Arriving in Madrid and Fulbright Orientation

Beginning a new chapter in the book of one's life is a thrilling and bizarre experience, and moving to Madrid was no exception to this rule for me. Before arriving, I was completely full of ideas and projections about what Spain would be like, most of which hinged upon stereotypes and the limited experiences of others--the men would look like Enrique Iglesias, everyone would eat nothing but paella, and bullfights would be as common as street corners. I knew these ideas were nothing more than creations of my imagination, yet I had no realities to dispel them and therefore clung to them, knowing they would soon be replaced by reality.

Reality hit when I landed in the Barajas airport in the late morning on September 6, 2011. Though my body was experiencing utter torpor, my mind and heart were racing with enthusiasm and nerves for the tasks that lay ahead of me. After succesfully finding my bags, clearing customs, and even brushing my teeth and reapplying deodorant in the airport (first impressions can be big!), I set out on the metro system to find the university where the orientation was held. Madrid's metro system, much to my pleasant surprise, is much cleaner, faster, and less crowded than that of London, the only other major urban metro system that I know well. I lugged my luggage (I wonder if those words share a common etymology) successfully onto the brightly lit metro and went towards the Metropolitano stop, knowing that the Colegio Mayor Universitario Mendel was somewhere nearby. Coming from my Wyoming paradigm, I figured that the university would be easily visible from the metro stop, and I was proven completely wrong. The university is in a part of Madrid called the "ciudad universitaria" (university city), and there are at least a dozen universities in the vicinity. I ended up hauling my ungainly suitcases around Europe's typically-charming-but-occasionally-frustrating cobblestone and sinuous streets, searching for the university. I finally found it after asking for directions, and I was sweaty and relieved to be at the orientation site when I finally arrived.

My great dorm room at the Colegio Mayor Universitario Mendel,
complete with my own bathroom and shower!

Orientation was wonderful. Academically and professionally, it was full of important information about life in Madrid, the nature of my duties as a Fulbright scholar in Spain, and other vital information. We had sessions from the American embassy on safety risks (don't worry, all--they are minimal in Spain!), from previous grantees on the joys and woes of securing housing, and from the program directors and affiliates that were primarily self-congratulatory talks that got pretty old. I met incredible people at the orientation over the cafeteria meals that were provided for us. I met a girl from Kenyon College named Danielle who went to school with and is friends with Keiko. I got close to Jon, a political science and history double major from Swarthmore College; Ryan, a Spanish education major from NYU whose passion is flamenco; Maseeh, a quadrilingual Afghani who plays lacrosse; and a few others. We sat next to each other at the sessions, ate meals together, and spent free time exploring the city. They are all bright, compassionate, engaging people. What a group!

Ryan, the flamenco student, on the left; Jon, the Swarthmore graduate, on the right

In terms of interesting stories, I will tell you that my jet lag has been horrible and was only exacerbated by a night of interrupted sleep during orientation. I definitely fell asleep in a couple of sessions and was reminded of former days when I would fall asleep at EFY because of sleep deprivation or in HEPE 129 because of its heinously early starting time. I thought I was finally caught up yesterday, but I ended up taking an hour-long nap and realized that I'm still off. But I'm certainly adjusting. The first night, I plugged my alarm clock into the voltage adapter and European converter, but I could tell that time was running too slowly, so I switched the adapter to "high." The time then seemed to be running too quickly, so I put a battery that I so purposefully had purchased in instead, but the battery wouldn't light up the clock. Frustrated, I plugged it in again, put it back to "low," and also set my wrist watch. I woke up to a blaring alarm in the middle of the night, so tired I felt like a bus had hit me. I simply unplugged the alarm clock and searched for my wrist watch, which had fallen only three feet but had apparently completely broken even though it has survived years in Laramie's harsh climate. (I first bought it as a junior for the distance track team.) Frustrated and groggy, I decided my last recourse was to seek an alarm on my laptop, but I then realized that my converter set was made for a two-prong plug and not the three-prong one of my laptop! I felt really defeated in that moment. I had tried to be prepared, but now I was going to be without a laptop, meaning without connection to the outside world, meaning (somehow, in my morbid, four-in-the-morning thoughts) that I would end up homeless at el Parque Retiro (Madrid's gorgeous central park). The next day, I went shopping and bought a new watch, a new alarm clock, and a three prong adapter, and all is well. :)

I also experienced my first "concentración" in Madrid. In Spain, as well as in much of the rest of Europe, strikes and protests are somewhat common occurences, meaning that Spaniards have lots of specific terms for the different types of protests occurring. A "concentración" is a group of non-moving protestors. A "manifestación" is a protest of moving protestors, and a "huelga" is a strike in which people stop working. The regional government of Madrid laid off some public school teachers, so there was an enormous manifestación in front of the government building. There were thousands of people present, with lots of signs and noise-makers that they deployed periodically. I went with my friend Kelly who went to support the teachers with whom she worked this past year in her "instituto" (a Spanish high school). After the protest, we went to a small coffeeshop, which gave me an opportunity to speak more intimately with some of Kelly's Spanish teacher friends, a thrilling experience.

Look how classy I am! :) A sample of some of the delicious
food served at the reception

On the last night of orientation, we went into the center of Madrid for a formal reception. It was in a beautiful garden next to a building of astounding architecture, and the fancy food and drinks came limitlessly. I ate the best shrimp of my life, lots of cavier and goat cheese slices of small bread, and delicious cubes of tortilla española. It was a wonderful evening that ended in a really deep rooftop conversation with my friends where I learned about some of the difficulties that have plagued their lives. We all just really connected and opened up, and it was wonderful.

I can't tell you how much I love Madrid. Everything about being here just feels right. I have moments where I just stop whatever conversation I'm in and say how unbelievable this whole experience has been. It feels like a dream. The city is so beautiful, but not always in a majestic way. Some things are sheer European ostentation; others are bohemian and grungy; others are residential and well-manicured, like an English garden. The people are amazing--all so friendly, so attractive, and so laid back. Life is so different here--there are fewer cars and many more pedestrians. Meals occur so late that it's killing my adolescent, hypoglycemic appetite. :) It is very common not to eat dinner until around 11:00 PM. Spaniards love to talk, to drink a coffee, then to get some tapas, then to go to a bookstore, then to stroll, then to get a meal. It seems to be a very laid-back culture so far, but I have seen so little of it at this point that I should probably refrain from making sweeping generalizations.

From left to right: Danielle, from Kenyon; Ryan; Sean, the wittiest person I've met in my life; me; and Sarah, a beautiful Iranian

I'm in the process of securing an apartment, setting up my bank account, getting a phone, and generally getting settled. Most of my responsibilities begin next week, so I will have much to tell you guys about the new things that I experience when I write next.