After exactly 3 weeks into Madrid & chill, I figured it is about time to write something about this adventure that I'm living. 

A few months ago, when I got the exciting news that I could go on Erasmus to the capital of Spain, I pinky-promised that I was going to update you. And as we all know, a pinky promise may not be broken. Never.

Since the beginning of this year, it's been a hell of a ride organizing and planning everything. My university college at home mostly let us figure out everything ourselves, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it also did not made things easier. I will spare you the details of how much paperwork there is behind the scenes of a study abroad. Motivational letters, contracts, official documents, tons of emails back and forth with coördinators, other students and the receiving university, ... Not mentioning the amount of stress I got when my resits where endangering the entire thing. And waiting to look for a place to stay until I was here? Wasn't one of my most brilliant ideas either.
I think my search for a decent room within my budget and at a reasonable distance from school was one of the most stressful and depressing things I've ever experienced. Seriously, I can't live in a room without a window? I'm not claustrophobic yet, but I would definitely become it. What about a student dorm without a desk or internet? What do they expect, that I write my essays by hand at the kitchen table? Nope, not going to wake up at 4 o'clock to take 4 busses and 3 metros to go to school either...

But hey, it all turned out perfectly well! I've passed all of my exams, I've found a nice place to stay and most of the documents are signed by now, although I'm still waiting for the last ones.

Just a small town girl living the big city life...

Imagine this: you're 20 years old, you've lived most of your life in a small town at the Belgian shore (where there was absolutely not much to be seen except for tourists during summer and seagulls during winter), in the middle of nature, and for your higher studies you've chosen one of the smallest and folkloristic cities Belgium has to offer. Then, out of nowhere, you suddenly decide to go study abroad, in the biggest and most vivid city of Spain, 400 km away from the seaside. What was I even thinking when I made this decision? Let's just say the past few weeks were a rollercoaster of emotions and impressions, but I've always been fond of rollercoasters so it's absolutely a good thing.

First of all, there's this thing about public transport. I'm using my feet and the subway to get everywhere (shoutout to Madrid's easy and well-connected subway-network!). I've been going everywhere by bike since I was four years old and I seriously think this is the first time in my entire life that I don't have one -not that I even would want to ride a bike in this crazy traffic, I'd be dead for sure- but it still means I have to adapt.
Then there's this thing about street artists and musicians: you see them everywhere. They lighten up your coffee break, your dull subway-rides, your afternoon walks through town, ... I mean, what's not to love about them?
Oh, and there's this awesome feeling: safety. I'm not a person who's easily afraid and definitely not on the street (I've lived in Brazil's most dangerous city, and being a white teenage girl over there, I got quite used to something), but I must say I feel safer here than in my own capital. Mostly because of two reasons: up to now, I have not experienced any catcalling at all, which is absolutely great, because I think that is one of the biggest reason girls and women feel unsafe in other western countries. Next to that, I must say that those soldiers walking around on the streets and in the railway-stations of our Belgian cities don't give me the safe feeling they are supposed to give me. Not blaming anyone, they are doing a great job and I totally respect them, but they just always remind me of the fact that something bad could happen.

Vida Madrileña