Siesta!

La Plaza de Cervantes

I think I maybe finally starting to adapt to this new culture! Today I took my first siesta! At around 2:30 all the shops close and the city goes completely quiet, even during las fiestas. After our orientation, tour of the University and walking around the Plaza, I returned to my home stay to take a nap! Naps are not only for young children in Spain, they are for everyone! (I think this is something I would like to bring back to the United States)! The shops all reopen after 5:00 until 8:00pm. No worries, that is not dinner time! Dinner comes after 9:30 and is usually a smaller meal compared to lunch. Everyone is Spain stays up much later than in the States, I have seen children wondering the streets with their parents at 1:00am! No wonder everyone needs a siesta.

The food here has taken some getting use to. My host mom, Cris, is a great cook and has been keeping everything relatively simple for me! She is use to having students stay with her and so I even get an apple and peanut butter for breakfast! Some of the other students in my group have had to be a little more willing to try new things. I am definitely considering myself lucky. My host family is absolutely amazing. They are welcoming, extremely kind and have made me feel incredibly comfortable (even when I couldn't figure out how to work the toliet)! I have a host brother, Victor, who is 19 and LOVES fútbol (soccer) and I have probably watched more games on TV in the last week then in the last 20 years of my life! I also have a host sister, Laura, who is 18 and has been unbelievably helpful with this whole transition. She speaks incredibly slowly and repeats comments over and over in different ways until l I understand! My Spanish is slowly improving, but I definitely have a long way to go...I could not be more thankful about how understanding my family has been in dealing with my many hand gestures.

Starting classes on Friday, which I think we are all very nervous about, but it will be nice to have more of a set schedule! That's all for now!

Muchos Besos!