Spanish castle. It was very beautiful, and our enthusiastic tour guide, Mario, made it a great tour. We stopped at a beautiful and HUGE restaurant on our way home where they fed us course after course of delicious food. I took una siesta pequena when I got home--food coma.
Sunday was a day of rest, so I slept in and picked up a few groceries before heading to El Parque de Retiro, Madrid's Central Park, for a walking tour. The park is beautiful! There's a lake in the middle where you can rent row boats for relatively cheap, tons of sculptures and fountains, and a lot of people running and biking throughout. It's definitely somewhere that I hope to spend a lot of free time.
This week is the beginning of our orientation classes. We'll be placed into the appropriate Spanish class for the semester and learn about Madrid's history and culture. I'm looking forward to starting class next Monday and really settling in here, but so far, so good. I've met so many nice, fun, interesting people--I think it's going to be a great semester. I miss you all back in the states!!!
Lauren
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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