blessing blurbs
So far, my time in Madrid has been challenging. I haven't been "homesick," and it's hard to describe exactly how I've felt. I'm living alone for the first time which is proving to be a challenge, even though I am someone who typically covets alone time. Today, a week after leaving home, I finally am starting to be comfortable, which mostly has to do with adjusting to my internship. Even though there have been some really hard and intimidating moments already, I have had just as many cool experiences that I need to remember and take pride in.
1. On the plane, I sat next to a girl who was flying into Seville, Spain. I asked what for, and she said she was studying abroad, so I asked what program, seriously doubting I would know it. But, defying all odds, she was going to study abroad with Semester in Spain that I studied with 3 years ago! I helped her navigate the airport and try to get an earlier flight since she was going to have to wait for 15 (!) hours at the Madrid airport just to get to Seville. That was my first Spanish-speaking experience, right off the bat, but I know she was grateful for my help and to have someone to talk to and calm nerves, even just for a few minutes while waiting at the baggage claim. Plus, being a "mentor" eliminated some of my own nerves and initial homesickness and gave me a confidence boost.
2. I cannot be thankful enough for Pilar, Camarma, and Pilar's friends! I stayed at Pilar's over the weekend until I could get into my Airbnb, and then I went back to Camarma for 2 nights this week to avoid being alone and to have someone to talk with. The trip to Camarma is about an hour and a half. It doesn't seem like that long of a commute, but it involves a metro, a bus, and another bus. The total-Spanish work atmosphere really was stressing me out and having someone to talk to was helpful and gave me something to look forward to. However, being so far out of the city meant that I had to commute back to work in the mornings. On Tuesday, one of Pilar's friends named Jema drove me to the bus stop, and this morning, another friend named Raquel drove me to the train. Both commute to Madrid from Camarma, so their daily routines involve driving to transit stations in Alcala and then getting to bigger stations in Madrid to take the metro to work. I can't imagine spending 3 hours a day commuting but having those women to help navigate the way helped so much.
3. I joined a CrossFit gym that is around the corner from my apartment and went to class for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. It was a tough class and very different from the gym I'm used to at home. I'm not someone who is intimidated by working out or trying new classes, but before I went to the gym Tuesday, I was nervous! The hardest thing was deciding how much weight to put on the bar since everything is in kilograms! When trying to convert mentally how much weight I needed to add, I learned that my partner for one of the exercises was German, and she spoke really good English. It was nice to have her to relieve some of my confusions. It was also refreshing to join the gym as a member and carry on that conversation with one of the coaches.
4. At my work, there is a woman who studied to be a teacher and now works for Club Estudiantes. My career path and studies have not exactly been a natural progression and combination, so it was awesome to meet someone in Spain who did a very similar thing. She speaks so fast, and I don't remember her name, but she is one that I shared a significant commonality with.
5. On the way to Camarma yesterday (Wednesday), a Spaniard (!) asked me if she was getting on the right bus! Usually when people ask me for directions I hardly even try because I honestly don't know, but she asked where the bus would stop in Alcalá. If it had been a bus to anywhere else, I probably would not have known what to tell her, but I actually had taken the particular bus before and happened to know Alcalá very well.
I know that "blessed" is overused on social media, but these small things were really big in making my transition a little bit easier, in boosting my confidence, and in encouraging me. I don't want to forget stories and small blurbs like this and the blog is a good place to store them.
1. On the plane, I sat next to a girl who was flying into Seville, Spain. I asked what for, and she said she was studying abroad, so I asked what program, seriously doubting I would know it. But, defying all odds, she was going to study abroad with Semester in Spain that I studied with 3 years ago! I helped her navigate the airport and try to get an earlier flight since she was going to have to wait for 15 (!) hours at the Madrid airport just to get to Seville. That was my first Spanish-speaking experience, right off the bat, but I know she was grateful for my help and to have someone to talk to and calm nerves, even just for a few minutes while waiting at the baggage claim. Plus, being a "mentor" eliminated some of my own nerves and initial homesickness and gave me a confidence boost.
2. I cannot be thankful enough for Pilar, Camarma, and Pilar's friends! I stayed at Pilar's over the weekend until I could get into my Airbnb, and then I went back to Camarma for 2 nights this week to avoid being alone and to have someone to talk with. The trip to Camarma is about an hour and a half. It doesn't seem like that long of a commute, but it involves a metro, a bus, and another bus. The total-Spanish work atmosphere really was stressing me out and having someone to talk to was helpful and gave me something to look forward to. However, being so far out of the city meant that I had to commute back to work in the mornings. On Tuesday, one of Pilar's friends named Jema drove me to the bus stop, and this morning, another friend named Raquel drove me to the train. Both commute to Madrid from Camarma, so their daily routines involve driving to transit stations in Alcala and then getting to bigger stations in Madrid to take the metro to work. I can't imagine spending 3 hours a day commuting but having those women to help navigate the way helped so much.
 |
| I've used my transit card a lot, especially with the commutes to Camarma.. So worth the 20 euros for a youth pass! |
4. At my work, there is a woman who studied to be a teacher and now works for Club Estudiantes. My career path and studies have not exactly been a natural progression and combination, so it was awesome to meet someone in Spain who did a very similar thing. She speaks so fast, and I don't remember her name, but she is one that I shared a significant commonality with.
5. On the way to Camarma yesterday (Wednesday), a Spaniard (!) asked me if she was getting on the right bus! Usually when people ask me for directions I hardly even try because I honestly don't know, but she asked where the bus would stop in Alcalá. If it had been a bus to anywhere else, I probably would not have known what to tell her, but I actually had taken the particular bus before and happened to know Alcalá very well.
 |
| The intercambiados where I switch from metro to bus; it is 3 floors underground with 2 levels for bus platforms and 1 level where the metro station is. There are connections to almost all of the lines and bus connections to the city, suburbs, and entire country. |
I know that "blessed" is overused on social media, but these small things were really big in making my transition a little bit easier, in boosting my confidence, and in encouraging me. I don't want to forget stories and small blurbs like this and the blog is a good place to store them.
That's my girl! Keep focusing on helping others, and you will feel strengthened. I am studying the Madrid Metro from my screen--not such an easy task. I'll be counting on you to help me in just a couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteLove you! Mom