We're Going to be Friends, Jack Johnson

The past 2 days have been slow, Spanish and uneventful. I feel slightly like a freshman again because of all the orientation activities and talks I've been through twice now. We learned that we should monitor how much we drink, watch out for pickpockets and not plagiarize. All useful advice, if I haven't been told about a million times.

Yesterday, after orientation for that day was finished, I returned home for a little to sleep. Then, around 5, I met up with Amalia and Katie (Katie a friend from O'Dowd and LMU - Amalia's her roommate here) to go to the Plaza Mayor in the Centro. Our first metro experience in Madrid proved successful. I then returned home to call my mom and eat dinner with my host family. Maite, la senora, made a bean salad that was simple but delicious. However, she insisted on serving me about 4 different helpings. I am pretty sure I'm going to eat entirely too much this semester. After dinner, I again went to the centro, this time to Puerto de Sol for a little, again with Katie and Amalia. However, we all returned very early, around midnight, to plenty of time to sleep before orientation the next day.

I woke up this morning around 7, still slightly jetlagged. We had to be on campus around 9, but when I showed up there were only about 5 people there. Having met a few of them yesterday, I started talking with some, and met another kid who wants to go hiking around the area. We decided to search out trails and hopefully will go soon.

Orientation was uneventful today until this afternoon when we went to Aranjuez, one of King Phillip's palaces with amazing gardens. It was beautiful, but too hot. After the tour, when we had some free time, everyone rushed to get ice cream, or helado as its called here. It was delicious. I napped on the bus ride home, but I'm still so exhausted, so I think I'll be going to bed early again tonight. Classes start tomorrow anyway.