Finally Here!!! oh dear

So I'm Here.
for now there aren't going to be pictures in this post, I'll try to get some up over the next couple of days. This is just the, HI how ya doin post I guess. I got to my apartment, its actually pretty nice. I have the HUGE room in the apartment, and even like a double bed... crazy.
I arrived here in Madrid yesterday, I got into the airport at 1 pm local time and had to wait until 430 to meet the people from the group flight to take a charter bus into Madrid. Problem number 1: I'm in terminal 4 and need to get to terminal 1. Solution, take one enormous suitcase, 2 backpacks, and a bike box onto a bus. So as I fall over my bags and try not to die as I try to get all of my stuff in and out of the bus before the doors close, I get a nice little taste of what the next 3 hours is to be like. And its exciting. So I get to terminal One, find a nice little cart, and make my stuff managable. Then I realize that arrivals is downstairs, and the bus has dropped me off upstairs. There are only stairs and escalators down to the lower floor. Not so easy with two wheeled things. So I cram into this elevator that is barely bigger than me, except I cram approximately 3 of me worth of luggage in with me, and as I burst out the door from the pressure when I get downstairs, I'm sure the Spaniards are saying "oh no, another stupid gringo coming to ruin our country (I say another because of the sheer quantity of burger king, pizza hut, kfc, and mcdonalds franchises here).
So anyways, here we are downstairs in Terminal 1...which of course is the wrong terminal. Bueno, ahora empece usar mi espanol, no hay otra manera para resolvar ese situacion. just kidding (and that said, good, then I began to use my spanish because there is no other way to resolve this situation). So off I go to terminal 2, which involves going back upstairs...and then back downstairs. And as I sit waiting for the group to get there, the coffee shop is playing avril lavigne, 6000 miles of travel to listen to terrible American pop music ;-).

Thus ends the airport saga.
Anyways, I've been around the city and its really really cool. I live not to far from the center of the city which has more great tapas bars than you can count, beautiful architecture, and lots of bustle. I'll tell more about that soon, and include some pictures. But for now, I'm here, and actually have "sort of" internet.
And just an fyi, my mailing address
Owen Hassig
Calle Caceres 18 6-3
Madrid, Spain, 28045

This is all fairly terrifying, and exciting at the same time, my roommates seem like cool guys (as I wrote that my very weak wireless signal died...oh my). More coming, and pictures, and stories.
Until Then
Owen