The Little Engine That Could!

Well! It's been over week since I arrived in Spain, but it feels like a year! I honestly don't see how anyone could be mentally prepared before going to study in a foreign country, where they are not fluent in the native language or accustomed to local traditions! If I were to elaborate on all of the new things I have encountered, my blog would be the same length as War and Peace, so I will try to make it as brief as possible.
A great place to start, though, is the day after I published my last blog. It was my second day taking the bus, by myself, to my school, and I felt fairly confident in myself. I sat down, and stared up at the screen on the bus. Before I knew it I was in unknown territory, and went up to the bus drive to ask if we had gone by Marques del Nervion, where my school is located. He stopped the bus and told me to go get the number 27 bus. I was super freaked out! I called my mother, back in the US (it was 2 AM there,) crying, probably looking like a total lunatic to everyone who passed me by. I then came to my senses and asked a few people where Marques del Nervion. One old woman had a hard time understanding my accent, and told me to go to a bar (at 8 in the morning! I didn't think so!) I knew that my bus did not make any turns so I just kept going straight, and eventually I came upon Marques del Nervion! I was late to school, of course, and I had little focus all day, but I learned that I should always carry a map, and be attentive about where the bus is going!
Now, my school! There are quite a few quirky things about it, like how all of the kids hang out in a bathroom, boys and girls! Also, randomly during class some of the kids scratch or massage each other! Maybe they do that because they've been going to school with each other so long?
Everyone says that European schools are really difficult, but after seeing some of the material that is taught in the classroom, and the amount of homework that is given, I think that it is easier than the American school system. Yes, in the United States we have do more critical thinking, but I felt like the AP classes I took were much harder than what the Spanish students are doing in Geography!
Friday was my birthday, and it was certainly not an easy one, since it was my first one away from people that cared about me and of whom I was familiar with! I went with my school to a convent for a religious retreat (I don't know what was going on, but not a lot of praying,) which was a little embarrassing because when I came to school I found everyone decked out in their fashionable casual wear. The girls had every their hair done, as well as having covered their faces with tons of makeup. I felt a little out of place, considering that I was wearing my makeshift uniform (my school didn't have one for me, so I had to buy one!) and was suffering from exhaustion and a bad hair day. Not your ideal beauty! But I stayed strong, and I made some acquaintances! Finally! That's one thing that has really bummed me out! In English I am very sociable person, but right now with Spanish I can barely contribute to the conversation!
Anyways, Friday afternoon I came home and was feeling fairly happy, until I came up to my host mother's apartment, and I couldn't open the door. Then I realized I was home alone, because I told my host mother and sister that I was going to do something with one of the girls in my class, but that fell through! But when I was at my worst, in came Margarita, Claudia, and Margarita's brother's, David, family, with consisted of mouthy Julia, who's 3, Inez, 2 months, and his wife, Pepi. I love little kids, and spending time with Julia really made my day!
Later Margarita's father, Manuel, came over, and we had some ice cream cake, in honor of my birthday.
That evening Margarita and I went to the historic center! We went to the Giralda, walked down la Avenida de la Constiucion, and la Iglesia del Salvador.

Iglesia del Salvador

Archivos de Indias

La Giralda

La Giralda

La Giralda

La Giralda

Romanas Aquiductos

Saturday Julia and Inez came over and spent the day with Margarita and I (Claudia goes home every weekend to Huelva.) That evening Margarita, her friend Conchi, and I went to la Basilica de la Macarena. (The Macarena is a statue of the Virgin Mary. I'm fairly certain that the statue came before the dance!) That was really interesting because we were there during Saturday evening service, and there were a ton of military service men and women in there military uniforms. I don't know what the Spanish military forces do (brainwash Gibraltan monkeys into thinking they're Spanish?) but it was quite a site to see all of these people worshiping in such a beautiful space! Afterwards we went out for tortas at a local cerveceria.

La Macarena

Sunday, Margarita's other brother, Jose, came over with his family for lunch, to celebrate Margarita's birthday (which is Tuesday.) We went to another cerveceria, which is close to her apartment, and then had a very long lunch (4 hours.) Later, Conchi came over with all of these sweets, which is a super plus to having a friend who works for a candy company (Compana.)
So there you have it! I thorough run down of my first full week in Spain! In future posts I will try to have more of a focus, like school or family, but we'll see how that goes. Hasta luego for now!