Getting Comfortable

Well this week was off to a pretty bad start. I ended up losing my voice to what I'm guessing was laryngitis from a mix of all the second hand smoke everywhere and still getting over the sinus infection. I had no voice at all Sunday and Monday and Tuesday it was still pretty bad.

Wednesday I had a lovely menu del dia at a place I walk by every day on the way to class. I always see the sign out front for 8 euro menu but I finally convinced a group of friends to come try it with me. For the 8 euro which is around 10 dollars I got a peach juice, bread, big bowl of cooked mixed vegetables for my primer plato (first plate), and for segundo plato I ordered cocido madrileno which is a big pot of soup but they just take out all the meat, garbanzo beans, and potatoes and put them on the plate and serve the broth part as a primer plato. Then there's dessert which I got a fluffy cheesecake-like slice covered in berries. It was a great deal!

The day got even better when I booked my flight to the Canary Islands for spring break. We are going for 4 nights and will be staying in some sort of villa/bungalow/apartment near the beach with a pool and kitchen. The flight was only 80 dollars and I'm not entirely sure how much the hotel will come out to be but it's somewhere between $75-$125. I've never really done a spring break beach vacation so this will be really fun and I'll hopefully be going with 5 other people.

Thursday I woke up and was feeling pretty much completely better and was determined to go to the gym. I tried the yoga class at the one nearby and I loved it. It was a bit difficult because I'm used to hearing downward dog and child's pose but I was surprised to find that I almost already knew what was coming next. My back was in extreme need of that yoga session and I could tell due to the incredible inflexibility of my hamstrings and how even simple twists made it crack. I feel really great today after it, I mean my arms are a bit sore but my back isn't hurting so I'm pretty happy about that.

I was going to sign up to just come in the morning because it was cheaper but for 12 euro more I got a student deal that will last til May 8 and I can go any time of the day and to any of the classes which helps in case I don't want to wake up early. They also have a sauna to use which will be nice. Then to top it all off I was looking at their brochure of different spa-type offers and I noticed massages for 30 euro. I asked her how long they were for, expecting to hear 30 minutes but they are 60 minute massages! They have a package of 5 that makes each one come out to 23 euro ($30!).

I went out to dinner with 4 of my housemates and it was the first time we've all gone out. It's funny that I live with 5 other people but due to our different schedules see some of them more in class than at home. It was the last night for the TGI Fridays 2 for 1 deal and so we decided to go because I've been craving chicken wings since I couldn't have them for the Superbowl. It was a fun time and we had lots of laughs. We ended the fun night by going out for dessert to this adorable place called El Jardin Secreto. It had the most delicious desserts that could rival any dessert menu for 3.75. I got a Tiramisu made with Baileys with a white chocolate topping. It was amazing. Nneka and Valerie shared two desserts, and their cheesecake was to die for. Literally they acted like they could just up and die after eating it. Valerie's favorite food in the world is cheesecake so coming from her saying it was the best she's ever had is saying a lot.

I'm really getting used to Madrid now and feel so comfortable. They metro system is amazing, clean and fast and now that I have my monthly unlimited pass I will be going exploring a lot more. People here are so friendly when you ask for directions although I've been pretty good with directions since I've been here (surprising I know!). Next weekend Briana is visiting from London so I'll have a fun Valentine's Day.