Back to life in Madrid!

It was pretty hard to get up this morning after such a busy weekend and only 5 hours of sleep last night, but somehow I managed! (quite grumpily...) Vivian was in a hurry to get to school because the had a quiz today. I'm sick of classes already haha I would rather just be a tourist! But I need the credit, and going to the museum so often for free is definitely a perk. Grammar was pretty normal. I hadn't had a chance to do the homework for today because our flight was so late last night, but luckily we didn't go over it in class, so I have another day to work on it. I've also got a composition due this week, and our midterm is Thursday. Midterms already! Wow, this trip has been so busy!! I can't believe it's almost half-over.

After grammar I went to Art History. Mondays are a bummer, because the museum is closed, so we have to have a lecture in the class room. We have sub this week because our usual professor is out of town. I almost fell asleep! Not because he was especially boring, but because I could really use a siesta today.

After classes I met up with Vivian and we took the metro back to the apartment. I checked email and facebook until La Comida was ready. It was pretty tasty! Ana makes a sort of cold egg salad with tomatoes and peas. I really like it! I want to put in on a sandwich, but I guess that's pretty American of me hahaha We also had Ana's variation of Shepherds pie. I had some in Australia last summer, but Ana's was really good too!

I was really looking forward to taking a long nap after La Comida, but I realized I had a flamenco lesson that I had signed up for at 4 today, so there wasn't time to sleep! Major bummer! But I figured, hey, I don't want to miss out on the opportunity! So I dragged myself back off my bed and out of the apartment. I bumped into someone else from the program who was looking for the same building as me, so we found it pretty easily together. I had been a little concerned about getting lost.

Flamenco is really interesting! It was at a restaurant, and I was glad it wasn't a dance studio with mirrors, because I don't think it would have been as fun if I had been watching myself! haha We learned a few steps, how to move our arms and hands, and how to stomp! My favorite part was learning how to use the castanuelas. I have always wondered how it's done, and now I know! I might buy myself some at one of the tourist shops in Sol :) They are pretty cool, and I want to show all my friends my mad skills when I get back!!

After Flamenco, the group went to go get some helado (ice cream). I had a flavor called Freddo Freddo. It looked like chocolate chip, but tasted a little different. I've been trying to order new flavors instead of the same thing I would order in the US, so it was a new experience!! When we walked away to head toward the metro station, I realized that I had left my Spanish phone sitting on the bench where we all ate our ice cream! After all the trouble I had gone through to put money on it! I was sure, after all the warnings we got about pickpockets, that it would have been stolen, but it was still right there!! I'm a very lucky girl!!

After that I didn't know how to get to the metro station, but it was so nice out today that I just walked around in that general direction and eventually found it. It was nice to walk around by myself a little.

Tonight I'm keeping it pretty low key. I'm still tired from this weekend, and I have my midterm Thursday, and another day trip on Friday. We are going to a place outside Madrid called Rascafría. We'll be visiting a monastery, and then some natural pools in the Lozoya River! Awesome :)