As I'm sitting here, I can hear the faint back-drop of honking car horns, my roommate talking to a friend on Skype, the radio buzzing as my host brother winds down after a day of work, and a baby in a nearby apartment crying. The sounds of the city... it's funny how they seem less distracting as they used to. I guess living in a city, your senses are bombarded every day with sounds, sights, and smells. After a week or so, I think I began to automatically filter out these things, as a natural process of getting used to it all ... but of course, when I sit back and let myself notice it, I realize how much is constantly going on around me. It's an inclusive feeling, being part of such an ocean of constant human movement, and at the same time, it can be almost overwhelming. At times, the crowded subways and city air makes me long for a stroll in an empty country field or something, but thankfully, Madrid has great parks, which help when I need some nature.
Despite the controlled chaos of living in a big city, I notice the longer I'm here, the more things I can pick out that suggest Madrid is much smaller than it really is. For example, I often see this one man sitting on the same bench with his German Shepard at his feet as I walk to school. The dog is a puppy, and I've seen him get a little bigger over the semester. The same homeless man sits on the same busy street corner, with a slight smile on his face as he watches the people pass by, hoping for a coin or two. The garbage truck comes down our street every night between 1-3 a.m. The same store keepers run their cash registers and greet customers. The same crowd at Luchana's piano bar every Monday night dances and enjoys familar songs. The same group of locals and missionaries play soccer on Saturday nights at 9 p.m. at the field across the street from the chapel. This city may be huge, but each person has his or her own routines and community, which, if you notice it, you can be a part of.
I'm enjoying this acclimation, and it's already hard to think of leaving this small shared bedroom, my nightly "cena" (dinner) with my housemates and host-lady, my small SLU community, the Church members I've met, and my new-found routines and enjoyments. However, I knew when I came that this semester would someday end. Luckily, I still have over a month to enjoy my life in Madrid. I'm glad I had to chance to see my family and two of my good Milwaukee friends over here and introduce them to my temporary but real existence in this city. I'm realizing now why everyone says you should study abroad for at least a semester... anything shorter than that, and it's hard to ever really feel like you "lived" here. I know I'm not a Spaniard, but I'm grateful for this chance to learn what it's like to be one and to experience life as one.
Ok, I'm going to step back into my world here and get ready to eat dinner and study... and whatever is the backdrop of your world right now... the daily sights, sounds, smells... the nice and not-so-nice... I'd love to hear about it.
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