Week 2 in Madrid

[7:20pm, my home-stay apartment]

I’ve been in Madrid for a week and a half, and I’m loving every minute.   Today was the last of our daily intensive language course and Spanish History/Art/Politics seminars at our university.  The language course introduced us to colloquial Spanish words and phrases (“Es la leche”, “Son guiris” and “Tiquismiquis” to name a few of my favorites) as well as reviewed the common Spanish grammar (they use “vosotros” here, unlike we’re taught in the US).  Plus, our profesora went a little off the required curriculum one day and taught us all the naughty Spanish phrases.  One of the G-rated curses translates to “you’ve got that bad milk” (Spaniards really enjoy talking about their milk).

In my free time, I’ve been touring the city and trying to live the Spanish life: hitting up different neighborhoods at night (Sol, Chueca, Plaza de Espana, Gran Via, etc.); taking bus and walking tours around Madrid; eating churros and chocolate on a Sunday morning; walking through the big el Rastro flea market; watching Real Madrid lose twice to Barcelona at local bars with angry Spaniards; eating 1euro bocadillos and drinking 1euro cervezas and sangria at the popular 100 Montaditos; strolling through the beautiful Retiro Park two blocks over; playing outdoor basketball as the sun sets; talking to a Spanish cab driver who thinks all Americans carry a pistol in their glove box; and of course taking the occasional afternoon siesta after eating lunch with my host parents.

Upcoming scheduled events: tomorrow night we’re going to watch a flamenco show; on Monday we begin choosing and auditing classes; and next weekend some of my friends and I are taking a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland.

Here’s some interesting things I’ve witnessed so far:

-The Spanish tradition of Botellon (drinking in the streets) is not nearly as common as you may have heard.  In fact, it is illegal to drink in public, and the police have apparently been cracking down in the past few years, issuing 150euro fines to violators.  Because most parks in the city are now closed at night, the most common way to Botellon is to walk around with Fanta cans.  

-Religious practice in Spain is not what you may expect: over 90% of the people are baptized Roman Catholics, but less than 1 out of 5 attends church at least once a month, and over 50% regard themselves as non-practicing. Being baptized has more to do with the national identity, being a “Spaniard”, than is does with being “religious”.  One comment I read said that people are baptized in Spain for the sole purpose of not being identified as a Moor. (Side note: Only some 14,000 Jewish people live in all of Spain).

-Also interesting is Madrid’s view of itself in relation to the rest of Europe.  Madrid is one of the top five “Centres of Commerce” in Europe and a major city for foreign investment and international business.  And yet, nearly every day I read comments in the local newspaper saying things like “I guess we’re the idiots of Europe” and “Once again doing the ridiculous”.  Madrid, it seems, still has much of its history to get over before a sense of national pride and global prominence fully emerges.

Quick fun facts:

-There are 25 or so bears in Spain, in the north.

-There’s a worrisome number of blind people using the metros.

-Madrilenos love their tiny dogs, fur coats, and Spotify.  

-My host dad was not very happy about the Megaupload website shutdown; Spain happened to make more searches for the file-sharing website than any other country in the world.

-The results of the South Carolina primary were the second biggest headline on El Mundo, Spain's largest digital newspaper, second largest printed newspaper (another story mentioned the banning of beards for Disney employees).

I have enjoyed all the comments and emails I have received from everyone.  Keep it up: charliemegaman@yahoo.com