I have so far spent a week in a foreign country living with a new family and I cannot complain. As can be imagined many things are different here, but that is to be expected and enjoyed. For instance, when I first arrived and came to the home of my host family, my language had to switch to Spanish. I was initially very worried about this because I haven’t had serious practice with the language, and from my knowledge the family did not speak any English. It took a while for my brain to be accustomed to the change of language but every day it has become easier for me to speak completely in Spanish. I have learned how to explain things with my limited vocabulary while learning new words with every conversation. I keep a list of words that I encounter and look them up every night in an attempt to learn them. The greatest problem I faced with the language is that many of the words I learned in school are different here, for instance “jugo” is the word for juice, but here they use “zumo,” and if I use “jugo” people are confused.
My classes are all in Spanish as well. I thought this would be an issue but it is actually easier than listening at home. The reason for this is that in my Spanish class we have learned things about art, history, language, but not how to actually live and get around. Luckily my host family has had many people stay with them and is used to students learning the language through them.
I feel as though I have lucked out with my host family. My house mom, Ada, is very kind, understanding, and funny. She enjoys talking to me and my two roommates and loves to cook. She cooks all sorts of Spanish foods and always uses fresh vegetables. Her gazpacho and paella are to die for, and she has somehow even turned french fries into a delicacy. Ugenio, the house father, is also very kind. He speaks many languages including English, but reframes so that we may learn Spanish. It is very cute how they do dishes and cook together every day. The daughter Natalia is my age and is in school at the Complutense. From what I know of her she is very nice, but she is at the library everyday studying for exams so I haven’t gotten to know her well.
The metro system was not difficult to learn, and I use it every day. It reminds me of the one in New York in the sense that you can almost always turn a corner and find a stop. The difference is that it is very modern and trains come around every four minutes. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to the Complutense and a full hour to get to Puerto del Sol, a central location in my life. I live on the second to last stop on my line, fairly far from the heart of the city, but in a safe location. My first instinct was to be scared because apartment reminds me of how the projects are portrayed in movies. The clothes all hang out on clothe lines to dry, and I need 4 keys to get through the gate, the building, and 2 for the door. It is very safe here though, the image of the clothes is normal here so there is nothing to worry about.
Ok, I’ll put more up here when I feel like writing.
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