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Published: September 3rd 2011
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Hi again everyone!
This has been a very overwhelming few days! I am trying to get used to everything here and the house, my family and getting oriented in the city. I've decided that I am going to be very truthful in my blog here. There's no point in trying to be super brave about everything when honestly I know I am going to have days where Spain is too much, I am overwhelmed and things aren't a perfect European adventure. I know that when I got back from Costa Rica I often got asked "How was it?" It was impossible to describe that six weeks because there was so much that happened, good and bad, fun and difficult. This has to keep going for a year so if I'm just going to give the basic facts of "this is what happened, then this, then this" it will get pretty boring! So, I will tell all exactly as it is.
So far my family is incredibly nice. I have been so lucky in my study abroad experiences to be blessed with two very kind and loving families. Patrica, Ronald, Diana and Priscilla were the perfect family for e in
Paraguas en la playa
Umbrellas on the beach. Costa Rica and I hope Pepa, Serco and Alba will be the same here in Càdiz.
Yes, the space is cramped and that is difficult for me to adjust to. I have never had to share a bathroom with four other people before except in the dorms and even then we had multiple stalls! I realize now how luck I was in Costa Rica to have had my own room, bathroom and a beautiful garden! They live on the third floor of an older apartment building. We had to carry our suitcases all the way up to the top. Good thing I had Sam to whip me into shape this summer or my suitcase would be still be sitting on the street! haha!
I can't lie, I do miss home quite a bit right now. I had my first breakdown on the phone yesterday with my mom and started crying. It happens. When you are in the middle of a new place, new people and especially a totally new culture it is overwhelming. Hearing her voice just made me cry! I am trying very hard to follow the advice of one of the girls here, Meghan: "Be
Balneario de la Palma
This is currently the building for underwater archeological studies. present." A year is going to go by faster than it seems right now so I am really going to try hard to work past the culture shock and enjoy this new culture.
Càdiz is a very beautiful, very old city. We took a tour of it yesterday, but silly me I forgot my camera! But not to worry I have plenty of time to take pictures and it was raining yesterday so they probably wouldn't have been that great. We did go see "la puesta del sol," the setting of the sun. It was beautiful! And I did remember my camera that time! I will try to figure out how to upload photos on to this thingy today. I will also be uploading all of my photos on facebook, but I know not everyone has that.
Pepa is my host mom and a very good cook! Natalie and I have been eating very well, however she thinks I eat very little! I think there are a lot of people who would beg the differ! She really likes Julia Roberts so she has a lot of her movies. She let Natalie and I borrow "La boda de mi
Castillo de Santa Catalina
The setting sun to the left, and the Castle of Santa Catalina to the right. mejor amigo," "My Best Friends Wedding." We watched it in Spanish with the English subtitles because Natalie had never seen it before. Natalie said she doesn't watch many movies...I have so much to teach her. Hahaha!
Today we are going to take our first trip to hang out on the beach after lunch. We don't eat lunch until 2:30 and after that is siesta (rest time) until about 6:00 or so, then dinner is at 9:30. By then I am pretty pooped because I have been going to bed so early at home, so its a big adjustment! Our host day Serco couldn't believe how early we eat dinner, "You go from 6 at night until 8 in the morning without eating!?" Amazing how little things like the time you eat can make such a big difference between cultures!
We start an intensive Spanish class this monday and then actual classes at the University don't start until September 26th, so we have lots of time to adjust to the Andalusia/ Gaditano accent. They have been telling us that it is one of the most difficult to understand, but once you have it, you can understand any Spanish accent
Yo en la playa
Me on the beach! in the world.
This is a pretty long blog today I promis they won't be so long in the future! Hopefully I can get to internet more often starting Monday. I'm pretty sure on this blog you can look at maps of where I have been, see pictures, send me messages and subscribe. If you subscribe to my blog, then everytime I give an update you will get an e-mail letting you know so you can come read it! If there is anyone who would like to Skype or anything please let me know and we can do our best to find a time! Forewarning: If I start crying when we Skype, please ignore it, I'm probably just incredible happy to see someone I know hahaha!
I love and miss everyone 😊
Devin 😊
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