The other day I picked up the book Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje at the recommendation of a trusted English language Madrid newspaper.  Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje (Madrid Travel Notebook) is a beautifully illustrated book on the history of Madrid with interesting descriptions and explanations on various sites – both common and off the beaten path.  The book is written in both Spanish and English….sort of.  I am actually not convinced an English speaker was ever involved in the writing, production and publishing of this book.  How do I know this?  Well I only needed to open the book and read the first sentence to understand that I was in for some interesting reading ahead ["When we walk with a traveler's mind, many places take an extraordinary sense: easily, events that took place there can be supposed."].

The thing is you HAVE TO KNOW SPANISH to live in/understand Spain.  I am not saying you need to be fluent, but in order to get by, enjoy your time, truly experience and be able to actually comprehend Madrid you need to at least learn the basics.  The basics would allow you to realize that this book was actually very well written…just only in Castilliano.

Will and I [between us] understand a fair amount of Spanish.  Speaking is a whole other thing, but we’re still learning.  The Spanish are notorious for not learning other languages and while we may be in a large city which happens to serve as the capital…English is almost never spoken.  I happen to think this is great – I am trying to perfect my Spanish and I couldn’t do this in a city where the people accommodated me.  However, I think you should be prepared prior to your arrival in Madrid.  I am sure you can spout off 10 different language learning options but I still thought I’d share a few more…especially some options specific to Madrid.

Earworms MBT® – This is learning Spanish to a beat and you know what…it works.  Seriously, it’s a product based on a study that we retain information through rhythmic repetitions.  The music is light enough to not get irritating but nice enough to want to continue listening.  The language taught is useful conversational.  Do you want to give it a shot?  The answer is “Por Supuesto – Of Course, Por Supuesto  - Of Course“.

Jesus Milla – I had Jesus as a professor in an intensive Spanish course from IE, now I use him as a private tutor.  Jesus has a great understanding of language as well as a personable disposition that makes for easy learning environment.  Best of all…he gets the stereotypes and idiosyncracies of cultures…very entertaining.

busuu – As a last minute cram session – Will and I used busuu before leaving the States.  It is a community of people learning other languages who assist you in basic review and input.  What we liked was the interactive exercises which aided in reading, listening comprehension as well as sentence structure.  You have a personalized home page to track progress.  I believe this is also a company founded by IE MBA alumni.

Learn Spanish.com – This website comes very recommended and often serves as the guide for a couple Madrid based language courses.  Its free…give it a try.

Once you’ve mastered Spanish, go pick up Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje and you’ll see how good it is right from the beginning…“Cuando caminamos con la mente del viajero, muchos escenarios adquieren un sentido extraordinario: facilmente, se pueden imaginar low acontecimientos que sucedieron alli.”.

Let me preface with saying that I have lived abroad twice before and the sight of me when I returned to the States each time was not pretty. The reasons (excuses) for my state were different each time. In London I was 20…and let’s just say that while there I very much ‘enjoyed’ myself…therefore such joyful activities trumped any good night sleep, healthy eating or extensive workouts.  While in Italy I did nothing physical unless you can include eating the food that I love most in the world. Why did I not workout? Simple – ITALIAN MEN!  It took two running attempts to realize that being followed was more undesirable than the outcome of no workouts at all.

Needless to say I am older and more mature now….I was not going to let Spain get ahold of me as well. So with that the search for gyms became a week one priority along with the apartment search, selecting a mobile phone service and starting a bank account.

O2 Centro Wellness located at Manuel Becerra (there are many locations, including a Women’s only gym) is my gym and I love it. Absolutely not a soul on staff speaks English but they’re all very friendly and were patient with our Spanish. Will and I signed up with a 2-for-1 special. We paid €110 each for the initial membership fee and then pay €45 each month. If you’re already dry-heaving…sorry, gym costs are a bit heftier than the USA. But know that my gym is killer!  It has 2 lap pools (one on the roof deck for summer time), massage pool, jacuzzi, loads of updated (with a TV on each) cardio equipment, great weights area, an array of classes and a great spa. Take a tour – you won’t be let down.

I am primarily a runner and swimmer now that my Volleyball days are behind me so here is a little of my insight to these activities in Madrid:

Swimming – Simply [and nicely put], the Spanish like to swim. Young and old. And because of this there are a ton of pools available throughout Madrid to leisurely swim or get in those workout laps. I will say that I happen to enjoy swimming and used to do so quite a bit in the States, but while I am no competitive swimmer, I do swim to get in a substantial workout. So I happen to find it really difficult to swim in Madrid – as it appears there is no socially acceptable limit to the amount of swimmers to enter a lane at a time. One day a few months ago when my lane total topped 5 swimmers I vowed to attempt one more swim or I would hand in the towel…literally. So I timed myself to the only time no Spaniard (especially the older ones) would dream of working out – Lunch/Siesta! Success!!! So my advice to the avid swimmer…go around 3pm on a week day…or learn to swim with your head out of the water.

Running – There are a decent number of running paths in Madrid. Because I live in Barrio Salamanca, Buen Parque Retiro is my best option. I clocked a run of the loop I take once in Retiro and its at about 4.3 kilometers which can be seen here. Despite the afternoon strolling crowds (mostly on the weekends…and be prepared – there are a lot!) they don’t really interfere with the outer running path so its always enjoyable. Green Canal Golf has a running path which surrounds it.  The advantages of running here are a softer surface which is easy on the knees as well as the fact that it is lined with lights for those who prefer night time runs.  I hear an afternoon in Casa de Campo is a great option too but have not yet given it a try.

For more detailed information on active outdoor activities in and around Madrid visit Anglo Info Madrid for a comprehensive listing.

And for the die-hards…I am running my first half marathon on April 11th. We are a team of IE students and partners who will get up far too early for a Sunday and run our bodies into the ground, it’ll be fantastic. For those who think they’re also up for the challenge here is the website for entry – Medio Marathon de Madrid. Good Luck and see you out there!

I know there are a ton of great gym options in Madrid (some a little more ungodly expensive than others)…tell me about your gym.

About 2 weeks after we moved into our new apartment Madrid was hit with a cold front in mid-September.  That caused me to slightly panic – not quite knowing what Madrid’s Fall weather was like, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in the cold for the long haul.  If this was perhaps the case it was not good news as our boxes had not yet arrived from the USA – in these boxes were ALL our winter clothing.  Then a few days later we got the call we’d been waiting for …our things had arrived in Madrid.

I won’t bore you with the rip-your-hair-out details of first figuring out who called, why they called, what they wanted, what they needed (vs what they said they needed) and how/when we could get our things…no no, I’ll spare those gory details.  I’ll simply tell you what we [over a very long period of time] figured out so that you might one day receive a package and have it in your home in lightning speed to enjoy.

Customs [Aduanas]

Once your items arrive, you will be contacted and then provided a form from Aduanas (one per box) to fill out.  The first order of business was to verify all the shipment information – receiver name, sender name, tracking number, contents…ah contents…we were told to list all the items in the boxes.  Basically they had to determine if our items were being sent to us for resale here.  While that may be seemingly clear – my advice is still to remove/have removed any new price tags on items and perhaps separate bulk items (once you see the costs of basics over here you may want items sent regularly).  Once this information is gathered and filled out – fax it back to Aduanas (Fax: 91 747 10 83).  Make sure you keep the form as you will also need to take it to Aduanas where they will hopefully have your goods and then hopefully hand them over.  You will have to pay an import tax which for each of our [20 - 30 lb] boxes was about €4.

Much of the headache in obtaining our things was in simply reaching someone – anyone – to help find our things.  Given their short office hours, inability to pick up a phone, or leave a message when phoning (with proper call back number) combined with basic disorganization meant once we discovered our items were in fact in Spain, it still took nearly 3 weeks to get them home.

In September of 2009 we dealt with Silvia (postales@speedtrans-int.com) who could speak very basic English.  She was very kind and patient with us.  However, she was not easy to reach.  If she is still working there – try to reach her.

The most difficult thing for us with Aduanas was figuring out their open hours and then locating them.  So here you go – a walking map from Metro Alameda de Osuna (end of the 5 Line).  Their hours are from 9-2pm, Monday – Thursday.  Note that Aduanas is in a Correos building which you will instantly see once crossing the highway.  And for all your mailing needs, The Spanish Post - Correos.

Aduanas in the office of Correos de Madrid Barajas, sita en la Calle Trespaderne s/n C.P. 28042 de Madrid.  Information Tel: 91 833 10 00.

To this day I can not explain why 2 of our boxes were at Aduanas for declaring and pick up (at separate times) and the third was delivered right to our door.  I suppose it will just be one of life’s little mysteries that I must simply live with.

I am a hostess. I love to cook and I love to entertain. So when I discovered that my new Madrid flat had no oven, I just about passed out. In my first-week-daze I failed to notice such a deficiency as we viewed the apartment, agreed to “take it” and then signed the contract. Damn.

Will and I are planners I must confess. While we technically showed up to Madrid homeless – we had done our research before arrival and had not only scoped out apartments but also the agency options to rent them. We pre-booked a flat for one week near Sol on Calle Barcelona using D’Flat Madrid, the company we would use for our long-term rental as well (D’Flat Housing – for long-term stays).

D’Flat Housing is run by two 2003 Executive MBA IE graduates. They work on a reduced commission basis for IE students. Unlike other rental search companies, who charge a NON-REFUNDABLE full month’s rent as their commission, D’Flat Housing offers a €175 (+16% VAT) = €203 finders fee, which is refundable if you find a renter to take your place when moving out. D’Flat Housing manages a selected portfolio of apartments which Will and I felt were good options for what we were looking for (furnished, 2 bedrooms, good light, short distance from the IE campus and charm). We selected apartments we were interested in viewing, gave D’Flat our wish list and then arranged meeting times at the apartments where someone from D’Flat would meet us and let us in to view.

Using D’Flat had its advantages outside of the geared-towards-IE student approach they take. For instance, as non-EU members, we had a solid two month process ahead of us to get our residency numbers (NIE). These numbers are typically required for obtaining a place to live or in the very least, having basic utilities switched on. In using D’Flat – this was not an obstacle. Another positive was an English speaking staff. Lastly, their website is comprehensive, though a bit difficult to navigate, with true-to-life photographs included.  As a result of this we found an apartment relatively quickly in Barrio Salamanca.

Most of our contact was with Viviana Montoya (info2@dflatmadrid.com) who was very helpful and responsive via email (just not always in incredible haste) but I believe another good D’Flat contact is Mr. César Rivera +34 / 645186233.

I admit once I discovered the lack of oven I flipped into a bit of “buyers remorse”. Had we selected the flat in haste? Were we not thorough enough? Were we paying too much?  These thoughts have passed as I have learned to appreciate other things about my apartment, like its gigantic master bedroom and bathroom.  As for appreciating my area…that’s a whole other story entirely…

Now that we’re four months in I have figured it out!  As I work to master the art of Spanish cooking I have begun to notice the lack of oven-time necessary to turn out such delicious items. And while Spaniards (especially the older ones) LOVE their bread and pastries…these aren’t ever made at home…no way! These are lined up for and savored in cafes, bakeries and pastry shops…for hours at a time.

Oh but in the end…I am an American so our apartment kitchen is now complete with a state of the art Taurus toaster oven (from the all powerful El Cortes Ingles). Let the entertaining resume.

What about you? Have you used D’Flat or perhaps another company for your apartment search that you would like to share about with us?

We had lived in Houston for 6 years, had purchased a house and accumulated two [large] Rhodesian Ridgebacks.  We were quite settled.  As the economy was crumbling all around the world – Houston was lucky enough to not feel the effects as severely.  So the question was often raised – why go now when you have a home, two terrific jobs and dogs?  The answer was simple – it was time for a life change.

A few years ago my husband, Will and I made the decision to up and move to Argentina after a fantastic holiday in Buenos Aires.  I was all for it – yearning for my lost days of living abroad.  We planned our adventure in great detail and soon began the saving and transition process out of Houston, TX.  As the months of preparation progressed Will began to think about business school, and so that research began and the decision was made for him to apply.  Long story short – our Argentina plans are foiled by two level-headed minds who felt that perhaps a MBA might be the preferred option as opposed gallivanting around Argentina for a year.  I am not saying either option is “better” but the decision was final – and here we are.

As Will narrowed his search to International MBA options we agreed that a true international experience was going to come from a foreign program.  I also recognized that as soon as Europe became an option again…it just simply needed to happen.  There were 1000 reasons why we selected Madrid. Obviously, as Americans, perfecting our Spanish would benefit us indefinitely.  Will and I have traveled extensively throughout Europe, including Spain, however we simply didn’t know Spain [the real Spain] and we were curious.  Also, IE is no shabby program either.

By the time the Argentina plan was nixed we had accumulated a substantial amount of understanding and information on what to do and what to expect from a couple of solid sources (namely this blog and book – Moving to Argentina).  Research for our move to Madrid did not turn up the same information.  While there are an array of Expat websites which can aid in guiding you to the proper addresses and phone numbers of what you need, there still lacks a more personal level of information to help you with the every day occurences both for fun and necessity.

We are now 4 months into our time here in Madrid and I finally feel as though I can move freely and comfortably.  Seeing as how Will and I selected IE in January of 2009 – that makes for one full year of logistics, efforts, failures, …as well as an array of successes. But it doesn’t have to be this way for others…

At this point I feel poised and ready for the year ahead and all the excitement that will most certainly accompany….but most of all…I’m ready to share.

~Courtney

[oh and for you dog lovers out there...my girls are temporarily with my parents in San Diego...enjoying the better weather, more walks, and their new step-brother, Prado]