Greetings from the beautiful Madrid Barajas airport! I sucked it up and paid for internet, since I have a nearly 4 hour layover here (and I desperately needed to charge my iPad which didn't get charged last night - even though it was plugged into my computer. BOOO! Also, there are no outlets just setting around the airport for you to do this)! Plus I wanted to update you all a little bit on life the past few weeks. I have been totally and completely swamped with work. I've been trying like crazy to get everything done before I left. I definitely have plans to work while I'm home (I even have a couple of meetings planned)! I need to re-write a paper draft, analyze some data, preparing stimuli, and write part of an application for a grant I'm applying for. I managed to finish a lot of stuff while I was working like a crazy person, so I'm leaving feeling good. We'll see how I feel about work when I return in <2 weeks.
It's funny how much easier travel is now than just a month ago when I flew to Puerto Rico. I've had actual conversations with actual Spanish people at the bus stop, the hotel, the hotel restaurant and the airport. Before I relied a lot on "I don't understand" or "I don't speak Spanish" when people would talk to me, but now I muddle a long. As soon as I open my mouth it's clear that I'm a "guiri" (not from around here), but people understand me more or less and I understand them (mostly). I don't get identified as a foreigner much when I'm in San Sebastián, but as soon as I'm in an area with more foreigners, I do. The funny thing is that Spanish people assume I'm from the following places (in this order): Ireland, England, France, Canada. Obviously, French people don't mistake me for French - and anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with people from the UK or Ireland knows I'm not from there. But I just found out that the doorman of our building was referring to me as "the Irish girl" for the past three months - I told him I was going "home" to Chicago yesterday, and he was pretty surprised. Anyhow, travel is much smoother now that I'm getting a stronger command of the language. A lot of it is still stressful and crazy, but this time there were no lost tickets at the airport and my bag came in underweight! This, in and of itself, is a minor miracle since I packed another suitcase inside my big suitcase + my various stuff for two weeks of travel. In other travel news, at the end of this trip, I will (or should) have elite status on American Airlines. Which means 2 (TWO!!) free checked bags, along with priority boarding, security, check-in and priority for upgrades. This will make traveling for the following year much more pleasant.
Before I left I wrote a list of things I will miss in Spain while I'm gone, so I can look at it on my way back and not be too sad to leave again: Pintxos, cheap food and drink, good bread, my friends, live music multiple days a week, gelato, 1 and 2 euro coins (seriously, why don't we have these in the US?), my stripey blanket, great weather (mostly) where you don't need air conditioning and rarely need heat. Others I can't remember right now :)
This week was also San Fermin. You may think you don't know what San Fermin is, but I can almost guarantee you do. I'll give you a hint, San Fermin is a festival that takes place in Pamplona. That's right - the running of the bulls. Pamplona is about an hour south of San Sebastián and they run dozens of buses all day between the two cities during San Fermin. Unless you have a car, the way you do San Fermin is: arrive at 10 or 11 pm, stay up all night (usually drinking), then at 5 am, get as close to the fences as you can to watch the 7 am running of the bulls through the streets and into the stadium. Then you can stay for bullfights, etc. Everyone wears all white outfits with a red kerchief around the neck and a red belt. I didn't go this year, in part because I am not crazy and did not want to stay up all night (especially within a few days of changing time zones). Plus, huge crowds and tons of drinking isn't really my scene. Anyhow, it's been fun watching people arrive and leave for San Fermin in their crazy costumes.
Since my allotted hour of internet is nearly up, I will sign off and try to find some food and entertain myself for the 2.5 hours before my flight boards!
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