Xpress, here's to you.

I must write an entry or a column for my college newspaper. Something like letters from Spain or Culture Shock in 300 words.
To be honest, the word limit literally limits me. Once I start I may not be able to stop. From day trips, to visiting museums to living alone, a lot of firsts have occurred in the past 2 months. And I must say I have adjusted well.
So here it goes:

First stop, Madrid, Spain, Europe.
Another continent, another world.
6 months ago if someone would have told me that I would be in another continent and would have seen Rafaels, Dalis and Picassos, I would have laughed and said, I wish. I did wish and sometimes wishes are granted.
So here I am, spending my second year of BA in Madrid at the University of Comillas, which hosts around 300 to 400 exchange students each year, most of them being Europeans. I knew I was going to be a minority here, but not because of the reason I thought. I am a vegetarian. When I convey this valuable piece of information to people here, they gasp and with a perplexed look, they ask me why. I mumble something and then our conversation moves on to something else.
Why is being vegetarian such a problem in Spain? Because they don't think being vegetarian is an option and also, they think fish is vegetarian. On my second day here, I asked for a vegetarian sandwich in Spanish and trust me, it was perfect Spanish (I have been learning for almost 2 years now), and what I got was something with lettuce and tomatoes. I figured, that's all they put on sandwiches here. But when I took a bite, something was wrong. It had tuna in it!
Well, that's Spain for you.
That being my only complaint, I can't put into words how beautiful this place is. It has a different charm, having lived in Mumbai for all my life, change feels good.
Also, I am not used to working all throughout the year for presentations and assignments that count for the final grade, but it helps me keep in touch with the subject and is fun too! There are less people in class from 8 to 50 maximum, so participating in class is a must.
Spanish culture is so vibrant that you can't help being integrated in it. These past two months have been part of that quick process, and I believe, I'll get there soon, even if I don't want to.