Sunday

Today, I feel like I have an emotional hangover. My head hurts, and my eyes are swollen from being so upset last night. I was going to go to El Rastro (the outdoor flea market) again, because this is my last Sunday here, but honestly I was afraid to carry my purse around so many people now that I know what it feels like to have something stolen. My senora convinced me that I shouldn't let this ruin my time here in Spain, and that I should go while I have the chance. She is so nice. I am so lucky that I got to live with her and her daughter while being here.

I went to El Rastro for about an hour. I bought some of the poofy pants that they wear here. They look like Aladdin pants!! I got a black, cotton pair, and they are really comfortable. :)

When I got home, my senora and I left again to go to the police department so that I could sign the report I filed last night for my wallet. Apparently a lot of the time, people will just take your money out and throw your wallet in a mailbox, and sometimes it gets returned to you. I really hope that happens to me!

I mostly relaxed around the house for the rest of the day. I went out and got myself some ice cream around 5pm, but mostly I've stayed here. I'm still pretty down. I could really use some support :(

UGH!!!!

Today was my worst day so far in Madrid. This has been the only day when I've outright said "I want to go home".

It all started out fine. I met up with a friend and we rode the double-decker buses around Madrid. First we rode the historical route. We started out between the Prado and the Ritz hotel, and then drove by a lot of historical locations in the city. There was an audio guide, which was pretty nice (when it was working!). At the end of the route we went to the Barrio de las Letras for la comida. This Barrio is called such because it was the popular hangout for famous writers in the 16th century. There are famous quotes written on the sidewalks in gold. I saw one from Don Juan, which I read in Spanish Literature this past semester!! :)

Next we rode the Modern Madrid route, which showed a lot of popular streets, like Gran Via, and talked about popular neighborhoods, and buildings that have been converted into modern companies.

After we got off the bus, we decided to go over to the Prado to see the temporary Turner exhibit. Unfortunately, you had to pay to get in, and my friend wasn't interested in paying, so I said I'd come back another day. We went to the gift shop again instead, and I bought a present for my sister. Next, we decided to walk over to the Metro stop so we could head over to Sol for dinner. We were going to get back on the historical bus after dinner so we could see all the buildings lit up at night. We were walking down el Paseo del Prado (one of the main streets) and there was some sort of parade going on. There were trucks with huge speakers playing really loud music, and there were people dancing and drinking in the streets. I thought it might have been a gay pride parade or something, but it was more like hippies dressed up in crazy outfits. I'm still not sure what it was, but I took my camera out to take some photos. When we got to the metro station, I reached into my bag to get out my transportation pass. That's when I realized my wallet was gone. It was the worst feeling ever. I was shaking and scared. I'd had credit cards, IDs, money, all the important stuff in there! They warn us about all the pick-pockets and gypsies, but honestly you never really think that it will happen to you. We had made copies of everything before I left, so my parents were able to call and cancel my credit cards. Luckily I had my debit card, some travelers checks, and my passport back at the apartment in case of an emergency. I'm so glad I had only been carrying a copy of my passport, and not the real one. I feel so violated...I thought that I was being so careful, keeping my arms over my bag as much as I could. It's the kind of bag that goes over your shoulder!! It's not so much the things that can be replaced that upset me, but things like my transportation pass, tickets to museums, my wallet itself, things that are special to me that I wanted to keep. It's just a really awful feeling. My friend and I went to Sol and had dinner at our favorite tapas place, but mostly I just wanted to go home. I felt unsafe and somehow naked without any money or ID. My friend paid for me to eat, and bought be a metro ticket. On the way home I had to stop and call my parents again. I just felt so alone, I called them and had a breakdown. I've been so homesick lately since I've been sick, and now this has happened, and I honestly feel a little bit scared. When I got home, my senora could tell I'd been upset, so I told her and her daughter about it, and they helped me find someone to talk to in English so I could file a police report. I had no idea how to explain in Spanish, in detail, everything that had happened, especially since I was already so upset. Knowing that the police knew about it definitely made me feel better, but all I wanted to do was go home.

All in all, not the best day :(

Historical Madrid!!

Today was so much fun!! I slept in this morning, and then got up and went over to the Palacio Real. Apparently now it's only used for occasional royal ceremonies, and the royal family moved into a more modest palace (isn't that an oxymoron? lol) The Main Stairway is really beautiful, and the steps are so smooth that they make you feel like you are gliding upstairs!! I may have pretended I was a Spanish princess...just a little bit ;) The tour of the Salones (rooms) was really beautiful. A lot of them have frescos on the ceiling painted by famous artists. Next I visited the Farmacia Real, which was the royal pharmacy!! It smelled really weird, and there were all kinds of plants and extracts in jars. Next was the Armeria Real (the royal armory), where they had all kinds of suits of armor, guns, swords, etc. It was all very interesting. I think I will move in soon!! haha

After coming home for la comida, I went over to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, where I didn't get to go yesterday. It was really amazing! I saw paintings by amazing painters like Rembrandt, Goya, Monet, Manet, Georgia O-Keefe, and more! I was in heaven :)

Later I met up with a friend at Sol for some Churros y chocolate! They are basically like long, fried donuts, and are a lot different from the ones in Mexico (which are covered in sugar)! The chocolate is thick, like pudding, and not very sweet. SO GOOD!!

Tomorrow, we're going to ride the double-decker buses around Madrid. So excited!! :)

Human Again!!

I'm definitely starting to feel better!! Today I got to get back to doing touristy things!! After grammar class today, my friend and I went to El Museo de las Americas, which is centered around Spanish colonization. It was really interesting to see things from the Spanish perspective, which was mostly scientific and anthropological (they didn't say much about violence against the natives). I bought a cook book that has 100 recipes for tapas in the gift shop!!

We went home for la comida and a little siesta, and then met up again around 5:45. He wanted to go the Prado, which is free from 6-8pm, and I wanted to visit the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, which is a art museum I haven't been to yet. Unfortunately, but the time I got to the museum it was about 6:20, and I realized it closed at 7 instead of 8 like the Prado. It was worth paying to get in, so I walked around a little bit and finally went over to the Prado. I love the gift shop over there, so I bought a couple of things, including this really great book about the museum!! I sat on the lawn of the museum and waited for my friend to be finished. It was really lovely there in the shade reading about art :)

When my friend and I met up again, we decided to go over to Sol and did some shopping at the tourist shops, and then finally found a little tapas place, where we had dinner.

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing some site-seeing by myself :) I think it will be nice to have some alone time, and see some of the historical sites at my own pace!

Finally getting back to normal...

I'm feeling better today, but my stomach is still really sensitive. I've had almost no appetite, and when I do get hungry, I almost wanna stay that way because I'd rather be hungry than feel sick! After my class at the Prado, I did go to McDonalds for a McFlurry...being sick has made me want comfort food, and the closest I can get is American fast food! But I'm glad to finally be feeling better. My head doesn't hurt quite as badly, and my sinuses are clearing up. This is a good sign!!

Tuesday

I'm even sicker today that I was yesterday. I woke up feeling awful, with a terrible taste in my mouth and a really bad stomach ache. Somehow I made it to school on the metro, but I had to leave in the middle of grammar class because I felt so bad. I think the antibiotics are making me sick. I'm shaking and I feel really sick. One of the IES people made me another emergency appointment with the doctor, and he even went with me (which was a little awkward lol). I told him I had to go to the bathroom when we got there, and then the doctor found me just as I was coming out, so when I went back to the waiting room, the IES guy was freaking out because he thought I'd been in the bathroom the whole time. The doctor gave me some anti-nausea medicine and told me that I would probably get used to the antibiotic, but gave me a prescription for another one in case I didn't. He also told me that he know how alone I felt being in a foreign country without any family and being sick...which I hadn't thought about until he said that! Ugh...but being sick really does make you more homesick. I just want to be at home in my bed with my Mom and Dad taking care of me and my dogs cuddling with me!

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Back to school..

So today I finally asked the IES people to make me a doctors appointment. I've been sick for almost a week, so I decided it was about time!! I was done with both my classes by 1:30, so afterwards I went home for la comida. My appointment was at 4:30, so I had a little time to relax. It is miserable going on the metro when you have a sinus infection. Everyone glares at you for coughing and sniffling, but hey, there's not much I could have done!

Finding the doctor's office was a bit of an adventure! It didn't occur to me at first that it wouldn't be in it's own building on the street! The street itself was really fancy and full of designer stores, but also under a lot of construction. Finally, I found the building where the doctor was, and managed to buzz my way in. I actually saw the doctor in his office! Not an examining room! I sat at his desk at first and answered some questions, and then he had me sit on the examining table, which was right there in his office! He basically told me what I already knew (that I have a sinus infection), and gave me some prescriptions for antibiotics, something fizzy you put in water and drink, nose spray, and ibuprofen (prescription strength!). Thank goodness there is a pharmacy right by my apartment!! It was really easy to get the prescriptions, and also pretty inexpensive. Now, I'm going to rest. Hopefully I'll be a lot better by tomorrow!! :)