The First Week

The first week has been the hardest so far. Trying to get accustomed to people speaking to you in Spanish (very fast Spanish) and having to understand AND respond was not an easy thing to do. I typically froze and stood there wide-eyed until someone else stepped in and responded to whatever had been said. I still do sometimes lol. Life here is so different than what I am used to. For one thing, city life is completely new, since I grew up in a small town and have only lived in Marietta for a year (and that’s not even city life). The Metro was a new experience, a fun one, too. It is so nice to be able to go almost anywhere you want in the city without having to drive. I would be much too terrified to drive around here. The roads are confusing, the drivers really good and really crazy, and the parking places impossibly small. I can definitely see why the cars are so small. Many people don’t even drive, and just walk everywhere. It is so nice to be in a country where people walk everywhere and cars actually stop for pedestrians. And it’s amazing to see people, families even, walking around at 10, 11, 12 o’clock at night. This is partly due to the fact that it doesn’t get dark until nearly 10:30, but even taking that into consideration, it’s not what I’m used to. Most of the people here are quite friendly, but most don’t smile as much as Americans, or rather Southerners, do. They seem to be more open about their feelings, and only smile when they really mean it. My favorite thing has definitely been the siesta. I love naps, and having one basically scheduled into my everyday routine has been lovely. Its so hot here, so I can understand why no one wants to be working or moving around during that time, and it also helps to further explain why everyone stays up so late. It has definitely been nice living in Spain, but I still have a lot of adjusting to do.