Vive España

¡Hola! Es Sarah y Alexis! Nosotros llegamos con seguridad en España. Tomamos un autobús de Madrid a Salamanca. La viaje está bien y muy divertido! Tenemos muchas fotas y videos. Ojala que gustan de nuestro blog.

Hello! This is Sarah and Alexis! We arrived safely in Spain. We took a bus from Madrid to Salamanca. The trip is great and very fun! We have a lot of photos and videos. We hope you enjoy reading our blog.

The upcoming weeks to the trip were filled with excitement. We started off the trip well, going through the wrong security line numerous times, but don’t worry we made it to Atlanta, haha! Even running into a few St. George’s faces, aka Mr. Tom Densford (if your reading this, Hope you having a great trip! ). Next we followed our fearless leader, Drew, onto the plane to Madrid. They made the regular announcements about safety. However, the normal “ buckle your seatbelt” was different…… “Abrocharse el cinturón.” This was our first taste of our new language. All we needed to do was, BREATHE! It takes times, but we soon started to pick up what they were saying. Thank goodness for the English translations! As soon as we arrived in Madrid we walked through customs. We had to stay for a couple of hours, waiting for the other student’s flights. These next couples of hours were a great bonding experience! We read magazines, people watched, shared stories, ate at the café, and got to know each other better. We even exchanged cell phone numbers on our Nokia go phones! Next, we boarded the bus from Madrid to Salamanca. Everyone was tired, and fell asleep. Except for Kyle, who decided to stay awake for 38 hours? Haha! After a full day of traveling, we arrived in Salamanca.  As soon as we got here we were all overwhelmed with excitement as we looked at the amazing city. The beautiful city is full of students, and historic places.  His or her new host families greeted everyone. The language barrier was a little tricky, but we learned quickly that they love it when we try the best we can. The host families are so hospitable. Our host is Lola; she has an apartment in the city, and it a great central location. We met her cat Luna, and dog Yogi. “ Que Bonita!” We learned to laugh and nod, and attempt to respond as quickly as we can. She was so welcoming, and made us feel right at home. We soon discovered that another student from Belgium was staying with her as well. Thank goodness! We now had a “translator” that could help us understand! They both encourage us to speak as much Spanish possible. Our sentences have become better with time. Hand motions and pointing or saying adjectives and infinitives. Our room is nice and clean. The apartment has a balcony, and a view of the city! Beautiful! We definitely can all agree that our rooms at home are different than here. However, the differences make our experience even more exciting, because we get to live the life of an average Spaniard. Being open minded to everything helps the experience. Trying all the food she makes, speaking as much as possible, and listening. Lola showed us where to put our things, and fed us lunch. We met up as soon as everyone unpacked and walked around the city. The cobble stone paths were exquisite, rather than driving down Houston Levee. Our location is so close we can walk to almost anything! School is five minutes, the Plaza is 8 minutes, and the monuments are everywhere! Everything revolves around the Plaza Mayor. The archways led to small streets, and are filled with stores and bakeries. Mrs. Hellman was a great guide. We briefly saw most of the monuments and the central locations. All of our host families live off of the main street. It is great to walk home at night, and we feel safe! The city is so much more beautiful at night! Everything is lit up, and is clearly visible. We sat in the Plaza and played games with Mrs. Hellman. People watching was a favorite activity for most! Next, we walked to the T & E orientation dinner at Don Mauro. Our group sat at a table enjoying the cuisine, and sometimes wondering what we were eating. Everyone had a smile on there face, but still was a little tired. They brought multiple appetizers, meats, fried cheese and ham (croquettas), bread, family style salad. No one was forced to try anything, but it was fun to see everyone’s reactions. We all tried most of the appetizers! Next came the main course, the pork shoulder and las papas fritas (French fries). As Mrs. Hellman said, “just like barbeque and fries without the sauce”. Haha! We all laughed at that one! Next we ate dessert, a very sweet cake and ice cream. After dinner we all walked the streets to our houses. It was a little chilly, but we made it. We have all started a group text on Viber, and are communicating frequently. Also we are using the Nokia go phones they gave us for calling. We decided to meet at the school at 10: 45.  Lola, our host, gave us cereal for breakfast.  We told Lola thank you, but only ate a little bit. Here in Spain they do not eat a big breakfast, so we decided to go to the local panaderia (bakery) and enjoy a croissant. Not many people speak English, but it is easy to ask for something or point to it. The more you try, the better the speaking skills get.  We walked to the school and saw everyone’s smiling faces! At the school, we met Lourdes, our coordinator/guide, she showed us the school. It is very nice, and is in the heart of the city! Next, Lourdes told us the history of most of the buildings and we walked across the city. Next, we went back to our families houses and enjoyed lunch. Lola made us paella, a traditional Spanish dish. It was wonderful! The food is different, but we are tasting everything! We walked around the city, and saw the stores. We (Sarah and Alexis) enjoyed the parks, and ventured through the streets. We met the group back at the Plaza and talked about our trip. So far everyone is having a great time. It is tough to get used to the change, but once you become open-minded it gets better! We enjoyed gelato as a group, and visited gift shops! After, we all went home to enjoy a dinner with our family. Lola made us ham and cheese grilled sandwiches with French fries. We talked to her about our day and told her all of the great activities. She laughed when we tried to explain, but eventually we found the right Spanish words to explain our day. We went walking in the city and found dessert. Tomorrow will be our first day of classes, and everyone is nervous, but excited! Hopefully you enjoyed reading our blog, and we will keep posting! We are having a wonderful time, and cant wait to make more memories! Please scroll to see pictures of our trip!

¡Adios Amigos! Hasta Luego!

Sarah y Alexis