Dónde empezar?! (Where to start?!) SO much has happened in the past few days that I want to tell you all about! Forgive me but I am probably going to forget to mention something. Sunday morning we had more orientation and then around 6:00 my family came to take me to their house. I have a host mom (mi madre), Lidia, who is in her 30s and a host sister (mi hermanita) who is 9. They are absolutely amazing. We live in Alicante near basically everything in an adorable apartment right across the street from a park. I have included a picture of the view from my room. From here, I walk to the bus stop each morning (only 5 minutes away) to catch the bus to the University (about 45 minutes by bus). After showing me their house and dropping off my bags, Lidia asked me if I wanted to take a walk or unpack. Even though I was tired AND desperately needed to shower, I said sure. I said I wanted an outgoing family, and I got one! It was totally worth it as I met her mother, her brother, his wife and their adorable 2-year old, Victor. The family couldn't believe my outfit: I was wearing jeans, a zip-up jacket and flip flops. Mi madre kept asking me if my feet were cold and I kept saying no! It's 50 degrees here, maybe 45 by then. Still flip flop weather in my mind. Finally she made me go home and put on my boots and a coat before we walked around downtown Alicante. Ariadna, mi hermanita, told me all about how she loves Hannah Montanna, The Jonas Brothers and Justin Beiber. She is absolutely adorable and I love talking with her. Lidia is great as well, not only does she have a Twilight poster in her bedroom but she is very fashionable and LOVES to shop. Ariadna also rides horses and I am going to her show on Sunday! Lidia's food is amazing, they have wireless internet (see mom, even Spain is more advanced than our house :), hot water and amazing hospitality. I am going to love living here for 5 months.
My professor's name is Dr. José Joaquin Martinez for the intensive cycle this week and next. He is a professor at the University of Alicante and teaches business and public health classes. I already mentioned Spaniards dress well and he is no exception. He walked into class yesterday wearing Versace jeans, brown blazer and scarf. He's pretty hilarious, too. He attempted to draw the States, which looked like a big blob on the white board, and he forgot Florida. I mentioned this to him and he corrected it by drawing Florida off the south-eastern tip of the blob, the only state that resembled itself in reality. The girls in my class are really fun! We have class from 9-11 and then a descansa (break) from 11-11:30 where we walk across the street for coffee and sit outside and chat. Then we continue class from 11:30-1 PM and then return to our casas for lunch. Today, Lidia made me turkey in olive oil (they cook everything in olive oil) which red and green peppers and potatoes. It was delicious! Ariadna came home from school, which is right across the street, to have lunch with us. We watched the Disney channel, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody to be specific, for about a half hour before she had to go back to school. I think she likes me because she asked when I had to go back to the University and if I was going to be here tonight :)
Jumping back to last night, (Monday) I finally bought a cell phone for 24 euro. We all went through the same company so it's cheaper to call each other rather than if we all had different companies. After we bought phones my neighbor and I, Sylvie walked down to the beach! I FINALLY WENT TO THE BEACH! It was night and I was in my peacoat and boots but I still walked down to touch the water. I can not wait until its nice enough to go lay out. The street right next to the beach has a plethora of restaurants and shops, even a McDonalds that sells beer! Don't worry I haven't been there...yet :) Sylvie is actually from Switzerland and has a Swiss passport! She wasn't born there but her mom was and this summer is she working at the Nestle factory! She's a super sweet girl and our mom's are best friends so I have a feeling I will be seeing a lot of her. After the beach we met a group of our American friends at a bar called Havanna for a drink before heading home, finally around 9. Well, we did go shopping for awhile too but I didn't buy single thing!
One last note, the people here in Alicante are very very nice. It's not a big tourist town (for Americans) and I really enjoy this aspect. If you are lost, like Sylvie and I were last night, you just stop someone on the street and they are more than willing to help you out. Well I already have a paper due Thursday and a test Friday so I need to start reviewing! It's honestly becoming difficult to write in ENGLISH because I speak Spanish all the time, even to my fellow Americans. If I decide to write a post in Spanish you all can copy and paste it into google translator :) I hope all is well State-side and be looking out for more posts coming soon! :)
love-love-love
Hilary
No comments:
Post a Comment