Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Hola! Well, I´ve made it. I wasn´t sure there for a bit, but I did. You know how I was all worried that something was going to go terribly wrong? Well, something did. Something went terribly, TERRIBLY wrong. When I got to the airport Monday morning, they gave me trouble for not having a return plane ticket, so I had to buy one at the last minute. And it was, let me tell you, VERY expensive. It actually ate up about half my savings. This is not good. This is not good at all. And then, after all that trouble, no one even asked to see a return ticket at customs in Canada or in Madrid! God DAMN it, you have no idea how pissed I am about this. BUT..supposedly, I can return this plane ticket for up to one year if I don´t use it, SO...HOPEFULLY...Oh dear God I hope..I can return it and get my money back. I´m not sure exactly how to go about returning it, but my mommy is figuring it out for me.
So yea, things have been off to a rocky start. Having to buy that ticket really shook me up. I had a few hyperventillating/crying fits in the airplane bathroom on the way to Toronto. I felt better, though, after I met some nice Spanish young people in the Toronto airport. They helped my six hour layover go by more quickly. Too bad they were from Barcelona instead of Madrid!
My flat is nice enough. My room is microscopic, but whatever, that´s okay. It´s also kind of noisy and hot, but I bought earplugs today, so hopefully that won´t be a problem anymore. I´m sharing the flat with a Belgian guy, a Quebecois, and a Spanish girl whom I haven´t met I don´t think. My landlords are this nice Spanish couple and they seem pretty laid back. Not surprising! I talked to my Belgian flatmate Pierre today for like two hours about politics. Well, mostly he was talking to me really. Apparently I think he thinks the US government is the root of all evil. Not Americans themselves, but the government, yes. He also told me where to find cheap hangers and a pillow so I won´t have to sleep on my wadded up bath towel anymore. He also told me where to find this internet cafe, which of course I dÃdn´t find on the first try, but I did eventually. Curse my lack of sense of direction!
I haven´t really explored the city yet at all. To be honest I´ve been too freaked out. I just feel kind of airborn out here, not knowing anyone and no one knowing me. Not knowing where anything is and not easily being able to ask if I need to find out. Having to buy that return ticket really freaked me the fuck out. That really threw me off balance. I SHOULD still be okay with money, but not nearly as okay as I was before. I´m just not sure when I´m going to actually start making money, since I have to take this class first. It doesn´t start for another week and a half. I really wish more than ever that I had stayed in Seattle another week. There´s no reason for me to be here right now, and I don´t know anybody to play with. Ho hum.
On the bright side, the boys here are definitely way cuter than the boys in Prague. And with more fashion sense. And I have seen a few red vespas! Ha ha. And people keep trying to talk to me in Spanish, so I think I´m doing pretty well with going native and blending in. And everybody here knows me only by my new name, which is fun. I´m totally worried about money now, so I´m probably not going to be going out much for a while. I don´t have anyone to go out with anyway! Aaaah...
So yea. I don´t know how I feel right now. I wouldn´t exactly say I´m having fun per se. I felt like I was being babied when I went to Prague, and now I feel like a little babying might be nice! It is hard to be here by myself. But I´ll survive, you know? I´m sure I WILL start to like it and feel more comfortable soon after I get myself oriented. And after I start making money, and after I get that money back for the ticket!
And so, mes amigos, that´s how I´m doing. Not that great, but it could be a lot worse. For a second there, I really didn´t think I was going to get on the plane! I´m still worried though...I´m worried about the TEFL course, if it´s going to be really hard...I´m worried about working and whether or not I´m going to make enough money to survive. I should, but..you never know. I´m just afraid something is going to go wrong. I´m afraid I´m going to fail. God that would be awful. That would be so terribly embarrassing.
Anyway, if you love me, email me back soon, kay? It certainly would make me feel beter to know I have friends at home rooting for me. I don´t do that whole ¨mass email¨ thing lightly, you know..I only send mail to people I actually care about and want to hear from. So I hope to hear from you soon.
So yea, things have been off to a rocky start. Having to buy that ticket really shook me up. I had a few hyperventillating/crying fits in the airplane bathroom on the way to Toronto. I felt better, though, after I met some nice Spanish young people in the Toronto airport. They helped my six hour layover go by more quickly. Too bad they were from Barcelona instead of Madrid!
My flat is nice enough. My room is microscopic, but whatever, that´s okay. It´s also kind of noisy and hot, but I bought earplugs today, so hopefully that won´t be a problem anymore. I´m sharing the flat with a Belgian guy, a Quebecois, and a Spanish girl whom I haven´t met I don´t think. My landlords are this nice Spanish couple and they seem pretty laid back. Not surprising! I talked to my Belgian flatmate Pierre today for like two hours about politics. Well, mostly he was talking to me really. Apparently I think he thinks the US government is the root of all evil. Not Americans themselves, but the government, yes. He also told me where to find cheap hangers and a pillow so I won´t have to sleep on my wadded up bath towel anymore. He also told me where to find this internet cafe, which of course I dÃdn´t find on the first try, but I did eventually. Curse my lack of sense of direction!
I haven´t really explored the city yet at all. To be honest I´ve been too freaked out. I just feel kind of airborn out here, not knowing anyone and no one knowing me. Not knowing where anything is and not easily being able to ask if I need to find out. Having to buy that return ticket really freaked me the fuck out. That really threw me off balance. I SHOULD still be okay with money, but not nearly as okay as I was before. I´m just not sure when I´m going to actually start making money, since I have to take this class first. It doesn´t start for another week and a half. I really wish more than ever that I had stayed in Seattle another week. There´s no reason for me to be here right now, and I don´t know anybody to play with. Ho hum.
On the bright side, the boys here are definitely way cuter than the boys in Prague. And with more fashion sense. And I have seen a few red vespas! Ha ha. And people keep trying to talk to me in Spanish, so I think I´m doing pretty well with going native and blending in. And everybody here knows me only by my new name, which is fun. I´m totally worried about money now, so I´m probably not going to be going out much for a while. I don´t have anyone to go out with anyway! Aaaah...
So yea. I don´t know how I feel right now. I wouldn´t exactly say I´m having fun per se. I felt like I was being babied when I went to Prague, and now I feel like a little babying might be nice! It is hard to be here by myself. But I´ll survive, you know? I´m sure I WILL start to like it and feel more comfortable soon after I get myself oriented. And after I start making money, and after I get that money back for the ticket!
And so, mes amigos, that´s how I´m doing. Not that great, but it could be a lot worse. For a second there, I really didn´t think I was going to get on the plane! I´m still worried though...I´m worried about the TEFL course, if it´s going to be really hard...I´m worried about working and whether or not I´m going to make enough money to survive. I should, but..you never know. I´m just afraid something is going to go wrong. I´m afraid I´m going to fail. God that would be awful. That would be so terribly embarrassing.
Anyway, if you love me, email me back soon, kay? It certainly would make me feel beter to know I have friends at home rooting for me. I don´t do that whole ¨mass email¨ thing lightly, you know..I only send mail to people I actually care about and want to hear from. So I hope to hear from you soon.
