Travel Makes You Transparent and Other Closing Thoughts on Madrid

Two days remaining in Madrid, and the end of our first chapter is before us. We are finishing two months of incredible experiences that have provided us with a taste of life in Spain, and given us more insight into our own lives. Trisha has enjoyed it every step-of-the-way here, while it took me a few weeks to warm up to it all.

I began this trip with about 70% of my heart into living in Spain for two months and traveling beyond. The adjustment from the structure and routine I was used to seemed daunting. And it was. Looking back, I can say that I didn’t embrace this experience as well as I could have during the month of September. My enjoyment level of outings and activities was not to its fullest and the two demons I hate most in my life, anxiety and self-consciousness, were in overdrive. Just read the blog entry in September about everyone staring in Madrid, or Trisha’s blog about travel worry to see what I mean. Fortunately those feelings leveled out and my travel enthusiasm increased to its fullest. I found that the introspection that seemed to prohibit my full enjoyment at first, actually become a positive element to this experience. Trisha has felt this too.

Travel and living in a foreign place seems to open a door into feelings you hold inside, and the ways you view yourself and the world around you. We haven’t learned all that were are going to learn this year, but there are a few things we have discovered. I think the most important has been that embracing every day in a new place requires a conscientious effort. It is far too easy, when staying for longer than a few weeks somewhere, to fall into routine and forget that your experience is once-in-a-lifetime. Or when traveling to a new place for a day, having that place melt into the other memories of your travels. This is an area Trisha and I want to continue working on diligently. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we are privileged to have the flexibility to take-part in such adventure.

Another little reminder from our experiences is that regardless of differences in your country of origin, or language, or whatever, there are overwhelming commonalities that can bridge any gap between people. We heard a comment that less conflict would arise in the world if more politicians took time to travel and experience new people. So far I believe the truth in that statement. We have met people from Spain (or course), Columbia, Equator, Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia, Chile, China, France, Germany, Turkey, England, and Poland, and besides the fact that these people come from different backgrounds; they are just normal, regular folks wanting the same things out of life. Back in Los Angeles, you can find the same abundant diversity by walking a few blocks down the street. But to see it a new place, where you are a foreigner, is another lesson altogether.

And now onto some less insightful and more practical summarizations of our time in Madrid.
I think the best way for me to summarize it all is to list the things I will miss most about Madrid. Here they are in no particular order:

1. The Palacio Real - Only a few minutes walk from our apartment, this spectacular palace and plaza has been the backdrop of lovely mornings where Trisha and I would sit on a nearby bench and take in the surroundings. We also did most of our computer work on the benches near the Palace, as there is a nice WiFi connection around. The funny thing is we never made it inside the palace (it’s a bit pricey and not that interesting inside they say).

2. Vienna Coffee Shop- This bright little coffee shop is just off a busy pedestrian street in the heart of the Sol area where we lived. We would frequent this shop as it had the best Café con Leche, and a tasty, inexpensive toast that they serve hot with jam. I’m not sure if it was the location, the smoke-free oasis if provided, or just the friendly staff who knew our orders before we asked that kept us coming back.

3. Retiro Park (Retiro Parque) and West Park (Parque del Oeste) – Trisha and I frequented these parks often on our daily walks. Both parks are beautiful. Both are very clean, have a ton of trees and greenery, and are never overcrowded. If I lived here full time, I would definitely want an apartment closer to these parks, as they are the perfect setting for a picnic or just spending time with a book.

4. The Metro- I actually don’t like riding in the subway at all. It makes me uncomfortably warm, it’s not that interesting, and if I’m reading during the trip I get a bit nauseous. However, the Metro here is the best I have ever seen. It is so easy to get anywhere in this city. The stations and trains are very clean and modern. The frequency of the trains also mean you are never late for anything. One element I found memorable were performers on many of the corners of the Metro hallways giving the stations a more lively feel.

5. Curso de Ingles (English class)- I was a late starter on teaching English in Madrid as the logistics of arranging to teach through my non-profit took some time. Trisha began teaching here on her second day. Teaching English to adults was a most enjoyable experience. My class, which consisted of all immigrants from Columbia and Equator, were an enthusiastic group who loved working on improving their English. I found that teaching English not only allowed for enjoyable interactions with new people, but also reminded me that I’m not the only one who struggles learning a new language.

6. Spanish Culture in Madrid- With the abundant museums here and the different ways of doing things, Madrid more than gave us a taste Spanish culture. Although we have elaborated in detail about most of these in past entries, they remain high on my list.

7. Tapas Bars- Trisha more than adequately described these bars and the process that goes into choosing them in her last entry. So I won’t add anything, except I love being able to walk through this city and have at least 2-3 choices of tapas bars on every block. The density and variety in which these bars exist here is something I have never experienced before.

Our next adventure awaits us three hours west of Madrid in La Aberca. Trisha and I will be in this town with the Pueblo Ingles group for 1 week, speaking English with Spaniards who want to improve their English. We’ll give more info on this soon, but know we are excited about our next week.