The Wonders of Week 1!

 Hola from Alicante!

"Guys we are in SPAIN!" I've probably said that enough times already to make my new friends annoyed with me and it has only been 6 days, but this is the realization that hits me multiple times per day. Every day we see, learn, eat, or experience something different from how it is at home, and I absolutely love it. 

Day 1:

Left SFO at 6am and flew to Chicago on my first flight by myself! Once in Chicago, I somehow managed to walk out of the secure area trying to find where to check-in and get my boarding pass for my next flight. Here is where I found Skylar though and I'm so thankful that I did. Skylar goes to Boise State but is originally from Roseville, CA. She was behind me in line and I was pretty sure that I had seen her on one of the meetings beforehand so I introduced myself! We then navigated going through security and meeting up with the rest of the people in our program at our gate. A few hours later we took off on our overnight flight to Madrid. 

Day 2:

The days get kind of fuzzy in here with all the time changes but technically it was the next day by the time we got to Madrid. It was quite a sight to see the pack of American 20 somethings try and figure out how to get through the airport and to customs. We then had to go through security again and then just wait for our very small flight to Alicante. Once in Alicante, Luis and Veronica were there to pick us up. It was so nice to have someone waiting to welcome us to Alicante! We then took the bus to Plaza de Los Luceros where we met our host families or landlords. Here is where I met my host mom, Maria! After calling my parents and taking a shower and short nap, maria and I walked around town so that I could see some of the main parts and we even stopped for ice cream! That first evening was kind of rough though as there were definitely a few tears of isolation but I knew that I just needed to get into the swing of things. 

 Day 3:

On our first full day of being in Alicante, we had orientation on campus. This consisted of going over a majority of the basics of life here in Alicante and the expectations that are present. We then took the tram back to the city and got to see Mercado Central! We learned that this is a super important landmark for the people of Alicante because it was bombed about 100 years ago during their civil war. It was absolutely beautiful with all the fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish that you could ever dream of. I then went back with some of the girls that are from Clemson University (Caroline, Mcclain, and Sarah Grace) to one of their apartments to each lunch up on their patio. After that Sarah Grace and I went with each other to our homestays to grab swimsuits for our first trip to the beach. The beach was absolutely gorgeous and you can even see the castle towering over it. Later that "afternoon" (6pm), we took a tour of the city with Luis and got to even see a hidden gem referred to as the barrios de Santa Cruz. This was a beautiful neighborhood with a beautiful view that overlooked the city. The girl from Finland that is staying with us for 4 weeks arrived this day as well. She is about my age and is studying to be a pediatric nurse I believe though that might have been lost in translation. She is very nice, and knows less Spanish than I do but has pretty good English skills. I kind of get to be the translator of some things between our host mom and us which is actually pretty fun for me. I also learned that when they pack you a sandwich for the day, that is not lunch, that is a snack!

 

 Day 4:

We started classes on day 4! I made plans to meet up with Megan and Melina to take the tram to class together I was late by a couple minutes but still managed to be the first one there. We ended up taking the tram in with a few of the other students as well. I definitely was late for class too because we could not remember which way the USAC office was. My class only has Danielle and me in it and we started with learning the alphabet. I was dying of boredom... Danielle has no Spanish language background though so she was definitely struggling. We went to the beach after lunch and then hiked to the top of the Castle before dinner. The castle was more of a fortress than what we think of castles to be, it was quite literally a panoramic view of the entire city though, and well worth the shortness of breath and tightness of muscles. We got gelato after this and it was absolutely amazing. (I got limon y fresas) I think it was this night, but I fell asleep to the sound of people singing ABBA in Spanish... that just made me laugh!

  

Day 5:

Class again this morning and then the beach after lunch. I really could get used to that schedule! We then took a bus to el Faro de Albir (the lighthouse of the city Albir). It was a 5k promenade with the most breathtaking views and gorgeous weather. (also makes me feel really fancy to say "promenade" but maybe that's just me) At some point on the bus ride back, I agreed to go out with people to a club that night though at the time I was not really sure what that all entailed. After dinner, we did go out though not until almost midnight. We started at a bar that we quickly figured out was rather boring and very unnecessarily loud. After people finished their drinks here we moved on to find a club more toward the beach. I think that this was the largest culture shock I have experienced really ever and not even just being that it was a Spanish club. Clubs are absolutely wild. We met people from all over the world but for the most part, they were either high or drunk or both. I felt very sheltered. I got a rum and coke for the first time with was pretty good and then we danced until 2:20 and a few of us were absolutely DONE by that point. We walked everyone home and that was that I guess. So, all in all, I'll say that it was an experience, to say the least. 

Day 6:

Slept in on Saturday and then met up with the group to take the tram to Playa de San Juan. We laid on the beach and chatted about life and our hometowns/college towns and just got to enjoy being together. The water to some is cold, but I think that it is absolutely beautiful in comparison to central coast beaches in California. The water is so clear and the most gorgeous blue color. I reapplied sunscreen a couple times but still managed to get really burnt. I will be covering up at the beach for the next few days I think lol. Then we got lunch and went home for showers and a nap. I watched a movie until dinner and then spent some time looking for flights for during our break between sessions and then finished up my homework and went to bed.

  Day 7:

We had "American breakfast" this morning and I put ketchup on my eggs and really weirded them out but eh American things I guess hahhahah. I then wrote about my week in my journal and now here I sit writing this. Sundays are pretty slow here with not a lot going on but we will see where the day takes me.

This week has already been full of ups and downs as we try and navigate new culture and new friends, but I am confident that this is where I am supposed to be. Thank you for continued prayers for safety and a good time. My goal is to post a weekly update on here as to what all is going on. Love and miss you all! 

Hasta luego!