Livin' In Madrid

This blog has two parts. The first part is all about my past weekend that I spent here in Madrid living the life of a true Madrielleno, the second half is more of a FAQ type thing, or simply put classes, food, and boys.

PART 1

So I have officially been in Spain for over a month now, and it has been the the best month of my life. We have a lot of big trips coming up and midterms just around the corner, so we decided to stay in Madrid for this weekend a live the true life of a Madrielleno (a Madrid local).

Thursday afternoon was actually a really exciting moment for me, it may seem small or silly but it was the first time when I was able to hold my own and fit in with the locals completely. It's pretty obvious to most that I am not Spanish due to my height, light hair, and blue eyes, so my goal was never to be seen as a local but rather as a permanent resident, someone who knew what they were doing and wasn't s silly traveler. So on my way to class on Thursday there was very high winds, a group of women were all huddled near each other at the crosswalk and one bumped into me, she said something to me in Spanish and laughed and I simply replied to her Spanish that this wind was crazy. They all laughed and I was dragged into their huddle, it was a good moment.

That night we decided to brave Kapital, the seven story night club that is very popular among locals and nonlocals alike. We picked Thursday night since it has free entry versus the sixteen euro cover charge on other nights, and we grabbed drinks at a bar across the street before hand rather than paying the twelve inside. It was quiet the experience. We did our best to keep up with the locals who are notorious for their night life that runs until seven or so in the morning, we made it to six before we could no longer suppress our hunger. We found a pizza place befor eheading home for the night, er morning. I will say the locals are smart in one way for staying out all night the metro opens back up at 6am, so you save money on a taxi.

Kapital

Everyone was tired on Friday, we all took the day to rest up, study or upcoming test, and for a few to stop a developing sickness. I walked around outside a bit, as I had to head over to school to pick up a package. But after shower and dinner, I read my new kindle for a bit (best birthday present ever from Mom and Dad), before retiring for the night.

Saturday after a tapas lunch at El Tigre, we decided to explore the neighborhoods of Madrid that we had yet to visit and were more eclectic; I personally loved Tribunal with all of it's cute boutique shops and restaurants, it has winding streets with bright windows and beautiful building throughout. We also ventured to Chueca, the gay district, Banco de Espana,the financial district, and went deeper into Gran Via. It was really cool to see the differences between each neighborhood, but at the same time realize how cohesive it all is. That night we went to El Chapandaz, a cave bar in Moncloa, the local college scene. What is a cave bar you ask, it's a bar that looks like a cave on the inside and it's awesome. Its known for serving large serving drinks (think large fishbowls and vases), so the eight of us split one bowl basically of panthers milk, it's a house drink that is served from the ceiling. It was a really cool place.

Panthers Milk for 8

Tribunal

Sunday we ventured to El Rastro in the rain to see if we found any knick knacks or souvenirs, sadly I didn't buy anything but there is a local jewelry maker that caught my eye, so until next time. WE grabbed lunch that afternoon at a popular joint that was recommended to me by my brother DJ, for my birthday he sent me my own birthday dinner since I couldn't celebrate it back home. It was rainy and cold, so I tried an onion soup that was phenomenal and had croquetas, which are similar to a mozzarella stick but have meat inside, and then upon DJ's recommendation I had the sirloin with foie gras and it was one of the best things I have eaten while abroad. So well done brother, well done.

We also visited the Museo de Thyssen-Bornemiszma, it is private collection smaller then the Prado and Reina Sofia but was my favorite museum I have visited so far. It is home to many modern pieces by Picasso, Dali, Pollock, and more as well as and exhibit on El Greco, and classic pieces by world renowned artists.We made it through about half of the museum and plan on returning to see the other half relatively soon.

El Rastro

Sirloin with Foie Gras

 Thyssen Museum

PART 2

Here is a list of the questions I have gotten the most from people over the past month...

Question 1: Do you actually go to class? What are they like?
Yes, I go to class. I haven't missed a single one since I have been here. I'm only taking four classes this semester as to keep the course load light and only have class Monday through Thursday which gives me an extra day to travel. I'm taking design, which is taught by one of the founders of the Barcelona Center for Design, and we have just begun our first project. I had to design a personal logo for who I am and what I stand for, and now as a class we are creating a digital magazine to conclude our graphic design unit. I'm responsible for writing and designing my own article as well as submitting a cover design for the magazine. The magazine is completely class run and the professor has no input on how we go about it, who does what, and how we go about it.  I'm also taking a management class that I find very interesting, we are learning the basics of management and decision making, but we will finish the semester with a project presentation where we must interview a manger within a major company (my professor has a connection to the main manager for Carolina Herrera, so fingers crossed I can get her). My political science class is focused on Government and Politics in contemporary Spain, it is really interesting and we are taking several field trips to see the places and remnants of recent happenings here in Madrid from the Spanish Civil War until today. And my final class in ITM, which is a kinda boring computer business class, but hey I gotta take it.

Question 2: What's the food like?
Amazing My host mom is a really good cook and she loves to experiment with different recipes, we also eat pretty healthy which I like, it's all organic and we have an unlimited amount of fruit all the time. There is a lot of seafood since we are near to the coast, which is a slight adjustment but I haven't had any fish I haven't liked yet. A very common dish for my host family as well as all over Madrid and Spain is Tortilla, it's eggs, potatoes, and olive oil all mixed together and I guess baked. It sounds very simple and plain, but it's really good. There is a lot of bakeries here and they love baguettes which is fine by me, they are also the world's number one producer of olive oil so we have a lot of that here too. Overall, it's really really good.

Question 3: Boys
Not a question I know, but I have gotten quiet a few questions about the boys. And no, there are no boys in my life, I am not in one place long enough for that to happen, plus Spanish boys tend to run on the short side. So I'm still holding out for a royal or athlete, sorry y'all.

Me in ten years as a queen. Also known as a painting from the Thyssen