¡bienvenidos!

Being back in Spain means back to blogging!  I left from Indianapolis on Thursday late morning and arrived in Madrid on Friday morning.  The wind was just right, and I connected in Charlotte, NC (the smallest bit closer to Europe), so my flight was faster than anticipated. Instead of the predicted 8 hours and 5 minutes, we arrived in just under 7.5 hours.  I slept for much of the flight and watched some of a TV show, and it "flew" by honestly.

Pilar, who I stayed with during my student teaching, picked me up from the airport. We have stayed in touch since I left Camarma, using WhatsApp to communicate almost daily.  We had pre-arranged for her to pick me up and bring me to her house for the night so that we could get into my apartment in Madrid when the traffic would be lighter.  That left time for me to rest and enjoy Camarma and time with Pilar before hustling into my "new" life in the city.  On Friday, we stopped by ECA (where I student taught-but they're out of session for the summer), had a breakfast at a cafe, went for a walk, and got a tapa for supper.

pictures from our walk- such a beautiful sunset AND full moon!

On Saturday, Pilar had a final exam for one of her classes, so I took the bus to Alcala so that I could get my Spanish phone service re-activated.  It was easy to purchase a 10-trip pass, grab a bus from Camarma, and walk to the phone store just like I'd remembered.  I napped when I got home, and around 4:30, we (Pilar, her brother, and I) left to head to my apartment in Madrid.  

In this map, my neighborhood is in the Chamartin district (north central).  The north is typically made up of the most affluent areas of Madrid, so everything is pretty nice, and I feel very safe.  

I rented the place with Airbnb, so we met the owner at the apartment to get the keys and look around. It is the perfect amount of space for me for the time being and is totally furnished.  After dropping off my bags, we went to a nearby grocery store so I could get some food for the week.

the kitchen and eating area

the kitchen is behind folding doors and has a microwave, cooktop, sink, mini fridge, and clothes washer/dryer

living room area

my bedroom 

So far I am having a hard time getting adjusted, mostly to living by myself and being far from things I know- even in Spain/Madrid.  By public transport, it takes a little over an hour to get to Pilar's house, and almost an hour just to get downtown.  I am very well connected to stations for buses and trains, but Madrid is just a large city!

Tomorrow is my first day of my internship, and I've already walked to the site so I know where I'm going in the morning.  Mom and Pilar encouraged me to make a list of things that I want to do and can do- even just very simple things that will help me feel more confident and comfortable.  For now I'm just taking it one day at a time and planning things to look forward to each day.