Tentaciones

As a person in her early twenties, there are a lot of temptations here in Madrid.  I want to get the most out of this year as possible (and be significantly more responsible than I was when I came here four years ago), but sometimes distractions arise that stand between my goal and me.

The four-day-weekend: On Thursdays my only class is at 4pm, and I have no classes on Fridays, so, lucky me, I can sleep until 2pm four days a week if I choose to do so.  Now, at school in the United States, my lack of Friday classes does not cause a problem for my productivity because, frankly, going out at school is rarely more exciting than brushing my hair (maybe), putting on clean clothes (ideally), and sitting on the floor or bed of a friend's dorm room drinking beer, playing card games, and singing along to R. Kelly, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Journey.  As a result, I oftentimes save the $1.50 it costs to buy a 40oz and just go to bed early on Friday so that Thursday and Saturday nights feel like more of a treat than the same-old-same-old.

Here in Madrid, however, I have actually found myself missing getting buzzed with my friends in dorm rooms because the alternative is EXPENSIVE and EXHAUSTING!  As I said before, I can sleep until at least 2pm the majority of the days of the week, and when every time friends propose plans they couple them with, "Come on, we're in Madrid!  How often will you be able to go to this particular restaurant/bar/club?" it's hard to find an excuse to say, No.  (Remember when I was working on saying, Yes?  Life has a funny way of messing with you...)

Americans: I have been getting better about limiting my outgoing cash flow, and when going out insisting on going to bars (clubs are expensive and dark and thus difficult to meet people, restaurants are expensive and bright and thus difficult to meet people) so that I can meet Spaniards and practice my Spanish.  Unfortunately, however, just when you think you've found the smokiest, most authentic bar in the coolest, most authentic neighborhood in Madrid, and you've settled down with a caña, and you've just begun to survey the room for potential new friends, suddenly it happens.  You hear a sound from across the bar, soft at first...who am I kidding?  We're young Americans abroad, the sound tends to be booming, the sound of an American accent.  Don't get me wrong, I came here excited to use my Spanish, but, after long (...well, not SO long) weeks of dealing with classes and with whatever happens to be the problem of the week, hearing an American accent is like pulling into my neighborhood at home after months at school.  And as soon as said accent makes its way to my table, it is difficult to not send my own accent back over its way.

The "I have a whole year to see that" game: I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  I, along with a couple other members of the program, have the privilege of spending my whole school year here in Madrid, which should mean that I will be able to experience and absorb significantly more Spanish culture than my peers.  This, however, is not automatically the case.  While others are rushing around, trying to see as much as they can before having to jump on a plane back home, we full-year students do not have this same impending deadline, and so it is often tempting to turn off the alarm we've set to wake up and go to a museum with the reasoning that, "I can always go next weekend" (clearly my going-out mentality and my museum-visiting mentality need to be switched).

Well, now that I have written down these temptations, hopefully I will be better able to address them (isn't the first step to recovery admitting you have a problem?).  Perhaps next post I will let you know how I'm doing with my resolutions!

Un beso.