My first couple days in Toledo!

I have only been here a few days, and I feel like I have done a total of a few weeks’ worth of learning! Even though it has been pretty hard at times, I feel like after these three days, I am finally starting to adjust. Everyone keeps saying just wait 10-20 days, and you will see how much you feel adjusted and how well your Spanish improves even in that short of time. So every day, I wake up and say to myself “I can do this – for I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Do not be discouraged, because He will be with me wherever I go,” and then I start the day with a “just try your best” attitude. Thank you to everyone at home who is encouraging me, and I am praying for and thinking about you guys every day in all honesty, no matter how busy or crazy each day might be. Here are the important highlights of my first three days in Toledo:

First Day – Thursday, January 14^th

Our plane landed in Madrid at 9 a.m. (it was supposed to land at 8 a.m. but we had about an hour delay in Philadelphia). The plane ride was shorter than I thought it would be - 6 hours and 18 mins. I slept a little on the plane, but definitely not a full night’s sleep! Then we hopped on a bus to Toledo and then we were expected to function as though we slept in a bed that night, but I was so tired! The program coordinators who met us at the airport and took us on the bus told us not to sleep because we had to adjust to Spain schedule, but I accidentally fell asleep for like 30 mins on the bus - I couldn't keep my eyes open!

It didn’t hit me until we were actually driving into Toledo, I am actually in Spain! The bus stopped on the edge of the city because it couldn't make it up the narrow streets and the hills with all our luggage in the bus. So we had to get off and load our luggage onto two trucks (since there is so many of us). The truck was really sketchy and I didn't think it would make it up to the school, but it did! So we hopped back on the bus and went to the school, which is on top of a hill (there are a lot of hills). Then we got off the bus, waited for the truck to bring our luggage, unloaded our luggage from the truck and went into the school. Our school is called the Fundación José Ortega y Gasset, it used to be a monastery. 

So once we got into the school we went into the cafeteria and waited for lunch to be served. The program coordinators welcomed us, they are all so nice, and then we ate lunch. Lunch was really good and hit the spot -  they serve one main dish and then have a separate table for vegetables and salad, plenty of food. After lunch, we did a tour of the school. After the tour, we had a host family meeting for the students living in host families. Bear in mind the tour and this meeting were all in Spanish now and I am exhausted, it was a little rough! And then they gave each of us our bus pass and info about our host family and then I got super nervous because we all filed downstairs to meet them. All the students stood on the stairs and the families were standing on the first floor. They called our names one by one to greet our host families while everyone was watching you. We did the "dos besos", kisses on each cheek, greeting. I was one of the last ones to be called, but I knew what my host family looked like because I remembered the picture from my friend Jennifer's blog. Only the mom and the little girl Carmen were there waiting for me. So my name was called and I greeted both the mom and Carmen and then we went into the cafeteria for a snack and coffee and to chat. The mom waited at the table while Carmen and I got coffee and water. I was so nervous. I told Carmen I liked her shoes (they were the sparkly kind that light up when you walk), and I asked her what her favorite color was and how old she was (she is 9). So the mom, Carmen and I sat in the cafeteria for a while, they did most of the talking and I just answered basic questions about myself. Carmen is so sassy to her mom, it was kind of funny to watch. They talked to each other really fast, but when they talked to me they slowed things down and made it simpler which is good. After that, we walked to go drop off Carmen at her violin lessons which was right next to the school. Then my host mom and I went for a walk around Toledo, and she showed me how to get to the bus stop from the school and we even took the bus to the house. My host mom and I went to the house and she showed me everything. She kept telling me, “our house is your house”, and told me to grab food whenever I am hungry. I have my own bathroom and my own bedroom - the bedroom is pink and has a lot of Carmen's books and toys in it.

After that, we took the bus back to the school, picked up Carmen, and then drove home. It was probably about 8:00 now at that time. Carmen played the piano for me and had me pick out songs she should play. Then Javi (the dad) came home and so I got to meet him. After that we ate dinner (so around 8:30). We ate an egg bake thing, but it had vegetables in it. And then they brought out some chicken and I had one piece of that. They kept telling me to eat more, but I told them I was full. For "dessert" in Spain they have fruit, so I had a piece of fruit. I was getting really tired at this point and kind of wanted to be done speaking Spanish. And then Carmen was watching Disney Channel (same shows as in the U.S. but Spanish voice overs) and she offered me ice cream so I couldn't say no!

After I was done with that, I went to my room and was coming to realize how tired I was again. Carmen came in and was playing with my Pooh Bear and talking to me and showed me her collection of lip gloss. Then I went to shower and back to my room and I fell asleep right away.

Second Day – Friday, January 15^th

Today we had to be back at the Fundación at 9. My host mom drove me there today after she dropped off Carmen at school. We had a test right when we got there - just writing and grammar so the professors know that we at least have some experience in Spanish. I bombed the grammar though (literally), it was kind of hard and I had trouble remembering stuff. After that we had time to kill so my two friends and I went for a walk and tried to remember how we get to the bus stop from school. We got lost, but it seems as if you can always find your way back, we did find our way back so no worries! The streets are so windy here and super narrow. I don't understand how people drive their cars but they do - not slow either so you got to watch out for cars while you are walking. The buildings are really old and cool. There are little shops EVERYWHERE. 

Once we got back to the school I had a meeting with my professor to set up my classes. I am taking four classes and I don't start classes until 12:55 everyday...but I end at 6:10 almost every day. So I will probably eat lunch at school and spend most of my time in the afternoons at school getting homework done.

After the meeting with the professor, I had more free time. So we hung out and chatted and then had lunch at 1:30. After lunch we went for a walk again and got lost again, haha. We walked up so many hills!!! It was a tiring walk - getting my workouts in that is for sure!

I stayed the whole day at the school because we had a meeting at 7 p.m. where the program coordinators told us more information about the program, and then we had a special “welcome dinner” with lots of appetizers. 

I returned home very late because the welcome dinner went on for a while, around 10:30 p.m., and only Javi was home because María Jesús (host mom) and Carmen were at the “pueblo” of María Jesús’ mother. María Jesús goes there every other weekend to take care of her mom, and sometimes Carmen accompanies her. Javi and I talked for a little bit and then I was off to bed. Completed day two!

Here are some pictures:

This is my two friends, Emily and Chalena, and I on our walk. My friend had a selfie stick so we used it to take a selfie!

Carmen likes my stuffed animals I brought (yes, I brought stuffed animals, you are never too old for stuffed animals even though it is a little embarrassing that I brought them). This picture makes me smile :) 

A quick note: Why do I feel the need to blog my experience?

This one will probably be my longest and my most boring blog (the other ones will be more themed and not just a list of activities of what I did), but I thought it was important to go through my first few days here.

My blog is a way to condense all that happened into the more important and interesting things. I may not always be able to update the blog right away. I might write something, but then not post it for a couple days or a week later, but my blog will still serve as a way to keep friends and family back home updated, and a way to keep track of my memories!