It's the end of my 5th day in Madrid, and I could already write pages upon pages. In short, Spain is great! Really, most everything is awesome. Everyone at the office is super friendly. It will be a challenging project, but an interesting one. My apartment setup is great, too. I'm in the luxury shopping area of Madrid (Prada, Armani, etc...) -- the neighborhood has an old, wealthy feel -- but other neighborhoods have other distinct characters. Fortunately, it's not a touristy area either - but still an easy commute to work (~20-25minutes on a comfortable bus).
There are lots of interesting cultural nuances... for starters, everything is later. Breakfast around 10am, lunch around 130/2pm, dinner... whenever. Lunch is the big meal of the day, and dinner is usually lighter. Contrary to what some others presumed, though, "siesta" does not exist... at least, not on the weekdays. People do not leave the office at midday, and we take maybe 45 minutes or so to eat lunch together (and unlike the U.S., eating at your desk is just not something people do). Also, the coffee is great.
My Spanish is already improving - I'm getting a lot of good practice, both inside the office and out. Hopefully it will come a long way over the next three months.
That's the short of it. In case anyone's interested, feel free to read on.
The Journey Here
Unexpectedly, the flights here felt quick. We had the benefit of a strong jet stream working with us, so the actual flight times were <5 hrs to NYC, and then <7 hours to Madrid. I had a nice layover in JFK (the Delta terminal was FAR nicer than I would've expected - due to a recent makeover) and chilled out at the Sky Lounge with a friend and fellow Googler, Alex, who coincidentally was on my flight from SFO. Also, I lucked out with an open seat next to me on the flight from JFK>MAD. The flights were both smooth, and I was impressed by Delta's in-flight video selection!
Upon arrival in Madrid, everything was super seamless. Luggage arrived without a hitch, and the immigration line moved quickly - with absolutely no questions asked about why I was coming/how long I was spending here. I called the corporate apartment, as I was supposed to, to ensure someone would meet me there with the key. I grabbed a cab from the airport and had a very friendly old woman taxista, with whom I practiced my Spanish a bit. I arrived at my apartment around 9am Saturday. At that hour (and because the weather was cool and a bit rainy), the streets were pretty empty -- just a few people walking their dogs. I surprisingly wasn't jet-lagged (yet), so after I settled into my apartment, I ventured out for a run to explore the city a bit.
The Apartment
(to be continued. I'm tired.)
The Office
(coming soon. I promise.)
Adventures Thus Far
Unexpected Hiccups
