¡Hola!
I can’t believe we’re already on week 5 of our time in Madrid. Time is flying!
The past few weeks of constant go, go, go caught up to me, and I needed a slow weekend in Madrid to rest and relax. It’s been a whirlwind between work, weeknight adventures, weekend trips, and everything in between. On top of that, the wave of 100-degree weather left me exhausted and dehydrated. But don’t fear! We still explored many new parts of the city and fit in some pool time to cool off.
During the week, we joined EUSA for a traditional Spanish cooking class. It was a great time, with delicious paella, tortilla española, and lemon Fanta (one of the best things about Madrid). If you’ve been following along, you know that I missed out on paella in Valencia, so it was exciting to get my first taste of Spanish paella. I’m sure we don’t come close to the Valencians when it comes to paella-making, but it was still delicious and lots of fun.
Fast forward to the weekend…I spent Saturday morning in the Malasaña neighborhood exploring. There is a whole street dedicated to vintage shops there, so we hopped in and out of store after store until we were too hot, tired, and hungry to continue. As someone who loves thrifting, this was a dream come true. I ate some yummy gluten-free focaccia for lunch and then headed to the University pool to beat the midday heat.
Everyone in Madrid must have had the same idea because the pool was packed. One thing I have yet to get used to is how normal it is for pool and beach goers to go topless or walk around in teeny tiny Speedos. My small American mind is still not accustomed to seeing bikini-less women and scantily covered men in public spaces. All that to say, the pool was refreshing and necessary to escape the heat. I went home tired out and hopefully a little tanner.
On Sunday, my friend and I woke up at the crack of dawn to go on a mountain hike. As two directionally challenged people, we hit snags finding the bus stop, our trail, and the mysterious waterfalls. We came prepared with our swimsuits to go in the river and waterfalls, but somehow, we ended up in the middle of a dry, rocky mountain. But we made the most of it and got a solid hike in. Plus, the views were gorgeous! After that, I spent some more time at the pool, did a little bit of shopping, and took lots of time to rest and read my book.
This experience in Madrid has been out of my comfort zone, and has pushed me to build so many skills–at work, at home, and in the city. Although I just mentioned my tendency to be directionally challenged, in my time here, I have become so much more confident in navigating public transportation. Being able to confidently get myself from point A to point B is an amazing feeling, and finding my way has gotten a lot easier over the past month. I still get lost occasionally, but I am learning. Luckily, I always have my Maps to rely on in a pinch.
In terms of building hard skills, my language abilities have drastically improved in my time here. Not only am I not as afraid to try when speaking to my host family, coworkers, and locals, but the language is also coming more naturally to me. I still have a long way to go in terms of grammar and pronunciation, but I’ve seen lots of progress in my time in Madrid. Additionally, in my internship, I am putting business skill sets into practice. I have had the chance to hone hard skills like Excel and accounting, as well as soft skills such as attention to detail and communication with clients (in Spanish and English).
That’s all from me tonight. Stay tuned because this weekend, Rachel is unlocking her third country (if you count the US)…get ready for the big reveal. And yes, Madrid is my first time travelling out of the country. It’s so surreal that I am here right now!!!
Hasta luego,
Rachel 💌