Singing In The Rain!

Today was the first day of school! Sorry, Mom, we don't have a picture of me standing on the porch for this one. I didn't leave early enough and I was reallyyy late to class -- I had no idea it would take me over an HOUR to get there! The University isn't in Alicante, its in San Vicente, which is the town next to us, so it takes the bus forever to get anywhere. Anyway, ugh, I am so so tired of being lost everywhere I go. Luckily, I didn't get that lost, it just took me a while to find the parada where the right bus came and then I walked the wrong direction on campus. Oooppss. Well, another student was over an hour late, so I guess I wasn't that bad.

Class is alright. My brain was falling out of my head because I am still in summer mode. I was like, what, class? Notebooks? Pens? Ahh! And you all know me, I'm so anal about my planner, notebooks, organization of that sort. I brought my planner and some stuff from home, but I'm still in that first-week-of-school-adjustment stage of confusion (the Spanish part of it doesn't help) so I'm trying to get my bearings. Also, I am trying to determine whether or not I want to move up to the next level of Spanish, which would just change everything. Pros: My classes will all be in Spanish, I'll be forced to learn a ton, I'll move past my threshold of Spanish learning that I've been sitting comfortably at for two years because nobody ever pushes me out of it, super interesting classes. Cons: My classes will all be in Spanish, its probably going to mess up my GPA at Santa Clara, only one class will apply towards major requirements instead of two, I might fail miserably. (However, the classes will still count towards the extra classes I have to take to graduate with two degrees. Its complicated to explain, but at least they'll count for something.) Pues, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm taking the placement test again for the higher level on Wednesday so we'll see how I do! Am I up for a challenge and push myself to work really hard or coast and take it easy? Blah. I think we know the answer to that.

Anyways, the constant bureaucracy of my class schedule is aburrido for everyone, so on different news:

After class, I went to the CIEE office and there was a Spanish student there who was signing up for a intercambio, which is basically like an English 'friend' to help practice her English. This is beneficial to me too, of course, because I can practice my Spanish. Win-win? I think so. Anyways, the woman who works in the CIEE office was like, Hey, you two should be friends! And we exchanged phone numbers and contact info and we're having lunch on Wednesday. She seems pretty cool, I mean, I only talked to her for like 5 minutes when we were planning when we were going to hang out, but I hope that we're friends. Yay! Spanish friends! (Hahah I'm such a nerd.)

I took a picture of the giant fist for you, Auntie Lorraine.
Remember when we said how cool it will be when I see it in person??

Then I rode the 35 minute bus ride home, where my family was all hanging out. Best. Lunch. Ever. Mom, you've gotta take some Spanish cooking classes or something when I'm gone because I'm getting AWFULLY used to eating like this. Its like going to Auntie Nettie's house but BETTER. (Sorry Uncle Tom. Your sandwiches are still the best.) Adrián, the 5-year-old, was there with his mom, Yolanda, Mari and my senora, so it was fun because we were all hanging out. Adrián and I were playing around, and everyone was just laughing and having a great time. It was nice.

Oh, and did I mention it is incredibly stormy here? Like, el fin del mundo status. Yesterday, I met my friends at la playa, but it was really cold and stormy.

The view from the beach of the Castilla. Soo stormy.

All of a sudden, it starts pouring. And I mean pouring. Lightning, thunder, the whole shebang. And of course, we have nowhere to go, so we're just soaked. We were screaming and running on the beach because we didn't want all of our stuff to get wet! We took refuge under some awnings in an outdoor cafe, but it was no use.

The four ridiculous Americans, dancing in the Mediterranean rain.

We ran to the nearby McDonalds -- of course, what else do Americans do whilst in a crisis in a foreign land -- (and I would like it noted that this was not my idea.) and proceeded to spend all our money on BigMacs. (Well, I had already spent mine on an anklet I bought on the way to the beach. Oops.) After devouring our unnecessary meal, we then realize that -- A. It is still raining incredibly hard. and B. We have no way to get home because the boys didn't bring their bus passes and we don't have money for a taxi. Ooops. Our next decision is, clearly, to wander around the streets of Alicante, before one of the boys remembered that the Hotel we stayed in at Orientation had a hot-tub and a sauna....that wasn't locked. Yes. A mission. Completely by stealth, we enter the hotel, find the top floor and..success! Hot-tub and sauna! The hot-tub was...otherwise occupied by a rather engaged pair, so we compromised for the sauna, before the rain finally let up enough for us to get home. Quite the adventure, but hilarious nonetheless.

Anyways, the rain has not let up in Alicante, and I think its supposed to rain for the rest of the week. (I'm seriously glad that I picked a sun-drenched, Mediterranean beach-town for my abroad trip, aren't you? You'd think I was in London or Chicago or something.) After class today, I originally wanted to go explore my neighborhood cuz I haven't really done that as much as I want to yet, but the rain made that impossible. The thunder is so loud and the lightning lights up the entire sky. Its a little scary, almost! However, it was party-time in our house, where the two sisters put on salsa music and we were dancing around the kitchen, being so so silly. Mari and Yolanda were salsaing while I danced with Adrian, haha. This is what a homestay is allll about.

Whew, its been a fun day. I'm actually starting to speak more, and my family and I are getting along wonderfully. I'm starting to relax a little and its feeling a little more like home. Tomorrow, we're going to visit a winery in the Alicante countryside instead of having class, so that should be beautiful.

I love all your comments! Keep 'em coming! Miss you all terribly -- I'm going to send out postcards as soon as I can get to a quiosco that sells them. And, just for a word of the day for you, the word for stamp is sello, not estampilla like in Mexico. Use that in your everyday language, I DARE YOU.

Okay I'm getting silly its time for bed! Love you all muchos y muchos. Besos y abrazos.

<3 K