Well getting here was very long and boring. A lot of flying, and heartbreak remembering my last goodbyes with my friends and family. But this long long trip was also filled with a sense of indescribable freedom and excitement. As I boarded my first plane to Chicago, the adrenaline that filled my veins was overwhelming. My second flight came with an even more intense rush, as I was leaving my beloved country, and would not see American soil again for a whole year. Luckily, I found another rotary student friend to share this thrill with! Her name was Emily and we were seated together on our eight hour journey to Madrid, España. We had a blast being confused together, for the flight was a spanish Airline and we were just two vivid American dots in a sea of Spaniards. After the flight stepping into the Madrid airport was scary. No one spoke english and neither of us spoke spanish. To find our way in this massive airport we asked directions from a man at a counter with broken english. As she was looking for the exit (she was to live in Madrid, so this was her last stop) I was looking for my terminal that would take me to a small city in northern Spain named Pamplona, which was about thirty minutes away from my final destination of a small town named Sangüesa. Emily and I said our good lucks to each other as she left the airport into the bustling Madrid city. As I looked at my ticket I realized that my ticket did not tell me what flight or terminal to go to! I spent the next three hours frantically asking anyone who spoke english where my flight took off from, and finally a woman told me that in Spain, they do not schedule the terminal or plane numbers until a half an hour until departure . Because Pamplona is a very small airport, the plane we took there was very small, but because there was not many people it turned out to be the most comfortable flight yet! One side note... on all Spanish flights, I'm pretty sure being a professional model is in the job description for a Spanish flight attendant. ALL of them looked like they could be on the cover of beauty magazines. And they all acted like they were posing for pictures the entire flight. They were beautiful. America: Take note.
Anyway, As I landed, I noticed that we had to walk from the tarmac to the actual building. The building itself looked deserted. The few of us on the plane got our baggage and walked through security. I had some trouble with customs having a problem with some WI cheese I brought but other than that it went ok. This is where I met Juan, my new host father. He was tall, and spoke english very well. He told me that for the rest of the day I could speak english because I was tired (which was accurate after 45 hours without sleep). But after that it was all spanish, for I needed to learn... FAST. He took me to my new home and my jaw dropped. Coming from a lower economic status back home, this apartment was incredible. Glass staircase, huge rooms, and big flat screens everywhere. That night I slept very well, but jet lag was still holding me back in the morning. The next day I was to meet my "set up" friends. Juans' daughter Silvia had gone to Australia with the exchange program, and had told her friends to take me under their wing. I was very nervous to meet them but after a while I was fine. They were very good to me and included me as best they could. It was still hard because the language barrier was nearly impossible to break. The second day I went out with them as well, this time was a little better because my spanish was improving rapidly. They were getting ready for La Fiestas de Sangüesa... a week long party in this small city that included dancing, costumes, and of course hard core partying. My wonderful host mother Carmen even told me in her broken english to not expect to be home until early morning! Anyway thats my first couple of days... more to come! Me and the family are taking a week long vacation to the beautiful city of Valencia, and I have a meeting in Madrid next weekend for all the exchange students. I'm sure that will bring many amazing stories!
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| Chicago to Madrid. Here we go... |
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| First ever glimpse of Europe. |
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| Three different kinds of Red Bull! I'm in heaven. |
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| Loving host parents :) |
