End of the Countdown...

Yes, I know. It's officially been 10 days since I walked off my 10-hour sleep-deprived flight to Madrid. These past several days have been a whirlwind to say the LEAST. I immediatley jumped into a three-day orientation that pretty much sent everyone in my program into a stress-crazed lunatic running around a foreign city we barely know to re-take passport photos, make more copies of our official school letters and passport and make appointments for our Abono (metro card)-and yes you have to make an appointment for that...

But just when it seems like all I've been doing is clumsily asking locals for directions and tripping over my own feet, I experience really great things here. Like really great...I've gone on a 10 mile bike tour through Madrid, taken a trip to the Museo del Prado, eaten crazy good tapas and desserts, seen a Flamenco show, met some really great people and the big one, FOUND AN APARTMENT (or piso, as they say). I'll put pics up in my next post.

So I will admit, it hasn't been the easiest process since I've arrived, what with trying to get an official Madrid ID (and not making that easy), but there is no doubt in my mind it is all worth it. I already love this New York-ish style city and can't wait to live here in my new piso :)