Guess what I cam home to after a long day in Madrid...

My host mom waxing her lip!!!! SO FUNNY!!!! ¡Su bigote!! ¡Jajajajaja!!!

Calm and Focus

I can do today.

Definite highs and lows this week

Oy... A rough week... AND IT AINT OVER YET! My friend, Bridget, titled her most recent post "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" I think that is entirely appropriate. There are bads to every good unfortunately... So many things have gone down. I have wanted to write about them, but there are too many!!!!! It finally came down to me breaking down in the shower, so I figured it was time to have a little bit of a blog rant. Here are a few of the things... I'll probably add to them tomorrow.

Good: No classes on Fridays.
Bad: Spent this past Friday totally freaking out and mapping out my semester. Not enough time to explore Europe and Spain! Stress.
Good: Have a clearer vision of the semester. Barcelona, Ireland and/or London, and a week+ in Scandinavia with Svenningsens!
Bad: WE MAY NOT HAVE OUR WEEK VACATION IN DECEMBER FOR ME TO VISIT THE SVENNINGSENS. That's right, my friends. Turns out the program directors were little liars. Only the program classes are on vacation that week. The university classes do not have off, even though in a letter they sent to our parents it said we have off that entire week. Even worse for my friend, Bridget, she already bought non-refundable tickets to Dublin that week.

Bad: A science event gone wrong at the other campus. Definitely false advertisement. We traveled 20 minutes on the bus to get to the shady other campus in the middle of nowhere to find out that instead of seeing amazing phosphorescent glowing bacteria, we were forced to make poop batteries... Literally... Out of goat poop.
EVEN WORSE: To get back to civilization, we had to take the bus. Little did we know that the buses change on the other campus after a certain hour in the evening, so we waited at an inactive stop for an hour, just to find another one and wait another 20 minutes to find out they were not running... My friend Emily and I finally decided to find someone to ask about it. We found two girls, one from the Philippines and one from Portugal, and they helped us find our way. Talking to them made me realize how even more sketch the other campus is. The other campus houses the international students and anyone else living in dorms. It's way far away from the center of town. Horrible. Also, the entire evening was dominated by the infamous Isabelle, a power seeking, condescending girl from Tufts who changed her name from Elizabeth just for Spain. Throughout the evening, Bridget and I mimed many different ways of killing the other and ourselves.

Good: We had a mandatory historic tour of Madrid last weekend
Bad: It was a complete waste of time and sleep... ON A SATURDAY

Good: I am taking an art class!
Bad: Wasn't sure it would count for credit until....
Good: It has been approved!! A painting 300 level course! It's only a 300 level course because I have already taken a 300 level painting class. Woot woot!
Bad: The place I am taking it at is used to having people come in who have never done art before and are happy to even make a stick figure. The teachers are legit artists, but just haven't worked with an art student like me in awhile, so I think this is a learning experience for them too. An example of this is that they gave me incorrect paper to watercolor on, which completely ruined my painting after a certain point. I noticed but tried not to get upset. I talked with them about it and they felt so bad! To me it was a big deal, but if I were a normal student, it wouldn't matter too much. I need to be clearer with them about what I want. The atmosphere is completely different than a Skidmore class. What I need to do is still uphold my expectations of myself and my work while getting used to and trying a new way of working.

Good: The art history class will complete my art history requirements! I needed a 100 level course, but the department head said that, although it is a 200 level course, this class would suffice
Bad: The class is during the exact hours of siesta, so I always want to sleep.
Badder: Turns out the tutoría portion of the class is required!! Even though all the other tutorías for the other classes are non existent or not required. SHOOT ME. I found this out after being a bit of a punching bag with my host mom's adorable granddaughters and just laying down to rest for a minute. My friend texted me 20 minutes into the class. I had to sprint there in angry haze and tried to communicate with the professor (who is not the professor for the class, mind you) that no one had told me that it was required.
Even worse: I was overdue 3 euros on my phone at that point.

Good: Ate porras and chocolate Sunday morning. Spaniards, you know what that means!
Bad: Not too much sleep.

Good: Taught my first English class on Monday! What a crazy experience! Looking at the students (which were from the university and professionals) and their eyes made me realize I had all the power, not in a power hungry way, but in a scary way. I didn't want to mess up anything because they depend on me. They were really focused on everything I was saying. They looked to me for help.
Bad: I foresee difficulties with my partner. Not because she isn't nice, but because she has a different tempo and way of working.

Bad: I don't think I can volunteer in the theater because of all these schedule mess ups.

Bad: Realizing my Spanish will never be as good as a native speaker. Also, that I feel like I can never fully express myself in my speech, whether it was trying to communicate with the professor for the tutoría or trying to tell Pilar how much I appreciate her. Or even talking with Cristina, my Spanish friend. She's so cool and goofy, but because I don't know how to be cool and goofy in Spanish, I don't know how much further our friendship will go.

Bad: Frustrated because the problems that have arisen with the program are not language barrier problems. They are a lack of communication. We were really babied and spoiled the first couple of weeks, and there was no transition. (But still, the program is awesome. Don't get me wrong. I am just annoyed at one aspect at this moment in time)
Even worse: Being in this different place with new people, new systems, new language, new way of living has made me feel really disorganized. I am not on top of my game here. At Skidmore, I could juggle everything and more. I can't figure out what is making things difficult here. On top of that, it's hard to find what I need here! Example: normal notebooks are not sold in Carrefour. Only third grade lined versions or graph notebooks. In order to get the supplies I need, I have to go to a papeleria. The whole store system is different. You can't browse for what you want. The store consists of a counter and you must as the woman behind the desk for what you want. And there's like only one type of everything. Ok, that doesn't sound very difficult, but believe me, it's an extra step to get used to.

Bad: Can't find a good balance between staying in touch with family and friends vs. being present here. I feel I am no longer in the loop with anyone not in Spain. In order for me to know what's happening outside of this country with the people I care about, I feel I have to be on my computer all the time, which was not the reason why I was here... WHY ARE COMPUTERS SUCH A NECESSITY IN OUR CULTURE THESE DAYS????

Bad: I am just in a really horrible mood.

Photos!

Here are several windows to my time in Spain. Photos from the trip to Segovia are to come at a later date. Bedtime is now.

First glimpse of the new world!

Me, in La Plaza de Cervantes! The statue is of Miguel, por supuesto!

Calle Mayor

Birth house of Cervantes, a tourist stop in Alcala

Bridget y yo en El Parque de Retiros

View from my bedroom window when I first arrived in Alcala

Stomach issues, castles, and Harry Potter

That's right! I've got Alcala Belly! I think it's a combination of the salty foods, tapas, stress, exhaustion, and general adjustment to a new lifestyle here in Spain. Not only did I not enjoy going to the ladies room but also had shooting pains in my stomach whenever I ate. I finally told my host mom after having these issues for 2 days, and she was not surprised! She said that every student she has hosted has had the same problem and totally understood what I was going through. She also knew my stomach was not happy because of adjusting. That evening, she made me some medicinal tea to calm my stomach, and the next day made very "suave", meaning plain and easy, food for lunch, keeping in mind that my stomach was bad. She said it takes time for it to get better. What a nice lady! My stomach calmed down a little for the trip to Segovia, but today it's back. Yuck!

Yes, we went on a brief excursion to Segovia! It is a fairy tale town. Nestled in in the mountains northwest of Madrid. For two days we were total tourists, visiting all the popular sites in Segovia, from the historic aqueduct to the castillo to several different style churches. Here's little map I found online to show you the relationship between Segovia and Madrid. In Segovia, drivers drive wherever there is room, even if that means the sidewalk or through a plaza. There is no distinction between a pedestrian pathway and the street. Also, the town is ALL HILLS. If you want to think of an American comparison equal to the one between Segovia and Madrid, think San Francisco to New York. I couldn't get out of my bed the day after the trip my calves were in so much pain. Getting away from Alcala was like waking up from actually dreaming during siesta, almost a little disorienting. The town is more of a tourist town. Absolutely beautiful, but not a place I want to live (not just because I have to exert more physical energy to get anywhere). The trip made me realize how happy I am to be living in Alcala. There is so much more here, especially in the community feeling. I also LOVE having a family to come home to instead of a hotel room or apartment. I am very lucky to be living with my host family.

During the trip, I got sick of some of the people on the program. While I like everyone and think everyone is incredibly kind-hearted, they got on my nerves this trip. On top of that, traveling with the Madrid folk was hard because they have a very different attitude. And even though I don't feel as much pressure to make friends with people as I did freshman year because the students on the program are all we have, I needed a break. So, yesterday, I spent a lovely, low-key day with my friend Bridget. We both wore shorts (although I wish I wore sport shorts and a t-shirt like she did- SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE) and spoke English. What a relief! We had coffee, talked about more substantial things in life because we have a friendship outside of the program, and explored the town. After siesta, we braved the bus system to the movie theater on the outskirts of town to see... HARRY POTTER!!!!!! My day was complete. We had so much fun, and I understood almost the entire movie. I felt so good. Just what I needed, especially because being with Bridget, I didn't feel embarrassed gorging myself on salty movie theater popcorn. Thanks Bridget!

A few things I forgot to mention

A few things that I've done the past week.

So classes started last week! Not everything, but a some. At the university (not that I am taking that many there), they are switching their education system, so there are two waves of classes: classes from the old school way and classes from the new system. Once everything starts, my full schedule will include two classes with the proram: grammar and contemporary Spanish art history, one university class: theater movement with Sergio, and a painting class at the local youth center. I also will be volunteering at the university theater and helping tutor/teach university students English. I had my first grammar class, which I LOVE. We are learning a lot of useful things that schools should teach in America. Although, maybe students need to know the not useful vocabulary and phrases in order to know what is useful. Also, this is one of the first Spanish classes I've taken that has been completely taught in English. Exciting and kind of sad that I haven't had that before. Miguel Angel is the professor. So nice and patient, espeically when I can tell I am one of the weaker speakers. I just have to make sure I try as hard as I can and participate to make up for what I lack in my language skills. The class will count as a 300 level course! I also had art history, another program class. The professor, Arturo, has the craziest voice. He is so Spanish! He is incredibly knowledgeable and patient, and I am excited to see what else we are going to learn. We talked a whole class period about Picasso's Guernica. After taking art history in the States, it's interesting to relearn art history lingo in Spanish. And he even gave us a break in the middle of our two hour class. I thought that was very nice of him, although unnecessary because we only meet once a week if you don't count the extra help tutoria. The moment after he said we would be taking a break, he bolted for the door. Seeing this, I realized this break was more for himself, seeing as he was going on his cigarette break. I am a little worried about my art class. Let's hope I get credit!

Aside from classes, we still have a lot of orientation activities, things I failed to talk about here on my blog. The second day we were here in Alcala, we had a breakfast with all of the students and their host families. So nice! Had a pleasant walk to the restaurant with Pilar. Afterwards, Miguel and Sergio gave us a practical tour around Alcala. SO PRACTICAL. Not touristy. They showed us things like where to buy stamps, banks, the train and bus stations (including a "how-to" put your ticket through, which trains and buses go where...), Carrefour, a chain super market, little traditions such as a side alley where it is good luck to hold your breath all the way through. We also had various presentations by professors from the university about their classes. We had a tour of historic Alcala. The third day, Miguel and Sergio took us to Madrid to have a picnic in Parque de Retiro, Madrid's central park. So cute! There's a nice man-made lake with row boats to rent. Sergio and Miguel's bromance came out during our time on the water. They are so fun. The showed us how to navigate the metro system so we didn't feel overwhelmed. They took us to the brand new Tufts-Skidmore in Spain office. AWESOME! I need to take pictures to describe it. Think chic, big, historic apartment meets Ikea and pop art. Super bright colors in an old, majestic apartment. Ya? This week, the program brought in a culture-shock therapist to talk with us as a group about adjusting here. At first I thought it was going to be stupid, but the woman was really relaxed and obviously had a lot of experience in her field.

Coming up: intestinal adjustments, Segovia, and The Boy Who Lived

Parade????

Just returned to Alcalá after a trip to Segovia with the program. I was completely beat from the trip, seeing as we did a lot of hiking through the streets. Segovia is a hilly city! My legs killllllll... I passed out on my bed and only just awoke to sounds of drums and chatter of a crowd. I assumed something must have been going on in Plaza de Cervantes, but the drums got closer and closer. All the sudden there was a parade on my street! I ran to the balcony of the apartment to get a better look. The main attraction being a glowing statue held up by 20 men dressed in military outfits. Behind was a marching band... WHAT? Also, lights had been strung across my street and were lit like Little Italy during Christmas time. It was surreal. Was I still dreaming? I ran to get my camera and instead ran into my host mom. We went back out to the balcony and watched for a minute and she explained that it was a parade honoring the Virgin de Val or something (it took awhile for me to understand she was saying virgin. It sounds very strange in Spanish. Another moment my host mother thinks I am tonta.) The "float" the military men were holding was a glowing statue of the Virgin. The float was also surrounded by various important looking people, some from the church. The parade went right by my building. Crazy! I am going to investigate more. I think the celebration is all weekend. I would put up a photo or something, but my camera died. SOON!

Homesick

Yup, yesterday broke down crying at lunch... SO EMBARRASSING!

On Sunday, after I skyping with my mom and sister for awhile, I was a little subdued and sad. Up until then, I had been very busy with trips, meetings and tours with the program around Alcala and Madrid. I hadn't had time to even think about how much I missed my family! The program kept us busy. Now that classes are starting and our days aren't taken up by orientation, I have time to myself, free time that I was looking forward to having but now resent because I think about being at home and at Skidmore. My homesick episode was triggered by the littlest thing...

In Spain, water and electricity are expensive. There are frequent draughts here, so the Spanish are very water concious. On Sunday, I took two showers, one in the morning and one in the evening because I was so sweaty!! Dun dun duuuun.... Poor choice, or I should have asked my host mother. So, during lunch, my host mother brought it up very sweetly and reminded me of how precious water is. She was not mad at me at all and said that she has given that schpeel to all of her students, but I felt so bad! Up until that point I had been very aware of turning off lights and turning off the faucet every time I could. This reminded me of how I am not at home, and therefore not with my family, and not with my mom for her birthday... I tried to explain how sorry I was about the shower and that I have been trying very hard to respect their home and I don't want to seem stupid and selfish by taking more showers. And then I bust out crying. I explained that it was my mom's birthday and I just really missed my family. She was SO NICE. Pilar is always so nice. She comforted me and totally understood. She gave me so many hugs and kisses. She explained how Tania spent two month in Italy doing a sort of au paire thing and called her everyday crying. She had a horrible experience because the parents weren't nice, and all she had were the cows for company. Then I felt even worse because I have a much better situation than Tania had because I am so lucky to have a wonderful family to host me. Then Tania walked in the door after returning home from work. She felt so bad for me and also gave me hugs. Both were very supportive. Pilar then felt bad because she thought that I took her shower talk very harshly and that I didn't like the food she made, and that triggered my sadness. I explained that it was everything. I hope she understood. I think so. Anyways, I am rambling. In conclusion: although it was a sad day yesterday, I found out my host family is very supportive of me and is happy to have me here. I feel the love!

I will never take two showers in one day... EVER AGAIN.

One more time

LA SIESTA IS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD IT SHOULD SPREAD EVERYWHERE AND I MEAN EVERYWHERE INCLUDING ACROSS THE OCEAN TO LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS

Thoughts about my blog

Otra vez...

I think that I am going to use this blog to just write about my thoughts about Spain. Originally I wanted to retell everything that happens to me, which I have found out this week is too much. I am not the kind of person who writes journals, but I also am intimidated by those who write profoundly. I am not a writer, but I hope to give you readers (hopefully I have more than one!) a sense of my semester and a sense of Spain! I don't have the time to keep a journal. I'd rather spend time with my host family and give a synopsis later of the main events.

At least with my first couple of posts in Spain, I tried to capture my first feelings here. From now on, I will write when I feel like it, which is hopefully often enough to capture my semester.

¡Besos!

Alcalá, I'm yours!

The official title of the city is Alcalá de Henares. According to Wikipedia, the city has a population of 203,645 people. It is home to an historic university (which I am attending), older than any university found in the US. The university, Universidad de Alcalá, was founded in 1499!! Alcalá is also the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote (I went to his house!!). Overall, Alcalá is the quintessential Spanish town. When you think Spain, aside from bullfighting, tapas, guitars, you think Alcala. But this city, nestled within little rolling mountains (which I can see from my window!!), is rich with Spanish architecture, cobble stone allies, plazas, and the kindest strangers I've ever met. Every time I have gotten a little turned around (maybe twice), a little abuelita offers simple directions, and repeats them twice for good measure. I know that of course not everyone has kind intentions. I am not naive, as my stepfather says. I have fallen victim to the occasional "que guapa" cat call from slightly drunk creepy men across the street, but what woman in Spain hasn't. I do make sure to ask that kind looking group of old ladies for help when lost.

I definitely have been surprised by the warmth of the Spanish people though. Earlier this week, I tried looking for flowers in a small super market on my street, not knowing where the nearest flower shop was. I wanted to buy flowers for my host family as a thank you for being so welcoming. I asked a young woman, probably only a few years older than me, if they sold flowers, and she said no. When I asked her, she was busy working, but she stopped her work completely to take me outside to show me where the flower shop was. The supermarket was at a strange intersection, so I couldn't really understand what she was saying except that the shop was very close. A man waiting to cross the street overheard and said he could take me there. At first I was going to turn him down, having been trained as a child to not trust strangers, and because I probably have an irrational fear of men I don't know due to watching too many episodes of Law and Order SVU. The girl immediately said I should go with him without a second of thought, which said to me that she didn't think he was a creeper and would go with him herself if she were in my position. There were also a lot of people out. It was a busy afternoon in the streets. So, I did, (which as I write I can see my mom rolling her eyes), but of course I didn't let me guard down. I didn't say anything first, but then he started talking to me, made sure I could speak Spanish, was impressed I was here attending the university, and said that he even had an exchange student living in his building. He walked me straight to the door of the shop and wished me luck for the semester.

Even the wait staff at every restaurant is patient and friendly to us Americans. I think back to my family's trip to Paris and remember when some waiters would immediately speak in English, even when my siblings tried to practice their French. There has only been one restaurant so far that has given us an English menu. I think that's a triumph! I guess that I am also impressed with myself that I have gotten this far and have lived through the week using only Spanish skills. I have gotten everything I need with Spanish. I think if I were in Madrid, many would assume I was a normal tourist, so I think this is a special situation being in a Spanish town that attracts Spanish tourists.

IT IS SO HOT HERE ALL THE TIME IN THE MORNING, IN THE AFTERNOON, DURING SIESTA, IN THE EVENINGS... It never gives up. But that is probably the only slightly negative thing I could say about this place. The city itself has a lot to offer, and when I need a big city fix, Madrid is only a half hour away by train (which is super easy to do). Also, not gonna lie, I have barely spent any money here. Dinner is so cheap, but so delicious!! Bonus!

I love it here. Alcalá, I'm yours!

Alright, that's enough for now. I am sweating too much to write more.

¿Qué tipo de carne es este?

What meat is this?

I ask that everytime Pilar makes la comida. Yesterday we had meet that I still don't know what it was. I found this little gem to help me with some of the names: http://www.spanishvocabulary.ca/foods/meat_vocabulary_in_Spanish.htm

Broaden your knowledge of meat names in Spanish! Lomo is shoulder.

Why am I always thirsty?????

Ham???? The snowstorms of salt my host mom puts in her cooking?
So much ham!


Back to finishing up catching up...

Throughout unpacking, Pilar came in and out of my room, giving me things like towels, showing things in the bathroom, and talking about general living things. In Spanish, unlike English, there are subject pronouns (i think that's what they are called??) and specific verb conjugations for addressing others more formally. Because of what I was taught in school, I assumed I should use usted with my host mom because I just met her and she's older than me. She caught on the minute we started chatting int he apartment. I started my sentence with usted and she cut me off and asked who I was talking about. I said I was talking about her. And she said, "Why do you use usted with me? I am not old. I am the same age as your mother. Would you address you mother as an old person? We are like family, and I want you to address me like you would your own mom." She of course said this nicely, but with a tone that said don't mess with me. She talked abotu her family. She's divorce, but I think it was a while ago, maybe when Tania was little. Her ex lives in Florida. Pilar has three daughters, Eva (30, married, 2 girls), Paula (28, married, the one she calls fat), and Tania (20, works in a gift store, doesn't go to university).

After my freakout and finishing unpacking, I sat with Pilar while she made la cena. I offered to help, but she said no, that I should sit and that cooking is for her. Normally I wouldn't eat with them for dinner, but because this was the first meal I would have with the family, I ate with them. She is a fabulous cook, but I think that is kind of a standard here. All of the other people in the program say that they have great food, but I like eating and seeing what Pilar makes because she does it so easily! And she's very relaxed like it's nothing. She made a very Spanish dish, la tortilla, which is a like a big flat cake of eggs, potatoes, onions, and not much else. Simple, but sooooo good! I had tortilla in the hotel, and it was not very good. The eggs in Pilar's were a little runny, and it had so much flavor! Yum! And she made little chicken wings and a salad. Looking back on this now, it was probably unusual for them to have this for dinner because it was a lot! I chatted with her until dinner, and we (tried) to talk about different things. Basic, but new for me! My Spanish was so bad that day. I was SOOO tired. She joked that all she was saying was "sabes? sabes?" asking me if I understood her. She is very sweet. And then I asked her how many students had she hosted, and she said I am the fifth. And she kept talking about this girl Julia... Could it be my friend, Julie? So I asked if she new if she was from Skidmore, or her last name, and then she pulled out a packet of all the info on each of her students, and there was Julie!! She was the first student Pilar hosted, which says a lot about Julie since Pilar continued to have more students stay in her home. Pilar spoke very highly of Julie and her personality. It was nice to have a common thing to talk about my first night.

We, Pilar, Tania and I, ate dinner, which was yum yum yummy! I was trying to be as polite and well mannered as I could, but eating little chicken wings is hard with a knife and fork! They teased me for eating with a knife and fork, and I laughed and then started eating with my hands. Tania and her mom are very informal. Then I tried explaining that in the US, people eat little chicken wings, but they are called buffalo wings. They thought that was funny.

Pilar's daughter, Paula, was to return with her husband from a trip to Istanbul. I think around 10. We had dinner at 9. Paula gave me the dos besos, but then Vincente put his hand out and shook mine and introduced himself in English and laughed. They both are goofy and chatty and love to laugh. They offered me Turkish treats. Later, my host mother's boyfriend came over, Miguel. He is poquito creepy. He is from el campo, the countryside. He's completely bald, except for his black eyebrows. He doesn't have a face that made me want to give him the dos besos, but I forced myself to to make a good impression. He seems very gruff. Whatever! He can only come over on weekends though because it takes him an hour to get here, and he runs a farm. After that, I spent time with the family, talking about Paula and Vincente's trip. The only thing was Paula and Vincente tried to speak in English with me because they were trying to be nice, but it was so difficult to understand anyone with both languages flying around. It was interesting hearing Paula's take on being in Turkey after hearing things from my sister, Christina. Finally I excused myself because I was falling asleep with my eyes open. I took a shower and passed out on my bed.

OK!!! Day one in Alcala documented! I feel these first few days are crucial because they mark my transition into Spanish culture. I don't care if you're bored.

Besos!

Long post! Events up until Saturday evening

Hello everyone! I feel bad that I haven't had time to write about my experience so far. Here is a ginormous post I started last Saturday. It's long, but oh well! I want to catch you up on everything I have been up to. Hopfully after this, I will be able to post stories and thoughts about current happenings. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I am not using accents because it is too difficult when I am typing fast. Also, I feel like my English is fading... is that bad? Soon my English and Spanish will be on the same plain....)


Started on Saturday:
Yes, I am in Spain! I arrived yesterday. I just finished unpacking my 2 enormous suitcases (only one was overweight!!), and as I type, my host mother is in the kitchen with Spanish radio blasting throughout the small apartment. The first song on the radio was Save Tonight. Now Lazy Song is playing... Oh Spanish radio.

I have yet to describe the program I am doing here in Alcala for my blog. I am doing the Tufts-Skidmore in Spain program in a suburb of Madrid, kind of like the size and distance relationship of White Plains and New York City. With the program, students stay with a Spanish family and attend the historic university. The program also has a center and offers classes. I will be here for four months. I depart on Dececember 23rd.

I feel my English writing is a little strange. I just spent several hours talking with my host mother. Excuse my poor grammar. I am super tired and just writing...

I arrived in Spain yesterday after much anticipation. I have been so excited for this program since my acceptance this past spring, but I had an action packed summer, so this semester crept up on me, especially with the hurricane. We didn't have power for three days! I almost thought I would be bringing dirty clothes to Spain! It was a hectic and sad goodbye at the disgusting Delta terminal at JFK. Only part of my family came for my departure. Melissa is in DC and Christina is still in Turkey. I always have a hard time leaving my family, but this was especially difficult knowing there is no chance of driving home when I feel homesick. I felt homesick before I went through security, although up until then I was able to keep my cool and viewed the coming semester as any other. Thursday was a crazy day, and I appreciated my family's patience. Emotionally, I was a trainwreck, but I was lucky I flew with a friend of mine from Skidmore, Bridget! I would have been crying the whole way if it weren't for her.

Later on Saturday:
I was just interrupted three times. The first by my older host sister's return from a trip to Istanbul with her husband. The second was (I think) a ding dong ditch. And the third was my host brother in law (hehe) bringing me turkish delight from Istanbul! I actually think they got the names mixed up. Christina, correct me if I am wrong, but turkish delight is like sticky stringy sugar. I think this was more like baklava.

Back to my departure. It was loco. I was lucky to have Bridget because she made me think about other things than missing my family and being scared. Thank you, Bridget. The flight was very uncomfortable and super cold, but at least it was nonstop. Also, I was in the middle seat, but I was next to a skinny woman in her late twenties. No overflow, if you know what I mean. She is in Spain for a friend who just broke off an engagement. Kind of awkward... And she has family here.

We arrived in the airport in one piece and were greeted with smiles, signs, hugs, and of course many dos besos (two kisses) by several of the program people (that is how I will refer to the people who work for Tufts-Skidmore in Spain). They immediately threw us into Spanish, which was good and bad because I didn't know how to express my gratitude for their friendliness and for picking us up at the airport. Also, they knew exactly who I was! Every time they say my name, it takes me a minute to know they are talking to me because they call me Elisabeth, and they say it with a Spanish accent. After waiting a while for everyone to get through, we finally headed out to the shuttle. I was already regretting not disciplining myself enough to pack one suitcase, and lightly. I am d-u-m dumb!! They took us to a hotel in Madrid. We checked in but could not go to our rooms yet because it was the early morning. We were allowed to have breakfast in the hotel, continental style. We ended up sitting there for quite a long time (I lost track of any sense of time). They we had to wait while they figured out who was where and with who. The day had started with a lot of waiting. I passed out once I saw the bed. I was rooming with a girl from Tufts whose suitcase was lost, and so I lent her my shampoo and conditioner, and later shorts. Then we ate lunch, which was paella, but not so good hotel version with vegatables,chicken with frenchfries, and icecream. In Spain, la comida, lunch, is the biggest meal of the day and is usually spent with family at home.

I am continuing this post on September 4. Right now, I feel pretty awkward because my host sister is crying to her mother in the living room about her break up.... I feel bad but what can I do?

:( big sad face

During lunch at the hotel, we met the Spanish student who work with the program to help us get oriented and help us integrate into the culture. They offer advice, tell us where to go for food, and give us any help we need. They are a little older, maybe in mid twenties. Two of them took us for a walk in a new park in Madrid afterwards, which was really fun. I was struggling to udnerstand them with their slang and fast speaking. Also, I have a hard time coming up with responses and things to say because I get so absorbed into listening. The park was really dry and fairly new, but there were these awesome slides we all went down. Super fun and broke the tension of the pressure to talk.

Then we were told to dress in activewear for activitdades de ejercicios for orientation. They didn't explain anything else, so I wore shorts and a t-shirt. Sergio, who works in Alcala, ran the orientation activities. He is a theater guy and (i think) is part of a theater company. He also teaches a movement class in Alcala, which I am thinking of taking. He is a very funny guy! Surprisingly, his bonding activities were a success! I knew everyone's names in both programs!! Afterwards, I napped again, and then we went out to dinner with the Spanish students. We had tapas, and most had sangria or canas, which are little cups of beer from the tap, but both Bridget and I knew if we even had a sip we would be sleeping on the table. Instead, we both had Fanta Limon! Which is EXCELENTE! It's like fizzy lemonade. Then we returned to the hotel, took a shower, and passed out.

The next morning, yesterday, I actually had forgotten that I was in Spain... It was very strange... I thought I was going to be playing Halo with Sara and Jonny. A sad moment indeed. We had breakfast in the hotel at 10, and then the rest of the morning we sat through various presentations about the program website and safety throughout the semester. After we had lunch, and I was much more awake for that than I was for breakfast. I sat next to Cristina, a student a the law part of the university in Alcala. She is SO COOL. And super patient and fun to talk to. She wants to become a police officer. She has an exam on Monday that will determine if she graduates or not... kinda scary! She seems extremely nice and kind natured, and wants to get to know the program students. She said she would help me with anything I need, and she gave me a few stores to go to to shop! She said that she wouldn't be around the program for the next few days because she had to study, but would definitely see me after the exam. After that we left for Alcala!

Written today, September 6:
I was SO SCARED to meet my family. After hearing good and bad stories about families, I was worried. Also, I was so tired, I didn't know how I would carry my suitcases. I kept thinking of Sarah Newman's story of having to lug all of her luggage herself. AHHH! The city is absolutely gorgeous. We met the families at Plaza de Cervantes, which will become a key place to meet up with people. I felt so bad because I couldn't recognize my host mother! She was calling my name, but I didn't know it was her! I must have had an old picture and she changed her hair. She very kindly took the smaller of the suitcases (I wouldn't let her take the overweight one). I never felt so exhausted in my life. She lives within walking distance of the plaza, like it would be weird to take a taxi, but it's just far enought that with a suitcase, it was loco. She was totally judging me. She kept wondering what I had in my suitcases. Nicely, but still... Looking back on it now, she was probably just asking because she was curious. Spanish people are super direct.

We got to the apartment, and it is absolutely spotless. En serio. Like the cleanest place I have ever been. The complete opposite of what I expected. I was expecting a place like Jonny's host family, where their house was wonderful, but dirty. And my room is perfect! My host mother kept saying, it's very small. It's perfect for the amount of people who live here, which is two normally. She was so nice and showed me the apartment. And then she gave me a phone!!!! She is so sweet. We chatted for a bit ,but I was so tired and sweated through my clothes, so she left me to unpack. I was difficult because there isn't a lot of room for stuff. I had a little freakout... Now we are where I began, with the radio blasting and my host mom making dinner. My fam gave me an electronic picture frame for my birthday for this trip. I set it on my desk, plugged it in.... but the frame said I needed to load the pictures... and then I remembered shutting my suitcase in my room at home and putting the memory card in my suitcase... I couldn't find it! I started crying and compltely fell apart, quietly... It's the little things that will set me off. I did find it in the end! And later my host mom saw it just in time for freak pictures... AWKWARD!! A little embarrassing, but whatever.

Now that I caught up a bit, I need to leave...:( I want to catch up to today to be able to write more about what's happening now! En serio, this program is the best program out there. No joke.

¡Hasta luego!