The group landed in Madrid around five in the morning. Barring two of people, Leo who arrived with his family and Kleve whose whereabouts were unknown to me. Once landed, all of us eventually made it through customs, and at around 7:30, we found each other, gathering around the baggage claim area.

            Although a longer wait than we all thought, we all found some ways to entertain ourselves. Dalton, Kiara, Brianna, and I, Joey, found ourselves watching Everything Everywhere All At Once to pass the time. Quite an odd movie, in my opinion, but nevertheless, still very entertaining, and much better than sitting on my phone for the next couple of hours, so I thank Brianna for bringing that idea up. I believe the others had been chatting during the majority of the time.

            Before you knew it, Maria Angeles had found us all at “Café Mahoudrid” a little café just inside the airport doors. After introducing ourselves and stretching a bit, Maria Angeles led us to the bus that would take us to the hotel that we would be staying at, Hotel Regina. During the bus ride, which had been about twenty minutes, I found my eyes closing on their own and ended up napping through most of the sights to see on the ride to the hotel.

            Once we had all gathered at the hotel and settled into our respective rooms, Dalton and I decided to relax for a bit and hang out. After just a bit, I decided to finish up some homework that I had due and Dalton decided to rest. After that, I also decided to nap, but did not expect to find myself in a deep slumber for three hours. Once I awoke, Dalton told me that he had gone out and explored a bit around the area. By that time, around 5:00 p.m., it was time for orientation.

            Maria Angeles asked us to meet down in the hotel lobby at about 5:15. So, after Dalton and I had gotten ready, we headed down to see most of the group waiting for us to leave, except for a couple of stragglers. After only a couple minutes, we all managed to find ourselves gathered and ready to leave, including Leo who I had met for the first time, and Professor Z.

            For orientation, Maria directed us towards this building in Madrid. This was the first time the group had really walked together in the city. I do not know about the others, but I was watching the people and how they acted, admiring the buildings, and overall just observing the city of Madrid, while of course talking to my fellow group members.

            After walking into the building we had reserved for orientation, Maria Angeles talked to the receptionist for a minute or two, and then we followed her downstairs. There, we were led into a little room, having just enough space for our group, and we moved into our seats waiting for Maria Angeles to set up the presentation. It seemed to have gone by quickly, considering the information she gave us was just general facts about the program and some tips and tricks to enjoy Madrid just a bit more. In addition, Maria Angeles kindly gifted the group some tote bags, and handed us our respective Metro cards, for when the time comes.

            After orientation, the group ended up splitting up, all finding the necessary things that we would need for the trip. Once again, Dalton and I found ourselves together, so we made our way to a sim card shop so I could have service for the week.

            However, as I found out quite shortly, my phone carrier does not support the sim card that I purchased and although I am a tiny bit upset, I think it is quite nice. The reason being, instead of being on my phone as much as usual, I am absorbing the new environment and enjoying the beautiful city that I am lucky enough to visit.

            After the sim card debacle, Dalton and I had gotten a little hungry before dinner, which was at eight at night, so we decided to visit the best restaurant on earth, McDonalds.

            I find that every time I am in a new country, I have to try some sort of fast food to find the differences between the United States and wherever I am staying. This time, I ordered my favorite sandwich, the “Quarter Pounder” with cheese and bacon. And let me tell you, it was delightful! I was so excited to find myself enjoying a great meal at a great restaurant.

            Anyways, after McDonalds, Dalton and I migrated back to the room, only to find ourselves with very limited time until we were to meet up with Maria Angeles for dinner. Once the group had gathered, we only had a few minutes’ walk to the restaurant, although I forgot the name.

            While we were seated, two more guests joined us, Neal and Fran. Neal is a current study abroad student, also from UML that will be in Madrid for the whole semester, which sounds like a fantastic time. Fran, of course, is our other API resident director, along with Maria Angeles.

            From there, the group ordered our respective entrees and desserts, with appetizers coming out on their own. Every was delicious! Although my fried cod was great, I think that the eggs, potatoes, and chorizo were the best thing that we had that night.

            After talking over food, and getting to know each other, we all found ourselves quite tired and walked back to the hotel, ready to rest up our bodies for the next day.