So I have been writing in a journal every day, but I just decided to make a blog. I know I'm already three weeks into my trip but I'll try to recap all that has happened thus far!
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| Just a small part of Benidorm (where I'm staying) |
I arrived in Spain on September 14th in Barcelona, there I stayed at a youth hostel for two nights. I roomed with 7 other girls, all from America except one who was from Finland, while in Barcelona we went sightseeing and had orientation. Sunday came and it was time for us all to go to our host families, I took a train to Valencia/Alicante. Valencia was the first stop, but I had to wait till Alicante. I was so anxious the entire ride to meet my host family! After a 5 hour train ride we finally got to Alicante. All the host families were waiting at the exit for their "host kids." I met my family (successfully did the besos on each cheek!) and Domingo, my host dad, took all of my bags to the car. There I found out that my family is good friends with another family that is hosting a girl from Germany, Maike. My local coordinator, my family, and Maike's family all went to burger king for lunch. I was so nervous and overwhelmed that I barely had an appetite. After burger king we all went our separate ways to our homes. The entire ride home my host parents kept talking to me so quickly in Spanish, I barely understood anything, it was so overwhelming I had no idea what to do with myself. Up until now I had had at least 20 americans surrounding me at all times, the fact that I was in Spain hadn't really hit me until now, and I was terrified & excited. We got to their house and they left me alone to unpack my things. We ate dinner around 9:30 and then I went to bed since I had school the next morning which meant I had to wake up at 7:00.
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| Raquel y Eric |
School is hard and boring. It is so difficult to remain concentrated on what the teacher is saying when you can barely understand a word. They talk SO fast, sometimes it just sounds like gibberish. It's a rude awakening from how slow my Spanish teachers talked during class. Every day we have class from 8:10-2:20 except on mondays and tuesday we get out at 3:10. I have a different schedule every day but during the week I have a total of nine different classes. In my school, unlike many others in Spain, the kids change classrooms every hour just like in America. Although we change classrooms the same kids are in all of my classes. During 3rd hour of my first day I thankfully met a friend who speaks both english and spanish fluently...but I try to talk to her in spanish only, of course ;)
After school I get picked up by either Raquel, my host mom, or Domingo, my host dad. We then either go home or to my host grandmas house to have lunch. Here, lunch is the biggest meal of the day and it is always sooo good. It's sometimes hard to talk to my host grandparents but its gotten easier with time, they are always so nice and welcoming always making me feel like a part of the family. A lot of the time Raquel's sister also comes to lunch with her son, Jaime. Sometimes her husband comes too, it just depends on their work schedules. The food here is absolutely amazing, everything I've eaten so far has been homemade and delicious- paella and aioli is my favorite!
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| Near the restaurant that we ate at with Raquel's family |
On the weekends we spend a lot of time with family, I think everything in general is more family based here than in America. On Saturday of the first weekend I was here we went to eat at a restaurant down by the beach with Raquels whole family for her parents anniversary. Sunday, we went to the beach with Maike and her family. Afterwards I went bowling and to the movies with Maike, her host sister Claudia and two other friends. The following weekend I went out with a few of my friends from school to the movies and to dinner. On Sunday I went to the zoo with my family, which was so much fun.
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| Eric and I at the zoo |
My host family is absolutely amazing. Raquel my host mom is an Optometrist and has her own practice. She speaks pretty good english and french so she can usually translate for me if I don't understand something. She makes the best food, everything tastes so much better here...including fish which I would almost never eat at home. She's constantly asking if I need anything and always willing to help me with my schoolwork. Domingo, my host dad is one of the funniest people ever. He barely speaks any english but if I don't know how to say something in Spanish and Raquel isn't around we always find a way to communicate. He's constantly teasing and joking around, every time I met someone new (which is nearly every day, this family literally knows everyone in Benidorm) he always introduces me as "mi prima de Michigan" which means my cousin from Michigan, and half the time people believe him even though we look absolutely nothing alike. Eric, my host brother, is the cutest little kid ever. It took him awhile but I think he's finally warmed up to me, kinda. All in all I absolutely love my host family and I couldn't have asked for a better one!
