The First Day | El Primer Dia

WOW I made it and I'm alive and well and thriving in Barcelona. I didn't picture it to be surrounded  by mountains... I guess all I was focusing on was the beach (; But boy, is it beautiful. It somehow reminds me of a mixture of Mexico, Rome, and Paris all rolled into one, but it also holds its own unique beauty. I arrived at around 9:30 am Barca time-- 6 hours ahead of Philly time which at that point was 3:30 in the morning. My internal body clock was not happy... but luckily I was able to sleep through most of the 9 hour flight. My roommate, Gabby, was coincidentally on the same flight and we regrouped with some other IES students at the airport terminal. They checked us in and sent us on our ways to our host families! My host mother, doña Isabel, is a lovely woman and she has been so wonderfully sweet and accommodating. According to her, 55 American girls have been housed with her in the span of 10 years, and she was among the first to host students for IES! She does not speak English but that's okay because I am (obviously) fluent in Spanish. Gabby and I chatted with her a bit, unpacked, explored the neighborhood (there is a gorgeous park nearby on a hill), and went to the Plaza Catalunya with Isabel. She showed us how to use the metro, where we would be having our classes, and treated us to a delicious Italian-style gelato! We then came back and met with Isabel's sister who also hosts students for IES. We met our RA/tutor who seems pretty cool and afterward we came back home and doña Isabel proceeded to prepare a delicious meal of salad, spaghetti and pan con tomate- a style very typical of Catalunya. All in all this has been such a long day and I am so ready to catch some Zzz's!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WOW llegue y estoy bien y viva y feliz aquí en Barcelona. No pensé que estuviera rodeada de montañas... supongo que me ilusiono mucho la playa (; Pero si que esta hermosa. Me recuerda un poco a una mezcla de Mexico, Roma, y Paris, pero a la vez retiene su propia belleza única. Aterrice al rededor de las 9:30 de la mañana hora Barca-- son 6 horas adelante de Filadelfia y ahi eran las 3:30 de la mañana. Mi reloj interno no estaba feliz, pero afortunadamente pude dormir durante la mayoría del vuelo largo (9 horas). De pura coincidencia, a my compañera Gabby le toco el mismo vuelo. En el aeropuerto nos juntamos con otros estudiantes de IES, nos dieron la bienvenida oficial, y nos mandaron en taxi a nuestros hogares respectivos. Mi madre de acogida, doña Isabel, es muy simpática y nos ha ayudado mucho. A través de 10 anos le han tocado 55 estudiantes americanas, y fue de las primeras en acoger estudiantes para IES. Platicamos con ella, desempacamos, exploramos el barrio (hay un parque hermoso situado en una colina), y fuimos con doña Isabel a la Plaza Catalunya. Ahi nos enseño como usar el metro, donde esta colocada la escuela, y nos invito a un helado estilo italiano! Regresamos y conocimos a la hermana de doña Isabel, quien también acoge estudiantes para IES. Conocimos a la tutora, quien luce ser bastante simpática, y llegamos a cenar una  deliciosa cena de ensalada, espaguetis, y pan con tomate-- un estilo de comer el pan super típico de la zona Catalunya. Hoy ha sido un largo día y estoy lista para dormir!