I think Madrid needs some sleep.

Today was my fifth day in Spain and for the most part I really am enjoying it. The city is beautiful. Unlike most European cities, Madrid doesn't have that one monument that you think of. But the city's beauty is far from hidden. Every street is filled with buildings that are hundreds of years old, built right next to new buildings. Every plaza has monuments or fountains which would put most of the best squares in American cities to shame.

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This is a picture of La Plaza Mayor. I'm a little saddened by the fact that people know this as the place from Vantage Point instead of the long history it has had in Spain, being the place of executions during the Spanish Inquisition, where bullfights occurred, and where kings have been sworn in. But despite the general lack of knowledge of the sites of Madrid (most of which I'm guilty of) it is a beautiful city.

I've been doing a lot of hanging out with our neighbors, most of which are from Spain or South America. Today was my orientation at the University I'll be attending here. I met lots people, but many seemed to come from Germany and France. Luckily for me most of them know Spanish better than I do, so it will still be good for me to hang out with them and practice my Spanish. I do need to admit that I have been pretty timid about speaking. Too many times when I'm with my friend who speaks almost fluently I've heard the phrase, no hablas espanol? Already I'm able to understand a lot more than I could, but I don't feel prepared to respond, so I've been quiet. I feel like even if I do respond I will probably do so incorrectly. I have come to the conclusion that it just doesn't matter. Even if I do make several gramatical errors, it is okay. Hopefully people will correct me and they will understand that I'm trying to learn. I would say that I gain confidence with every conversation, but that is not true at all. After one great conversation, I can go into another and feel horrible about it. I think more confidence to speak Spanish is the best thing that could help me right now.

P.S. All Spanierds do is party all night. It is 3:45 am and I still hear lots of people in the streets from my balcony. They really don't sleep. That is why siestas are necessary.

I Made It!

I was just going to let you know that I made it safely! After visiting Chicago and London for a short time and getting to know C.S. Lewis and Kurt Vonnegut a little better I arrived safely in Madrid. When I arrived I suddenly became incredibly nervous about speaking Spanish. The first part of my cab ride was spent in silence. When I finally worked up the nerve to ask a few questions he would give incredibly long responses. He was from Madrid and loved talking about his city. I didn't catch a lot of what he said, but I was able to communicate and he even ended up giving me his own map and helping me quite a bit. It was a great first impression.

I then made it to the agency to get my apartment, which were luckily only a couple blocks apart. The flat is incredibly European in style; very small, has a small elevator, and I have a balcony, so it will surely do. The picture is the view from my room's balcony and the great thing is that I'm just a few minutes walk from the center of Madrid.

We also met our neighbors tonight and got to know them. They are all about our age and only one, from France, speaks English, so hanging out with them is going to be great practice. I'm already feeling more comfortable than when I arrived. I now need to finish unpacking so I can rest up for a day of exploration tomorrow. So all in all it has been a great start, I can only hope these things will continue.

The Final Countdown

It's the night before I leave. America is about to be behind me, but always with me (on my shoelaces mainly). After being tired the whole day, I have found myself not even drowsy now. I think it is a mix of the excitement, nervousness, and videogames I have been playing the last few hours. Hopefully I'll get some rest and then be able to sleep on the plane tomorrow, but that is always difficult, so we'll see.

I do think I'm ready to go. I'm packed, I have my flight itineraries, and my apartment in Madrid settled. Trying to pack for 4 months was one the most difficult tasks I have embarked on... at least this week. Packing for me may be one of the things I hate most in the world and in fact I have come up with a list of the things I hate most:

1. Packing/Unpacking
2. Injustice
3. Goodbyes

Packing/Unpacking because they always come together, the duo of danger if you will. Injustices such as murder, pointless war, theft, etc are always bad and make me upset for obvious reasons. And the new one I've found recently is goodbyes. I've had to say goodbye to a lot of people lately and I really don't enjoy it at all. Although I'm going away for a longer period of time, there is really no need for any extra time spent in saying the goodbye. It doesn't seem like a slightly longer salutation is going to change anything.

But I will now give you a short goodbye for now, I will be in Spain the next time I post and hopefully I will make it safely. I think that the fewer stories I have from travel the better.

Something New

Connor writing a travel blog? Yes it is! Being as original as I can be I am starting a travel blog. I have never been a fan of the blog, thinking that most of the ideas that people put on them would be better off kept to themselves. And when people travel they want to share they journey with everyone else, but of course not everyone wants to see. I do believe that I once read that the blog was killing modern literature. If that is true, then may mine be another kick to the sore spot.

So if you feel inclined to share this journey with me, or simply want to make sure I'm alive feel free to tune in. This will be my new place to post updates, fun stories, things I've learned, things I've wished I learned, and best of all pictures. I was going to do something like a journal for myself so I'd have something to look at as my memory fades, but why not share it with friends? I don't know how often I will post, but I will try to do one a week.

And if you didn't know I was going to Spain for the semester then yes! I'm going to Spain! I leave in two weeks and will return in June. Why you may ask? Because I want to feel all cultured and suave? Yes. That is the only reason.