You asked for it...a LONG update.

Sorry to all of you who just could not wait for my next journal entry...haha. I couldn´t write the last few days because our computer had to be taken in for some repairs, and I was too lazy to find an Internet café.

Things are going so well in Madrid!

From the beginning:
After my last journal entry (I think it was my first day here), I tried to dry my hair (with my adapter) and blew a fuse in the bathroom. It was like an explosion. No one was home at the time, but my host father, Victor, was due to arrive in about an hour for siesta (yes, they really have siesta here, but hardly anyone naps). I hadn´t even met him yet, and I had to call his cell phone to tell him about the fuse…ay caramba. Luckily, he´s a great guy and has a sense of humor. He reminds me of Ricky Ricardo, actually.

Anyway, in Spain, they eat A LOT and Ricky – I mean Victor – offered me a ¨simple¨ lunch of green beans and ham. I thought that was it, but then he brought out the bread. And then the fresh fruit. And then the crackers and (no joke) 7 kinds of cheese. And then more crackers. And then dessert. It´s a good thing I´ve been walking so much, because we always eat like this. Concha thinks I don´t eat enough, so she´s always offering me food!

I´m so glad that I decided to live with a family, because it means that I get a taste of real life. The funny thing is, real life here is not that different than real life in Indiana. My first day here, Concha came home from work around 2, and at 4:30, we picked up the kids (Elena and Ignacio) from school. Concha, Elena, and I returned home and got to know each other, then we went to el colegio de fútbol (literally, “soccer school”) to pick up Ignacio and his pal Fernando. Those little soccer players were so cute that I had to take a ton of photos. Elena and I decided that their coach was guapo as well…I “accidentally” might have included him in a few shots.

(For inquiring minds, I also have crushes on: The man I keep seeing on the #1 metro line, the lifeguard at our pool, and I guy who lives in our apartment complex, but I haven´t flirted with any of them yet…But it´s early.)

Anyway…later that first night, we had a beautiful dinner. Beautiful, except that in Spain, everything is later, so we didn´t eat until around 9:30 p.m., and that´s early here. But when it´s nice, we have dinner outside on the patio. For the most part, I like the food here, and it´s interesting to me that my family never eats or drinks out of disposable containers. Even when they have yogurt from a cup, they put it in a bowl first.

The dinners are always long and drawn-out, but in a good way, with a lot of conversation. Ignacio is a hoot, always telling a joke. He and Elena are both well-mannered, intelligent, and enchanting. Elena and I have a lot in common, and we are already really close. And I love the way that the Spanish greet each other with kisses on the cheeks...when Elena and Ignacio kissed me on the cheeks when I first met them, I almost melted.

So much to say, and I´ve written a book already. I figured out the metro (subway) system the second day that I was here. (It´s just like Germany, so I didn´t have to work very hard.) Madrid itself is an incredible city. So, so busy! That second day, I met up with 5 other American girls who are working for the same agency as I, living and working with families. From the way it sounds, I really lucked out and got the best famly! We visited an outlet mall and had lunch and got to know each other. They are all pretty nice, but live farther from the city than I and so it will be hard sometimes to hang out.

Later that night, I went to the opera with Concha and the children and family friends, Enrique, Pilar, and their children Julia and Fernando (Ignacio´s soccer pal). The opera was “The Little Magic Flute” by Mozart, and it was in a magnificent part of town near the Royal Palace (El Palacio Real).

So today, I returned to that part of the city. I ate my picnic lunch by a fountain in the courtyard, then took a tour of the Royal Palace. How amazing! There were rooms with wall hangings embroidered with gold, and one entire room had walls of porcelain! The frescos and paintings, many by famous Spanish (and Italian) artists, such as Goya, were truly awe-inspiring.

Today I also went to a huge book fair at El Parque de Buen Retiro, or El Retiro, Madrid´s most famous park. It´s comparable to Central Park in New York City. The park was also very beautiful, with a huge lake in the center. (Madrid is so HOT, I was ready to take of my clothes and jump in…but I thought the Spaniards might like it too much.) I was so proud of myself today…not only did I navigate the Metro with no trouble, but I didn´t buy any books at the book fair. (Books empty my wallet every time.)

Anyway, I should stop rambling. Really, the palace and the tourist sites are grand, but the best part of this trip has been living with a family. It´s so funny to hear the things Concha tells the children – she sounds like the Spanish version of my mother, or any good mother. And the children are the same. Ignacio pouts and wraps his mother around his finger like Andy, my brother, has always done. (Sorry buddy, it´s true – you pout.) They are obsessed with a local university basketball team that´s in the playoffs right now, and tonight, we watched them beat a rival team. Then I played soccer in the backyard with Ignacio, who wants to be a pro soccer player. And tonight after dinner, we sat on the patio after dinner and ate watermelon – I almost thought for a minute I was in Indiana!

Okay, enough of this rambling…keep sending those e-mails and questions, because they make my day! I miss you all!

For your entertainment (especially Mom and Shirley), Chapter 1 of Embarrassing Mistakes Angie has made with her Spanish. I really have been doing okay, but sometimes I just can´t talk:
-I tried to tell Elena that we have a rabbit. However, I said consejo instead of conejo…what I really said was that we have “an advice.”
-I was tired the other night, and instead of telling Elena that I´m a bum (vaga) I told her I was a cow (vaca).