Day 10

Today is our 10th day in Spain. So far, so good. Things are very different here, like the food, the people, the music, EVERYTHING. For the most part, the food is excellent which was a big concern of mine because I don't like spicy or extremely salty foods. My family makes typical Spanish meals everyday, so I always get the chance to try something new. I've also been able to go to cafes and bars with friends to try some drinks and pastries.
The people here are a lot calmer than they are back home. No one is ever in a rush to get anywhere because everyone is late anyways, so it doesn't matter. You can literally go up to anyone on the street and start a conversation, whether you know them or not. It usually happens to me at the bus stop. I only sometimes take the bus to school because I personally like to walk. It's about a 40 minute walk, so I get plenty of exercise and I would much rather not have to pay to take the bus.
My host family is very nice. They are all very talkative and patient with me when I don't understand something. There are four children: ages 14, 10, 2, and 1. The oldest is at that stage where she doesn't care about anything and the 10 year old talks A LOT. Our professor says that's how we learn to speak better but since I already know a lot of Spanish, she's just like any other extremely talkative child. The babies are really cute and don't know how to say hi or yes, so they always say bye or no. The house is also really nice because they only recently moved in. There is a pool in the back yard and I have my own room.
Classes so far are going well. No one really likes grammar but of course that's the only way that we'll be able to perfect our Spanish. Our latino studies class is very interesting because we get to take a look at a variety of issues in the hispanic world. Immigration is our biggest topic. There's so much to learn that goes on in our country that is just the same in others, like Spain. We have our first exam tomorrow. A few people are worried about it but I think it will be just fine. I should be studying right now, actually.

Hasta luego!