blessed beginnings

well, here it goes. the update on my first week here. i had expectations set pretty high, so i am totally guilty of self-inflicting that pressure. all things considered though, i got a lot accomplished in a short period of time with the help of amazing people.
dad is notorious for choosing the exit row for any flight. this always drives me crazy because i could care less about the leg room, i want access to all my stuff. he was asleep before the flight even took off- seriously. he was too asleep to even give me the Lunesta he had for me in his pocket. thanks for nothing, Dad. I think sitting on that plane was the first time i have really breathed in several weeks due to all the stress from LSAT studying and getting ready to leave. I had been feeling sick all week and so the plane was a little rough on my disease but i managed to sleep much of the way with entertainment from two amazing Law and Order SVU episodes. we landed, got my three gigantic and overweight suitcases and headed to meet with a dear family friend who happens to work for my dad, Pedro. He picked us up with his dog, Hanna, who is the most well-trained dog you can imagine. The Dog Whisperer should take notes, she's that well-behaved. Pedro let us stay at his parent's empty apartment until I found a permanent place to live. Pretty much right after dropping off our stuff and changing, we headed to the town about 20 miles outside of Madrid where I will be teaching four days of the week.
After a brief visit and meeting a girl that I had been emailing with, we came back to Madrid, got a phone for me and made a few calls to apartments with the help of our ipads over lunch. I have missed Tinto Verano and Jamon Iberico more than I realized. I went by and looked at one apartment,  but the girls were a little older and I just didn't feel like it was perfect. Dad and I got naps and then headed to meet with the girl from the school, a boy I met in Sevilla last summer and another coworker from Dad's company. We had an amazing evening with incredible red wine from this region, great tapas and really great conversations. It was a charming evening. After some champagne to celebrate my finishing the LSAT, Dad's team having the best quarter in the company's history and my moving to Madrid, we called it a night.
Early Wednesday morning, I met up with Melania and we went to the school where we will be working together. Our boss invited us for lunch so we spent most of the afternoon together. Melania is really great; she was at this school teaching English last year too. Her and Silvia have a really close relationship and I felt really at home in her home. She made an incredible meal and her whole family is fabulous. I feel confident that there will be many more afternoons there and I am thrilled for that! I feel incredibly blessed and like Madrid is really where I am suppose to be.
That evening, we went to a great Japanese restaurant where we cooked the meat ourselves at the table with some family friends and business associates. It's really a blessing that I already know people here and that I know I can count on them.
Thursday, I finally slept in. Pedro and I spent the rest of the afternoon making calls to apartments. Essentially, the time to rent in Madrid is September so everywhere has filled up or is filling really fast. I was lucky that I found a place I liked enough to seal the deal. I signed a lease until July so I hope that this place lives up to its potential. My room is rather large (about twice the size of an individual room in the sorority house) and the whole building is students so its kind of like a dorm. I have five roommates- one of which I still havent met yet and we all share a kitchen and a bathroom, but we dont have a living room. Sharing the bathroom with four other people will certainly be an adventure but so far, I don't even see anyone else so it's not a problem. I hope these people become friends and that I meet others in the building as well. I like the size of my room, that I have my own balcony and that plenty of light comes in. The best thing though is the location. From here, I will walk a few blocks, take the metro two stops, then take a bus for 30 minutes to the schools. I am also really close to the friends here I already know, so it's ideal for that.
Friday, I woke up early, successfully ventured to the schools on my own- I was SO proud of myself! I met with my boss at the second school and got my schedule for Tuesdays and Thursdays. I can feel that I am going to be really happy and its an amazing feeling. I left that meeting and with the help of Pedro, moved into my new place! I took a nap, explored a little and made a few purchases.
Yesterday morning was a little rough between dealing with problems with my credit card and with the internet, but I think it's all going to be worked out soon. The day ended with new friends, Auburn's loss and Alabama's win. Does it really get any better than that?!
Anyways, I know this is the longest post ever but I just wanted to update you and I promise to continue to use this blog as a way to keep you informed while I am here. I know a great and fantastic adventure lies ahead and I cant wait for my first day at work tomorrow!