First Day on the Town

I had success in acquiring both a metro pass and confidence while out in the city yesterday. I met both Lindsey (my roommate at Richmond) and our tour guide, Noelia, a girl whom I wrote to a few times over the summer. She attends a university very close to mine, which she pointed out as we came to our stop. The metro itself is much easier than any system that I have previously experienced. There are only two lines, though most of my travels will take me on the main line. You sit in virtual silence while on the metro, no ramblings on cell-phones, no yelling across aisles, I am a bit weary that if I were tired that I could very easily miss my stop due to taking a brief nap.

My university is gorgeous. It is right next to the river, and directly across the street from the infamous Guggenheim. The campus itself is full of outdoor hallways, and thankfully not too much smoke. Though I could be speaking prematurely, I have not found that as many people smoke here as I had expected. After exploring the University, we walked along the river to the old city, which I envisioned as a very traditional Spanish town. Cobblestone roads, lots of cafes, and busy streets.

We also went to the mall to pick up a few odds and ends that we needed, and when we passed the supermarket, I asked Noelia if all their milk was boxed. As the day before when I had gone grocery shopping with my family, the milk was not in the refrigerated section, but rather in the non-perishables. She laughed and asked me how else it would be served, and her friend piped in, “Their milk is like it is in the movies, in those plastic containers”. So they envision my life much like what they see on TV. No wonder foreigners aren’t too fond of Americans, if they think that we are all like the characters on the OC or Desperate Housewives, then I can see no reason of why they would have much respect for us.