Three Continents, Two Weeks

Okay, so it's time to get back in the swing of this blogging thing. Like the internal rhyme? My two weeks in the USA were a bit hectic and weird. And happy and sad. And sunny and hot. I think I mentioned in the previous post, albeit briefly, how strange it felt to be back in my house of 20 years after spending the two and a half months in Brazil. The feeling that a part of me was missing and that my sojourn in Brazil almost didn't occur. Although I am kept busy by the hustle and bustle of orientation, tours, and learning a new everything here in Spain, at times I still have that feeling. Brazil certainly has not left me, even though I left it.

But enough of that. I don't want people to get teary eyed unless it results in them sending me money. So if you are predisposed to writing random checks, email me and I'll give you a super emotional entry that will make you want to clear out your bank account for me.

So, what has transpired here in Spain so far? Let's begin, shall we?

Everything commenced with my flight out of Philly. The flight departed on time, and I was treated to seeing a 777. I don't know if it was more comfy than the Delta 767 I took to Brazil (and somehow I had to go to the bathroom like twice on a six hour flight, but never on the 10 hour flight to Brazil), but British Airways does have a nice little touch to the headrests - tiny protrusions on the sides of your head so that when you doze off you're not flopping around like a flounder on shore. And it was pretty cool hearing all the flight attendants and captain speak in their nice British accents. The two hour layover at Heathrow was mostly spent getting to the other terminal, and the flight from London to Madrid was uneventful. I was in the window seat though, so I got a decent view of the ground. It's interesting to see the stark contrast between American and Spanish development of the land. In America, things go up pretty much wherever, taking on amoeba-like forms when viewed from above. Here, clumps of buildings in squares or rectangles are surrounded by a sea of dry, Mediterranean climate earth.

Barajas airport wasn't too hard to get around, although to get to your bags one must go up and down about ten billion escalators. I'm pretty sure that some famed architect designed the place; all of the ceilings are in this wavy pattern of wood and yellow-painted steel - visually entertaining, but it makes you feel like you are inside a mega log cabin erector set type thing...I dunno. While waiting at the designated API meeting point, I met some other students from the program who would then go on to be my travel companions and tolerators of my lame jokes.

We had three nights in Madrid, and those days were filled with a lot of stuff. Taking walking tours of the city, traveling to El Escorial, wandering around at night soaking up all the tapas bars, clubs, and the feel of a city and country that operate differently than our own. Let me say that tapas bars are probably the best invention since the other invention I claimed was the best invention since sliced bread. Cheap food in small portions that allows you to try many different local flavors. All good, as well.

Being surrounded by old buildings and tiny streets and everything made of stone is quite nice, and obviously a bit different than other cities I've visited, with perhaps the exception of Quebec (not to say that Madrid and Quebec have a ton of similarities). Of course, all this rock means that when the inevitable construction is underway, jackhammers and tons of noise are mandatory. And there is work going on everywhere, goodness.

Thursday morning we visited Toledo and walked around the city. It's also very old, with many many winding little streets where cars and people try to coexist in places where two people side by side with arms extended would just fit, maybe. Toledo is home to many cathedrals, some quite fascinating to look at.

Next up was the quite long and boring 6.5 hour bus ride to Sevilla. Upon arrival, my roommate Chris and I met our host mother, a nice but soft spoken woman of about sixty. She talks enough and tells stories, but much of the time it is ridiculously hard to hear her over random ambient noises (said construction, cars, loud voices in the street, etc) or the television, which plays pretty loudly during dinner and in general when here and her daughter are in the living/dining room. We are living in Triana, one of the older neighborhoods in the city and host to many hopping spots, including various flamenco clubs. We're also a block from the river, which is kind of nice. The apartment is older and, I suppose, somewhat traditional. One AC unit in the living room, small beds with not so soft mattresses and pillows. A small washing machine on the porch off the kitchen, which sits outside in the central courtyard where all the laundry lines of the various tenants hang, waiting for clothes. Tile floors in our bedroom. Windows with no screens, but large wooden slats that are pulled down or up to help regulate heat and light. There is a Chinese restaurant below us, two floors down, on the ground level, and a flamenco joint across the street. Two other students, from William and Mary, are also staying in the house. The daughter apparently works online (although I've only witnessed her on MSN messenger and Facebook).

Yesterday we went to a beach near Cádiz. It wasn't too different from a beach somewhere in the USA, really. The water was a nicer hue than the North Atlantic, though. And I managed to avoid melting my face off, though my back did get a little burnt.

Classes begin Wednesday, after a placement exam on Monday and orientation Tuesday. I'm sure I'll have much more to comment on once a more routine schedule picks up.