El Comienzo

SO I am very far behind with updating my blog and recording everything that has happened thus far in Spain. I will try to be better and keep a good record here of things that I have done in Spain.

On the way to Spain, our plane was delayed because of the freak storms in Dallas so we landed in some tiny town called Abilene, TX where we waited for an hour. They were so small they almost didn't have stairs high enough to reach the plane. I watched the time tick away as I wondered if I would catch my next flight out of Dallas.
We landed, I called to see how delayed my next flight would be, it was supposed to take off in 5 minutes...I COULD SEE THE PLANE as we taxied to the terminal. I was sure I would watch it fly off without me from the plane I was landing in. Luckily it waited long enough for me to run and catch it...but not long enough for my luggage to make it.

I got to Spain later than I expected and I was sure the shuttle to Alcala de Henares (where I would be staying) had already left...which it hadn't I later found out. I went to see if my luggage made it..nope. I went to call the school to see what I should do. After a series of events which included me spending 30 euros (more than 35 dollars) on a calling card, a 50 dollar taxi ride, and a whole lot of confusion, I made it to the Plaza where we were supposed to meet up. No one was there! I called the school again, which was close by, and someone came and took me to my house. I met up with my family, happy to be "home."


Quick review of activities from the first few days:
Through one girls attempt to practice Spanish with an attractive Spaniard, a small group of girls in our group were invited to watch from the balconies as bands of minstrels came by to serenade them from below. It is a annual festival in Alcala where bands from the Universities will come and play classic Spanish music to girls on balconies to woo them. ALL the other girls on balconies (maybe 4 balconies more) were part of the show, our girls were the only ones who were not haha.

These traveling groups come from mostly Spain, one came from Peru, and they travel all over playing this music while simultaneously studying. REALLY cool to be able to watch from the alleyway below while eating tapas. The men are also incredibly forward and will whistle to the girls and compliment them in more ways than you'd think possible. I think the girls from our group were just eating it up


The picture at the top: One of the many palaces in Madrid, one of the first places we traveled to as a group. We then went to El Prado, the famous museum that has work from Velazquez, Goya, el Greco, and more. It is incredible to me how talented they all were. It was also crazy how dark Goya got (for an ex: Google the painting Saturn by Goya). It's been a fun start to this trip!