Las muchas maravillas de España

The past week has undoubtedly flown by as every day so far in Spain has been full of activities, traveling and learning. I have traveled more in the last week than I have in a very long while and I have never felt more out of my element. Having never left the United States, I had no idea what kind of things to expect upon coming to Spain. Sure, I had taken several classes on the Spanish language and culture but it is something that has to be experienced, rather than taught.

I have always considered myself "decent" at the Spanish language, confident that I would be able to navigate myself through a city, or even a country, solely on the linguistic skills I have gained through my past six years of Spanish classes. Much to my chagrin I was greeted in Madrid by an entire word of unknown vocabulary and accents. Everyone around me was speaking 100 miles per minute and I couldn't understand a word, and I made it clear to everyone around me with my thick American accent and map of Spain that I am obviously not from this country.

It felt so foreign to me, something that I strongly disliked. Since I had taken various classes on Spain and had done quite a bit of research before I arrived I felt confident that I would conquer the culture and language, no doubt. Unfortunately though, as soon as I arrived in the Madrid Barajas airport I was knocked down by a wave of culture shock that I am still attempting to overcome.

This culture shock had a special affect on me upon meeting my host family, people who have lived in Sevilla all their lives. I live in a beautiful part of Sevilla called Triana with a mother and father (María and Miguel) and two children (María del Mar and Aurelio) and their cat (La Luna). They are a fantastic family and welcomed me into their family immediately. I feel very accepted in this family but the language and culture barriers are very unfamiliar to me. Sometimes they poke fun at me because whenever I don't understand what they're saying to me (which is often) I have the tendency to just nod my head and say "sí, sí, sí" without even knowing the question. They tell me I need to listen better.

I think the hardest thing to get used to so far is the eating agenda. It's completely different than the United States and I still haven't gotten the hang of it. They will wake up around 7:30 or 8 and eat a small breakfast of toast and coffee, perhaps some fruit. Then they eat a huge lunch at 3 or 4, starting with appetizers and a beer, followed by a main dish and glass of wine, and finally a dessert and another form of alcoholic beverage. This meal usually lasts around two to three hours. They finish the day with a small dinner around 10:00 usually consisting of small finger foods called tapas. It's the strangest schedule and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of one giant meal in between two smaller ones. Don't get me wrong, the food in Spain is absolutely incredible, I only hope that I am able to eat at more regular times when I get back to America.

For the most part I feel like I have overcome the homesickness that I have been feeling for the past week. I have made a number of new friends through my program and I look forward to spending the next 3 wonderful months with them, learning, traveling and growing. I still miss my amazing family, my sorority sisters, and my best friend Kelly Picune, but being able to keep in touch with them via Skype and phone calls has definitely made it a lot easier.

During my time here I will keep in mind a quote from an email my Dad sent to me just the other day:
""Oh, and don’t forget that you’ll be talking about the next 2-1/2 months for the rest of your life. Make the most of your time in Spain and you’ll create great memories that will last a lifetime."

I miss everyone at home so, so much and I can't wait to see everybody in December :)

Viva España!

Triana Bridge