Has it really been a week since I wrote a blog entry??? OK, well I'm going to try to make a solid summary. Here goes....

I discovered a much faster commute! It involves taking the metro to Callao and then the bus from there to school. I can do it in 30 minutes, which is just so great. Also, Callao is right off of Gran Via, a lively street in Madrid. I like starting my day here. All of the people and action help me wake up. On my way home from class, I like to explore and discover new things. For example, I went to El Corte Ingles for the first time, the biggest department store group in Europe. It's basically Walmart on crack, guys. It's so overwhelming.

On Saturday, I went to Segovia with my program. The bus ride was about an hour. First, we stopped for a view of the Alcazar. We got out to take some pics, and that's when I realized that it was DAMN cold. New Orleans made me even more of a baby when it comes to cold weather. They warned us that Segovia is always colder than Madrid because of the mountains. I wore my heaviest jacket and was still cold. The aqueducts were awesome. It felt like we were in Rome and probably could fool some people with the pictures. Then we had some free time to get coffee. The only place without a line was Dunkin Donuts, which fun fact, is called Dunkin Coffee in Segovia. The donut I had was so much better than what I'm used to at home. I got a cream filled oreo donut! SO GOOD. We also found a delicious place for lunch that served Indian/Pakistani food. I got yummy hummus and samosas.

Eating was probably the highlight of that trip, to be honest. It was just hard to stay interested when we were touring the whole time. That's not my favorite style of learning - it's hard for me to pay attention to a tour guide for that long (especially in Spanish when it's a serious brain workout to figure out what they're saying). Plus, being in a big group can be difficult because you have to often wait for others and have to stick to a plan. I wanted to wander off and do my own thing, but I was restricted.

OH! We did climb the tower and had some amazing views. That was a fun workout. I enjoyed that. And the cathedral was beautiful. All in all, it was a good trip. It was just drawn out a little too much, but that was beyond my control.

I woke up with a sore throat yesterday, but I think I may have stopped it in its tracks.. I've been drinking water, tea, and OJ like crazy, but Rachida also made me a special concoction before bed that consisted of honey, lemon, and ginger. It was strong, but wow it did the job. I feel so much better. She also made me freshly squeezed orange juice. It tasted like gold. It's so nice to have a host mom!!! Mimo the cat and I have been bonding more too...

I had a great rest of the weekend! Emily, who is studying abroad in Copenhagen, came to visit and Abby and I took her to tapas and a discoteca (club). Abby and I also went to Pecera, a place in Malasaña that sells soft serve ice cream out of a fish (Too tired to explain, I'll post pictures hehe) and we went on El Teleférico, a chair lift that lets you see Madrid from a bird's eye view. 10/10 weekend!! And just booked a trip to Malaga for this upcoming weekend :)