El Primer Día 

Today has been quite hectic. I left Lubbock around 8:15 am, and arrived in Dallas around 9 am.  Until around 2 pm I worked on some homework for my presentation to be presented to the class some time in the next three days. At 2 pm I met up with other people from my program and we got one last American burger and fries meal before heading off for Madrid! The plane was very nice. I flew Iberia, which is connected to American Airlines I believe, and it was great, a dinner and breakfast were complimentary, as well as a ton of newer movies. I watched Moonlight and the movie Christine. I love international flights because I always watch a lot of movies!
When we landed in Madrid I had a sense of deja vu because I have been through the airport before. Although this time was strange because there were way less people at the exit waiting to greet those arriving. We met up with everyone else on the program and took a bus together to the hotel. We are staying this first night at the Courtyard Marriott in Moncloa area of Madrid. We arrived at the hotel around noon, and we just relaxed and were free to do what we pleased until our Welcome Dinner. I took the time to nap and chill before dinner, but others went and found a place to eat and looked for small items they may have forgotten.
Dinner was really fun. We met in the lobby at 8 pm, and received our phones we will use for emergencies if we need to contact people in Madrid when we don’t have wifi. We walked a few block to the restaurant, Punto Basico. We went downstairs to a private room and had a wonderful dinner. Salad, grilled veggies, cheese and meats for appetizers, choice of pasta, steak, pork, or fish for the main course, and a medley of desserts like flan, cake, cheesecake, ice cream, etc. I was able to get to know people that I did not know very well before coming on this trip, and I am very excited to know them, and everyone else, better by the time this is experience over. 
Tomorrow we meet our host families and have the first day of class. Wish me luck!
Chao,

Madeline