So after almost a week in Madrid, I am finally at my host mother's house. For the past five days I have been visiting with my family that lives here. It was a really great transition into Spanish life. This past weekend I went to Astorga which is a small country town three hours north of Madrid. It was really interesting to see such a small town in Spain since I have only been to the major cities. In Astorga, the weather was very cool and it got me excited for fall! It is about 90 degrees everyday in Madrid so it was definitely a nice break. Laura, my cousin, taught me how to play paddle which is the Spanish version of tennis. It was really fun! We also got to do a little shopping while we were there because they have a great market at night from 11pm-2am that sells purses, jewelry, and everything you could imagine!
I have learned very quickly that the Spanish love to eat and they love to watch you eat. Thanks to this past weekend, I definitely learned how much they can eat. For every meal, I was given two Fanta Limons, oreos, and cookies...even for breakfast. Yes, I love all these foods but not every day and definitely not right when I wake up. I almost felt force fed because they didn't believe me that I could be full off of a bowl of cereal. It was hard to say no since they were so sweet and welcoming but by the end of the weekend, I ate enough for the entire week.
That tradition was very strange to me because my mom always says to just eat until you are full and skip out on the bread one in awhile. Whereas in Spain, your plate should be empty and you should ask for seconds. Also, a full loaf of bread is eaten at each meal. Lots of carbs!
I arrived today to the house in which I will be living for the next four months. I have my own room which is really nice and Allie and I share a bathroom and a TV room. My madre is very sweet and I am so blessed to have gotten her! Our apartment is five minutes walking from the school and about a 15 minute walk to the main street of shopping! I am so happy with our living arrangements! Surprisingly all of my clothes fit in a small closet. The lack of air conditioning hasn't affected me too much except for the first day. My madre gave me a fan to put by my bed so that helps a lot!
I am really excited for Allie to get here since it is just me and my madre at the house. For dinner, she cooked me delicious chicken and potatoes. I am glad that she likes to cook and not just heat meals up like I have heard other mothers do. She is taking me out to get a drink with her and one of her friends tonight so that should be interesting.
I can't wait to see what this semester brings and what exciting adventures and schenagians I am going to get into! I am actually so happy I chose to go abroad this semester as I can't imagine being at SMU right now after being in Spain for just five days. I am sure this semester is going to be the best one yet! :)
