Just to share...

I just want to quickly share this poem that we read in my Spanish Literature class. I think it's got a really interesting message. Points to ponder. ^_^


"Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino nada más;
caminante no hay camino
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar."

Antonio Machado


And for my non-Spanish speaking audience, here's a translation I found online:


Traveller, the path is your tracks
and nothing more;
traveller, there is no path
the path is made by walking.
By walking you make the path
and turning, you look back
at the way you will never tread again
traveller, there is no road
only wakes in the sea .

Antonio Machado


Let me know what you think. :-)

La primera semana aquí en Madrid…

I'm running a bit behind with my blog, but that's because everyday is a whirlwind of city life here in Madrid. I'm not really a true country girl by definition, but I'm certainly not a city girl. Everyday I learn something new about city life and mostly I'm learning that everything goes fast! So, I'm going to have to put on the gas a bit and get moving!

My first week in Madrid was a melting pot of new experiences, new friends, new places, new food, homesickness, and who knows what else! Mostly, I spent my time getting settled in with my family and getting to know my surrounding in the city. Here's what my first week looked like in pictures. :-)

Here is a sight that I saw a lot in my first few days. When I first arrived in the city I stopped at this little snack shop where there was free wifi so I could call my family on my iPod using Skype. (And of course, I am drinking Fanta Limón, I seriously missed this drink from when I was here in 2008). 

I took the above 3 pictures in La Plaza Mayor, one of the most famous plazas in Madrid. We stopped here on our mini tour on the 2nd day. It was still decorated for Christmas! 

The 2 photos above I took on top of a building (I can't remember the name :-P).  This was also on our mini tour. Alvaro, the academic director, gave us tickets to go on top of the building and see this great view. 

I took this photo while I was waiting for the commuter train on Wednesday (the 3rd day). This was the first time I traveled to the university! I was on my own and I had never taken a commuter train. It's a wonder I didn't get lost!

Here's a photo of the USAC students on Wednesday touring the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The brick building you see here is the 'aulario'. It's the building where most of the classes are held (but USAC students actually have classes in the departmental building). 

I took this photo on Friday when I took my first walk alone around my neighborhood. I've come to love just walking around the city, not really having any particular place to go, but just exploring and finding new places. I'm not really sure what this building is, but it's very beautiful. The entire wall is covered in different plants and mosses. This is on the street 'el Paseo del Prado'. 

The 2 photos above were also taken on el Paseo del Prado. It's a rather wide street and it's split down the middle by this  walkway with fountains, trees, and benches. It's almost like a mini park in the middle of the street. I was very surprised by it when I first saw it. I love it! It really has a relaxing and calming effect on such a busy street. 

People in Madrid are really stylish; I mean, come on, they even dress up the statues. Haha. I was really surprised to see this statue wearing...leg warmers? O...ok. I guess someone was worried he'd be cold. :-P I can't for the life of me remember who the statue is of and I only sort of remember where I took this photo. If I remember I'll come back to this post and update this caption! ;-) 

Ok, funny story. While I was walking around that first Friday, I was half heartedly trying to find el Parque Retiro, but really I was just wandering around. Instead of adventuring out and finding new places, I ended up walking in a circle and found myself right back where I had started. The two pictures above are of Atocha Station, where I ended up after walking in a circle! (Atocha station is the train/metro station that's right next to our apartment.)

Don't judge this picture. I don't consider myself a picky person, but for some reason I'm not a huge fan of the food here. I think it's more or less that I'm not a big fan of how it's prepared. Anyway, I was craving something American after my long walk around Madrid that Friday. So, I stopped at a cafe in Atocha station and got a hamburger and fries. (It was good, but still didn't taste very American! Lol.) 

The perfect way to end the day (or to end a blog post, for that matter!) is with cafe con leche (coffee with milk). It's a really common drink here (basically just espresso with hot milk). I love to grab one in the afternoon when I'm sleepy during siesta time!

So, that pretty much sums up my first week. What you can't see in the pictures is the crazy amount of homesickness that I experienced. I've never been so homesick in my life as I was the first week. Thankfully, with all this technology, I was only a call away from my family and from the bf (boy friend ^_^) since I have Skype. But, BEWARE, any of you future study abroad students. It's easy to get wrapped up in consoling yourself with Skype and talking too much with your family and friends. Don't be afraid to sign out of Skype and Facebook and go at it on your own!!! (I'm still learning this, haha). Every day that I spend here I learn more and more how to be independent and, of course, how to speak Spanish!

Hasta pronto,

Abi   <-- That's how the people at Starbuck's spell Abby :-D