waiting for my train
So clean! I don't know why trains can't be clean in America.
It was a nice day, and it's a pretty little campus. The tour
I got straight away after the airport was pretty much a blur, so it was helpful
to explore and re-learn where things are. Got myself a Sprite, which was a
godsend, and set about wandering and taking some pictures.
Campus shots:
When it came to be Spanish lunchtime I headed back to
their little sodexo café on campus to get some food. I'll find a more proper
place to have lunch another day. I had a quick conversation with some people in
line about what they'd recommend, and everyone gave the potatoes a resoundingly
warm review, so I got a plate of those and some fruit. They were right – so good.
Plus they had heinz – I never thought I'd be so happy to see ketchup. I like
the food here so far but everything's just a smidge different than I expect
it's going to taste, and it's nice to just have a few things that are just like
at home. At lunch I struck up a
conversation with a group of students – Erin from the SLU home campus, Marta
from Spain, and Jaime from everywhere. I love how friendly everyone is so far
on campus. Marta is considering a semester at the SLU home campus in St. Louis
and is nervous about it, so Erin and I were telling her what it's like there.
After lunch I ran into Alyssa again, one of the English Lit
MA students, and she remembered me and invited me again to join her for a trip
to the Rastro on Sunday. She also showed me some of the study rooms, where I
settled down to get some work done on my prospectus.
I haven't figured out how
the library works here – there kind of isn't one at the moment – so until I
figure out how to request books from storage or I learn which other major
libraries I can access, I'll just work on the prospectus for a few days. It felt good to be productive
again. Finally getting down to work! I know the first days are a period of
adjustment, but I'm eager to get started on the reasons I'm here – researching
and writing. I'm glad I'm meeting with Dr. García-Serrano tomorrow! Get started on some research and getting that conference organized.
Took the metro back home, and I'm glad, because if I'd walked I would have been rained on.
Greeted by Trufa - so friendly!
...
Dinner was good! We had this pork dish - it's basically like chicken cordon bleu, but with ham. Everything is better with ham in Spain. :-)
Got to skype with my family today - I officially love skype. <3
Friends and family - we should skype. Send me your contact info!
Busy day tomorrow! Meeting two professors and maaaaybe having lunch with a grad student? She invited me on Monday but I haven't heard from her since... we'll see what the day brings.
So glad your credit card came back to you...the campus looks lovely! Nice photos :)
ReplyDeleteI think Jamie can relate to your assessment of foreign food. The pictures look great. I didn't think Spanish train stations would be so clean (with their economy and all). German trains and stations are also clean, and it makes me wonder as well. I think mass transit in America is significantly cheaper, and maybe it isn't as widely used as in Europe. Jamie and I hope we don't need to get another car while we're here. It's definitely a realistic goal in Germany.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's a curious situation. The metros are SO clean, as are the streets, and the buses. I doubt a car is needed in Madrid at all, and I hope you're able to get around without needing two yourselves! I never really use mass transit in America so idk if it's cheaper or not. An unlimited month metro/bus pass here is 50 Euros, or you can get 10 trip passes for about 12. Not cheap, but definitely cheaper than buying/owning a car since gasoline is so expensive here. My host mom says the most expensive thing by far about living in Madrid, or most cities in Spain, is the real estate because it's so complicated and pricey. After your situation, I can totally believe it!
DeleteWow, your trip tickets are a lot cheaper than mine. For me to go to the city is about 2.60 Euros one way. I think I can get a monthly pass here, but I don't travel on mass transit enough to justify it yet.
ReplyDelete