Today I had Spanish, Art history, and Global Change. In Spanish we went over accents, which is good because I didn't really know why accents are placed certain places, so now its a little easier. Art history was fun, we started looking at pre-history art, which includes cave paintings. Global Change was really interesting, it was still an introduction, but he talked about why global change is important and the impact of sea ice melting. He really likes glaciers and has been to the Arctic. When in the Arctic he said you have to look out for polar bears because in the white snow/ice all you see is their black nose...that is scary!
After class I was so hungry so I got a ham and cheese pulga (I think that is what its called). It is a sandwich on good bread. Claire and I then went back to the apartment to drop our stuff off and go to a Real Madrid game!
We used the metro to get to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and then met some other girls to get our tickets. The man at the ticket counter was really nice, and patient with us being non-native Spanish speakers. For some reason he asked us where we were from, and I guess he had to put our native country in the computer before he printed the tickets, and he was like oh los Estados Unidos, and we were like sí! We found a Cervecería 100 Montaditos for a cheap dinner, and then headed off to the game! In front of the stadium were a lot of tents set up selling all kinds of soccer things: scarves, jerseys, hats, flags, and much more! We decided when we go to another city where soccer is popular we will try to buy a real jersey, because we think they will be cheaper. For example, when we went into the Adidas store in Sol, Barcelona and Manchester United jerseys were cheaper than the Madrid ones. When we got to the stadium we had to walk up a lot of steps, since we were in the top section of the stadium. We found our seats, and then went to take some pictures with the field in the background. The stadium is so big! Even though we had really high seats, it didn't matter because you could still see the field. The Real Madrid team, the club team of Madrid, was playing Valencia. I don't think they are huge rivals, unlike Real Madrid and Barcelona, which would be a crazy game. All of the fans started cheering when the players' names were called, and when they started to come out on the field. I was a bit surprised that they did not sing the Spanish national anthem, but maybe that isn't a thing like in the U.S. The stadium was really loud the entire time! There was a section behind one of the goals that had drums, whistles, flags, and was cheering, chanting, and clapping the entire time. They were really entertaining to watch. We tried to catch on to some of the chants/songs, but the only one we actually knew involved Valencia and a bad word...so we didn't say that. But there was one that was ale or ole, with clapping so we went along with that one. The game was really good, and quite exciting, there were a few really close saves and times where the Real Madrid goalie got really lucky. Real Madrid ended up winning 2 to 0 against Valencia. Getting back to the metro and the apartment was crowded, but overall it was a good Spanish fútbol experience!
Things I have learned in Spain:
- Taking the metro back when coming from a Real Madrid game is even crazier than taking the metro back from a St. Louis Cardinals game
- Soccer fans get really into the game
- Metro stations can be confusing if you don't know where you are going
- I like Spanish football better than American football
- I walk so much and it makes me hungry
- I need to find some chocolate
¡Adios!
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