So Far I've...

1. Been asked three times to take pictures for tourists in front of the Aqueduct.

2. Been stung by a pretty nasty Spanish bee.

3. Wandered all around this city, gotten lost, and even accidentally walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago, something I hope to continue later this year.

4. Hung out in La Plaza Mayor with some of my friends, and admittedly we were chatting in English, so I guess it was pretty obvious that we weren't from Spain. A guy walked up to us, asked if we were cold and if we wanted to go inside someplace warm. He named one of the bars nearby and invited us in for a drink. Since we had actually just said our goodbyes, we declined. The next day, another local informed us that that particular bar wasn't one we should waste our time in. Score one for us bumbling American's avoiding the bad places to go.

5. Made friends with my sassy neighbor. She's ten years old and when I met her, the first thing she said to me was, "My mom says you're really young to be here."As I bewilderedly tried to continue the conversation, she continued her sass. The next day we talked again, this time we got along pretty well. Today, I passed her in the street, and we talked for a bit. I left, celebrating the fact that I have at least one friend in Spain who I didn't meet because I'm taking classes with them or living in their house.

6. Also met some of my older neighbors. They two I've met are on the elderly side, and are extremely sweet. Talking with them has been really interesting, and I can't wait to run into them again.

7. Eaten SO MUCH gelato.

8. Felt a strange version of déjà vu as I've seen the same places in person that I've seen in pictures taken by friends. El Purgatorio and the hot air balloons come to mind.

9. Made friends with a Spanish tourist visiting Segovia. He asked me for directions to the Alcazar, and we walked in the same direction for a while talking. He was delighted to learn that I was from the US, and thus had pretty good English, because he had worked in the UK for several years. Our conversation alternated between languages. It was the first time I talked with someone, unembarrassed of my Spanish ability, brushing off my mistakes as I made them.

I believe a familiar set of pictures can be found in the 2012-2013 editions of Ars Nova