We have arrived!

Thur Day 1-

Today we flew from ATL to Madrid (8hrs). The first picture above was taken right before we landed in Madrid. When we arrived at the airport, we were able to use an ATM to get out euros. We then boarded a four hour bus ride to Valencia. Along the way we stopped at our first restaurante en Espana! Some students braved the food already; however, I decided to wait until we arrived to our homestay.  When we were dropped off at the institute, we met our host mom, Gemma, and our host dad, Jamel. They brought us back to their house, let us get unpacked and fixed us lunch. They live on the fifth floor of an apartment building and the view is incredible. It's a four bedroom apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Katie and I are sharing a room, but we each get a hamper, desk, and access to a cabinet! Below is a picture of the view from our bedroom.

 

The food (so far) has been fantastic and not that out of the box. For lunch today, we had tortilla de potatas, salada, y el pan con queso de "goat". Tortilla de potatas is basically egg in a quiche form with onions and potatoes. El pan is fresh bread and queso de goat was cheese cut into thin slices! The market is right across the street from our apartment, so they go out and get the things they need before every meal. THEY EAT SO MUCH. I thought we ate a lot- no way. I don't think I will come home hungry that's for sure! Lunch is their biggest meal of the day, so we were fed very well. After lunch, Katie & I toured the stores near our apartment and ordered our first cerveza (small beer) in the café on the corner! 

For dinner, we had tajin which was chicken, vegetables, garlic, spices, and potatoes all in one bowl.  We also had salad and bread with fruit for dessert. So, thus far the food hasn't been that bizarre... Granted its only the first day!! We eat between 9:00-10:00pm at night for dinner. This seems late, but Katie and I ate so much at lunch at 2:30pm and we have to force ourselves to eat more at dinner haha. We are looking forward to a bed, good nights sleep, and classes tomorrow. More to come!