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PART 2//
5. Pick up your bags.
When I first came to Madrid I was so confused at why everyone looked drained and had huge bags under their eyes. Now I am one of those people. Spain has great nightlife, people eat late (see 2. for more info) and the clubs are completely empty - to the point of freaky, until around 3am. Spaniards are not that lazy though, they are hard workers, times are just very different here and Spaniards love to party and socialize!
6. Prepare for pickpocketing
Before coming to Madrid I had anticipated that I would be pickpocketed at least once while being in Madrid. I had done my research and discovered that it was a huge issue here. Thus far, I have not been pickpocketed *touches wood*. However, while it hasn't been an issue for me, I have heard of a handful of stories and my best advice is to keep all your zips shut on pockets and bags at all times. If you don't need your mobile or wallet out in the public eye, do not leave it in the public eye. Also a tip is to keep your hand over your zips, in Madrid there are large crowds and if your bag is not kept infront of you, or tightly over your shoulder, then naturally, like anywhere else in the world, you will become a target.
7. "I can handle my alcohol!"
Can you?.. Really though? Famous last words! So you go to a club/bar and ask for a vodka y naranja (vodka orange), and watch as the bartender pours 3 quarters vodka and a dash of orange juice. Prepare to scull as your throat is not going to enjoy that taste! That is literally what it is like here, it is great because you need less the amount of drinks and you can spend less money. However, it is also bad if you begin to drink the same amount of drinks as you would normally drink at home, forgetting how strong drinks in España are.... Yes, that never happened to me at allll..
8. Renting in Madrid and potential dangers
Apartments in Madrid are relatively cheap in my view, in comparison to apartments in the center of Brisbane for instance. Most apartments are divided into many tiny rooms, for perhaps 4 to 11 people or so. In my apartment there are 6 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and tiny lounge, and I live with 7 people (in one of the rooms there is a couple). In my case I have been lucky enough to love my room and get along well with my housemates. The downside.. Apartments here are very old and therefore can be very sketchy. My friend who lived down the road from me and also had the same landlord was unfortunate enough to experience a fire in her apartment. For my apartment, the issue has been with our leaking, sometimes not working, hot water system which can mean cold showers and no heating on occasion. For others, the gas fire that starts the hot water system is exposed, which is very dangerous and I find much more concerning. Nevertheless, no one I have known of has been harmed in their apartments, everything is okay, Spain's economy is struggling, landlords here are not the greatest to deal with and apartments are incredibly old but livable.
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