The main action of the day did not occur until after 4 pm...Paula suggested that we go look at the area where I will be living with my host senora and then walk around the university's campus. So that is what we did...but we walked all the way from Paula's to my new apartment (a 20 minute metro ride)...it took us 1 1/2 hours. But it was very pleasant out - much cooler than it has been here. And we were in mo hurry, so we walked slower than usual and talked about our lives - a very deep conversation. It was nice to catch up and such.
When we finally arrived in my new neighborhood, Paula was immediately jealous because I live in what is still considered the center of the city (though it's not super close to Puerta del Sol) and in a great area!!! It's interesting to me that even areas that are considered great here have the semi-run-down buildings and graffiti that in the U.S. I would associate with a bad area.
Seriously though, I am super blessed! My neighborhood is pretty, has lots of useful shops nearby and a terrace too, smells good (apparently not all neighborhoods in the center do) and is quite tranquil. Plus it's pretty close to a metro stop, although I will have to change trains on the way to school. (But here you pay for one trip and can change trains however many times). Paula said she'd love to live there, but it's super expensive...like several hundred thousand dollars for an apartment.
We walked around the area for a while - just seeing what was around, getting an ice cream cone, and sneaking into my apartment building (some residents had already opened the door so we followed them) to see where I will live. I feel so lucky!
After walking around my neighborhood, we decided our legs were tired and took the metro to campus. Paula showed me around a bit because she studied there (although the uses of the buildings have changed and no one was there). Then we walked around that neighborhood too and it was also a great area!
Finally, we took the metro back to Paula's neighborhood and met Sonia and her friend for dinner - hamburgers! Quite good! Once we got back to the house, we were all quite tired and went to bed fairly soon. I actually slept very well and woke up not feeling sore even after that super long walk. What a great day!
I do not have a lot of photos...but those that I do have are quite interesting. As we were walking around my neighborhood, we passed a parrot store and stopped to look. Well, there was this one bird that was looking at us and then came closer and was looking at us...and then he started dancing...I seriously think he thought he was flirting with Paula! Ha! Enjoy the pictures.
Peace and Blessings,
Melanie
Spanish Words of the Day: ciudad = city, hamburguesa = hamburger, loro = parrot :)
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