cloudy day.

so i realized in order for the majority of my loved ones to read this, i have to write in english :)

today we took our ILP placement exam; it was four hours long and didn't seem too difficult. i ended up in the middle group, which wasn't exactly what i was hoping for. i'm not comparing myself to those who made it into the most advanced group (that doesn't do anyone any good), but a spot in grupo III would have been an affirmation that i'm on the right track and actually succeeding at what i want to do. looks like a bit of a reality check: this is going to be much more difficult for me than i had expected.

at least the books for grupo II are the cheapest! i save 15 euros... and the way i look at it, that goes to more churros and sangría.

aside from the less than perfect events of the morning, i had a shitty siesta. there was a strong breeze that kept slamming my bathroom door yet somehow my room still felt like a toaster oven.

i can't wait to get a fan... which doesn't seem too difficult, except that nothing is easy in this city. gone are the one stop shopping trips to target and albertsons. everything is very spread out, only accessible by metro, bus, and eventual trek by foot. i've been doing my best to enjoy myself throughout madrid, but i've realized that 4-6 hour walking excursions are doing more harm than good for my knee. i'm desperately hoping that my knee gets by the better by the end of the week so i can begin to explore more easily and painlessly.

it also doesn't help that the food in our "comedor" is very uninspired: i don't know how much more fried, colorless, oily mush i can take. who knew fresh vegetables were such a delicacy. the closest thing is the sorry excuse for a salad bar... sad looking iceberg lettuce, tomatoes that have a slightly dirty after taste, canned and pickled carrots, onions, and the occasional strange pasta salad. all this is topped off with olive oil as dressing? andi and i are making a list of dishes we plan to make once we get out of the colegio mayor; it mainly consists of elaborate salads, steamed vegetable dishes, and anything involving fresh fruit.

the change in my diet and my inability to exercise have me feeling under the weather. i know this is just temporary, seeing as i am in one of the most amazing cities in the world, but this is going to be a long first month. i have a feeling life won't start until i have readily available delicious food and i'm playing fútbol on a regular basis again.

i promise the next entry will be more uplifting.