What a week...

I'm not exactly sure how to fully explain the first week I've spent in Spain. Partially because I'm deciding whether to write this in Spanish or English, but really because this has been one of the most fascinating weeks of my life.

My flight into Spain wasn't bad at all. My first flight to Dallas from OKC was delayed by about two hours due to plane issues, but that really didn't derail my travel plans as I had a 5 hour lay over in Dallas. The flight from Dallas to Spain was a little over 9 hours, and actually wasn't too bad. They played Mirror, Mirror (weird) and Money Ball (can anyone really take Jonah Hill seriously?) on the flight so the time passed by pretty quickly. 

I arrived in Madrid, Spain around 10 a.m. the next day and ended up taking a cab to the hotel where I would be staying for the next two days. I also met my room mate, a pretty chill guy from the University of Denver, and had lunch at the "Puerta del Sol." 

Puerta del Sol

Aside, from the usual tourist stuff, i.e. sightseeing, I went out a few times and enjoyed the local food and night scene.

My third night was spent in Toledo, where my study abroad program planned a one day stay. On a side note, I found out Toledo is a world renowned sword making city. I thought about purchasing one as a gift, but decided against it when I considered how hard it would be to get pass airport security.

A view of Toledo

I finally arrived in Sevilla on Saturday and met the family I would be spending the next four months with. I'm staying with an extremely nice and welcoming lady named Manoli. She actually reminds me a lot of my grandmother, and she used to own her own restaurant so she's an amazing cook! My home is also perfectly situated right next to "Calle Betis," a great place for going out, and from many local shops. I also have my own room with access to the roof of our building and WiFi (They pronounce it Wee-Fee here, I laughed when I found out.)

I'm still trying to familiarize with everything in Spain. It reminds me a lot of the few times I've visited Mexico, but is still vastly different. There's stuff like "tiempo de siesta" which translates to nap time and is the time between 2-5 pm where most stores shut down and people take naps. The stores reopen later on, but having an almost mandatory nap time is definitely something to look forward too.