I'm here!

My friends!

Greetings from the Spanish capital of Madrid! I don't have much time to type, so here's a summary:

• Philadelphia's airport is weak. Very few outlets in a technology-filled world. 8 hours of layover wasn't the best, but having my mom's goody bag of treats made it a whole lot better.
• I have the greatest airplane luck. Not only was I the only person out of around 100 to not have anyone sit next to me on my first flight yesterday, but I had a full 4 person row to myself on the 7 hour flight to Madrid. This all while flying standby, mind you. Maybe I should take that as a hint..
• I'm a minority in Spain (and in my program). Not only do I obviously stick out as a blonde haired Nike wearing American, but I am 1 of about 15 guys in our API group of about 60. The bro's have learned to stick together, though, and luckily some of them seem like they keep up with sports as much as I do (Pats-Giants Super Bowl rematch, anyone?)
• Madrid is different. The plazas and architecture of the buildings are all so great. My hotel room is super small for the 3 of us staying here, but the Hotel is right in the center of Puerta del Sol and only minutes away from virtually anything.
• Duck is delicious!! I tried it last night for the first time and couldn't get enough of it. They served it with some kind of teriyaki raspberry sauce at the restaurant we were staying at, definitely a fan.
• My roommate, Alex, is cool. He's going to the University of Tampa right now, but has lived in Arizona and more recently London. You can tell he's very cultured and excited to make the most of the study abroad opportunity.
• We went to the Prado Museum and Royal Palace today. Both places were absolutely amazing and very culture-filled, but I think I enjoyed the Palace more. I enjoy architecture more than paintings, and the Royal Palace had some of the most amazing architecture I have ever seen. It was fun thinking about kings of Spain from the 17th century living in the palace.
• I got an email from a missionary that I had attempted to contact earlier in the week, and it looks like I might have an opportunity to play guitar and lead worship this semester! Excited to see what comes of that..
• We have a bidet in our hotel bathroom....
• I'm currently watching some sort of hybrid basketball/soccer/polo right now where people dribble and throw a small ball at an indoor soccer-sized net. Anyone know what this sport is called?
• I'm so excited to see what this semester brings. It still hasn't sunk in yet that I am actually IN Spain, and probably won't until I settle in and start taking classes in Sevilla. For now, I'm just going to enjoy my time in Madrid and try my best not to get pickpocketed!

As Alex would say, "cheers".

Brad.