Anyway we got up early in order to meet Megan in Kalamazoo. We then headed off to Chicago where we would then head off the Madrid. It was nice driving through Chicago. It is one of my favorite cities in the US. I have so many good memories there and I love the skyline especially when the sun is shining and lake Michigan is glittering with the sun’s reflection. This morning it was sunny out but a little hazy…still it is always a beautiful site to see.
We got to the airport really early. It is better to be safe than sorry because you never can guess what Chicago traffic is going to be like. I took an hour nap slumped against my bag because I still feel exhausted. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately. I don’t know I guess I will just sleep when I die cause I never have time for it now.
At the moment Meg and I are just chilling waiting for our flight to leave because wait for it…it has been delayed! Wow I never would have guessed that a flight would be delayed it is such a rare occurrence!
Day 2:
So my trip from Chicago to Newark went smoothly but from then on out nothing went right. Megan and I waited for our plane to Madrid to arrive with some fellow U of M students. We boarded the flight on time but as we were waiting to take off the pilot made an announcement that they found a gas leak so we had to switch planes…so that took us about an hour and half to get boarded again and take off. The flight went smoothly. I sat next to a young Mexican boy that was visiting his grandparents in Spain. We communicated a little bit in Spanish and by motioning to things. He was so cute. After watching a movie I slept in and out for the rest of the flight waking up to the call that we would be landing soon. I checked my watch and panicked. It said 12:30. My bus to Salamanca left at 1 and I still had to get my luggage, exchange my money, and go through customs. When we got off the plane there was no way I was going to make my bus but I knew that there were more headed to Salmanca later in the day, plus Megan and I were in the same boat so we weren’t alone. When we got everything together it took us a while to discover that we had to go to the bus line avanza’s main terminal in Madrid to buy new tickets since we missed our bus. This entailed taking a bus then the metro to arrive at the station. This made me uneasy I am not very great at speaking Spanish and I have to idea how to get around Madrid so I was pretty nervous. Plus I had a backpack and two pieces of luggage to drag with me.
As Meg and I were headed to the Metro exit we heard a sound coming from outside that sounded like gun shots. Smoke and fire followed. It was small but we both freaked out and backed far into the terminal to get away. I was so unsure of what just happened but no one around us was screaming or anything. It was nothing I have ever seen before but I felt very unsafe. ( hahah sorry Mom this stuff might scare you but I promise I am okay ☺ ). After things seemed to calm down we headed to the bus stop and rode it to the metro station. At the metro station we encountered some other odd things such as a pile of what looked like still wet blood on the subway train. At this point I justed wanted to be out of Madrid. It was not leaving a very good impression on me except for the people. The locals were very helpful when we needed help finding stops and where to buy tickets. It helped make me feel better. Once we got off the metro we had to carry our bags up this huge flight of stairs and walk down the block to the bus station where we bought tickets for the next bus.
At the moment I am sitting on the bus, which thank God has wifi, fighting to stay awake so my sleep schedule is not screwed up. As much of a bad day this was Spain is very beautiful and the people here seem to be very welcoming for the most part. I am looking forward to being in a fixed location for a while and meeting my host family. Today was definitely a learning experience and now I feel more equipped to use public transportation when I go to Rome and Paris.
Right now the weather here is gorgeous. Sunny and 85. The landscape of Madrid reminds me off Utah a little but there is more foliage and trees than there. When I get towards Salamanca though the mountain range will not be nearby. My computer has a low battery so I have to go ☺ I will try to post as often as possible. Xoxo Hasta Luego. <3
So my trip from Chicago to Newark went smoothly but from then on out nothing went right. Megan and I waited for our plane to Madrid to arrive with some fellow U of M students. We boarded the flight on time but as we were waiting to take off the pilot made an announcement that they found a gas leak so we had to switch planes…so that took us about an hour and half to get boarded again and take off. The flight went smoothly. I sat next to a young Mexican boy that was visiting his grandparents in Spain. We communicated a little bit in Spanish and by motioning to things. He was so cute. After watching a movie I slept in and out for the rest of the flight waking up to the call that we would be landing soon. I checked my watch and panicked. It said 12:30. My bus to Salamanca left at 1 and I still had to get my luggage, exchange my money, and go through customs. When we got off the plane there was no way I was going to make my bus but I knew that there were more headed to Salmanca later in the day, plus Megan and I were in the same boat so we weren’t alone. When we got everything together it took us a while to discover that we had to go to the bus line avanza’s main terminal in Madrid to buy new tickets since we missed our bus. This entailed taking a bus then the metro to arrive at the station. This made me uneasy I am not very great at speaking Spanish and I have to idea how to get around Madrid so I was pretty nervous. Plus I had a backpack and two pieces of luggage to drag with me.
As Meg and I were headed to the Metro exit we heard a sound coming from outside that sounded like gun shots. Smoke and fire followed. It was small but we both freaked out and backed far into the terminal to get away. I was so unsure of what just happened but no one around us was screaming or anything. It was nothing I have ever seen before but I felt very unsafe. ( hahah sorry Mom this stuff might scare you but I promise I am okay ☺ ). After things seemed to calm down we headed to the bus stop and rode it to the metro station. At the metro station we encountered some other odd things such as a pile of what looked like still wet blood on the subway train. At this point I justed wanted to be out of Madrid. It was not leaving a very good impression on me except for the people. The locals were very helpful when we needed help finding stops and where to buy tickets. It helped make me feel better. Once we got off the metro we had to carry our bags up this huge flight of stairs and walk down the block to the bus station where we bought tickets for the next bus.
At the moment I am sitting on the bus, which thank God has wifi, fighting to stay awake so my sleep schedule is not screwed up. As much of a bad day this was Spain is very beautiful and the people here seem to be very welcoming for the most part. I am looking forward to being in a fixed location for a while and meeting my host family. Today was definitely a learning experience and now I feel more equipped to use public transportation when I go to Rome and Paris.
Right now the weather here is gorgeous. Sunny and 85. The landscape of Madrid reminds me off Utah a little but there is more foliage and trees than there. When I get towards Salamanca though the mountain range will not be nearby. My computer has a low battery so I have to go ☺ I will try to post as often as possible. Xoxo Hasta Luego. <3
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