Tag: Madrid

What Happens If You Get Sick in Madrid?

Being sick is never fun. If you happen to fall ill while in another country, and don’t speak the language that well, it can be a little frightening.

Typically, I am a very healthy person who hardly ever gets sick. Yes, I’m the person who rarely gets antibiotics or even goes to the doctor. Although I knew I would have health insurance coverage through BEDA, I never actually thought I would need to use it.

Getting Sick in Madrid

It happened. I could feel the tightening of my throat, and although it was uncomfortable I can generally fight through a small sniffle or cold. This occurred on a Friday, and by the end of the day I felt completely awful and barely had a voice to teach. Since I have insurance I tried to get a same day appointment to see the doctor on Friday, but was unable to get one. I was told that I could get in if I called back on Monday.

By Saturday morning, I couldn’t even make simple sounds with my voice, and on top of that I felt even worse than I had felt the day before. The idea of waiting for an appointment was something I wasn’t looking forward to.  I googled what types of medicines one should purchase from the Farmacia in Spain, and found a few options. I picked up a couple of things including Ibuprofen, and hoped for the best. By Sunday I was still feeling terrible and there was no sign of getting my speaking voice back. My landlady needed to stop by to check out something going on in the apartment next door, and I really wasn’t in the mood for visitors. However, she ended up being my angel that day!

“Oh my goodness, you sound awful,” she said. I tried to agree with her using my minimal speaking voice, and that is when she asked if I had gone to the doctor yet. She said that waiting for an appointment was ridiculous. After calling the number on the back of my insurance card and waiting a few minutes, she had gotten me a home visit for that day from a doctor. Wow!

Doctor House Calls

I have to admit that although I was feeling horrible, it was kind of cool having a doctor come to our apartment with his little black bag and stethoscope. Scarlett said it was like something out of “Downton Abbey.” He prescribed antibiotics and told me to get three more days of rest without going to work. He didn’t speak that much English, but we communicated and he understood what was going on.

Using the Insurance Card and the Price of Medicine

It was so easy to use my insurance card and I didn’t even have a co-pay! One of the best parts was that I purchased antibiotics and the Spanish version of Tylenol for about 8 Euros. Since medicine isn’t covered through insurance, I wasn’t sure what to expect. When the pharmacist or “chemist” said 8 Euros, I was astounded! I’ll take it!

Spain is known for having a good health care system but I was having doubts when I couldn’t get an appointment on Friday. It ended up working out for the best though. Hopefully I won’t need to visit with a doctor again while in Spain, but if I do at least I know I have a few options.

 

How We Get Around In Madrid

Before we left the United States to come to Madrid, I can’t tell you how many people asked me what I was going to do with my van, and if I was going to either rent or purchase a vehicle when we arrive in Spain.

The short answer to this question is that my middle son is currently driving/taking care of my van (at least I hope he is taking care of it), and we of course are not renting or purchasing a vehicle. Since Europe is notorious for their fabulous public transportation system, I knew that we would be utilizing this form of transport in Madrid.

Taxis and Uber: I have only taken a taxi once so far since our arrival in Madrid, and that was from the airport. I downloaded the Uber app (no, I had never used Uber in the states) when I wanted a slightly less expensive option of transportation after we left our AirBnb for our apartment. I didn’t want to take the Metro when we had heavy bags with us, and at this time I was still fairly green when trying to get around the city.

The Metro: We are on the Metro almost two hours a day five days a week with our commute to work and school. This has taken some getting used to, but for the most part it is the cheapest and most convenient way to travel around Madrid if you don’t have a personal vehicle.

There are mornings when I get fairly aggravated with taking the Metro everyday. The morning rush hour is typically the worst. During the morning rush hour, we are literally bumping into strangers and getting bumped into while trying to find a post to grab onto. Since I typically like my space, this caused me some slight anxiety at first. I figured I needed to just suck it up and deal, and that is what I do. 🙂 It is almost impossible to get a seat in the morning for the first seven stops. After we switch trains, we can usually find a seat because this particular train isn’t usually as crowded for some reason. You take the good with the bad, and there are times when the Metro can even be fun!

                             

Public Transport Card (Abono): Scarlett and I were able to get a public transport card or Abono, for the Metro. The process for getting the card was fairly simple. I went to the website and made an appointment at the nearest Metro station that offers this service. We had to bring a copy of our passports plus the original. They asked a few questions, and we were on our way. Scarlett’s card is only 20 Euros a month, and mine is about 54 Euros a month since I am over the age of 26. I suppose 74 Euros a month isn’t that bad for transportation fees. I usually paid more than that for gas in the United States, and that didn’t include any maintenance on the vehicle.

Buses: There is also the option to take the bus, and the public transportation card can be used for this as well. We haven’t taken the bus yet, but I have spoken to people who like the bus better. We may try the bus one of these days, but at the moment we have our route down and it is working for us.

                          

Walking: We definitely walk more here in Madrid compared to when we were in America. Personally, I think this is a wonderful thing. When we get off of a stop, we typically have to walk anywhere from five to ten minutes to reach the final destination.  Of course there are times when we opt to take the “scenic route” and skip the train altogether!

       

Do I Miss Driving?: Yes! We have been here for two and a half months, and this is the longest I have gone without driving in a very long time! I don’t miss sitting in rush hour traffic, but I do miss driving. In fact, that is one of the main things I miss about the U.S. However, I think that the Metro is a very efficient way to travel, and I think that it would be worthwhile for most metropolitan cities in the U.S. to implement such a system.

 

 

 

Keeping Up With Your Favorite TV Shows While Abroad!

One of the thrills of traveling overseas is immersing yourself in a completely different culture. However, there are times when you just want to curl up on the couch or in bed and watch a familiar television series from home.

Before we left, I purchased a VPN called Ipvanish for 10 dollars a month, but discontinued it after only being in Madrid for two weeks. The main reason for discontinuing my VPN subscription was because it didn’t always work. There were several times in the first two weeks when I would try to log into my Netflix account using a U.S. server that the VPN had provided, only to receive a lovely message stating that “It looks as though you are using a proxy server to view this program. Please correct this in order to continue viewing this particular program.” This was beyond frustrating, but luckily Netflix in Madrid has several television shows and movies to choose from. While I may not be able to get my dose of “The Office” humor every now and then, I am still able to enjoy “The Gilmore Girls,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Modern Family,” “Stranger Things,”and several others.  I use the same Netflix login I use in America. The difference is that the internet server tracks the location as Madrid and we have a different line up of shows in our queue.

I’m unsure why there are different shows available to stream in Madrid, but we have become accustomed to it. The American shows and movies that are available are all in English. “Zootopia” is available, and it is in English, but the title is changed to “Zootropolis.” There are a few small differences that we noticed while watching it in Spain such as the printing on the mayor’s coffee mug. In America it is in English, and the print is in Spanish here in Madrid. I found that interesting especially since the dialogue is still in English. 🙂

Here are two photos to show the differences in the coffee mugs in the movie “Zootopia.” The English text is from a YouTube clip, and the Spanish text is from my Netflix account here in Madrid. 

                                                                      

These differences are so interesting to me because both movies are shown in English, but they have these subtle differences. You have to admit, this is kind of cool!

I am a member of Amazon Prime, and although I am unable to stream the free Prime television shows that are offered due to my “geographical location,” I am able to purchase episodes of television shows that are currently airing in America. I also have the option to purchase the full series should I choose to do so.

We have caught up on our guilty pleasure show “Survivor” and the current season was only around $25. It is actually pretty cool because once you purchase the season, you can watch the latest episode the day after it airs. This is very similar to how Hulu works in the states, but unfortunately it is a bit more expensive. There is also an option to purchase individual episodes for about $1.99 to $2.99 an episode. The next series I plan to purchase is the newest season of “The Walking Dead,” but I have not yet done so since it is priced at around $42 for the season. I love the show, and I’m looking forward to seeing it, but that seems a bit pricey to me. I may wait until it the newest season comes out on Netflix, but who knows?

Between Netflix and Amazon we have our Television basics covered. Although we don’t binge watch shows 24/7, it is comforting to have that option. After all, it is getting colder and cuddling up underneath a blanket and watching something familiar is sometimes needed after a long day.

I am Exhausted – Getting Used to My New Teaching Role

As you may have guessed, these past two weeks have been incredibly busy as I have been getting acclimated into my new role as a Language Assistant/English Teacher here in Madrid.

School Hours: In Madrid, the children begin school in September, but they don’t have full days until October. They begin the day at 9 a.m. and get out between 1 and 1:15 p.m.

In October, the hours are 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Lunch is from 1 p.m. until 2:30, then classes re-convene from 2:30 until 4:15 p.m. This is my schedule in October, and Scarlett’s is slightly different with a 30 minute difference in her lunch schedule. Her school gets out at 12:30, so I will walk over and pick her up as soon as I am finished. This makes it a bit inconvenient, but at least we will be able to eat lunch together everyday and get a nice break.

Taking the Train: The subway, or Metro as it is called here in Spain, is a very efficient form a transportation. However, it does get old when it takes a good 45 minutes to an hour to get to your destination each morning. It took us a few times taking the route to figure out exactly when we needed to leave each morning, but if we leave by 8 a.m. we can usually get there on time. We live in the area called La Latina in Madrid, which is close to the city center, and our schools are in a town outside of the center. We have about 14 stops we have to go through each morning to arrive at our destination, and this includes switching trains for a different line.

Teaching: I teach at a bilingual school, and grades first through fifth have bilingual classes. They have both English and Science classes taught completely in English.

Since my title is a language assistant, I need to have a teacher in the room with me although I am teaching most of the classes on my own during my scheduled hours. The first week I mainly observed, and showed the classes a Power Point presentation about myself. I had a few photos of me and my children, and a couple of theatre photos, etc. to show my hobbies and talents.

Since this is my first time teaching in a formal teaching environment, I am getting used to planning lessons. Since I am teaching via the BEDA program, I have to attend a certain amount of classes during my time in Madrid. So far, I have found these to be extremely helpful since the classes are all about how to teach and plan lessons. This program is a wonderful way to gain teaching experience while living abroad while also getting paid.

Blessings Among Chaos: There is definitely a learning curve to being an English teacher overseas, and there have been a few frustrations during my first two weeks of teaching. There are a couple of classes that just don’t seem interested, or even respectful, but when I see the children in the hall and I am greeted with a smiling, “Hello Amie!” it warms my heart. When the children randomly come up to give me a hug, I think that perhaps I am doing something right.

My teaching goal this year is to help the children enjoy learning English. I don’t want them to hate it. As I continue learning Spanish, I know very well how frustrating it can be when it is difficult to communicate.

Scarlett seems happy so far with her school although she is in a class with students who don’t speak Spanish, and only one other student speaks English.  Her class is a welcome class that is basically only teaching her Spanish. She said that everyone has been nice and friendly so far, and that thrills me to hear.

We have both had a few ups and downs since our move to Madrid, and we are still getting settled after living here for one month. I remember thinking that it probably won’t be until November before we feel completely settled here in Madrid, and that seems to be the case. Moving anywhere can be daunting, but packing up and completely moving to a different country and culture can be both frustrating and exciting. Both have proven to be accurate! There are days when I am thrilled to be here and wake up feeling blessed that I have this opportunity. There are other mornings when I find myself questioning the sanity of my choice to move here for the umpteenth time.  All in all, we are happy with the decision and looking forward to the learning experience this next year brings.

 

 

Visit to Buen Retiro Park and Mercado San Miguel

Here is a video of our recent visit to Retiro Park and the San Miguel Market in Madrid. We decided to venture out a bit more on this Saturday afternoon.

The weather was wonderful, and everything was free! Let me correct that. Everything was free except for the the four macarons we purchased from the market. 😉

 

http://https://youtu.be/vozOo9IwnDk

What Have I Done???

Things are fine now, but they weren’t so fabulous the first day and evening in Madrid. It is amazing how a few hours of decent sleep, a full stomach, and chocolate can make a world of difference!

The Flight: The flight wasn’t bad since they had a fairly large selection of movies to watch (I finally saw “Deadpool”), and we actually got two meals. I was able to drink a couple of glasses of red wine for no additional cost since it was an international flight which was also nice.

Sleep: I had this fantasy that I would sleep the entire time, and that just didn’t happen. There is only so far you can stretch out, and even with a comfy travel pillow and blanket, I’ve never been one that can just sleep anywhere. It kind of sucks. Needless to say, I only got about one to two hours of restless sleep. Keep in mind that this was in addition to the mere five or six hours of restless sleep I had gotten the two days prior since we were finishing up the packing and clearing out of our apartment.

Exhaustion: After we arrived at 7:45 a.m. at the airport in Madrid, we had to walk to get to customs. The customs line wasn’t long and we got through with no issues. We then had to go to baggage claim, and after seeing countless bags that weren’t ours, I finally caught a glimpse of our two suitcases. We had gotten a rolling cart to put the luggage on since our bags were packed to the maximum weight allowed. Two 50 pound suitcases, two carry-ons, and two backpacks that we each had on our backs made for a pretty hefty tow. It seems like a lot, but considering this is all we brought with us for nine months, I think we did pretty well!

I decided to exchange about $150 and only got back 109 Euros. Yeah, exchanging it at the airport screwed me, but what can you do? I needed money for the taxi. The taxi ride was only 30 Euros and I asked him to take us to the City Center to a place called City Life Madrid. I had signed up for a welcome kit there, and had read that there was a place to lock up your luggage while waiting to check into your hotel or AirBnb. We were not allowed to check into our room which was about 15 to 20 minutes from the center until 3:00 p.m. I messaged and asked if it were at all possible to get an earlier check in, but they were less than accommodating. 🙁

Holy Crap This Luggage!: We arrived at City Life Madrid, and the taxi driver was very nice and helpful. He went inside first to make sure that we were at the correct place, and didn’t charge any extra. He helped us with our bags, but then we were on our own and had to navigate them in this tiny lift (elevator). I was not accustomed to having to open an additional door to get out, and it kept going up! There was a young lady in there with us and she was not happy. She rolled her eyes and climbed over our bags. At the time I was irritated and slightly embarrassed, but it is pretty funny when you think about it.

Small Miracles: My contact at the school has been a lifesaver so far. She speaks fluent English and Spanish, and she offered to pick us up from the City Life Madrid location. (Oh yeah, no place to store luggage) It wasn’t that beneficial for me. I found out it is geared more towards a 20 something crowd, but if it helps someone out, that is great! I forgot to mention that the day we arrived the weather was apparently on crack because it was raining and hailing throughout the day. I’m used to this in Nashville, but this must not be the norm in Madrid because people seemed shocked.

She took us back to her place and offered to let me take a bath. She then got us some pizza. I offered to pay for it, but she wouldn’t take the money. I felt awful because I almost fell asleep while chatting with her several times. (This is another thing I don’t do.) I can be exhausted, and I won’t doze off. However, this was insane! I guess this is what jet lag is all about.

Airbnb: We finally got to the Airbnb, and Scarlett crashed at around 3:30 p.m. I had to get settled a bit, and then I crashed at around 5 p.m. We both woke up around midnight, and Scarlett started to cry saying that she missed everyone and wanted to go home. This made me sad too, as I was also having extreme doubts about everything. I tried my best to assure her that everything would be okay, and that we will venture out some the following day after getting some rest. She FaceTimed her dad, and we watched Netflix for a couple of hours. We slept another few hours and finally woke up refreshed at 11:00 a.m. There was no coffee in the kitchen, but we showered and got ready.

There is a nice retired couple staying in the Airbnb as well, and they kindly let us walk with them so that they could show us where the nearest Metro station was. Getting the hang of the Metro lines is a little bit overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t take that long to get the general idea. If you have ever taken the subway in New York City, you can figure out the lines in Madrid. They got off at a different stop because they were headed to Starbucks. I went with my gut and got off at the Opera stop. I immediately felt so much better as soon as we exited the station. I found the opera center in Madrid! We walked until we found a chocolateria.

Churreria Los Artesanos 1902 Chocolateria was a lifesaver! They immediately sat us down and we were able to enjoy chocolate con churros, cafe con leche, and toast with bacon and eggs. We have since tried Chocolateria San Gines, and I prefer 1902 Chocolateria. San Gines is more famous and much busier, but I thought the chocolate tasted a bit more watered down than the former.  1902 was simply heavenly!

After that, we walked around for a couple of hours and enjoyed a few sights. We got to meet Puss In Boots, but sadly Antonio Banderas wasn’t present. 😉

 

During our visit to the city center we also looked for any apartments that might be available to rent. The apartment hunt is another story altogether, and will be shared at a later date. This is where I sigh deeply and remember how amazing that stress relieving chocolate made me feel. (deep breaths) I know everything will work out. 🙂

 

 

Holy Cow! We Are Flying to Madrid!

After all of the planning, packing, and stress, the day is finally here! We are flying to Madrid!

Savings: I purchased our airline tickets a couple of months ago, and chose to fly out of Atlanta instead of Nashville since I ended up saving well over $1,000 for both Scarlett and I to fly. The flights from Nashville to Madrid were between $2000 and $2400, and I was able to purchase the flight from Atlanta to Madrid for $400. Including travel insurance, it was about $1000 for the purchase of the tickets for both of us.

I played around with different dates and times leaving from both cities until I found a rate I was happy with. I called American Airlines to ensure that I didn’t get a basic economy with no checked bags by accident, but the agent assured me that it was a normal ticket and added that it was indeed a wonderful rate for an international flight. He said he didn’t remember ever seeing such a good rate before. Yes! Things were starting to fall into place.

Realization: It was such a surreal feeling driving through both the downtown areas of Nashville and Atlanta, and saying goodbye, at least for awhile, to the city skylines that I have come to know for so many years. I grew up in the Atlanta area, and although I have lived in several different states, Nashville has been the city I have called home for a large majority of my life. I wasn’t expecting to feel anything but excitement since I was finally accomplishing a bucket list goal of mine and moving to Europe. I suppose even with the love/hate relationship I have come to have with the Southeast, the pleasant memories I have of friends and family overcome the negative. That twinge of sadness mixed with the realization that I am actually going to miss things about my “home” set in for a few minutes. This feeling was most likely elevated by the fact that I was going on about five hours of sleep within the span of two days. We had just finished packing up our apartment, loading the storage unit, and cleaning/clearing the apartment in order to turn in our keys.

Flight Day: This morning we left my mom’s house at 6 a.m. Eastern time to catch a 10 a.m. flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia. My ex-husband and middle son drove Scarlett and I to the airport in my van. (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I am allowing my middle son to use my van while we are gone.)

I receive flight rewards via American Airlines, and I have used this airline ever since I flew to Costa Rica a few years ago. Why not continue to add up the miles, right?  I decided to check out the Admirals Club after our arrival in Philadelphia since we had a six hour layover. I have never utilized this service because I always assumed it was for those who were already members, and that the price was astronomical. I was so wrong.

It is only $59 for a day pass! This is per person, but since Scarlett is under the age of 18, she gets to come in for free. They have complimentary snacks and drinks, including wine. The seating is more comfortable, they provide you with a free wifi password, and it is overall a much better experience. By the time I would have paid for coffee and food in the regular waiting area, the cost would have most likely been around $59 anyway, so I am very happy that we had this option!

We are scheduled to arrive in Madrid in a few hours. I have never been on an overnight flight, so the plan is to sleep if at all possible, in order to (hopefully) trick my body’s schedule into thinking we are magically on Madrid time by the time we arrive tomorrow morning. Hey, one can hope! 🙂

Considering all of the mixed emotions, I can say that I am both exhilarated and nervous about the start of this new adventure for both myself and my daughter!