We Made It!

Well, I finally made it to Caceres! After being on a plane for hours, it felt great landing on Spanish soil. We arrived in Madrid at around 9 am, picked up our luggage, and met up with Doctor Pineda and Denise Elekes, the resident directors. We took a bus from Madrid to Caceres and the ride took about 4 hours. The scenery was great! There were countless billboard ads and the terrain ranged from flat to mountainous. I couldn't believe I was finally here after waiting a whole summer.

When we arrived in Caceres yesterday, all the host families were there waiting for us. They were so happy to see us! They've probably seen only pictures of us and it must be exciting for them to finally see us in person! My host mother greeted me with a kiss on each cheek, which is customary when greeting someone. Her name is Sra. Laly Gonzalez Jimenez. I also have a host brother in my new home named Angel. He's 25 years old and he's pretty cool! When I arrived to the house, my mom served a lunch of lasagna, salad, and bread. I was laughing a bit to myself because for my first meal in Spain, I had Italian food. Later that day, Angel took me to a couple supermarkets to show me what the Spaniards like to eat. Then, he drove me through parts of the city. Last, we took a walk at the Parque de Rodeo. It was a really nice park with a small manmade lake in the middle with a waterfall on one side. After that, we went home and called it a day.

Today, my group and I took a walking tour of the city of Caceres. I love the city! Dra. Pineda and Denise showed us around and pointed out some important shops and landmarks throughout the city. There was an older part of the city that we saw. The building are close together and the streets are narrow. The other part looked much newer. The buildings are larger and the streets are much wider. During the tour, I'm sure we were getting looks from the Cacerenos because we looked different from them. After the tour, I came home to have lunch with the family. Today, my mom's sister and her husband are visiting from Merida, a town close to Caceres. After lunch, I played some cards with my mom and her sister. I had a great time. Later tonight, I might hang out with some friends from the group somewhere in the city. I am really forward to my time here!