After hearing I had received the chance to study abroad I had spent hours touring Spain on the Internet. Just like any other hungry traveler I wanted to get a taste of where I´d be staying. With those images in mind I bustled my way off the plane into a journey there was no turning back in. My first night I went from thinking I had a little taste of Spain to asking myself, ¨Why do photographers even try?!¨. You might ask how I had come to such a conclusion after a time period of merely three hours? Well in those first three hours I went straight from the plane to walking the streets of Madrid with my host family. Saturday the 13th is scheduled as one of the biggest nights in Madrid and some how my plane ticket was coordinated accordingly with this event! If I had ever made any expectations of Madrid none had come close to what I saw during ¨Noche en Blanco¨. Several years ago the city hall of Madrid decided to designate one day of the year to honor their electric nig
ht life. A night life that can turn even a respected adult into a kid in a candy shop. Madrid has adopted this tradition with open arms especially because it´s one more excuse to gather together in the streets. The city´s intricate lit arches and roads that bursted at the seams with people swept me off my feet. Every where you looked various architects and designers had added their peculiar touch to buildings on major streets in the city. On the right if you look closely you can see digital kisses being projected onto the Edificio de Correos (there were even sound effects included)! Odd sites such as these were all about the city including giant rubber duckies in the famous Fountain of Cibeles, a giant picture of the moon which consumed the whole side of a hotel and this next picture which as 
you can see there is no way to describe it! My host family made sure that if I still hadn´t gotten enough of Madrid after the first night I would at least get a traditional Spanish meal of chorizo (typical Spanish sausage),bread, fried eggs, and to-die-for cheese. How this all happened in my first night I´m still trying to comprehend. Who knows what this year might bring after such a start like tonight! I never expected such a visible affirmation that this year was meant to be.
ht life. A night life that can turn even a respected adult into a kid in a candy shop. Madrid has adopted this tradition with open arms especially because it´s one more excuse to gather together in the streets. The city´s intricate lit arches and roads that bursted at the seams with people swept me off my feet. Every where you looked various architects and designers had added their peculiar touch to buildings on major streets in the city. On the right if you look closely you can see digital kisses being projected onto the Edificio de Correos (there were even sound effects included)! Odd sites such as these were all about the city including giant rubber duckies in the famous Fountain of Cibeles, a giant picture of the moon which consumed the whole side of a hotel and this next picture which as 
you can see there is no way to describe it! My host family made sure that if I still hadn´t gotten enough of Madrid after the first night I would at least get a traditional Spanish meal of chorizo (typical Spanish sausage),bread, fried eggs, and to-die-for cheese. How this all happened in my first night I´m still trying to comprehend. Who knows what this year might bring after such a start like tonight! I never expected such a visible affirmation that this year was meant to be. Besos,
-Shayna
