Week 1 in Madrid

Hi all! Blog post 1 has been created. I decided that I needed a week to settle in Madrid before I could start this task of making a blog for abroad.

It has been a crazy week flying to Europe, moving into our apartment and seeing the neighborhood, as well as figuring out how to commute to school. Needless to say, me and my housemates are moved in and ready for classes to finally begin. I am an international student at Carlos III University in Getafe, which is about a 20-minute metro from our place in Madrid (yes, I go to a commuter school now 😦 sadly no more biking). We finally chose our classes today and start our first day of classes this Wednesday!! Once my schedule is confirmed, I’ll post which classes I am taking because I am pretty excited about them.

This week I had a lot of time to explore the city, especially Plaza Mayor/La Latina where our flat is located. We have been able to walk around and go to a bunch of restaurants, bars, and little shops, but there are so many places to go in Plaza Mayor that it will be impossible to see it all even in the four months that I am here. We went on a walking tour around the city too with other students in my program, and I learned so much about Madrid from a local madrileño.

I’ve also noticed so many cultural differences since being here. One thing that is so different about Madrid from the US is that people love to sit and ENJOY their food/drinks. Walking around with food or even a coffee is something that you don’t usually see in Madrid and its something that you become extremely conscious about when you do it (tried and true). My first day here, we sat at a terraza in Plaza Mayor eating tapas and drinking sangria for two hours, simply enjoying our new home and being in no rush to leave. People also stare a lot here and it’s simply a cultural norm; it’s not supposed to be creepy or intimidating. Also, my favorite thing that I’ve noticed so far…dos besos! People here are extremely affectionate and always greet each other by giving kisses on both cheeks.

This past weekend Lauren came to visit me after she studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland. It was a good reunion after not seeing her for two whole months. We had charcuterie in Parque del Retiro, went out to a some discotecas, and she got to end her Europe trip in Madrid as I start mine 🙂

Classes start tomorrow; I’ll update you all soon!

If you want to contact me, I still have my US phone number, you can email me, and I have my Snapchat and Instagram working. Also subscribe to my blog to get updates of when I post!

+1 (415) 846-0409

lexie.honsberger@gmail.com