My first week in Madrid flew by. I spent half the time lost and the other half at home on my computer trying to locate the perfect flat.

I stayed at an apartment through a  website called Air B&B. Pepople rent out rooms in their home to earn a little extra money. All users are given ratings by other users based on their experiences with each other. My host, Arturo had a perfect rating and lived up to my expectations.

I had gone to 4 or 5 other apartments but was not completely sold on any of them. They were either located far from the city center or were shared with non-Spanish speakers. The whole world is currently seeking apartments in Madrid  so options are limited. This Friday I found a very nice flat in the city center for a relatively affordable price. Unfortunately none of my roommates are Spaniards, which made me hesitate signing the lease. But I can leave the flat with a month’s notice and have my deposit returned to me. So when the flat hunting scene clams down in the fall I might try and find something more authentic.

By day I was a classified reading guru, by night a bubbly socialite. Several people in the program decided to meet up for a potluck. Since that night I have surprised myself by staying out until 6 am at various bars. Call it a Spanish time warp if you like, but something happens at night. You can leave your house at 10 pm to relax in a plaza full of people. Glancing at your watch moments later you will note that the sun is about to rise.  -Without classes this week let everyone cut lose. It feels good to be making friends with people in the program, now we just need to add some Spanish folk into the mix!

This weekend I did make time for some art and cultura. I swung by La Reina Sofia to take another glance a Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition. I was unaware of her work before, but found her drug related psychedelic works quite fascinating. She is most remembered for her creation of surreal spaces and creating unique moods with lights dots and splattered paint. She was also known for her antiwar protests in NYC and creating wild happenings with NY’s hippie youth.