getting to Madrid

   so basically i´m typing on a spanish keyboard so forgive me for weird punctuation and lack of capitals. i went to bed just before 11 on tuesday night after a weird sleep schedule the day before of getting obi up for his flight. i woke up at 2ish am and couldn´t go back to sleep because i was scared about missing my own flight. i finally got out of bed at 3:30 and ate a small bowl of cereal and got dressed. then i caught my cab and was happy that there were actually people waiting at the bus stop already for te 4:30 shuttle to gatwick. i tried to sleep for most of the busride, which translated to me being deep in thought and half asleep. we got to gatwick and i could barely function to the point where, when the shuttlebus dropped us off, i didn´t know where to go and had to be prompted by a guy to get out of the elevator. buuut i ultimately found the check-in, did so, and then had some time to wait because my gate wasn´t even announced yet. i went to boots and got a one liter water bottle and some toothpaste because i forgot mine. then i did some sudoku until they announced the gate.
   the flight was uneventful. but i was so tired that i actually did fall most of the way asleep. the only thing that sucked was i couldn´t lay on one side because the guy in my row didn´t shut the window and he was sleeping too so i didn´t want to wake him up to ask him that. but i survived and had to actively keep myself awake as we were descending. it was surreal to finally be in another country. i got my passport stamped and then got my suitcase. i stopped at tourist information to ask about metro cards before i headed that direction. then i found i was behind two girls roughly my age that had sat in front of me on the plane. so i asked them where they were staying and even though they were staying with a friend, they still had to travel part of the same way as me, so we banded together. and one of them paid for my metro ticket when my debit card was declined. i really would have despaired without that kindness. so we rode the metro together until nuevos ministerios and then i completely lost them, but i gave up. an old couple took pity on me and asked me where i was going. then i had to buy a ticket to take a train. i wandered up and down not knowing which train to take cus there was like 9 lines. i asked about a bajillion people, utilizing the little spanish i have retained. finally i got a security guy and he directed me correctly and understandably. so i found my train and took it one stop to sol.
   i emerged in the puerta del sol and thought my hostel was right on it but the guy there told me otherwise and i am pretty sure he sent me in the wrong direction. so i stopped in the plaza to cool down and look at the directions again and the map. having reoriented myself, i found the street and walked up and down it and there was no clear sign. then i read the booking again and found the right door. except then i buzzed and didn´t press the correct button to get in, but the guy buzzed me in anyway. and i arrived at my hostel, in a foreign country, by myself.
   i took some time to set up my space and then played sudoku until i forced msyelf to go out. i walked to the puerta and walked up and down at least three streets looking in the stores and stuff. finally i sat in the puerta for half an hour waiting for devin to call. nothing, and only having had some oatmeal squares and some pretzels in addition to cereal, i went to a chain kebob place where i had its namesake. and then i went back to the hostel and was off and on the computer for hours trying to get a hold of devin and despairing. i took a shower and finally there was word from her. then i went to bed at 11:30, having no idea how i made it that long.
   this morning i woke up around 10 and had to force myself out of bed. i got breakfast at dunkin donuts cus it´s literally right next door and i didn´t have time. then i waited in puerta del sol for 20 minutes and finally sam and devin came. there was a bit of communication. then we decided to go to museo del prado but by the time we got down there, the line was sooooo long so we explored around it and then just went to el parque de buen retiro and walked around there for quite awhile. finally, we decided to head back and we found the cutest little store that was most akin to a food co-op that had food and a buffet. everything looked amazing. sam and i got food--vegetarian paella (don´t worry i´m still getting the real stuff), macaroni salad, chickpeas, etc. soooo good. and there were cute dogs about. so we got lost on the way back and went to a market and another old man took pity on us staring at our map and gave us directions back to puerta. (he used vosotros!!!!) we finally realized we walked in a huge loop and went back to the hostel and chilled for an hour. then we went to plaza mayor to try to meet up for this free tapas tour except we got there and never saw the tourguide so we went on a search of a tapas bar obi told me about. we finally found it and it was so expensive when he had told me it was like 4 euro tapas. so we left. and got italian food. my pizza was so huge!!
   we wandered through some zapaterias--shoestores--and then we worked our way to la chocolateria de san gines, which ellen told me to go to. got churros and chocolate soo good. but i think i might prefer some added sugar and cinnamon on my churros. then we went back to my hostel and chilled for half an hour and they left cus we´re meeting up EARLY tomorrow. and i did so much sudoku and was sad until the other lively americans watched transformers and it was really stupid. like what a stupid premise for a movie. robotic aliens? for real? lol anyway. so it´s just after 10:30 and i think i might go to bed in like half an hour. i´m never staying in a hostel alone again. i´ve made do, but it´s not for me. but the girls who sleep across from me both said hi to me earlier and one of them asked me if i was going out tonight, etc and made nice conversation. i´m ready to go back to my own room and even though the shower is tiny, a shower that isn´t intensely constricted by four walls!