“The world is too big to stay in one place, and life is too short to do just one thing.”
On August 31st I officially arrived in Salamanca, Spain! The week and a half that I have spent here so far has far exceeded my expectations, despite some bumps in the road, and I am definitely adjusting to Spanish life. My host madre, Pilar, is the sweetest woman I have ever met, and we have been able to work through the language barrier relatively well. Her food is incredible, and everyday when I’m in class she makes my bed, picks up my room and does my laundry. We have breakfast everyday at 8am, then lunch at 2pm and Dinner at 9pm.
Our group of 10 has been in a 2 week Intensive Spanish program, and our real classes will start next week. We have Intensivo every morning for 3.5 hours, then go home for lunch and have a Siesta (which is definitely something I want to continue in the States). Since dinner isn’t until 9pm, we have all afternoon and evening to do homework and explore the city.
The city of Salamanca is incredible. The University was founded in 1208, so the architecture is incredibly intricate and filled with history. All of the streets are absolutely beautiful to walk down. The Plaza Mayor is the center of the city, and it is the biggest Plaza in Spain. Some of the best places to get ice cream, coffee and sangria are all along the Plaza. The University where we have class feels like Hogwarts, it literally feels like we have stepped back in time. It all feels very surreal right now, and it’s crazy that this is a place that I will be calling home for the rest of the year.
The Spanish way of life is incredibly different from the United States. Everything here is much more relaxed and the overall atmosphere is very laid back. People are friendlier, time is more flexible, and it seems that everyone’s main focus in life is happiness rather than monetary success. Since dinner doesn’t usually end until around 10pm, it is common for people to go out afterwards for wine and socialize with friends until late into the night. There are even kids out and about at midnight. Bars don’t really get busy until around 1am. On the weekends our madres don’t even make us breakfast because they don’t expect us to wake up until around lunch time, since people typically stay out until 4 or 5am.
As far as the Spanish language goes, I definitely have a lot to learn. I know enough to get by and to communicate on a basic level, but that’s about it. Being completely immersed in the language has been incredible and I can already feel myself improving, but some days are better than others. Communicating with my host madre has been difficult, so I’ve been trying harder to make conversation at meals to practice. I’m sure that after 3 months living here things will get much easier, but it has definitely been an adjustment.
Overall, I absolutely love Spain and Spanish life. I have already learned so much about myself, Spanish culture, and how I react in difficult situations. I also learned that pickpockets here are no joke, since my wallet was stolen out of my purse on my third night here. It’s all part of the experience though! A few friends and I took a weekend trip to Switzerland a few days ago, so I will post about that in the next few days or so.
¡Hasta luego!
Idly Wild 