Hola

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Hi everyone!
Well, I've been in Spain for almost a month now. In a way it seems like I just left, but it's also quite hard to remember what life in Maine is like. At first, I had a difficult time adjusting here, but now I'm finally starting to feel settled in. I would say that my life here is almost 180 degrees from my life in Maine. One of the hardest things to get used to is the "Spanish time". Many stores are closed during the siesta time (ranging from 1:30 to 5) and then they reopen from 5 to 9. Everything is closed on Sundays, because that's when everyone goes to church and spends time with family. People eat lunch around 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon and eat dinner around 10 or 11 at night. It's a very normal thing to go out for a drink and sit around talking in the cafe until 2 in the morning.
The weather here has been incredible so far. I think it's only rained really hard once since I got here. It's been about 75 and sunny every day. This region of Spain is notorious for rain, so it's nice not to have to deal with it just yet.
I registered for my classes on Friday, and that's making me feel a lot better. My schedule isn't too bad, though I do have a really long day on Tuesday. I'm taking an instructional Spanish class, a class about grammar and linguistics, The History of Anglosaxon America, Introduction to Comparitive Lit, and Galician Language and Literature. The Galician class is about the culture of Galicia. Most people speak at least two languages here, Spanish, and Galician, which is the language of this region. That class is taught in Galician, which I don't speak and can barely understand. I'm not worried, though, because the class is for foreigners, so I don't think I'm expected to understand everything.
I've met some great people so far, both from Spain and other parts of the world. Unfortunately, I haven't taken any pictures of them yet, so this entry will just have pictures of Santiago. But I will be sure to get some people pictures soon.
In closing, I've titled this blog "La Peregrina en una Busqueda" which translates to The Pilgrim on a Search. There are many pilgrims who come through Santiago after completing the Camino. I think that in my own way, I'm a pilgrim on my own search: most basically for fluency in another language, but also I'm looking to open my mind to another culture and way of life. Ok, so that's all for now, but please stay tuned, and if you have specific questions about life here, email me and I'll do my best to answer. Love and miss you all!

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Photos

Boston Airport
My last look at America for a looong time!

Madrid Airport
I thought this airport was really interesting

The Cathedral
My first look at the cathedral. Isn't it amazing??

Behind Cathedral
Another view of the cathedral

Road behind Cathedral
This road is just behind the cathedral and takes you to Plaza de Cervantes

Park behind Cathedral
I see these flowers every day on my way to class.

Pilgrim Sighting
This is one of the busiest roads in the old part of town. The people in this picture are pilgrims. I really admire them, I think it takes a lot of strength and courage to make a journey like that.

You're probably sick of the cathedral by now, huh?
This is the most famous view of the cathedral. I pass by it every day and still can't get over how magnificent it is.

Puppet Show in the Plaza
I really enjoyed this puppet show, mostly because it was geared toward 6 year olds, and therefore, I could understand every word!

Avenida
I'm not exactly sure of the name of this, but I believe it's called Avenida de Compostela. Well, anyway I think it's quite lovely. It's part of Alamedra Park, which is very close to where I live.

New and Old
This is a shot of the really busy street that divides the new and old parts of town.

Beautiful Fountain
This is a fountain in Alamedra Park. Why don't we have more fountains in Maine? I think this one might be my favorite so far.

Two at Two
This is a very famous statue in Alamedra Park. As the story goes, there use to be two very well dressed women who would stand in the park at 2 o'clock when the students came out from school. I think they might have been looking for compliments on their outfits. The statue is very popular and is a symbol of strong women.

Jazz Man
Sorry this one is blurry. This man is called "Jazz Man" and he is one of my favorite musicians here. He sits in one of the plazas and plays renditions of famous songs. You can't really tell what he looks like because he always wears black face paint. He stopped playing long enough to give me a thumbs up when I took his picture.