Lost in Madrid in August

Even though work at the Consulate takes more that half of my personal time and the boys weren't home this month...I still managed to spend some time out of the apartment. Summer doesn't seem to be as strong as it used to be at the beginning of July, when I arrived in Madrid. The Romanian news announced storms in Spain, but this happens mostly in the East, as I saw on the news here. I can feel the change in the morning when I go to the Consulate...I always think about taking something to cover my arms, but then when get to the never ending metro, I feel like loosing as much clothes as I can. I started using the normal stares at the metro, because since I started working at the Consulate I didn't have any time for running...so I am doing my exercises as I can, when I can.

Soon I will start writing my internship report. My classmates are announcing their return to Aarhus, and the end of their holidays...I still have no idea what I am going to do...my status is pending.

Out with Irina, Alex and others, the usual walking from bar to bar night (every time I'm going out with Alex and Andre we have to enter at least two bars, depending on how long the night is going to be, you never really drink two beers in the same place).

Plaza de Toros, sin corida (Plaza de Toros in Madrid is announced, by a big advertisement in front of it, as being the greatest in Spain. It's pretty close to my house and they seem to have coridas every weekend. The cheapest ticket is 5 euros, the view is bad and they announce you that you have to stand the heat of the sun though out the show. I would like to go, not till the end, because it's cruel, but at least to feel the vibe of the show) + Sushi night with Irina :)

With Andrei, Cristina and Florin at "El templo de Debod" at sunset (this is an original 2200 years old Egyptian construction, dedicated to Isis and Amon, which has been given as a gift to Spain by Egypt in 1968).

In love with Barcelona

The second city in Spain and Madrid's main competition. Full of colour and architectural styles, full of tourists and of noise... We left on Friday with the night train, which looks pretty much like a normal Romanian train...we were a bit disappointed when we saw it and the super uncomfortable night we spent in it, gave us the chills when we were thinking about the way back. We walked through the whole city and though our feet were killing us we kept discovering every corner of the city. The only two little days we had didn't allow us to visit everything on the outside, but we saw kind of everything Barcelona had to offer us. This is a super must see city, but maybe it would be better to visit it off-season to see everything. Catalan is different from Castilian and the people from Barcelona are different from the ones in Madrid...while there, I was thinking again about the remark I made with the differences between Spanish...and I continues to think that every region is totally different and they are a bit divided. The prices were extremely high...especially for museum and other tourist things and they were a bit taking advantage of everything they were offering. The beach was extremely dirty and the water too hot and blurry. I am the kind of person who likes to splash around but this time I didn't feel like it. The waves are super strong and you could feel the depth of the water immediately.

Still we saw the best of Spain and ate the best Paella, Pulpitos and Patatas Bravas in Spain :)

Roleplay

Life is a scene and we are all actors, but unlike those who choose acting as a profession, we don´t get applauses at the end...we get tears of sadness...because everybody knows that once one goes behind the curtain, he will never return for another performance. We all have role models ..usually our parents...who guide us through the script enough to confide that we became capable of choosing only the roles that fit us and we can perform best in. Without realising we play more roles than a professional actor does, but we don´t always fit in all of them. Most roles are common...especially those that lead us to knowledge and financial pleasures...the role of the student, the role of the employee...and here, depending on the profession, differences are made. When it comes to our personal lives...the role everybody is expecting is the role of the husband/wife and parent...but some of us play separate alternative and hidden roles. We all want and like to play someone who is not our usual self...we keep this role well hidden and we blush and get nervous if somebody discovers our secret script. We choose strangers as partners, because we are afraid of disappointing the ones used with our everyday characters. This role is not build on a role model and does not have a script...the script is being written while we perform and this is what makes it the role of our lives...because it becomes unique...not to the world, but to us. I discovered my hidden role a long time ago, but later I found out that the only thing that made it special was that it naturally came to me before discovering that I am actually interpreting a character that already exists...still this is my special role and will always be my Oscar worthy moment...