Madrid, Estoy Aquí

Well, I am officially in Madrid. We drove in today, and Jade and I finally got to meet our host mom, Paloma. At first, I was very overwhelmed. I am understanding some of what is said, but it is really difficult. I'm not used to living in a big city and using public transportation, let alone combining those things with the added difficulties of navigating a foreign language. We went to see the school, where Syracuse is based in Madrid, and I was completely confused for the duration of the trip. We got back to the apartment and I was about ready to pass out. Jade, however, was eager to unpack and encouraged me to do the same.

We spent the next couple of hours unpacking, and Paloma went out to buy some groceries, and then returned and cooked us dinner. Jade could definitely tell I was buggin' because she kept asking if I was okay. I simply brushed off the inquiries in an attempt to squash my anxieties. Hopefully Paloma could not detect my discomfort.

We ate late, around 21:30 (nueve y media), and my spirits were definitely lifted by the successful dinner. The three of us sat around the table and did our best to talk. Jade had her iPhone out and was using the Google Translate app to aid her speech, while I stumbled around with words I knew and constantly asked for clarification on words I didn't. I also relied heavily on the smiling and nodding and saying "sí" which seems to work a majority of the time. By the end of the meal all three of us were cracking up. There were many times where it was clear Jade and I had no idea what was going on, and we are both completely exhausted from the past ten days. I think Paloma was mostly laughing because we were, and we seemed totally crazy, but it was fun, and left the night on a positive note.

While cleaning up dinner,  Jade tried to say "I'm really weird" and, dissatisfied with the Google Translate version, looked up "weird" to find a better way to say it. She ended up accidentally reading off "sobrenatural" which means "supernatural." That gave us all a good final laugh, and we were off to bed.

Tomorrow is orientation at the SU Madrid center, and hopefully I will figure out a cell phone for my time in Europe. At this point I am settled into my room, and I think I will be comfortable here. I am nervous for tomorrow, but too tired to really feel anxious. I think content is really the only word I would use to describe my current feelings. I am content. I will get a good night's sleep, Jade and I should have an easy time finding the center tomorrow, and I am not thinking too much about what comes after that.