Hello from Salamanca

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Hola!
I made it to Salamanca after two days in Madrid. The travel was very easy, and now I am trying to set up this travel blog to see if I can get it to work for you guys. I figure it is the perfect thing to do at 2:00 am when I cannot sleep because of this time change buisness.
Anyhow, I am settled into my appartment, and my land lady is wonderful. She seems like my mother here in Spain. I also am so lucky to have my friend Rachel here to help me figure everything out, like where my classes are, how to find the dance studio, where to get coffee and Tapas, and all those other important things.

I have a wonderful roomate from Morocco, and one from the states, and we are getting one more tomorrow from who knows where. She is most likely either from the US, germany, or Britan. We will see.

Salamanca is so beautiful, I wish I could describe it for you, but I don't know where to start. The streets are full of people all the time. People of all ages, ethnic backrounds, nationality, and probably beliefs. It is moslty a student town, but that does not mean there are no children running around, or old men enjoying the afternoon in the sun, often with a cigarette. It is a warm culture, although there is a certain intensity to everyhting that happens. This intensity is less noticable here than in Madrid (the large city) but it still exists, and it seems to add a sort of passion for life. People here (so far) seem to be making sure they are enjoying what is happening now, and they will worry about the rest later. This sounds like a good thing for me to practice, since it is not how I am used to living.

I start my classes on Monday, and I am excited. There is nothing like being in a foreign country to motivate you to learn the language. I have found that my spanish is enough to get by, and people are very firendly and helpful, however, I cannot wait to be able to actually communicate fully and effectively in spanish.

I have only been here one day, so there is not too much to tell, however I am very excited and happy to be here. I hope all is well at home, everyone take care, and I will write more again soon.

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