Enjoying the Food and Sightseeing in Spain

I took one look out the window of my flight and could not believe I was headed for Spain. On one hand I knew that I was leaving the United States for three months, on the other, it was very difficult to comprehend.  I figured that since I have been to parts of the United States without my parents, I would be immune to the homesickness they discussed in orientation.  However, now that my flight was in the air I wasn’t so sure. As our plane continued across the Atlantic that night, I spent my time watching a movie before falling asleep and dreaming about what Spain would be like.

I awoke to my brother forcefully shaking me, as the light from the window burned my eyes. I knew we had arrived at the airport, but I really didn’t want to get up, especially since I was really tired with the time difference. Spain is 6 hours ahead of the United States, I really should still be sleeping.  My brother didn’t seem concerned with this fact.  We exited the plane, got our bags, and headed out of the airport to meet all of the other students who were studying abroad. All of us were packed into a small van and headed to our hotel. When we arrived we had to quickly unpack, it was already time for lunch. After a short walk, I found myself eating fried peppers stuffed with fish, a hamburger, and fries. The food was incredible.  I am a little bit of a picky eater, so I was really happy the food so good.

After lunch, we took a bus to the biggest park in Spain. The amount of people there was shocking. They were playing music, dressing up as famous movie characters like Ironman, pretending to be statues, rollerblading and cycling, and many just sitting around and having simple conversations.  Everyone was just having a good time.  As the tour continued I was completely amazed by the architecture of the statues in Madrid, the detail and the size were incredible. As the day faded, our park tour came to an end and we headed for dinner. We stopped at a tiny restaurant near Plaza Mayor. I ended up ordering the calamari sandwich. It was great; I never had calamari on a sandwich before.

We did so much in one day, it feels like I have been here for a week already.  The food and the sightseeing have been great.  In a few days I will be traveling to meet my host family.  I am really looking forward to it!