The First Few Days...Una aventura magnifica!

I have arrived! The plane ride was fine, despite my dislike of flying. Embarassing moment of that experience: I thought I could hold out and not use the bathroom for that 8 hr flight, but alas I could not! So I got up to go the bathroom, but I couldn't figure out how to open the door, so I literally spent about 45 seconds outside the door trying to push or pull it open. Everyone in the rows behind the bathroom started laughing. Oh well, I'm glad I brought others joy with that.

After landing we spent a few hours in the Madrid airport, (which is huge!) and um, yeah I have like the maturity of a small child and less of an attention span than a small child, so I spent some time in the airport riding the "montanas que mueve" (the moving mountains). We created this term...basically it's like escalator meets moving sidewalk to create this magnificent moving ramp (aka mountain). It was a good entertainment source. We then left and drove in a bus to Salamanca (about 2.5 hrs away) (beautiful drive!!!) and our families picked us up. And this is where I met Ruben, Natalia (my two host-siblings) and Maite (host Mom) Jesus was walking the dog, so I met him at home. Maite asked me if I had packed a body in my suitcase. By the time I had finished lugging that huge bag up four flights of stairs it sure felt like there was a body in there.

After we successfully entered the apartment, Maite had lunch ready. (sidenote:one of my biggest fears about Spain was the food because in Salamanca the staples are all basically things I haven't eat since I think middle school because I hate them, such as; ham, sausage, (and anything encased:aka hotdogs), shrimp...hah, I had no idea what was to come...) First lunch: chicha (kind of like smoked sausage meets hotdog and forms odd offspring called chicha) 1st dinner: salad with shrimp (which, they don't really use dressing, but I think they salted the salad, which was a little odd for me...) oh yeah, and then Maite pulled out a plate of chicha to have with the salad. I passed on that, and of course she had another protein waiting; which was fish. (and absolutely delicious!! me encanto el pescado!) So basically we got a few of the foods I was fearing all done with in one day, and I survived. Most of it actually tasted really good, so I was feeling at ease.

But behold, lunch on day two: Maite serves us heaping plates of rice mixture, which looked pretty good. There were these dark pieces that looked like tofu, and something else that looked like fish skin (but I figured it wasn't that). So um, flavor was a little odd, texture freaked me out...I asked what the little brown chunks were...here is the conversation:

Me: Que es eso?  (what is this?)
Maite: Es la sangre (Its 'sangre')....[cue:blank stare from me]
Me: No puedo entender bien, porque la unica definicion que yo se de 'sangre' es...cue:flowing blood motion by wrist (I don't understand well, because the only meaning I know of 'sangre' is...and then I made a flowing blood motion)
Maite: Si, es eso...de cerdo! (Yes, that's what this is, from a pig)

(Then I asked about the fish skin-esque thing, I was right it wasn't fish skin...it was pig stomach)
Reflective moment: Yes, I ate a cooked pieces of blood mixed with pig stomach and rice. (A Salamancan specialty called 'Chanfaina') And now I am confident that there is probably no meal I can't overcome.

So far, I would say the food, and the schedule at which they eat is what I notice as being the most different from home. Something else different is when I walk to the more downtown part of Salamanca, people don't really make eye contact, and if they do and you smile, they won't return it. I don't know, I'm used to smiling at and greeting strangers, so it feels a little cold, but I know that it's just a cultural difference (or an outside the wake bubble difference, perhaps...?)

Basically, thus far in Salamanca, I LOVE MY LIFE! This city is amazing and beautiful, and my family is so nice!! The ninos (little kids) and I have spent hours making friendship bracelets and playing the Wii, and I think they like me. Oh, and THE BEST NEWS OF ALL!!!!: The family thinks I'm funny. I've made them laugh (by being humorous, not because of an inability to speak) at least 3 separate occasions to count (and oh yes, you better believe I am tallying...) Anyhow, I best walk home and go get ready for our welcome dinner now!

Hasta pronto!
Rachel