The first three weeks

How can I describe these first three weeks in Madrid? Overwhelming might be the word of choice. I have felt elated, upset, homesick beyond belief, astounded, and so met by God. So much has happened. The first week I went on a lot of explorations of the city. I went on all of the walks with the Spanish students, and the tour guides, trying to get to know my city more. I got lost every day on the Metro the first week, but have had only one Metro mishap since. The word I would use to describe Madrid right now is familiar. This place finally feels like home. I still miss all of my friends and family, and of course Ian, but after going to Granada this weekend, all I wanted to do was go "home" to my own bed and all of my stuff here in Madrid. And I am so glad that it feels that way. I find I am more proficient in Spanish every day. We go over things that are confusing in class, and we are always taught all of the idioms as well, it's more of a grammar and culture class than just grammar. This city intrigues me, it is so very beautiful, and fairly easy to get around in. I have loved getting to know the history of the city, and finding out things I didn't know, or learning about how different icons came to be. Madrid is so much older than anything in the States, it's strange to think about.
My trip to Granada was also beautiful. I saw the Alhambra, which was the palace of the Muslims when Spain was theirs. Granada was actually the capital of Spain before Madrid, but they found 3 underground rivers in Madrid, and decided to move the capital there. I did get a bit sick on my trip, it has been hard for my body to adjust to the different climate and stuff here I think, so I've had a sore throat or been coughing since I came. I keep wondering where all my money goes, and then I remember, the Metro, and medicine. But anyway, back to Granada, it is a splendid city, one of my friends got a bit of food poisoning, so on the second half of the bus ride and the whole first night, she was doing her thing every hour. Needless to say, we didn't sleep great that night, but it wasn't too bad either. We walked around the second day and by the third we were ready to go home.
I love my little room, it has space a-plenty for all of my things, and I am getting along better with my señora every day. Our program has a lot of strange rules, but she is a bit more relaxed, which is helpful. She speaks quite a bit of English, which is good and bad, but if I speak to her in Spanish, she usually switches with me. On the whole, there have been hard things these first few weeks, I've had to tackle some loneliness and homesickness, and some frustrations, but I am getting through them. Praise the Lord! Also, I've been going to the doctor for all of my back problems (which got worse when I got here), so I'll be getting some help there, which is really good because it's basically all free to me. I mean, I paid a little for it, but the X-ray alone today was worth what I paid for. Thanks goodness for good health care huh? And, the pharmacies are so great here! I've had to go a lot since I've been sick/in pain since I got here, but my pharmacy is so nice, They all are super knowledgeable about every medicine (as I'm sure pharmacists in the US are) but in Spain, all medicines are behind the counter, so you either have to tell them how you are feeling, or you have to ask for a specific medicine from them. They are much more involved in your life, which is really good. Also, pharmacies are everywhere, so are cigarette shops. All stores are pretty individualized, which is good and bad. I miss being able to walk into Target and get everything I need, but it's also nice to have a bunch of mom and pop type shops too.
In the end, I love this city, I'm feeling at home more, and although I know I'll have ups and downs, the city will remain constant, and the beauty here will never cease to amaze me.
(Photos: Top-Parque del Retiro, Middle- Templo de Debod, Bottom- La Alhambra at sunset from my hostel in Granada)