ESTOY AQUI!

Hi all! I made it to Spain! First off, I was worried I would not make it because the baby behind me on the long flight was crying the whole time. Don't worry though, I got her entire life (6 months) story from her parents. They were going to Valladolid because she is named Alejandra and her great grandmother who is 101 is named Alejandra too so they have to meet. The flight ended up being fine, but I didnt sleep. I sat next to a young Spanish couple who reminded me with their flirtiness and public displays of affection that I was, in fact, returning to Spain. Their thick thick Spanish accents threw me for a loop. I forgot how strong the lisp is here, just a whole different type of Spanish. Upon being jolted awake (ok, I dozed) by the pilots, "Alright, folks, we will be landing in about an hour and we'll be serving you a warm pastry in the meantime" speech, I looked out the far window (i was in the middle section) and saw a fantastic rainbow sunrise. In three perfect lines along the horizon, red, yellow, blue. Ravi had followed me to Spain. Happy as a clam, I prepared for landing.
Then I got to my friend Drew's house in Madrid after a 30 euro cab ride (!) and FINALLY he woke up to let me in after I knocked and waited for 30 min. Whatever. My taxista was from Bulgaria, so his Spanish was worse than mine, so that was interesting, but it was the only language we had in common. He thought I was Spanish until we started talking and I told him I was American. You can fool anybody here, I'm telling you. Spanish? Me?

Then Drew and I went walking around Madrid, we ate a bocadillo with calamari on it. A bocadillo is simply anything on 2 pieces of french-ish bread cut in half longways. Then after a lot more walking, we got a kebab, another of my Spanish favorites. I also had a cafe con leche and tortilla española, rounding out just about all the things I was waiting to eat again in Spain.
So far, so good. A little nervous about finding an apartment. Gonna go get a phone now at this place called Yoigo and set up my plan...esh. But I have to wait til 5:00 when they re-open because OBVIOUSLY, its siesta timeeeee! And everything is closed. Oh to be a Spaniard. Its a good life.
I'll be spending tonight probably practicing up on my "hasta luego"s which really sound like, "a-alego." and my "grapftias".
Hasta pronto.. aalegoooo