Arrived safely!

Hola amigos y familia! I wanted to let everyone know that I have made it to Santiago safely. It was a LONG trip, and even though this is my third day in Spain, I am still experiencing some jetlag. Me and the other 6 members of my group are all still so mixed up as far as days and time. We are all still running on Kansas time (which is why it is 2:00 am here - 7:00 pm there - and I am still wide awake) We have all been staying up to the wee hours of the morning here because it just feels right, it's difficult to explain, but needless to say...we are trying hard to adjust. So we first arrived in Madrid and me and my new friend Alison had a 9 hour layover so we decided to jump on the Metro (subway) and check out "El centro," which is the heart of downtown Madrid. It was beautiful, especially if you like big cities (it reminded me of an older European New York)...I will post pics soon, I promise! We were starving so our first spanish meal was bocadillos...tortilla espanola to be specific (con Cerveca, of course!) It was different, but good. Bocadillos are basically sandwiches, but not the kind in the US. These are on delicious fresh bread and have interesting ingredients. For example, a tortilla espanola is an egg with potatoes in the middle (like an omlet sandwich). Tortilla espanola is very popular here, so if you don't like eggs...you are in trouble! The beer we drank in Madrid was quite a bit stronger than American beer, but it was really good. So far I have tried quite a few different spanish beers and they have all been great! Currently, I am living in a hostel (basically a hotel) and am rooming with another girl from KU, Alison...who is totally becoming my new best friend. She is awesome...very similar to me actually. We have a lot in common...other than the fact that she is already fluent in Spanish (she studied abroad in Mexico). I am grateful for her because I have already been in a lot of situations where I have needed help translating things. Especially at the Madrid-Barajas Airport...If you don't know Spanish, it is almost impossible to figure things out or get by (and unfortunately I'm not exaggerating...it is by far the most difficult airport I've ever been to!) It made it even more difficult because a lot of people aren't very helpful...The stereotype that Europeans are rude proved itself to be true at the airport. No worries though...People in Madrid are different than people in Santiago. People in Santiago are not the "big city" type. It is like comparing people from Boston or New York to people from Kansas. Today, we had our 2nd orientation session, which included looking for apartments to live in. So far, we have visited 2, but have 2 more to see before we all make a decision on where to live. I'll keep you posted on my living situation! Basically there is a New Zone and an Old Zone. The Old Zone is very pretty (where the cathedral is located). The buildings are older with beautiful architecture, but the apartments are VERY small...as in space for a bed and a night stand and that is it. This part of town is amazing, right in the heart of the city. The new zone is more modern and doesn't offer the old European architecture that you expect when you come to Santiago, but the apartments are more modern and offer more space. Choosing will be a matter of balancing pros and cons. All the people from the group are great...and all are already fluent in Spanish. I am the only one here taking the "intermediate spanish" classes, while they are all here taking the "advanced spanish" classes to finish their degrees in Spanish (I am the only non-Spanish major in the program) I am basically the cute young girl who is clueless...lol! It's cool though because all my group members have taken me under their wing and have helped me. Classes haven't even started and my Spanish has improved. I am lucky to have such a great group of people here with me...they are all determined to help me progress my language skills! To sum up, here is a list of simple first observations: 1. Men are much more comfortable with their masculinity here. It is typical for a man to wear capris, tighter clothes, and carry a "man bag". In fact, I like the way men carry themselves here, not like men at home who are always worried about looking too feminine or "gay" (Don't worry though mom, I haven't fell in love with any Spanish men.......yet! :) hehe) 2. Spanish people aren't as friendly as Americans. It isn't common for a taxi driver or waiter to make conversation with their "clients," which is unfortunate to me because talking to these type of people is what I need to improve my Spanish (after all, practice makes perfect!) At first, we all thought they were rude, but come to find out, (from Mar-our Spanish program coordinator) it isn't really considered rude here because it's the norm. It isn't as if people don't want to converstate with Americans or foreigners, small talk just isn't a part of their culture like it is ours. 3. The food is way different. I ordered a hamburger knowing it wouldn't taste the same as at home, but I wasn't prepared for what the waiter brought out to me...a PINK slab of meat. Apparently, America is one of the few places that thoroughly cook meat! On a good note as far as food goes...we went to a fancy spanish restaurant as a group with our program coordinator and professores and had delicious food. We had Spanish delicacies, such as Octopus and Pimientas. Sounds gross I know, pero me gusta mucho! (I am honestly already finding myself unconsciously translating things into Spanish!) I took pictures of the different dishes we ate at this 5 course meal and will post when I get a chance. You will be shocked at the sight of the food here, es muy diferente de los Ustados Unidos. Thanks to everyone for the emails/comments...it makes me feel as if I'm not thousands of miles and an ocean away from home! :) I will most likely have an official address and phone number by the end of the week so stay posted! Buenas Noches y te amo mucho!