From LA to Madrid through Warsaw

Sorry for no updates. No internet. I'll post much more frequently now, but here are my unedited ramblings as of now.


I woke up early January 11th anxious and excited to start my journey to Madrid. I got a ride to LAX by the muy bonita Marisa and was early enough to post up at the bar for a tall glass of Bud Light. The 6 hour flight to New Wark was pretty unremarkable except for the fact that Mishcha Barton was standing behind me as we loaded onto the plane. Such a tall babe. I think she was checking me out. (Call me Michsha). After landing, I could not find my Polish Airline flight to Warsaw on the screens. After wasting time running around the terminal, this Eastern Europian lady told me I vas in the vrong terminal and to vun fast. I ran to the right terminal where it seemed like everyone was blonde haired descendents of the Aryan Youth. Somebody important was on the plane because all the attendants seemed starstruck by someone named Checkhov. They also sent a dog on the plane and 2 armed guards dressed in leather accompanied him. I sat next to a fashionably dressed Polish 20 year old named Zophia. She spoke little English. I found out she liked Whiskey from the Sky Mall catalogue and she taught me to say Jay Qwee (like borat) and Chiste. This means Thank you and Hello in Pole. I spent the night crossing the Atlantic and slept most of the way. After arriving in snow covered Warsaw, I was obviously underdressed. I bought two Wark’s beer for 10 PNR? And wandered around Warsaw international. There was a huge display that read DO NOT IMPORT and a full polar bear skin and head was sitting there as well as a lions skin, an elephant foot, sea horses, and a variety of different oddities. After downing the 2 beers I bought, I sat next to a cute girl on the plane, a 25 year old Pole named Isa (short for Isabella) that spoke Fluent French, Pole and broken English. I passed out for most of the ride but when I came to she switched me seats so I could have the window as support. I asked her about the subway system and how to get to my apartment. She explained her boyfriend, Guillermo was waiting for her at the airport and he lived close to Puerto de Toledo and they would show me the way. While collecting our luggage I told Isa that if we were to get separated that she shouldn’t worry because I can find my own way. She said since she was bigger than me she could look after me. I corrected her to say she mean older and she laughed. Guillermo, who turned out to be a student at my school, was waiting for Isa at the airport and after making out for 5 minutes we were on our way. We switched about 3 subway lines before they left at Chueca, where Isa says the gays live, 3 stops short of my Puerto de Toledo station. I said thanks and they said to call them whenever I needed anything. As I approached my station, a man got way too close for comfort and I felt since it was getting close to 11 p.m. and the crowd had died off a felt threatened. I was expecting to get off the subway with my big ass bag and him to take everything. Fortunately he backed up and I emerged to the beautiful Puerto (gate) de Toledo and the area was completely deserted. I saw one of the most intricate and beautiful pieces of graffiti to my left and reached into my pocket to grab my camera. However street savvy I thought I was, I was wrong. Pick pocketed by that dude on the first subway ride. Lost all pictures of my friends Zophia, Isa, Guillermo and the polar bear. To make things worse, I had no idea where my apartment was and it was dark and rainy. I went to a nice looking hotel and the concierge pointed me past the Bombero (fire) station in the right direction. I rang the bell to 4b on Cuesta de Calle Descarges and my roommate Kenny came down to get me. He looks exactly like Orlando Bloom. I went up the elevator to the 4th floor where Mike had just woken up from a siesta, again the time was 11 p.m. I checked out the apartment, which is spacious and very 70’s. I have a small room with a twin bed and a figurine of a breastfeeding mother. I’ll post pics when I get a get another camera. We went out to grab some Kebab down the street then headed to a bar in the Puerto de Sol area. We got 6 Heinekins for 15 Euro and a Tarantula shot which was Kahlua, Vodka, and Tequila. We cruised the area, which seemed to only get more lively as the morning came. We headed back around 3 p.m. because we had to be at the University at 9 for orientation. We took the 45 minute subway ride (5-2-9 I believe) to Vivalcaro. I attempted to talk to a girl who was reading a tabloid magazine. After thinking about it for about 5 minutes I turned to her and said “Que Estas Leyendo” She replied Que? I felt like an idiot. I then kind of just muttered bien and asked Escuela, totally ignoring the verb. She said something I couldn’t understand and our conversation was over. I’ll get better, my goal is to strike up a conversation on the subway everyday on the way to school. We met all the USAC students and I was the new kid because they already spent a day and night getting to know each other. We got a tour of the campus, which is small but beautiful with 2 cafeterias that serve beer and wine. The campus food is the cheapest I’ve come across in Spain. A 3 course lunch for under 5 Euro. I ordered a tortilla which was a roll with cold scrambled egg and potato in between. It wasn’t horrible, especially after airplane food for so long. We had orientation with Suzanne and Gabriella who is the most animated and cutest person I have ever seen. They warned us not to get pick pocketed. We then took a Spanish Placement test which I did asi-asi on. . I had a meeting with Alvaro and enrolled in Drawing Madrid, Exploring Music and Society: Flamenco, Intermediate Spanish 1 and 2, and Spanish Culture and Civilization. That is 15 units and I think its going to be a bit much but we’ll see. After hanging with some USAC kids who seem really fun, I went to downtown Madrid and bought a pay as you go phone for 19 Euro. It came with a random but handsome laptop carrying case and 5 euro credit to make calls and texts. Now I am writing and waiting till 8 p.m. when it is cheaper to call mis padres y mi muneca. I have no internet access and I’ve had no contacts with anyone since I left LAX and it is now 7 p.m. January 13th. I’m meeting some friends for dinner couple metro stops to the north around 9. I start school tomorrow at 9:30 and I’m already spending so much money on subway fares, housing deposits, and food. I’m going to the market tomorrow and I’m going to start cooking. I walked home from the celular store in the rain with Kenny and saw this amazing palace. I can’t wait discover more of the city and its already more fun and more beautiful than I expected. The street art is crazy. Hace frio I can’t wait for Alicante.