Vale!

       "Vale" is the most frequently used word in the Spanish language. It can be used at the end of a question to ask if the other person gets what you mean, and of course the answer is once again: "Vale!" to affirm that you are on the same page. It can mean "ok" or "awesome" or "right away!" It is a truly incredible word and a necessary addition to my spanish vocabulary while here in Spain. It is not used in other Spanish-speaking countries but is unique to España.
        Life at Glamour is going well! I have become friendly with the assistant stylist that I work with closely. My job is essentially to help her do her job, which is finding out the prices of everything from shoes, to clothes, to every accessory in between. It turns out that I am quite helpful because I am the only one who speaks English as her first language. As a result, I have been calling the press offices of American designers like Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch, that haven't responded to emails inquiring about prices. By calling, you can often get a faster response, which is helpful when a spread is coming out in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Another wonderful thing about Glamour is that there is a vending machine that serves hot coffee. It's a genius invention!
          This week I went to a Real Madrid basketball game. I didn't even know that they had a team, but they killed the other team and were quite good.

         My Spanish sister also taught Fiona and I a dance to a really popular song here in Madrid. She learned the choreography on her computer for a few days and then broke it down step by step for us to learn. She was pretty intense about it too and made us practice several times to reach perfection. We then performed for her father and brother, and they videoed it. Now Fiona and I look the coolest gals ever though when we go out because this song ALWAYS plays, and we know the whole dance!
        This Thursday I went to a bar that is on my street that my host mom has been raving about since I got here, insisting that Fiona and I need to go and meet our Spanish boyfriends there. We went with a bunch of friends from our program on Thursday, and the people in the bar seemed pretty shocked to see so many Americans. It's a quaint place with pink lighting and a big dance floor in the back and is called Cafe Paris. We made friends of course and somehow got invited to a fancy discoteca (club) afterwards. The club is called Pacha and is really close to my house. It was also full of a lot of Spaniards and Italians and lots of fun with great music and dancing. There were dancers on stage dressed up like star wars characters, kind of bizarre. Afterwards, Fiona and I and some friends came back to our house and ate lots of leftovers, which we later found out is quite the faux pas in Spanish culture. 4th meal and snacking in general is highly looked down upon...woops!!

        On Friday, I went to a cool restaurant on the top floor of an apartment complex with a great view of the city. I had patatas bravas and queso de cabra. Afterwards I went with some girls to one of her sister's friends' apartments briefly. It was a gorgeous apartment, literally unreal how fancy it was, and all of the guys we met were interesting and excited to meet Americans. Here, a common practice is to have an "intercambio," or exchange where the Spaniard speaks in English and the American speaks in Spanish. It's really helpful for practicing a foreign language for both parties. It was fun to meet these Spanish guys and see what a Spanish house party is like...in this case, far classier than any house party I've ever been to in Allston!

         Saturday morning I woke up early and went on a train to Cercadillas to the Sierra de Madrid (the mountains). It was particularly cold this weekend and snowed pretty heavily all day in the mountains. We did a hike up a small mountain and had a picnic. We all had a great time being adventurous and getting out of the city, but I have to admit that I was freezing the entire time! Later that night, back in Madrid, we went to dinner at Casa Mingo, which is known for roasted chicken and alcoholic cider. It's a popular restaurants among Spaniards, although I wasn't entirely impressed with it. Sunday evening, I went to my first ever flamenco show, and it was absolutely stunning! The dancers performed with such passion. It was beautiful to watch. I am now looking into taking a flamenco class sometime with Cristina! I am excited for another great week ahead, including my first art class, which starts tomorrow evening.


Hablamos Pronto,
Evie