¡Hola! I made it to Toledo, España, without any problems (thank goodness) and I absolutely love it here. The day that we arrived was INSANE! We basically got off the plane, got on a bus to Toledo, listened to a short orientation, and then were whisked away by our host families for the rest of the day. It was quite the experience...especially running on a minimal amount of sleep after traveling for about 24 hours! I live in an apartment in Poligono, a modern suburb of Toledo, that is about a 20 minute bus ride outside of the old walled city where my school is located. My host parents, Geli (pronounced "Haley") y Luis, are so amazing. They love talking to me and teaching me about Spanish culture, history, sports and just about everything. Both of them are retired which means I get to spend a lot of quality time with them practicing my Spanish and laughing a lot. They have a daughter, Raquel, and son, Ivan, both of which are grown up and living on their own so I haven't been able to meet them yet. Ivan is a musician in Madrid and also works as a interviewer for a university TV program. I'm not really sure what Raquel does, but she has 2 jobs, one with the government, and knows a variety of languages.
The first weekend in Toledo I spent a lot of time at the Fundación (my school), learning my way around the city, and hanging out with the other students. We got a full tour of the city and it was completely breathtaking. There is so much history packed into the tiny walls of Toledo. Besides fun stuff like touring the city and dinners in the courtyard with live music, we had placement exams, interviews, class planning, and an orientation where they showed an extensive video about pick-pockets (whom are quite crafty and technologically advanced these days!) Classes started on Monday...but that's not really that important (just kidding Mom and Dad! haha)
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| Kelsey, new friends from Notre Dame and I with the best view in Toledo |
On Tuesday, I explored the Mercadillo in Toledo (flee market), where it was very hard to resist buying things because it's all so cheap!! And on Wednesday after class (my classes go until 9 PM!! which is not customary in Spain) a bunch of students headed over to La Plaza de Toros to catch the second half of the Spain vs. Croatia game with all of the Toledo residents (if you're not watching the Eurocup, Spain won!...and is pretty much the bomb.com) Another fun activity we like to do here is go to the bars, which is pretty easy since there are two of them right next to our school. I haven't gotten to explore too many of the bars yet...but they are pretty awesome and give you a plate of free tapas (appetizers) every time you buy a cervesa (beer). Last night a few of us went to the Feria de Poligono (pretty much the same as a county fair) and enjoyed some fresh (very greasy) churros and some quality people watching.
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| Plaza de Toros |
Well, that's all I have time for today! I am off to Madrid for this morning for a fun weekend of exploring the discotecas and some other more educational stuff too ;) Next time I will have to fill you all in on some of the cultural differences that I have been getting used to. Muchos besos y un abrazo fuerte to everyone back home! Miss you guys!
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