Off to Madrid

It was extremely hard to say goodbye to my dad after such a great week together. But the time came that we said our farewells and went our separate ways. Once I arrived in Madrid, I was supposed to meet up with my best friend Kim but her flight got cancelled. The University was there to pick me up so I did not have any problems getting to Alcala de Henares (a suburb 30 minutes outside of Madrid where I will be studying). My house mom, Hortencia, came to pick me up with one of her daughters. She is 64 year's old, overweight, with a couple teeth missing. I was so overwhelmed by everything that was happening. She began speaking to me and I had NOOOO idea what she was saying. Once we got to my new house, I met her husband and another daughter. She made me lunch and showed me where I will be sleeping for the next four months. I could not understand anything they were saying due to being a beginner at spanish and the strange accent that Spaniards have. Whenever they would look at me, I would just smile and say Si or bien. After lunch was over, I had no idea what to do. So I just went into my room and fell asleep. When I woke up I did not know if I should go sit in silence with them or just sit in my room. I finally got the courage to leave my room and talk to them. Hortencia and another daughter took me into town to show me where the school was. Then we sat down for cervezas and tapas at a cute little restaurant. I soon found out that the waiter was another one of her children. She has three daughters, one son, and two grandchildren. We went back to her house and had dinner. I was not hungry at all... they tend to overfeed me here. But I felt obligated to eat dinner because I did not want to be rude. With a full belly I went straight to bed.

Orientation was early the next day. It was so nice to see Kim and other familiar faces. Orientation consisted of learning about house etiquette, insurance, and a tour of Alcalá de Henares. The city is so beautiful; it is old and the architecture is incredibly detailed. On one building off Calle Mayor (a major street here) the rain pipes along the sides of the buildings are built to look like dragons- the water drains out the bottom of their mouths near the street. Our university is housed in an old cathedral/monastery, thus it is very beautiful! But that is all for now! Tomorrow we are going to Madrid for a tour of the city, Can't wait! :)