The most shocking part about being in Spain right now? Brace yourself...the language. As I sit here in my room and listen to the sounds of the city, I am still taken aback by the fact that the chatter I hear is in a different language. You may think "duh," but I am so shocked by this fact because it means this is real. I am living in Spain; I am not speaking or hearing English, and I am about to truly have the adventure of a lifetime.

The trip over was rather uneventful--minus the swollen legs from such a long flight! We managed to get all 17 of us on the plane, through customs in Spain, and on the bus to Alcala without problems and without a chaperone (look at the Butler education hard at work!) As we drove up to the Plaza del Cervantes in the center of Alcala, we saw an adorable sight: 16 Mamas and 1 Papa waiting to pick up their new hijas and hijos. There I met my new Mama, Dolores Rodriguez Blanco (a.k.a. Lola), who brought me back to her piso where I unpacked in my cozy new habitacion. After some chatting, we had lunch around 3 which consisted of pasta with chorizo, jamon, and cebolla. My first Spanish meal was quite delicious, but Lola gave me a mammoth size portion and after battling a stomach ache all day, I couldn't eat very much. Unfortunately, she said, the girl before me gained 4 kilos in two months due to Lola's insistence on eating more. *Note to self: Stand up to Mama when it comes to food so I don't gordar* Finally, my hermano came home and I was able to meet him (news for those who thought it would only be me and Lola this semester) and drink my first cafe con leche in Spain. Overall, a very successful day.

So as I continue listening to the sounds, I begin to realize it really will be okay. Despite the stress, this will be the semester of a lifetime and I'm so excited to start enjoying it. Today I asked Lola the rules of me going out and she responded:

"En Espana, todo es libre."

In other words: no rules, no schedule, no worries. Just living.
I think I'm beginning to love the Spanish lifestyle.