Te quiero un huevo

First of all, let me start out by giving credit when it's due. Charlie is the creative force behind "Bloga Nagila," a manipulation of Hava Nagila for all you gentiles. I think it's pretty funny, anyway. I arrived in Madrid on Thursday morning, where I immediately checked into my room and lapsed into a coma. I then roamed the city for a few hours until I stumbled upon two other Emory students in my program.

During my time in Madrid I visited the Reina Sofia, where Guernica and avertly sexual Dali paintings are housed. It was incredible to see Picasso's Guernica after learning about it every year in Spanish since the 8th grade. We also took a trip to the Prado, and I stared at Las Meninas for about 10 minutes, trying to find every minute detail Velazquez included. Taking Art History was a smart decision because I actually feel capable of interpreting these famous works of art. Since I can't tell you a thing about poetry, my base knowledge of art means a lot to me. We went out in Madrid, and the nightlife is insane. The discos don't get crowded until about 2 am, and it seems the crowd flows from one neighborhood to another, leaving destruction and litter in its wake. There are at least 5 different party sections in Madrid, and we went to about three of them. Having never been to a gay bar, I was thrilled to explore Chueca, the mecca of homosexuality. You know immediately when you enter this neighborhood. We went into a couple of bars, and then we saw this trendy-looking disco called Priscilla. The bouncer laughed at us as we walked in, and I soon knew why. Trendy on the outside, yes, but very obviously a lesbian nightclub on the inside. Bouncers heckle you if you leave a club too early, so we used the bathrooms (much cleaner than co-ed clubs), and then we split. After Chueca we headed home, but we got caught up in a 2 hour detour that involved getting quite lost and meeting an Italian and a guy who claimed he was from Yugoslavia, but his passport said Macedonia. The Italian, apparently trying to impress my friend with his travels, told Krista that he had a kid in the US, and the other one was just crazy. At 4:30 we finally made it back to the hotel, but nightlife really doesn't end until about 6 or 7 in the morning.

I'm writing this post from my convent-esque room in Salamanca. It's definitely a Catholic country when you have a cross on your bed and a picture of the Virgin Mary above your head. My senora did offer to remove it, but my agnostic self could probably use any kind of religious influence. I told my family I was Jewish, and they seemed a little surprised I lived in the US. I guess that's what you can expect from a country that got rid of all Jews hundreds of years ago. The portion of the city that houses the university is absolutely breathtaking; 16th century buildings line the narrow streets, and the stone facades positively gleam in the midday sun. I'm not exaggerating. Expect many more posts and pictures to come as long as I can steal my neighbor's wifi. I don't get internet access at the universidad until October, so communication may be a little hard.

As for the title of this post, there are a ton of tourist shops near the plaza mayor, and I keep seeing this phrase on t-shirts and thongs. Te quiero I get (I want you), but the egg part is lost on me. Some things don't seem to translate well. Interpretations are welcome.

Besos,
Halley