I haven't had tea since I left California

By the heater in the salón

Last night, Isa and I cemented my 6 months in Madrid. In a matter of two hours, we got a set of house keys copied, my "abono" which is a monthly metro/bus pass, and a phone. Two Bangladeshi men ran the shop where I got Erika's old phone 'unlocked', bought a charger, and a SIM card. We chatted with them and they asked me what I was doing here and it was nice to talk in English for a bit (though their Spanish was fantastic). There are stalls called "estancos" where you can buy only: gum, cigarettes, lottery tickets, abono (passes), and stamps.

Madrid is cold, and that is all I have to report at this point, because all I have seen of the city is Erika's house, my apartment, and Entreculturas. I sit by the heater with a down blanket and my laptop's butt keeping me warm. I have decided that this weekend, I am going to actually say 'yes' to an invitation to go out. I know, I'm shocked at myself! I was telling Miriam on Skype how I have only seen two pigeons in 5 days. Then I looked outside and saw two more. "I only saw two pigeons because I only looked at two pigeons." I proclaimed wisely. I can sense a philosophy developing...or is it a sneeze?

Hah! These pics are from my MacBook

At work this week, I am familiarizing myself with EC and the work of the Africa department. Today I started a vocabulary list of development terms in Spanish. A couple of favorites because they're instinctive: "analfabetismo" which means illiteracy and "pradoja" which means paradox. Next week I get to work with Isa on a report for a proposal from Jesuit Refugee Services in the Central African Republic.

From what I understand so far, Entreculturas is like a non-sneaky Robin Hood. We receive proposals from education projects all over Africa (there are separate departments for South America and Central America + Caribbean), translate them (both in terms of language and grant terminology/requirements), and submit them to public (government-national, provincial, municipal) and private funding sources (individual donors and corporations such as Inditex, which owns Zara clothing chain, among others) in Spain. We then pool the funding received and redistribute them to our partner projects in Africa. So we are not at all in the field, but in close contact with organizations that are (the staff frequently travels to project sites).

I survived

I'm stupid and forgot my camera cord.

I am in my new apartment now, ready to sleep before my first day at work. Erika and I took a taxi (for a mere 6.20 Euros) and Isa and Gabriel helped lug my 2.5 suitcases up 3 flights of stairs. It's a charming old building with no ascensor (elevator) and very stubborn doors, so I will be forced into a little daily exercise.

So these are from my cellphone

There were two very conflicting thoughts today: (1) I have my own space and can finally settle in, and (2) This is where I am for the next six months; I can't back out now. I howled unattractively at mother and father for 2 hours on Skype and calmed down. I also talked to Isa in the salón (living room); she hugged me and told me it was okay and that I was to flag her down if I need another hug/talk. I don't know how I keep coming across the most wonderful people who provide such strength and support after knowing me for a day. I hope there is an endless supply of them, and I hope I return the favor.

9 AM tomorrow I will be in the office at my first meeting with the staff. My Spanish has already improved after conversing with people over the weekend, so I hope I will be able to display at least an average IQ tomorrow at work.

...the above was written last night, and now it is 3 PM and I am back from my very relaxed and uneventful first day at work. I was given a temporary desk and computer until the desk in the Africa dept is free (one of our team is going into the field in a few days, I forget which country). The Spanish speaking was not great today, but I was able to follow along as Lourdes (HR person) filled me in at super-speed about EC. I asked Pablo to use English during our meeting about my responsibilities over the next six months...but I think they're not going to let me get away with English much longer! Isa already got scolded (albeit jokingly) by one of the women for speaking to me in English. I will write again soon with details about my job here.

I have a home!

Yesterday at the office, Pablo asked me if I knew anyone in the area. I didn't. That little note wrote itself in my mind and grew to the size of a poster by this morning, when I finally burst into tears. Luckily, it was early in the night for mom and dad, and we talked on Skype for almost two hours. I ended the conversation reluctantly and passed a few more hours escaping reality under the covers, dreading the thought of having to venture out alone to see Isabel (Isa) and the apartment.

The Madrid Metro is really well-planned and clean, so I had worried for nothing. However, I tend to worry about the trivial stuff such as...will I look like a foreigner if I hover by the door too early before my stop? Well, my fears came true when I put the ticket in the wrong way multiple times on the bus and then wanted to hide under it...But that is entirely my problem.

In the mere two hours from when I left Plaza de Castilla (Erika's neighborhood), navigated the metro, and saw Isa's apartment, my outlook had made a 180 degree turn. The apartment is bright, beautiful, affordable, and well-connected to the metro and bus lines. Isa & her husband Gabriel (he is Congolese) were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. We talked for a long time (Isa speaks English/Spanish/French and Gabriel speaks French/Spanish) mostly in Spanish, and I felt very comfortable with them. I was worried that Isa & Gabriel would not want to deal with the number of visitors I am hoping/expecting to have over the next six months, but they immediately dismissed those concerns, volunteering their own room for my guests on days when they are not around. I feel so very lucky!

Isa and I then went for a walk so I could see the barrio (neighborhood). It is very close to a huge park where there is a beautiful view of Madrid. This barrio is called Tetuán; it is set away from the city center, quieter, and popular with university students. I think I will be very happy there. Pictures to follow very soon!

Side note: Erika and I went to the market last night to pick up some groceries. I saw an Indian woman and wanted to befriend her, but was too shy and settled for following her around until she left. Creepy and interesting of me to react that way, isn't it? I also stared intently at people on the metro, trying to decide if they were Spanish or not. It's difficult! I will creep around some more and report back with any telltale signs of foreigners.

Hug Kiss Kiss

Head still heavy this morning, I went with Erika to the Entreculturas (EC) office. We took a short bus ride down Paseo de la Castellana (the major thoroughfare that runs north-south in Madrid) and then walked to the office building. It's enclosed in a high stone wall and covered by trees and is quite beautiful. EC only occupies two floors, and the rest are residences for Jesuits and other offices. From the moment I walked in through the front door, I must have been introduced to some 20-30 people. They all greeted me with a warm hug and a kiss on each cheek.

At first, I was so disoriented by the hugging and kissing that I never caught anyone's name, because it goes: hug, then kiss on right cheek (say name here), and then kiss on left cheek. Then, I forgot all lessons about greetings in Spanish and just said "hi" and "gracias". Around the 15th hug-kiss-kiss, I was mumbling utter nonsense, such as "hoy", which means today. To the staff's credit, I did not get laughed at for being ridiculously slow and understanding about half of what they said. I almost feel like I have hearing loss when I am trying to follow the conversation, as my brain struggles to process what my ear sends to it. I might watch some TV and train my ear a bit. Mom had me watch TV with no captions when we first came to the US, so that I would get used to the accent.

The Africa department (5 people including myself) took me out for coffee at their regular joint, Veracruz.  They told me that this is like their version of Central Perk from Friends; how cute is that! I ate a barrita con tomate, which is a crispy toasted bread with tomato paste. Pour some olive oil, and sprinkle some salt on it. They all ordered café con leche (coffee with milk), which looked delicious, and I had sumo de naranja (orange juice), possibly the freshest I have ever had. The team members are all very close to each other and joke around a lot, which is something I absolutely need!

After a short meeting with Pablo, I walked back to Erika's. It's a few kilometers, but I enjoyed it, even though I got a little lost. I blend in pretty well, because of my dark hair, which might be an advantage as I get to know the city. After finding the right building, I got lost inside the building, as well, but Cristino, the kindly portero (doorman), showed me the way. I need to work on either my visual memory or my sense of direction.

Tomorrow, I will visit the home of Isabel, a coworker, who has a room available to rent. If we think it is a suitable arrangement, I might be settled in as soon as Sunday!

Feet on ground, air breathed in.

My eyes are burning, because I am addicted to contact lenses even during air travel (I did take them out for a few hours to nap). The 2.5-hour flight from London to Madrid was the quietest plane ride I have experienced, probably because it was siesta time. The entire plane was napping, except for a couple of giggling American girls (myself vehemently excluded). I landed in Madrid Barajas Airport about 7 hours ago. There was a bit of a walk and a train ride within the airport to get out. A girl approached me while I was waiting for the train and asked in Spanish if this was the way to the baggage claim.

I blinked at her, shocked that she was addressing me in Spanish. She was about to dismiss me with an apologetic wave when the gears kicked in and I responded with a nervous, “Creo que sí!” (meaning, I believe so!). Pablo (my supervisor) and Erika (BC Global Practice alumni/only friend in this city) picked me up, and they even had a sign for me! I’ve never been picked up at the airport with a welcome sign. The ride to Erika’s house (where I am temporarily staying until I can make my own housing arrangements) was long enough to give me a sense of the size and layout of the city. I struggled and managed to string together a few coherent, slow, sentences in Spanish during the ride.

We passed by Bernabeu Stadium, home of the Real Madrid fútbol team, and that was the only point when I really felt like I was here. Otherwise, it’s like California, except the street signs are different colors.

Pablo says that the first impression you get of a city tells you a lot, and I completely agree. I told him that when I first landed in Boston, the first thing I did was to look at the Departures board for the next flight back to Los Angeles. I didn’t look at the Departures board today.