Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Blah blah blah...

So, it's official. I've been clubbing in the downtown nightlife of Madrid. It was an awesome experience. I rode the metro, went to a club, actually danced, had a couple of drinks, and drifted off into the metro to catch the ride home during the Madrid sunrise. From 11pm-8am last thursday, I was on an awesome journey. I met some people, but I really didn't catch their names. Anyhow, I had an awesome time, and documentation of the night is impossible to put online! haha

It's been a wet week here in Madrid, and my house family is not liking it. I personally love it because my room is now at a comfortable 23.3 degrees celcius instead of a 31 degrees hell hole, and that makes it a lot easier to sleep. I've also been trying to get out and do what I said I'd go do every morning here in Madrid: go running in the countryside. I've marked out a pretty sweet trail from the house that goes through wheat fields, beautiful countryside, and abandoned tennis courts(???). I've ran it 2 times, but I'm hoping to do the trail at least once every 2 days.

I'm also halfway through on a new book/novel I've started: El Juego del Angel, by Carlos Zafón. It's a very difficult read, seeing as how most of the words require a lifetime of studying Spanish to understand, but I skip past the words I don't know and understand the general meaning of the sentences. Uptil now it's been a story about a writer that is hired by some crazy italian bastard to write a religious text in order to deceive the world and follow his religion. I'm only halfway through, so I'm hoping it'll be an interesting read like the last Zafón book I read, the Shadow of the Wind.

The kids are just about out of school, and when that happens I'll be on a whole different schedule. English lessons in the morning, pool in the afternoon, Madrid at night (hopefully...). I can't wait for the change, because right now I need one...

It's been 38 days here in the land of España, and I'm hoping the next 51 days are more awesomely awesomer.

Besos

Nicolás Antonio Canfield

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Soo many stories to tell. Where do I start...?

Ok, let's start a week ago. I finally made a friend here in Madrid, and he's a really cool guy. We're planning some crazy outings in Madrid's nightlife, and I think it's going to be very fun. More details upon request... haha

We've recently been doing a lot of swimming here at the house. The water is warm enough to not freeze off a body part, and I've been enjoying it. I've taught the kids how to play Marco Polo, and oh my god do they cheat, bad. Speaking of Marco Polo, I was on the streets of Madrid a couple of days ago, and a woman randomly said, "Marco?". You can only imagine the confused looks on peoples' faces when I yelled back to her, "POLO!". Apparently Marco is a Spanish name not to be made fun of... haha

I've been to Madrid about 5 times now, and I'm really starting to get a hold of how to use the metro system and how to get around. I already know one area, Sol, very well, and now I need to start branching out so I can start meeting people from all over.

Fun Story of the day: Today I went to Madrid, the Sol area to be exact, and saw something very cool. A strike against the Spanish govt.'s wage cuts was going on. I decided to join the strike for a little while. I grabbed a flag, took some disgruntled pictures of the huelgistas (strikers), and got told to leave by a cop when I was taking pictures of the entrance to the Department of Housing where the strikers were. So check that off my list: I have participated in a worker's strike in Madrid, Spain. WHA WHO!!!

I'll try to upload some pictures here so you can see my expressions instead of my words about my experience here, but just know that I'm starting to take grasp of the fun and opportunity I have here in Madrid.

Besos y abrazos.
Nicholás Antonio Canfield

Fruitful Trips to Madrid