My dad drove me to Liverpool John Lennon Airport this morning as, after much deliberation, I decided it was worth it for the cheap EasyJet flight! It was online check-in so all I had to was drop my bag off and sit in Starbucks for a bit with my dad before going through security and into Duty-Free. I decided I'd get the girls something touristy so went for tins of fudge and jelly babies shaped as a red phone box and a red London bus with slots in the top so they can be used to keep coins in once the sweets are gone. A little bit naff but the girls seemed to like them!
The flight was fine. Ended up talking to the people I was sitting with - a lady from Catalunya who now lives in Cumbria and a guy teaching History (in English) at a school in Madrid. It made the journey go quickly and we had interesting conversations about travelling, languages etc. The lady was able to provide us an insight into growing up speaking Catalan when Spain was under Franco. The guy was quite a lot closer to my age and was able to give me useful advice for things to do in Madrid. Afterwards, he gave me his number so that we can meet up and he can introduce me to friends. Yay, one friend already!
The whole family were there waiting at the airport to meet me and off we went in the car. I chatted quite a bit with the parents, Mónica and José but the girls are a little bit shy for the moment. I've been assured that they will get louder the longer I know them though! Once we got to the appartment I got given a mini tour before the parents went off food shopping and let me get settled in my new room with the girls. They then showed me the swimming pool (which opens next Saturday as it's empty at the moment) and the communal outside area for the appartments, full of children playing. We then met with some friends of the family for a walk around the area before going to a café for very cheap yet tasty sandwiches, crisps and chips. (I later found out that it was called 100 Montaditos which is a chain and seems to be everywhere in Madrid! The other big chain is La Sureña where you can get a bucket of 5 beers for three euros.)
They've let me get to bed early now as I'm tired after my journey and packing late last night. Tomorrow they're going to show me the girls' school as I will be taking them and picking them up from there at 9am and 1pm for the next few weeks. I think they're then going to show me the metro station and, if we have time, go into Madrid. So far so good!
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| My new room! (Or Carlota's room) |
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| Carlota's left me little notes to protect her things. Don't think she trusts me! |
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| Another note from Carlota |
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| A balloon brooch made for me by Carlota |
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