Su casa, es mi casa, for now.

Today, I arrived in Barcelona by way of bus. The eight hour bus ride really did a lot to aid my sleeping schedule (I slept the majority of the trip, and am now wide away at 2am.) Just what I need right before the placement exam at my university (and by that I mean, help me get into an easier level of classes.. just kidding Dad!)

Upon arriving in Barcelona, the busses unloaded all of the students at a plaza where their families were waiting. After grabbing my bags, and looking around at all the little old ladies holding signs with students names, I heard someone ask a director if i was there. It was my host sister, Anna.

Many times, families take in host students for a little extra cash. A lot of my friends live in homes with Senoras, or little ladies that take in students all the time. They tend to be stricter I hear, so I am excited to have kids my own age in the house. Anna is 21 and studying tourism at her school, and Eduard is 24, studying economics at his University.

Anna and i lugged my oversized luggage into the back of her car, and she and her boyfriend took me to the apartment. She showed me around, and then left for work. I unpacked and milled around the house for a while, and made some observations.

First off, the Spanish are very space conscious. Everything is very compact here. Here is a picture of my room: (Edu put together a chair for my desk, so i can... study.)

I’m pretty sure my feet and forehead will touch both ends of the room, but its cool. I like to curl up anyways

Next. Heres the bathroom.

Check out that bidet. All of the hotels have them too. I have yet to try it out, and may go the entire trip avoiding it. It kind of freaks me out, and chances are I’d use it wrong. Yea, I brought it up, but am moving on now….

Here is the living room, patio and dining room:

Thank god I didn’t have my head stuck in the refrigerator when Eduard came home.

I presented them with my gifts from Kansas when Maite, the host mom, Eduard and Anna were here… KU tee shirts, KU playing cards, a small bottle of barbecue sauce, a candle, some pictures of Kansas City, and some chocolate covered sunflower seeds. The seeds were a hit. Too bad I never eat them, and tried to explain that they weren’t necessarily a traditional food of Kansas, rather something I grabbed off the shelf last minute at Kansas Sampler. I don’t know if they got it.

I sat and showed Maite some pictures while she cooked dinner. Because they live in an apartment, as many Barcilenos do, she was very interested in the pictures I had of my house. As she cooked, I explained to her that I am not a very picky eater. She seemed relieved, and told me stories of past American students in their home. She then threw a bunch of anchovies on top of the salad she was preparing.

A quick side story regarding anchovies: When out in Madrid, a friend, Katie and I tried one of the bocadillos, little sandwiches, that the bar offered. She didn’t realize it was cheese and anchovies. I thought she was going to pass out when she took a big bite, and the entirety of an anchovy slid out of the bread and planted itself on her chin. I took a few bites, and I’m not going to lie, I didn’t hate it. I immediately washed it down with my sangria, though, (clearly due to sodium overload.)

When Anna and Tony (the boyfriend) arrived home, I sat with them on the patio a while and tried to explain to them that I live in a sorority at school. It didn’t go over too well. To explain what a fraternity was, I thought i could ask if they had seen any American movies like Old School or Animal House, but then decided that those probably wouldn’t give them the idea I was intending.

Maite cooked a Spanish tortilla for dinner, which is much like an omelette, consisting of eggs and potatoes. After dinner, we went over some household things, now I’m ready for bed in my new room!

Tomorrow, Placement test, first day in Barcelona, and a tour of the city!