I've made it to Spain, and it has been incredible so far! I am loving every day--everything is new and unknown. It gives me tons of opportunities to explore and try new things. There are differences that have been hard to adjust to (no AC in a room in the attic), but for the most part, I've been incredibly happy. For those that don't know, I'm living in Alcala de Henares. It's about an hour bus/train/metro (we have to take all of them) to Madrid. I live with a host family--Maria, Javi, and Marta. There is also a Japanese exchange student, Sayaka, that will be here for nine months. I live about a ten minute walk from Alacalingua, the school I am attending. There are 22 students from BYU, and we all attend the classes together, but the classes are taught by professors from Spain. Alcala is very beautiful, but a lot bigger than I expected. It is the birthplace of Miguel Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. We've had tons of opportunities to explore Alcala, including where to find the best gelato :). We came here during the celebration of Alcala--it was a few days filled with magicians, music, and fireworks! It has been amazing to live in a city that is so rich with history. As with any study abroad, there are things that are different than home. For example, here in Spain, we eat breakfast at 8, lunch at 2:30, and then dinner at 9:30. That has definitely been an adjustment for me; I've been eating lots of snacks! Also, stores owned by people of Asian decent are called "chinos". But, that word also means a Chinese person. So, one of the host moms I was with kept saying how we needed to find a "chino"--I literally thought we were trying to find a Chinese person. haha!
I'm super excited for this first week of classes, and the new adventures that I will encounter.
Photos: We found BYU in Spain!
View of Alcala from the Torre de Maria
Cathedral in Alcala
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