5. Madrid and the World in one weekend

This week flew past, as I have a feeling all of them will. Just more of a reminder to live in the moment and soak it all up.

School is still school, but I think I’m beginning to understand a little more. The more aid the teacher uses, the better. For example, in Philosophy I have nothing. The teacher talks and I try to listen. Very unsuccessfully, because at the end of each period I don’t have a clue what what has just been said. Buuut, at the other end of the spectrum I have Art History, where I follow on the handouts given by the teacher and she uses a powerpoint, so I understand so much more. Geography is much the same. Other subjects I have almost given up on is Maths and Economics. It’s like Greek. I don’t quite yet have a solid opinion on Spanish or History. I think I will enjoy them once I can understand.

As for Spanish as a whole… I realised around Day 10 that it’s not going to come as naturally to me as I thought it would before I came. The first five days were great, I was a sponge, taking in everything everyone said, but now it has become more of a struggle. I’m past the basics and I start to realise where the obvious gaps in my knowledge are. One of them is tenses and verb conjugations. I will have to make time to go sit and write everything out and study, just like Grade 8 French. Oh well.

Other than that, my life here is great. I love everything they put in front of me, I’m in a nice routine concerning mornings, getting to school and afternoons at home and I sleep like a baby every night.

But, let’s be honest, weekends are when the magic happens. And my second weekend here was no exception. It started off slow, but here now, on Sunday night, I can’t believe everything I’ve experienced.

Friday afternoon I sat doing some homework (translating the work we do in class), when a friend of the Franco’s came over. She is the principal of Maria and Christina’s school and has a daughter two years younger than what I am. As she was about to leave, she invited me to come shopping with her and her family that night. I readily agreed and we were off.

The centre wasn’t big, but it had a wide variety of stores. And all of them had sales! And who knew that I would shop at Zara for the first time whilst in Spain! I am very grateful to Blanca and her family!

Friday night I went to bed at 12 and woke up at 11 the next morning.. I hadn’t known I was that tired! Anyway, I took the day slowly, only doing what I needed when I needed. Somewhere around one or two o’clock, my exchange student friend from California, Naseem, phoned me and told me he “had me a good deal.” Turns out, his host family had tickets to the International Tourism Fair and had one extra. And I could have it! How cool is that.

I had to take the metro to his house and we would drive with his parents to the Exhibition Centre. It would be my first time taking the metro alone, but I wasn’t worried, this time I had a working phone and Naseem waiting for me at the other end. So, the chances of me repeating The First Day of School were pretty small.

I calculated how long it would take me to get there if I had to be at his station at 4:30. I decided to get of a few stations earlier and take the scenic route (partly because I wanted to see as much of Madrid as possible and partly because Google Maps told me it would make my journey 2 minutes shorter.) I got on the train at my station at the right time, I got off at the right station in his neighbourhood and only had to walk a few blocks. As soon as I got out of the metro, I WhatsApped him, but I noticed that my message wasn’t going through to him. I waited a while, but still, nothing happened. I was confused, because my Google Maps were working, but that could just be because my GPS of my phone was telling me where to go. I soon realised that my phone’s data was definitely not working and that I would need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot soon, or Naseem wouldn’t know that I had arrived.

I knew that Madrid’s AutoBus system had free and fast Wi-Fi and I saw that I was near a station where a bus was not moving, so I surreptitiously went to stand at the stop and connected my Wi-Fi. All my messages came through in rapid succession and I let Naseem know that I was there and waiting for him before the bus could drive off again. It was a success and before long we were on our merry way to his house and not long after that, the Fair. I must say, I really don’t have much victory with first time solo use of public transport thus far, each time sheer luck getting me to where I need to be. I hope it goes better next time!

As for the fair… Not even the convention centre in Cape Town is this big! We walked for ages and the exhibitions just didn’t stop! The first hall was Spanish based Hospitality and Tourism companies – from Europcar to businesses that help improve your hotel software. The next hall was much the same and after that was where the countries started. The middle east and Africa were up first and Naseem and I wandered around in awe, staring at all the exhibitions and the trouble each nation went through to put up their stall. Some countries had live traditional music playing, others sold jewellery and trinkets specific to their region. I sought out South Africa and had a nice chat with our representative – he even gave me his card and told me if I had any problems I should immediately contact him at the embassy. Awhh.

We moved from continent to continent, going through Europe, then Asia and back again. In another group of buildings was Spain and the Americas. Spain had two whole halls dedicated to the whole country. I have never seen anything like it. Photos blown up hundreds of times, screens flashing, music playing…. The Americas were by far the best. The Dominican Republic had a dance party going, Columbia had you walking into the

Amazon and the USA had a backdrop of the Mojave dessert (Route 66) and a shining Harley Davidson you could sit on and have your picture taken of. They had gone all out.

By the time we went home, it felt my shoes were walked through.

And the next day was no different. We as a family went to see Madrid by foot. We parked in the vicinity of Malaña and started walking. This was the Madrid the tourist websites tell you about. Streets made just for walking, shops – old and new – in every possible available space. People – tourists and locals alike - everywhere. Luckily it was an unseasonably hot day which made being a tourist even better. Don’t get too excited South Africa, that means a high of 17?C with no wind or clouds.

We walked down Grand Via, saw the Royal Palace of Madrid, Catedral de la Almudena, Teatro Real (The Opera House), Plaza Espana, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol. And so much more. I got to experience Madrid the way I dreamed it would be. Old, new, history everywhere, people speaking different languages, different races, different ways of living around every corner. It was absolutely beautiful. At one point, in Plaza Mayor as I stood looking at the buildings surrounding me after having just taken a photo, I teared up a little. Suddenly it was real. I was in Spain. I was in Madrid. After waiting for more than a year, with tons of resistance in the form of friends who don’t believe in you and paperwork that doesn’t stop coming, I was here. You sometimes forget where you are (and why you are here) when you sit in class and struggle to understand what the

teacher is saying, because it’s so normal. For the past twelve years that’s all I’ve done. And when I look out of the window I see dreary school grounds and it’s normal. And when I chat to my friends and all they talk about is schoolwork and boys, it’s normal.

It’s only when you go out and explore and discover that you realise where you are and that’s when the magic happens. That’s when you tear up because you realise how extreme the thing you’re doing is. You flew into another hemisphere to live there for a year, expose yourself to something totally new and different. You are completely alone, the only safety net the one you trust the people around you to give you. It’s then when you ask yourself, “What the hell were you thinking?” But it’s then when you can answer,

“I was living, that’s what.”