First days in Madrid.....

We had a great flight! Arrived ontime at 7 am local time Saturday morning to rain ... it never rains in Madrid! Apparently this year it has been raining lots and everywhere! Who knew? Anyway, it was showery, but fine. The bus met us at the airport and had a planned route to deliver the boys to their homes. I met with each family and got to see where each pair of them is settled. They had time to unpack, shower, eat and rest and then we met at 4 pm near the school to take a little tour of and learn how to use the metro. I took them to the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and then we had chocolate and churros. We passed a discoteca and some of them had designs on going dancing (!!?!?!?!?!) which I quickly squelched! We found out that all the World Cup games are televised on regular tv so every house can get them whether they have satellite/cable or not. As the boys were very tired, I sent them all home to watch the game with plans to meet at 9am on Sunday morning. ¨By this time they had all learned how to navigate the subway and were beginning to figure out the money. We stopped at the tourist office where I obtained a city map for each of them - so they could see where they were, where they needed to go and how to get there! Now if I can just get them to remember to bring the maps with them, we´ll be all set!

In Madrid, 9 am on Sunday morning is an ungodly hour... some people are just getting home from a night of revelry. However, it dawned sunny and glorious; we met at the Plaza Mayor where we took some great photos, some students got a cafe con leche (my personal favourite!) and a pastry. We then headed down towards the barrio La Latina¨ to go to the Rastro - the renowned Sunday morning outdoor market. There you can buy everything from antiques to lingerie. I got them there, showed them around and gave them some time to explore and look. It is a place that covers 4 or 5 long streets and the connecting streets so it is impossible to stay together in a big group. Some will stop to look at one thing and others want to look at something else, so as long as they are in small groups they are fine. I then headed off to Barajas to meet the second plane!

Matt´s plane landed about half an hour late which was great since I arrived a little late. On Sundays the metro runs on a ¨weekend schedule¨and the trains are a little farther apart. However, he was out quickly and we took the metro back into Madrid so I got him used to using the system right away. His roommates were at home when we arrived, so he had some time to rest, and acclimate before we all met again at 3 in the afternoon to get the phone situation organized.

During their free time, some of the boys walked to Retiro park and played frisbee. Thy each have a city map and seem to be finding their way around without any problems.

I had already checked with the phone store to see what would be the best way to go and what they had available - they were able to buy phones from ¨Happy Móvil¨for €45 - the phone cost €20 with €25 in minutes on it. Addiditonally, since we all got the same program, we can call each other for free. This was a particularly good feature since the majority of calls will be within the group. I bought the same program and so the students can call me and I can call them without charge. Each one can call the US and anyone in the States can call them. There is no charge to receive calls. I shall send you all my number by email.

After we got the phones organized - that took the best part of 2 hours! - I took the group walking to the Opera House, the Cathedral and the Royal Palace. About 7 pm, I sent them home to have dinner and watch the game - the World Cup games are televised at 8:30 in the evening here - and head to bed early as they needed to arrive at school at 9 am the first day. If how tired I am is any indication, I´m doing a great job of keeping them occupied during the day so they go home tired and able to sleep at night.

Everyone arrived ontime and ready to go this morning. They have had their evaluations and are already in their classes. They have funny stories to tell about linguistic mixups, trying to use their language and figuring out how to maneuver around the city. They are doing great! While the Madrileños seem to think it is chilly here, I think it is fantasstic! Sunny and mild by Madrid summer standards...but at any time I know it can get HOT! So we shall enjoy the pleasant temperatures while we have them.

Our first afternoon cultural activity today will be a walking tour of the old part of the city. While I´ve already taken them to many parts in the center, today they will get a little of the history of what they are looking at. By tomorrow, we´ll have an itinerary for the week and will know where we are headed on the weekend. I forgot to bring my cable to upload photos today so check back again soon for pictures. ­¡Hasta luego!