¡Estoy aquí!

I do not currently have the energy to write this post in both English and in Spanish, but perhaps I will add the Spanish later.

It is 6:30 PM Salamanca time and it seems so long ago that I was in Sacramento.  My first flight to Washington, D.C. went quickly as I spent much of it asleep. My connecting flight to Madrid was delayed about 30 minutes due to rain; we were actually lucky to be allowed to leave, as the "Departures" board indicated many cancelled flights.

The second flight was about 8 hours, but it too passed incredibly quickly.  I watched "Jeff, Who Lives at Home," a couple episodes of Sex and the City, ate terrible plane food, and then attempted to sleep.  I was not as successful as I was before, but I felt reasonably energized upon arrival in Madrid.

I was one of the first people in my group to arrive, so after collecting my luggage I waited near the "Meeting Point" -- it's literally called that, kinda funny -- and talked to some nice women from New Jersey.  Who doesn't like a good Jersey Girl?

Eventually my people showed up and I think that really gave me a second wind.  They were all friendly and excited like I was and they're all really cool.  One girl was incredibly jet-lagged, couldn't find her passport or her wallet, and discovered a little too late that she had gotten the wrong bag at the baggage claim. If I were her I would have been in TEARS....she was better at keeping it together haha. After that got sorted out, we went to the bus and headed off for Salamanca!

Salamanca is approximately 2 and half hours from Madrid by bus, and most of my companions fell asleep quite quickly.  One of my classmates, Ben, and I were determined not to give into the jet lag so we talked the whole way and got to know one another fairly well.

When we got to Salamanca, those students with host families were greeted and taken to their new home.  The other residence hall kids and I were shown around, given keys, etc.  I have some pictures I can post of the room later, but it's actually pretty roomy for Europe. There's a super cute kitchenette attached to my room, but I have yet to meet the person I'll be sharing it with.  Oh but the bathroom...it's TINY, but also private so no complaints :) Below are some photos of my room. 

The window is really cool and let's in a lot of light. 

I know it's hard to see, but this shower is reeeaaaal small. We're talkin' miniature. 

I walked around the city after a short nap in search of toilet paper and something for dinner.  Spain is different in that many stores close down in the middle of the day and open up again later at night.  For that reason, it took some investigation to find a super market full of cute Spanish boys in soccer jerseys :) Sorry ladies, I unfortunately do not have a picture of that.  Then I came back, unpacked, and now I'm writing this!

One thing I am super happy about is the language barrier is really not a barrier at all! I find that I understand practically everything I hear and that I am able to ask questions coherently and give responses.  Do not fool yourselves into thinking I am now fluent or something, but this is certainly a good sign for my progress in the month to come.

If you are reading this, I likely miss you a great deal.  I am not nearly as homesick as I expected to be, but that may hit later on. ¡Hasta luego, amigos!