Day 1

I am so tired.

The layover in Newark went much better than I expected. I didn't have to go through security at all. I just hopped off of one plane and got a shuttle bus over to a different terminal, where I hopped on another plane.

I slept a few hours on the plane and got into Madrid around 9:45. By 10:30, I had my checked bag (which made it, thankfully) and was through customs. The CIEE folks showed up at 11:30, and I met most of the other students in the program. We went back to the hotel, where I got to take about a half-hour nap before lunch. Then we had two hours before our next excursion, so I did some internet things and took another half-hour nap.

Around six, we went out to explore the city of Alcalá, and I learned lots of important and exciting facts. For instance: the leading cause of death for Americans traveling in Europe is being hit by a car, because they don't stop for you in the crosswalks. I mean, they will if they have time, but I think they're not as paranoid about hitting a person as we are here. And I knew that already, but not the Leading Cause of Death part.

Miguel de Cervantes (the guy who wrote "Don Quixote") is the most important person in Alcalá. The people are very proud to say he was born in Alcalá and lived here until the ripe old age of four. Everything is called Cervantes This, Cervantes That, and there's a big statue of him in the middle of town.

We learned the difference between a farmacia and a droguería. A droguería does not sell drugs, contrary to what one might infer from the name. Instead, they sell toiletries and things—shampoo, soap, etc. The farmacia sells the drugs.

We passed this pastry store that looked amazing. It was almost all Alcalá specialty sweets. Goal: get my hands on some fig marmalade by the end of this trip. Yyyum.

We went inside a convent to buy some almendras de Alcalá, or Alcalá almonds. The nun traditionally doesn't look at you as you buy the almonds. There was a little rotating door, like a lazy susan, and our guide (Cristina) and the nun talked through it. Then Cristina put money on the shelf, the nun spun it around, and there were our almonds! They are indeed quite tasty.

We ate dinner and returned to the hotel not long ago. I am exhausted.

We figured out how to use the trains to get at least from the hotel to Alcalá and back (we're just a couple minutes outside the city, I believe). It's very straightforward.

I have the name of one member of my host family: Ana Benito. That sounds cute. I hope she likes me.

Our host families come to pick us up on Wednesday, there's a little more CIEE buddy stuff to get through, then classes start on Thursday. Whoooo.

Time for bed now. I am falling asleep at the keyboard.