Hi all! Welcome back! I wasn't exactly sure how to start this week's blog, so I decided to share a picture instead! While its not that interesting, it does somewhat capture some of the elements of the past week! For instance, the dark sky and the sunshine are representative of the new weather I've been experiencing...much colder and windier than the past month. It is quickly transitioning from the pleasant cool, sunny days of fall, to the bitter, bone chilling cold days of winter. Next, we see clues of the coming holiday: Christmas! The large metal tree supporting the red garland and the lights, as well as the blue stalls of the Christmas markets provide just a glimpse of the decorations that line the city's most popular streets. I have absolutely, without a doubt been missing the traditions, foods, and comforts that I normally have at this time of year, but I have been enjoying the lights of Madrid! More on that later... Lastly, the very obvious building crane in the background disrupts the peace of the square. While I think it adds to the atmosphere of the city, metaphorically it represents the "ugliness," "bumps," and difficult emotions that I've experienced this week. However, do not worry! These feelings are part of the greater learning experience, and they come with other funny stories!
More than usual, I've been feeling very lonely and it is easy to get discouraged: with my Spanish language abilities, with the slow process of making friends, and even with my progress/abilities in the classroom. I've had to recognize when I am feeling sad and lonely, remind myself that these emotions are valid, and then find a way to move on. One of my dear friends put it best...the first bit of living in a new country is filled with strange mood swings. One day, you can feel really good and happy and excited about even the smallest of victories. However, when you're discouraged or sad, it's like the world is crumbling. It is hard to feel content in the middle when my emotions swing from one extreme to the other. It's a never ending process, but some days I am actually able to embrace my loneliness! On Sunday, I treated myself to dinner out! My first option was closed, so I wandered around and adapted. I ended up at an Italian place? I'm not quite sure...but I had pizza, wine, and chocolate cake all to my self.
Afterwards, I strolled around the city and was lead to Sol, where I gazed upon the beauty of the Christmas lights! Madrid really knows how to decorate for the season. All I can say is that seeing the lights have given me more reason to go out at night, brought smiles to my face, and reminded me of the Christmas spirit (it's ok...I still know that Jesus is the reason for the season.)! The pictures below are a combination of several nights' walks, though they are hardly as cool in pictures as they are in real life!
Moving on...have you ever heard about the stages of culture shock?! Most people agree that there are five different stages: honeymoon, hostility/frustration/irritability, gradual adjustment, acceptance, and finally re-entry culture shock (when returning to one's home country). I am in stage two, irritability, and a few things instantly come to mind that are making me frustrated right now. LOL. First, my teeny, tiny shower. Do I really need to say more?! I can barely move in there: can't shave, can't stay warm for long, and can't relax. I guess it just goes to show that we are a bit spoiled in the U.S., thinking the shower is a place to relax, rather than remembering it's actual purpose which is to keep us clean and healthy. But here I am. Still annoyed. Second, I've been doing some more cooking and baking! But in Spain, everything is in Celsius, including the oven temperatures. Ahhhhhhhhh. Thank goodness for Google and easy online converters. I'm slowly learning to convert the temps in my head, but its just an extra step that I don't have to worry about back home. Next, I'm physically large for Spanish standards...my long legs do not fit in these buses, y'all. I am constantly twisting and turning on my trips to and from school, and am never comfortable. However, I have found a yoga class that meets every week, and that seems to help my aching lower back. I miss the ease of driving my own car... and on top of all that, I was stuck in the elevator this week. Yes, literally...like what you see in a movie, no working buttons, and flashing lights. Luckily, I was only in there about 25 minutes and the technician came as soon as he could! All is well, and I was surprisingly calm, but it was still a moment that I could have gone without! Please enjoy my "Are you serious?!" face in said elevator.
As I mentioned, Christmas is coming up fast! In la Plaza Mayor, there is a yearly Christmas market! Usually it is made up of 150 or so stalls, but due to COVID, it has been reduced to 45 stalls. Nevertheless, it was fun to go walk around and be apart of the traditions in Spain! Here one can find many handmade Nativity pieces, other Christmas decorations and childlike gifts.
Yesterday, I took a quick day trip to Alcala de Heranes, known as the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes. If that name is familiar to you, that's because he was a famous Spanish author known for writing Don Quixote. The town is nice...cobble stone streets, restaurants, a beautiful plaza, and historic buildings. Since this Monday and Tuesday are holidays here, there were many people from the city who also wanted to get out the the city routine for a bit. The plaza and streets were filled throughout the whole day. I walked around a bit and had some fried calamari, enjoyed the fresh air and scenery, then headed home when I felt ready to leave!
Today I took another day trip, this time to Aranjuez, a city south of Madrid on the River Tagus known for the French influenced Royal Palace and gardens. I went with the "Hiking in Madrid" group, like last weekend, but I wouldn't exactly say that we were hiking today...more of a long stroll. Anyway, the architecture is so beautiful and impressive, especially the older buildings like the palaces. Other cool things, I tired Spanish Vermú, a drink popular here in the winter! And, and, and! I finally was able to meet up with Hannah, a friend of mine that I met in Chile and who is also here as a language assistant! Whew. I am pretty tired, and honestly don´t feel like writing much more, so here are some pictures instead...
And to end, I have to tell you all that it snowed for the first time in the mountains near Buitrago, and I couldn't be happier about it! It is so beautiful to see the distant mountains covered in a light layer of white, and reminds me to look up and enjoy the simple things in life! (I'm not sure if you can really tell in the pictures below, but I promise there really is snow...)
That's all I'm able to share with you for now...I'm physically and mentally ready for bed soon. However, I have some fun things planned for the next few days, and cannot wait to share pictures and stories of these outings in the next blog!