Week 1

Well, it hasn't even been a week and it feels like so much more because so much has happened! I arrived in Madrid on the 27th and missed the plane to Alicante because my first flight was delayed. Luckily, there were a few other girls from my program and so between us we were able to get tickets for a later flight. When we arrived at the hotel where we stayed until Sunday afternoon, we did some icebreakers with the group and Spanish student helpers. The whole weekend was dedicated to informing us about the city, Spanish traditions, and eating with the student helpers. There were so many wonderful foods! I love gazpacho, the tuna here, paella, and so much more.
Gosh the first week seems to have flown by now. I met my family last Sunday and they are so much fun! I now have three new sisters and a new mother. My sisters are 8, 11, and 14 and the two younger ones are always talking fast and loud. They made me a welcome sign. Later, Andrea gave me a picture of me, Eva gave me a few little toys and Irene a pretty necklace. They're all super nice, just like my madre.
I only have one class until the 13th, but it is an intensive course which is 4 hours per day with a one hour break. We've already written two essays, edited one, and taken a test over lots of grammar. When I wasn't in class this week I hung out with my family a lot, got a mobile phone, and went to the beach. With CIEE our whole group climbed the castle in Alicante and all of the views were gorgeous! I took so many pictures. I went out to the barrio and the casino(for bars, not betting) Friday and Saturday night. It was lots of fun, although I would like to go to a bar with less Americans and I need to learn how to dance. Then on Saturday our group went to two beach towns in Alicante- Villajoyosa and Guadalet. Villajoyosa has a pretty church with an interesting history and an absolutely beautiful beach. Guadalet has a castle as well but with beautiful views of the countryside, not a city. It is also a pretty little town. On Sunday I basically did nothing but watch TV, but I think it was a necessary break because I couldn't sleep in Sunday and I didn't go to bed until late Saturday night. Today I went for a run along the beach which was nice. So many people are out here at night, and of all ages. You see babies to older people walking. I love it.
Anyways, that's all for now. I will try to be a bit more faithful in the future, but it's hard when I'm doing so much.