Two Weeks In

Well, I don't have too much to report.
In a couple hours I will officially have made it two weeks. Pretty happy about that!

On Monday and Tuesday it thunder-stormed like crazy, until Tuesday evening. It was very strange to see so much rain in a place I had been told it barely ever rains in the summer. The temperature here has been fairly... dare I say... chilly. But I'm SURE the sweltering heat is on its way.

So Tuesday night after the rain let up I went to Museo del Prado with TJ, since it is FREE most nights of the week. I, personally, am not really into that type of art (mostly portraits), but it was cool to see. It is apparently the most visited site in Madrid, so I'm glad we did it.

Wednesday, last night, I took a nice siesta after work... and then we went to an Intercambio at a bar in the city. It was fantastic. An Intercambio is set up where people who want to speak in different languages than their own can go and practice with native speakers. So, four of us English speakers went and practice taking all night with native Spanish speakers who wanted to do the same with English. I think we are definitely going to return, as it's a really good way to talk to native Spanish speakers without the intimidation. It's far too hard to just find someone on the street and practice Spanish with them, especially in this kind of society, but this event intentionally does that for me. You correct people when they pronounce things wrong or mix up words, which is usually thought of as super rude. Plus, it was also a relief to see Spanish speakers struggling with English as I have been with Spanish.
We were there for like three hours, but it was truly such a tiring activity that we headed home. My speaking skills really are coming easier now, at least I think. The listening and comprehending part is kind of getting better, but I am giving myself at least another week to determine that I'm doomed.

I don't know if it's the change in weather or what but my alergies the past couple days have been absolutely awful. Sounds like its time for another siesta.

Ciao