Mi Ostra: OMW

"why then the world's mine oyster,
which I with sword will open."
-william shakespeare

6 Marzo, 2014

wow. i’m here. i can’t believe i finally made it out of the us. i’ve been trying to get out of there ever since i got back from vienna. and now the time has come.

i’m feeling sick. i have a head cold, which has so far required halls and whatever that lady at the pharmacy gave me for two tablets every 8 hours. oh and lot’s of tissue. i’ve got the nose dripping thing, which is really convenient for travel.

otherwise, this journey has been pretty swell so far. besides the irregular sleep and regular nose blowing, of course. ended up in 1st class for 2 of my 3 flights (thanks treece!).

flew out from detroit around 6:30am, got to miami around noon (it usually doesn't take that long, but i had some unexpected itinerary changes).

when i got to miami, i had a few hours layover, so i took the bus to what was about to be the beach. but my conscience was like “erin! get your ass over to cvs and get some sunscreen and snacks. i know you wanna be able to say you went to miami beach, but you got like 1.5hrs to eat, run errands, and get back on that bus to the aeropuerte”. so that’s what i did. i got to the miami beach hood, but the actual beach will have to wait ‘til the return trip. smashed some savory fried plantains, though from a little bakery and convenience store. mmm.

fast forward a couple hours, and i’m sitting on the plane in an recliner discussing the horrors of tenured academia and the benefits of bilingualism with the director of a business college in one of florida’s universities (i think he would appreciate me keeping his identity and the school confidential). all this over baked fish, greek salad, and red wine. (actually he had all the wine; i was on that get-well-soon water diet. and when i say all the wine, i’m only slightly exaggerating; my dude was lubricated and venting.) but it was fruitful indeed, especially since i’m still considering a career in academia. was glad to meet ‘im.

after that, i watched baggage claim on my complimentary tablet and then passed the eff out with my complimentary extra large, extra soft pillow and blanket, socks, and ear plugs. damn. spoiled!

arriving in madrid was funny. i didn’t remember what my bag looked like cuz aunt gg had just bought it and i didn't think to study its aesthetics. so i watched what i thought was not my bag go ‘round and ‘round until the whole machine stopped. i even checked with an aa agent to make sure there was no more luggage. #sleepdeprived

finally, with the assistance of a kind, mathematics student on the train, i made it to the madrid bus station where no one spoke english. boy did all those conversations last twice as long as they should’ve. i clung to that phrase that my spanish teacher would repeat while staring at me in contempt every time i forgot, which was often: voy a! i remembered it this time though: voy a granada. it worked out eventually.

after i got that ticket, i had another 4 hours to kill, so i went to a local restaurant and spent 15 minutes trying to order some tapas. after eating, i spent another 15 explaining to the pharmacist that i need cold medicine and the nearest atm pronto.

took a nap at a little park near the city train, then i was on my way to granada.

now, i’m here, but i missed the last bus to the farm for the day. so i’m staying in this cold ass motel for the night. the shower was nice, though. i think i stood in there a good 30 minutes.

off to sleep, though my body’s clock reads 5:45pm. #jetlag

buenas noches.

a park in madrid