- Having a data plan on your phone when arriving in a new country feels a bit like cheating the integration process--you cannot get lost or lose your way, and it makes life 100x times more efficient, paperless, and, of course, less exciting. There have been countless times where--just in case--I checked my phone for directions to an apartment during my search for a place. I have yet to be lost in Madrid (knock on wood). I've tried not to depend on my phone as I believe it may be hurting my spatial awareness of where certain things are located.
- I found an apartment in Arguelles, a great part of Madrid. Arguelles is ideal for me, because it is close to all of the interesting things Madrid has to offer (15 minutes walking to the center aka Sol and 5 minutes by metro; the metro is literally 2 min walking from me), yet it is pretty residential with Spanish families, young people, and no tourists. My roommates are pretty chill. At the moment, I have three roommates with different nationalities (Spanish, Lebanese/Syrian, and Panamanian), which has been great for practicing Spanish, because even the Lebanese flatmate is fluent in Spanish.
- For those that do not know, the Spanish daily schedule is pretty unique. It is almost as if life is shifted a bit unless you work in an office. Breakfast (or really just a very small snack and coffee) is in the morning at whatever time you want though many people go to sleep around 12am or so, thus, eating in the morning is a bit later than US times. Lunch is around 2:30 or so, and dinner is around 8-11 (whenever). People nap from anywhere between 20 min to 1.5 hours, though I have heard 3 hours from a girl who proudly stated she is the queen of siestas. Once again, those working in an office typically do not take a siesta, but it is certainly alive with students, the elderly, children, shop owners and workers, and practically anyone else . . . thus, a good proportion of the population.
hasta luego,
Ameer
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