Arrived!

The blog is back! This morning I arrived in Madrid and have spent the day getting settled in. I’ll be spending about the next 11 months working at Brewster Academy Spain as a middle and high school science teacher. Faculty orientation starts up on Monday, but I don’t have students until the second week of September.

There’s a lot that I’m looking forward to here in Spain, but in the near term, my biggest excitement is hosting my younger brother Manny and showing him around. He and I are staying at my apartment for the year (roommates will arrive in two weeks). Today we had an exciting visit at the bank and the department store. We bought sheets, blankets, and other essentials and are headed back tomorrow for another shopping spree.

After a rest and some laundry, we headed to a beautiful rooftop restaurant for dinner. We had jamón iberico, steak, and patatas bravas while watching the sunset. The “no alcohol” cocktail on the menu actually had a 5% alcohol syrup according to the waiter, so Manny had a mock-mojito instead. After sunset, we walked through the Sol neighborhood. We took churros with chocolate to go and ate on them on the Plaza Mayor. Finally, we did some window shopping and took the Metro back to the apartment.

Tomorrow we’re going to hit the museums and get our steps in, as well as try out one of the gyms in my neighborhood!

Please feel free to write me individually; my phone (and US number) also still works while I’m here. I’ll endeavor to post as many photos as I can, and keep the updates frequent!