Going to Spain has always been something I have wanted to do but as the day got closer I began to get worried and stressed out because I would be in a different country with people I barely knew. I was overwhelmed and not ready to go somewhere new but now that I am here I have realized that my worries were not practical because Spain is so welcoming and beautiful. I was worried that I would not have anyone to go explore with but everyone was so open to trying new things and going out of their comfort zones. I have always been someone who finds it difficult to go out of my comfort zone but since I am only in Madrid for a short period of time I have made it a goal to try new things and new places. For example, today me and a group of girls went exploring near the Palacio de Real and happened to find a burger place that did not have a wait so we went in. We soon realized that the place solely had vegan food and I have never had vegan food but we decided to stick it out and try the food. Overall I really enjoyed the food and was glad we went there because I would have never gone on my own or even if it was in the United States.

Normally when I am in Boston I rely on my GPS to tell me where to go and what to see but today we decided to do something new. Instead of relying on our phones we were walking up random streets and exploring every part of Madrid to fully immerse ourselves in the culture. We just kept walking and taking turns down alleys and streets that looked really pretty and seemed to have a lot of stores, restaurants, and bars on them. Every street we went down ended up having something really cool on it, whether it was a cool restaurant or even just a really pretty sign or painting/mural. 

My goal in Spain is to try new foods and drinks because I do not know if I will ever come back to Spain again. So far I have been successful in my goal especially with the drinks aspects. A group of girls and I decided to explore the city life of Madrid last night and we stumbled upon a cute little bar called El Imperfecto. The inside had a laid back welcoming vibe with posters of random artists and cities covering the entire walls. We each decided to get a glass of cava sangria even though I usually never drink sangria. I realized that sangria is really big in Madrid so I figured I should try it to see why everyone loves it so much and to immerse myself into their culture and ways of life.

After we went to El Imperfecto we just walked the streets of Madrid to see what was going on and we stumbled upon a cafe with a really bright sign that intrigued all of us. It ended up being a bar called Museum de Jamon that sold ham and cheese but also drinks. I am not a huge meat eater but we decided to go in because the sign was really cute and it ended up being a really quaint little bar with a good group of people in it. We decided to stick with the trend of trying new things and got a tinto de verano. Both places had great atmospheres and really good drinks but if I did not step out of my comfort zone then I would have never tried any of them. If I stuck to my old habits of using my phone to find places to go then I would have never seen the appealing sign and I would have never gone in. I would have missed out on an authentic bar with good drinks and really nice people.

Even though it has only been a couple of days I am already stepping out of my comfort zone by trying new things and talking to new people. I now realize that there was really no reason to be worried because Madrid is full of so much culture and there are so many things to do. I have drifted away from planning out every single second of the day and just seeing where we end up. The entire day we just walked around without our phones telling us where to go and we ended up finding such cute restaurants and bars that were less touristy and more authentic. By trying to get out of my comfort zone I was able to see what makes Madrid so special.