I got to Spain a little over a week ago, or what feels like a month now (probably because Im not sleeping all day anymore). Right when I got off the plane at the airport I encountered my first foreigner experience. A professional looking man asked if I wanted a Taxi, so I said yes and followed him across the airport. The man stopped to pay for parking, which I thought was odd if he was a taxi driver he shouldnt be parked. Next thing I know the police are asking to see his ID and then they arrested the man and took him away. The police told me that this man was a "fool taxi" trying to scam me. Ahhh.... well this was my first experience with Madrid and I hadnt even left the airport.
However, everything has been great since then. I work with UNHCR, or the UN center for refugees, and everyone in the office is very patient and kind. I have to read newspapers to find important events related to refugees and immigration and translate video scripts to Spanish. The translating is difficult when you are translating into the readers native language since everything does not translate literally.
I live in an apartment with 4 other people from around the world, including England, Spain, Mexico, and Columbia. I live right next to Plaza de España so the location is great for being in the heart of Madrid.
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| Plaza de España |
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| Gran Via after the Championship Game |
The first night in my apartment was the Championship League Final against two Madrid teams. This apparently was a very big deal to everyone, and after the game Gran Via was filled with thousands of crazy fans.
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| Sunset overlooking Madrid |
Besides work I have just been exploring the city and getting lost at the same time.
Hoping for more adventures to come,
Chris
Glad to hear that things are going well so far, Chris (minus the taxi scam situation). Your very international housing situation sounds great. I lived in a similarly diverse apartment when teaching in Germany and it was one of the highlights of my experience! Looking forward to reading more!
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ReplyDeleteSounds like you are having a good start to your trip, Chris! I'm glad you finally found a good place to live with a great location and a good way to make international friends. I can't wait to hear more adventures!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you made it out of the taxi scam situation okay! (A similar guy tried to do a similar thing to me at JFK last summer, so you're not alone, and it's not just Madrid!) It's also good to hear that you're enjoying your time so far. How are you getting along with your housemates? Any major cultural differences come up yet? Those can manifest quite distinctly in a living situation :)
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