Bienvenidos a Madrid!

After being here for about 2 and a half weeks now, I think I'm finally settling into the idea that I am actually living here in Madrid, Spain. The first couple of days were a bit overwhelming and I won't deny having a moment or two when I wondered what I was thinking moving to another continent when I've never even lived outside of Florida before. First there were concerns about the apartment, then worries about navigating the city, and the worry of realizing that maybe my Spanish just isn't as good as I thought it was.

I'd consider myself pretty fortunate that most of my worries seem like they were so long ago. The majority of my worries seem like distant memories. Well, all except getting my documents for legal residency -- that's going to be a fun process.

Otherwise, life here in Madrid has been pretty fantastic. I've been getting to explore this beautiful city and learning from other auxiliares and the locals where I should go for good food and how to have a good time. Needless to say, I have been partying more here in the past 2 weeks than I ever have before.

Thanks to the locals for showing us a good time!

Back home in Orlando and where I went to university in Tallahassee, alcohol sales stop at 2 in the morning and bars and clubs are closed by 3 am. Over here in Spain, the clubs don't start getting good until around 2 am and people keep partying until 6 or 7 in the morning! The pattern it seems is to drink at home with your friends because it's cheaper and still fun. Most people seem to start heading out 12 -1 am, or earlier if you're getting dinner first. Lots of people will go out with their friends and drink at the bars and then either spend the night going from bar to bar or maybe out to a club later.

Why yes, you can openly drink on the metro in Madrid!

And speaking of partying in Madrid, I got to celebrate my birthday here just over a week ago. It was an amazing birthday and I had a fantastic time out partying and enjoying the Madrid nightlife. It included 1 Euro glasses of wine, meeting new Spaniards, finding myself at an Irish bar, and ended with late night dancing at one of the biggest nightclubs in Madrid. My birthday was probably one of the best birthdays that I have every had and I'm so grateful for my awesome roommates and all of my new friends whether they be American, British, or Spanish for helping me to celebrate.

Life has been great in Madrid so far and I hope to update again soon with more stories about mishaps and shenanigans here in Spain, because knowing me there will be plenty more to come. And with that, I'm off to get myself ready for my first day of work tomorrow and of course, with Spain being Spain, there is a metro strike tomorrow. Here's to actually making it to my school in the morning!