Day Two

After the madness of Day One, some general thoughts after two days.

Spanish Language: For all of you thinking years of Spanish from high school will help you in a Spanish speaking country.... think again. In the thick of the moment, only the most basic grammar you remember will come to mind. The grammar you know might be incorrect, also. From what I can tell, formatting sentences that locals understand is difficult. I basically use short phrases, hand gestures, and, if necessary, what English they already know. Speaking of which...

English Language: Most people I've met speak some English  Enough for simple conversations. Most formal stores (like phone company stores) have someone who speaks English (necessary when discussing phone options). Most people in Sol, the city center, speak very good English  Here in Leganes, more hit or miss. I had a good conversation with  a food proveyor at a Tapas bar here in Leganes. Speaking of which...

Tapas: The normal 'cafe' in the Unites States is like a tapas bar in Spain. I need to add the 'bar' part because everyone serves alcohol. It is not that uncommon to drink at almost any time of day. So combine the alcohol aspects of a bar with full menus of food, and you have a Tapas Bar. Fun fact, most tapas bars will serve you a tapa with an alcoholic beverage purchase so you don't drink on an empty stomach.

Back to English Language: My usual complaint is that Spaniards speak too quickly. The accent is also different. I'm improving. Hopefully more time with native speakers will help. It is also my task to make sure they understand me clearly.

Sport: Today, got to play pingpong with some students in the dorm. Most students spoke good English. They played an interesting form of group ping pong (this might be the Spanish way of playing ping pong, I don't know). Each game is 'three' points. You get a point each time you lose. You serve each time you win. But, if you completely miss a shot (i.e. ball goes past you without hitting the paddle), you are out and switch with another person. When you get to three loses (points) you switch with someone else. It is a great way to give everyone playing time.
Bobby noticed some students playing basketball outside, so we both joined. For dinner, we watched an Athletico Madrid soccer match on TV. Most people there (like seven) were drawn to the game. We later got churros and chocolate (and yes, you can drink the chocolate, Bobby) when a Real Madrid match was on. You can ask almost anyone and they will know when Real or Barcelona play. We will all try to see a Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid, and Barcelona matches while here.
Bobby likes Athletico Madrid and tells people it is because of Falcao (look him up). I say I am a Real Madrid fan. This can cause tension for some people who hate Real; they are a team easy to hate. So I tell them it is because of Iker Casillas, their goalkeeper. He is also the Spanish national keeper and worshiped everywhere (they don't call him Saint Iker for nothing). To everyone I've talked to, no one will fault you for liking Real because of Casillas (if you like Ronaldo, that is another story...).

Transportation: I love the metro and walking will probably be a pain (see my post about yesterday).

That is it for now.
I have not taken too many photos, but expect that to change soon!

Cheers