Greetings from Spain!!! I have dreamt about being in this country for years...it's hard to believe that I will actually be LIVING here for the next four months of my life. I am LOVING everything about it so far! I arrived last Sunday, so I've been here for almost one full week now.

My host family is wonderful. I live with a Spanish professor, Antonieta, and her 10-year-old son, Nicolás, in a quaint apartment on Rúa do Vilar (a street that runs through the heart of the city). When I arrived in Santiago de Compostela, I was met by one of the professors at the university, Pacho, who drove my friend Ateia and me to our homes. After about 15 minutes in the car (which was actually a van…and thank goodness because I wayyy over-packed!), we turned onto a very heavily populated cobblestone road, which didn’t appear to be a road at all! It is known as la Praza de Toural – appropriately named for its popularity with tourists – and it is basically the heart of the older part of Santiago. While “older” might not sound like a good thing, it’s actually quite fantastic because I am surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful architecture. Antonieta is incredibly sweet and always wants to feed me as much as I can possibly eat. So far she’s made empanadas, tortilla española (like an omelet with potatoes and onions), homemade vegetable soup (delicious!), and chorizo and cheese grilled sandwiches (did you know that chorizo comes in deli slices, like turkey or ham? I didn’t!). I am still adjusting to the mealtimes…for breakfast we have café con leche (yes, that’s typically all), around 11:30 am we have a small meal (usually a “bocadillo,” a small sandwich) or more café con leche, around 2:30 pm we have lunch (which is the largest meal of the day ~ yesterday I ate at a restaurant and had fresh salmon, potatoes, a small salad, and gelato), another snack during the siesta (anywhere from 4 pm – 6 pm), and dinner is usually served at 9 pm. The Spaniards actually consider 9 pm to be the afternoon! Nighttime isn’t until 10 pm!! From what I can tell, the streets are fairly quiet until 10 pm, but after that…it’s crazy! There is lots of music, dancing, eating, drinking, etc. etc. etc.

Although I miss my family and friends dearly, I am really having an extraordinary time. I can already see HUGE improvements in my Spanish speaking abilities and I’ve only been here for a little over 24 hours!
In my opinion, studying abroad is the only way to completely master a foreign language. When I wake up, I speak Spanish…when I go to school, I speak Spanish (for the most part)…when I go out to eat, I speak Spanish…when I shop, I speak Spanish…when I need help, I speak Spanish…every interaction forces me to confidently step out of my comfort zone and trust myself. I also have to remind myself that I don’t have to be perfect; it’s okay if I forget a word or incorrectly conjugate a verb. Life goes on! And usually, people can figure out what you meant to say. Since she’s a Spanish professor, I asked my host mom to please correct me if I say anything incorrectly. That should be a tremendous help!

All is well in España, and hopefully it is in the United States too. Adios! :)

*Photo Descriptions*

#1: The view from my window!
#2: Rúa do Vilar
#3: The famous cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.