Mi casa nueva

After months of anticipation, planning, filling out paperwork, and dreaming of my trip to Spain, I am finally here in Alicante! I must say, flying internationally was not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be. Between Friday and Saturday, I spent around 12 hours in airports and 10 hours in planes. Unfortunately, as I went from the USA to Canada and finally to Spain, I realized that all airports are pretty much the SAME. In the Barcelona airport, I met Steph (a senior from New York) who was in the same program as me and was on the same flight (unfortunately we didn't meet until AFTER we spent 7 hours in the airport with nothing to do...)! We took a cab together, and I FINALLY got to speak some Spanish! Because our flight was delayed, I did not get to the hotel in Alicante until 8 p.m., so I missed all of orientation. I quickly grabbed a sandwhich at a grocery store called Mercadona, and it was deliciosa! Everyone in the store moved very quickly, so we definitely stood out as we moseyed around looking for comida (food). By 10 p.m., I was ready to shower and go to bed.

This morning we were up at 7:30. We ate breakfast at the hotel, toured the gorgeous Universidad de Alicante (the university where I will be taking classes), checked out of the hotel, and anxiously awaited for our host families to pick us up at noon. At that point, I was exhausted and not too excited. I felt like a tourist, and that was NOT what I came here to be! Then I met my new madre (mother): Paqui.

I love my house mother and father (Jose). They are so kind! Paqui showed us around the apartment, and I was shocked at how easily we could understand one another! She and Jose have two children and two grandchildren, a girl who is 5 and a boy who is 1 1/2. It sounds like I am going to teach the girl and some other five year olds English while I am here. Those of you who know my passion for teaching can probably imagine how excited I am! After a tour of the apartment, we (another girl named Rachel is staying here... she is wonderful!) started to unpack. I had only put a few things away when she called us out to meet her sister Carmen. Carmen lives on the same floor, a few apartments over, and she has two girls staying with her, too: one from America and the other is from Japan. We chatted with them for ten minutes or so, then came back to continue settling in. I unpacked for a few minutes, but by then it was almost 2:00 p.m., time for almuerzo (lunch)! The meal was increible (incredible)! Paqui made pollo con beicon (chicken with bacon), baked apples, (but not the sweet kind...), a potato, salad (iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, and I think bean sprouts, with vinager and olive oil for dressing), and a glass of vino (wine). I felt like I was dining at a restaurant! We talked about so many things (religion, family, cultural differences, etc.), and did not finish eating until around 3:00. After a cup of bon bon (coffee with condensed milk... it's OH so good!) and a little more conversation, Rachel and I gave Jose and Paqui some gifts from home, then went to our rooms to take a nap. After fifteen minutes, I decided to take advantage of this time to blog a little! :D It is now 5:30 p.m., and we are going to a Renaissance festival (I think?) in half an hour with some other students and their familias (families). I think we might check out the beach as well!!! Tomorrow morning I have class at 8 a.m., so hopefully by then I will be caught up on sleep (or maybe I will have some more bon bon... mmm!). That is all for now! Hopefully I will have some pictures by tomorrow to share!