27 Enero: Primeras Piensas

Holaaaaa de España! It's super late here but I wanted to get this started with a few thoughts.

First: What I'm thinking right now-my converter is charging my laptop right now and it's buzzing really loud and it might blow up. Who knows?

Second: Quick run down of the trip so far: Tuesday at 3pm until now (2am Saturday morning)= 3 flights, a night in a hotel (figuring out how to get there in Spanish was fun), and a 3 hour bus ride later with 20 total ISU students and some random Spanish people, my roommate Hannah and I met our host parents, figured out our housing situation, ordered a bus pass and a library card, and I got a Spanish cell phone.

Third: A little about my host family- Leandro and María Teresa are the most precious abuelitos you could imagine. They love to talk about-well, anything, and lots of it, quickly!-but mostly about their grandchildren. They are very Catholic, kind, and warm. They have hosted lots of students before, and-here's the kicker-they have heat in their apartment! It's glorious :) Teresa loves to cook, which brings me to...

Fourth: Food-so far, so good! Last night: a soothing tea, vegetable puree, fried chicken and cheese croquetes, ensalada w/ olive oil and vinegar, french fries, and mandarinas (like clementines); this morning: toast with marmelade, café con leche (best.thing.ever), and galletas; for lunch: bread and a very rich buttery garlic potatos, carrots, some fish, and some shrimp. The shrimp was drowning in buttery garlic goodness, but I didn't much care for the fish. For dinner, we had tomatoes covered in olive oil and fresh chopped garlic (I would eat it for every meal) and tortilla con patatas (an egg and potato bake!) and yogurt. I love all the garlic!

Finally, a condensed list of my many praises to God:
-safe travels
-sweet companions (the ISU students are wonderful!)
-beloved host family
-warm apartment
-good food
-an easy roommate
-a beautiful and blessed first few days in España

Hablamos pronto!