Summary: Madrid 01/21-02/04/2019

It's been 3 weeks since I came back from Madrid. I had plans to post this blog a lot sooner but I ended up getting really sick towards the very end of my trip, and the week following. With working full-time and trying to rest and medicate in between I know it feels like I ghosted. lol I didn't! I'm still here. Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey, and welcome to those who just started.

I learned a lot from my 2 weeks in Madrid. I only touched on a tiny sliver of culture and food, and history. Next time I visit Spain, I'm definitely going when warmer. I had a blast, and got to sleep in on many occasions. I watched local tv programs, got access to shows on Netflix you cannot get in the US, and on more occasions than I expected, was complimented for speaking English and Spanish "perfectly" (and I'm not being sarcastic lol). Apparently I sound like a sexy news anchor when speaking English. Besides, well being sexy, I can attribute my accent to a good education and growing up in Chicago (most newscasters are trained to have Midwestern accents). Thanks Mom :))

I also learned that almost everything is closed on Sundays, dinner is almost always after 9pm, and not only does everyone smoke cigarettes.. but they walk around with tobacco and papers and roll them just before they are going to smoke. lol Oh, and everybody and their momma has a dog. Except for the lady that hosted my AirBnB. Which I am grateful for, because there was times when I felt that there was some sort of underground Dog Choir, where all the neighbors dog thought it was a good time to bark... non-stop.. for hours!

Language wise, I loved my interactions when speaking with Spanish people. Hanging with locals was my absolute favorite. I did encounter and learn some colloquial slang. A common way to say "guy" or "chick" "dude" "girl" etc.. is "tío" or "tía" (literally means uncle and aunt). So while you may say "Hey man, what's up?", They would say "Que tal tío?". Just a heads up., this wouldn't be used for an elder person or parent, as that would be disrespectful. Two other words I commonly heard were "joder" (pronounced "ho-dare" -literally means f*ck) and "gillipollas" (he-lee-po-yas) can mean many things, but mostly douchebag. While I already knew that Spaniards speak with a lisp for z, and s sounds, I was pleased to find similarities with my Spanish dialect (aka Puerto Rican Spanish).

And while I didn't get to try Paella (the restaurants I wanted to try served portions for 2 and I didn't want to walk around with leftovers lol), I got to try local liquor and drinks!

I also learned about myself. I feel like I'm more approachable when I am by myself. I think doing something I loved while I was out there really got me out of my shell. I sang A LOT, and I poured my heart and soul with every song. It was nice to get praises, but the best feeling was when someone told me how my singing affected them emotionally. It opened up otherwise shy people, to come and talk to me.

Through singing I met an Australian teacher who was in Spain teaching English. I met a couple visiting from Boston. I met a bachelorette party from Ireland. I met a sweet guy who's father was terminally ill, and he sang to distract himself. I met a guy who only rapped Eminem's songs. I met a girl who bought me a shot because I looked "nice". I met a couple of tall Dutch guys who were not only gorgeous, but super friendly! And let's not forget the handsome bartender Pedro! Here he is making me my awesome sangria/drink:

While I spent most of my time singing at Karaoke bars, and nearly not as much time being a tourist. I would say that I spent my time well and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Traveling is what you want it to be. For me going to Spain was a bucket list item I am blessed to have crossed off. My feet got a little swollen from flying, I got a bad cold, my anxiety still affected me some nights, and there was a couple of times when gillipollas had something to say about my size. But you know what? I went to a foreign country, by myself, for 2 weeks. I sang my heart out, took scenic walks, and ate delicious food. I met amazing people, kissed strangers, and danced like no one was watching. I was treated like a Princess too! I saw art, and history, and best of all, I got to spend time by myself. Oh and just so you know, when those a-holes that tried to make fun of me, heard me sing... they then tried to talk to me. And one had the nerve to try and flirt with me! So yeah, no regrets!

xoxo,

Tiana