In Espana!

After writing this I realize that this is long and probably more information that most of you want to know. Feel free to skim as you please:

Only two days have passed since my arrival in Spain, but I feel as if a week has gone by. There is so much to say I don’t know where to start! I guess at the beginning…my flights were long, turbulent, and delayed (in Madrid). I managed to keep what I had eaten in my stomach; however I felt like I was on a boat for the entire day and night that I arrived. I was stuck in Madrid with 6 other students in the program, and we were very worried that the plane would never come. When we asked at the desk for more information, they said they didn’t know anything, and weren’t even sure if a plane was coming! After two hours of anxious waiting, we boarding the plane….well, almost. We got as far as the skybridge, waited for ten minutes, and then we were told to retrace our steps to the gate again. After 15 more minutes we re-boarded for a second, and fortunately, last time. Oh, how I love to travel!

Luckily, the shuttle came late in order to pick us up and we made it in time for a dinner of tapas at La Hacienda de Jamon. The restaurant décor consisted of a ceiling covered with huge pieces of hanging ham. There are 64 estudiantes in my program, so we took up the whole restaurant. We sat in 3 large tables, and now that I think of it, it was very like the opening feast at Hogwarts. We were treated to ham, cheese, fresh bread, ensalada rusia (a combination of egg salad, potato salad, and tuna salad), ensalada mediterraneana, and a dessert which is a combination of flan & rice pudding. Like espanolas, we finished around 10pm (a bit early, actually).

Yesterday (Saturday), we went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. For the first two nights we stayed in la residencia (dorms) of the Universidad, which is also a hotel. In the cafeteria I enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice, French bread with jam, and tea. Deliciosa! We then went into the city of Alicante (the campus is on the outskirts, about 20 minutes away by bus). I hate to make you all so jealous, but it’s beautiful! We say the Plaza de Toros which starts having fights in March or April, the tram station, el barrio (a part of town with a lots of bars and restaurants and a great nightlife – so I hear).

We also went into the Mercado central where we played a fun game of “guess what animal and what part of its body this piece of meat comes from?” Some of my favorite answers were “cow heart in a bag”, lamb’s heads (eyeballs & teeth intact), pig’s feet, and the skin off the face of a pig. Having visited the open markets in Peru and Thailand, I had prepared myself for the sights and smells, but I think some of the other girls (one vegetarian in particular), were a little surprised and overwhelmed by this spectacle. For lunch we sampled 3 types of paella that came in huge pans, double the size of an XL pizza. Marybeth says they need a special cooking contraption/oven in order to prepare it. The saffron flavor, combined with the fresh seafood and vegetables made it sensational, even though it was drowning in oil; I guess that’s what the bread is for.

This time change has been a struggle to adjust to. I felt exhausted this day and feel asleep on the bus ride back to campus, oops! Luckily, we had just over an hour of free-time so I was able to take a siesta. Even with a nap, I had to make an effort not to let my face fall into my plate at dinner, another feast extending for 2+ hours. Right now I love these long dinners because I don’t have other things on my mind that I need to do, so I am free to relax. I hope I can keep this attitude and appreciate life like an Espanola where life comes first and work comes second (the opposite of what I’m used to in the U.S.).

Okay, Mom. You were right. I admit. The Spanish love love love their jamon. Almost as much as they love their cheese and bread and café con leche. This has been a bit of a problem when the tapas that arrive at the table are pork meatballs, fried cheese, sliced thin ham and cheese, something like a hushpuppy filled with cheese or ham or both, kepaps of ham…etc. I managed to find enough food to get by though. The bread is fresh and delicious, as is the olive oil. The ensalada mediterreana is mostly romaine wedges with tomato, corn, and tuna. Today I had chicken kepaps, white asparagus, and last night I enjoyed a Spanish sandwich called “tortilla Espanola” which has inside it a thick slice of potatoes/eggs (kind of like an omelet). Once I scraped off the copious amounts of mayonnaise, it was delicious!

There are so many aspects of my experience that I want to relate to you all; the weather, the other students, the staff, the students helpers who are native Spanish-speakers, my problems with language, etc. There is really too much to tell! So quick, recap:

Weather = sunny by 1pm, cold at night, cold rooms indoors! Wish I had brought long underwear & looking forward to sunbathing as early as March!

Most exciting of all, today I met my familia!!! But, I am much too tired to tell you about it so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow when I hope to write again. You should know however, that they are great and that I am safe and happy and excited to tell you more.

Buenos noches, Mary