just some thoughts

So I am all moved into my apartment (as of Friday!) and it's going really well so far. I live with a Spaniard, named Pazitos, who is 33 years old. He is a phy-ed teacher in a high school in Toledo, about 45 minutes outside of Madrid. I will post pictures soon...I need to charge my camera!

Friday night I went out without a jacket : ( and I think I caught a bit of a cold. I woke up with a sore throat yesterday, but I still went running with Pazitos and a friend of his in Retiro. We went twice around the park, which is something like 7km (4.3 miles)...I was exhausted!! I haven't ran that far in a very long time! Since Pazitos is a phy-ed teacher, he also led us in some ab exercises, stretching, and push-ups afterward. My legs are sore today, but I can only imagine what shape I'll be in by the end of the year! I didn't realize I was moving in with a personal trainer! : ) After the run, I pretty much laid around all day. My throat was pretty sore so I went to the Farmacia down the block and I got some tablets to suck on and spent the rest of the day lounging on the couch. I hate to waste a Saturday, but I just did not feel up to much.

Today I'm feeling a bit better. My throat isn't as sore, but my nose is really runny. But I met up with a friend and went to the Rastro and then we went walking around. I love the location of my apartment! I can walk almost anywhere--it's awesome. So this afternoon I'm not sure what I'll do--I wish I could meet more people! That's the only bad thing right now. I met one girl at orientation, but I haven't seen her since. Same with a couple other people. I hope it's just a temporary thing, you know, while people are busy looking for flats, getting settled, etc. But I only know a handfull of people, so hopefully once school starts I will be able to meet more people! Otherwise, I don't know, I might try to join a gym, CouchSurfers.org, or some other kind of social group where I can meet people. I would say that's the hardest part about this program--not being connected right away with other people/friends--because many of my other experiences abroad have been with groups from school, but this is more like what I did this summer in Italy. I didn't know anyone there either, but I met a lot of great people. I'm hoping this experience turns out to be the same way. I just have to give it some time.