July in Madrid

I have no news on the apartment search. Two days ago, my agent snagged a viewing for a possible apartment. As I emerged from the Metro stop to walk to it, she called me and said the apartment had been rented by the very first person who saw it. That's the way it goes in the very hot market. But my agent has not given up hope, so neither will I.

GOOD
I've already met two people who want to be language partners. That means we'll meet up periodically and I will get to practice my Spanish for a while, then they'll get to practice their English. One of them is a very serious student. I can tell he's going to make me use my brain a lot in these sessions.

GOOD
Madrid is very Instagrammable. Lots of beautiful buildings, and luckily the photos don't convey the heat.

HMMM
I continue to have no idea what's going on most of the time. I have tried three times to pick up my ATM card from the bank, but they don't have it yet. They give me an explanation, but I didn't really know what was said. That's okay, I understand that they're telling me to come back, and I'll keep doing that.

GOOD
Two weeks ago, I stumbled across a Symphony concert in the park. I went back the following week for another one, but 30 seconds into its start it was shut down by the police. I'm not entirely clear why, but I think it was due to the expected high temperature of the day. It was sort of fun to watch all the senior citizens on their lawn chairs booing the police.

HMMM
I think next month will be even quieter than this month, with fewer meetups and activities and less chance for making friends. That's because even more people are leaving town to avoid the heat. Maybe by next year I'll be settled enough that I can do that too. Or maybe I´ll have an air conditioner, which would be almost as good.

The more modern part of the city (plus antique water tower), near where I´m currently staying.