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.