Me duele la garganta.

What a week.

It's crazy to me to think that I left home a week ago, because I feel as though I JUST got here, but at the same time, I know some places and these people so well, it feels that we've been here forever.

First, I have to say that the nightlife is INCREDIBLE. I heard a rumor from someone on my trip that the locals stay out till 6 or 7am and I was like WOAH. But it turns out that they have to because el metro (the subway) is closed from 1:30am till 6:00am. And really, if you meet your friends to go out at 11:30, or midnight, and the bars don't close till 6, you're gonna stay up and get the super cheap transportation home instead of paying for a taxi. The picture there is our big group (we have 22 in total) at la Plaza Mayor. In the day time, it's one of those classic pictures about Madrid with the statue of the guy on the horse, but we got there too late and you can't see him in the background. Oh well. Haha.

So Friday night of last week, and Saturday night, me, Lanny, Amanda, Allison, Eric, and a scattered number of other people in our group made it through the whole night, to get on the metro at the crack of dawn. We would start at small bars--our favorite is Casa Carmen in la Puerta del Sol (Where Juan Carlos and Jose work <3)-- and then we'd go to a few Discotecas to dance. It cracks me up that they're called discotecas. Discos! Helllz yeahh!

It was super funny to me (and eventually everyone else) that when we first started out at the first bar/club thing, we were talking in English, since we weren't yet comfortable with Spanish. But by the time we got enough drinks in us, we were talking to each other exclusively in Spanish. The way I can see/explain it, we were all the friends of yours who would start to speak Spanish when they were drunk, and tried all the time and you couldn't understand them, and they'd get super frustrated. Finally we were all drunk and in our Spanish glory. Haha. We already know that language skills are a lot more fluid when you're not as nervous, and that's exactly what happened.

We started classes on Monday, and I think they're really fun. We're at a small international language school, and man the teachers are awesome. They're really good at making you feel comfortable speaking. Except for my Wednesday night classes. The first one today was awful. 2 hours of this man speaking super slowly, we just did TWO activities, one for 1 hour and 45 minutes, and we rushed one in for the last 15. I was so mad and bored. I hope they improve. Next time I have to make sure I sit with mis mejores amigos.

I love the metro. At first it was intimidating, but once I figured it out, it's so easy! The only thing I have to complain about, however, is that when I have to transfer to go to school from my apartment, I have to climb down 5 flights of stairs, get on the metro, and when I get off, climb up 4 flights to get to the street. Exhausting! Especially if I'm running late like the past two days.

Oh yes oh yes. El parque Retiro. It has got to be the most beautiful place that I have ever been blessed to spend time in. It is so large and green and gorgeous, and there's a lake in the middle where you can rent boats and there's a big plaza, or place to sit, and I am amazed every single time we go there. We love to sit on a patio by the lake and get beer, wine and sangria all day (The picture is us paying for the bottle of wine in "pocket change"... they have 2 euro coins... not as cheap as you think). Well not all day, just after class and then until dinner. It is such a beautiful fun place, I wish I could bring all my friends and family and share it with them.

Pues, voy a acostarme, porque pienso que tengo un refriado a causa del polvo. I'm going to bed now because I'm pretty sure I'm having a reaction to the allergens from the trees. My throat hurts.

Soooo so so much fun. I love this, I'm so glad I have this chance. Sometimes it still blows my mind that I'll be living here for 3 months. This week has been awesome already.