Week One in Spain!

Hola everyone! First of all I’d like to thank you all so much for being there for me and getting me to where I am now. Only through your years of continuing love, support, and friendship am I only able to find the strength to continue on my path and push myself to new heights. I would again like to thank all those who’ve been there for me and know that without you I would have in no way been able to reach where I am today.

I will attempt to update this blog every so often so as to keep you all informed of my goings on and to let you all know I am still alive and well. It is only fair I try to keep it as recent as possible being that this experience is as much yours as it is mine. As I said, you all got me to Spain so it’s only fair I share it with you. You will have to forgive my many mistakes in grammar and sentence structure and such within this blog. As it is I am crazily trying to learn a new language which has so far managed to scramble my brain to say the least; and nor was I very good at English to start with, so please bear with me. (My attempt to piece together that last sentence will attest to that)

With that said I would like you all to know that I have survived my first 6 days in Spain. Alot has already happened and it would take a long time to put it all down but I will try to hit on the big things.

My plane left at about 1 o clock in the afternoon on Friday September 4^th out of the Bozeman airport. The two and a half hour plane ride to Chicago went off without incident or problems. I had never been to Chicago before so it was kind of fun to walk around the airport and imagine the beautiful scenery and wonder that is the home of Obama. In my head I saw streets of gold and angels to give out free hugs. As only would be fitting.

I took a shuttle to the international terminal and got ready for my plane ride to Munich. Now I’d never been to Germany before either but I had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t very close to Chicago. So I tried to prepare myself and thought “Yes We Can!” as I got onto the plane.

Turns out I was correct in my assumption. I was positioned in the back of a plane that was so large that it transcended the ages back to the Feudal system. I was put back in the very back with my other lonely serfs. The closest aisle was either over the two people to my right or the two people to my left. Both of which were very nice but it still made me feel as though I owned my own little Alcatraz.

The ride ended up taking about 8 hours which was better then expected. We had a very nice tail wind. That is a small condolence however when you can no longer feel the lower half of your body after the first 3.

It turns out Germany is a nice place. The German couple to my left on the plane was very friendly and very good at English. All the Germans I met were very fluent and eager to speak to you. However I got stopped in customs because I hadn’t signed my new passport. No one had noticed it until then so the German customs had me stay for a while and fill out a large amount of paper work so they can find out how many people had checked my passport and did nothing. They were very set on putting justice to this affair and bringing punishment to those who hadn’t noticed my little problem.

At this point I was more then a little jet lagged. I had been up for a while and hadn’t gotten much sleep being the night on the plane only lasted a couple of hours before we flew into the day again. By the time the plane for Madrid was boarding I had been up 12 hours and very confused on what time or day it is.

The plane ride to Madrid was wonderful. The plane was not very full at all and I was lucky enough to get a window seat. Flying over the Alps was an absolutely amazing experience and one I shall not soon forget. So many mountain lakes and the entire mountain range covered with snow. I try to hold on to this memory because snow is something I will not be seeing very much of in Spain.

I arrived in Madrid and was very nervous to meet my host family for the first time. A million thoughts of “What if we can’t communicate at all?”, “What if we don’t get along”, what if what if what if, flashed through my mind as I waited for my bags. So I grabbed my bags (which luckily made it) took a deep breath and met my family for the first time. Right when I walked out of the baggage claim I was hit with their yells and them all coming at me. I have to let you all know right now that they are absolutely amazing and we get along wonderfully. My father, Juan, is an economist for a French car company in Palencia and is hilarious and so willing to teach me about Spain. My mother, Raqueal, is wild and wonderful and so patient with me. My little sister, Lara, is more mature then I am and loves to try and make me laugh. They are wonderful and I couldn’t ask for a better family to spend a year with.

So the first thing they asked me when I got off the plane is if I am hungry. In Spain food is huge. You eat breakfast whenever you get up (which could be anytime of the day in Spain) then you have lunch at about 3. Lunch is the most important meal of the day and tends to be multiple courses of home made food. Raquel is an amazing cook and keeps me stuffed to say the least. I’ve learned to be aware of the possibility of multiple courses at lunch and to make sure not to eat too much on a specific course. On too many occasions so far I have had to eat myself to bursting due to lack of well planned stomach space and not wanting to be rude. Dinner then happens at about ten or so at night and tends to be smaller but still homemade and amazing. I could talk on and on about the food but I must continue.

So we drove the two hours back to Palencia talking to whole time. Juan has been taking English lessons for the last two years and is fairly good. He is a wonderful life line anyway when I completely draw a blank on what was just said to me. He makes sure to say everything to me in Spanish first then in English if need be. Raquel speaks no English what so ever but that does hold her back one bit. Most of the time I can get it in the ball park on what she is saying and usually a nod and a smile is all I need to show I sort of understand. Lara speaks a tiny bit of English but that is limited to just a few words. Basically I have no lack in constant Spanish conversation going on around me.

At this point of the first day I am absolutely exhausted but my day was in no way over. We had to stop on the way and introduce me to Raquel’s parents and stay with them a couple hours. Then we went and did the same with Juan’s parents. By the end of the first day I was nodding off where I stood.

We finally reached to our house in Palencia and had dinner at about 11. I was given my own room which was very nice and helped to let me pass out in peace. The room I was given is that of Juan’s and Raquel’s son, David, who is also on and exchange but in South Carolina. Over the next couple of days they kept me busy with getting settled in and many logistical things to get me ready for the year.

Juan and Raquel have set me up at a local gym, given me a cell phone, enrolled me in Spanish courses, got me a library card, given me a debt card, want to take me around Spain, fought tooth and nail to get me in a school, introduced me to a teacher and the principal, got me school supplies galore, gone to the police station multiple times to finalize my visa, and much much more. I am very grateful and lucky to have them as parents and everything that they’ve done for me. At this point it would take an arm and a leg to even come close to repaying them for all that they’ve done for me.

They have also introduced me to a number of David’s friends and we have gone around Palencia together. The teenagers here are very nice and excepting of everyone and my language handicap. They have taken me out on the town and showed me the night life of Palencia. It is very interesting and different from that of Bozeman. In Spain it is common to see 16 year olds in bars drinking but only do so for the social aspect. Teenagers go bar hopping as a way to hang with friends the same as you would say go the movie’s in the United States. In Spain to get drunk is extremely looked down upon and those who do it are shunned. That is why Spaniards eat so much tapas while they drink. I thought it was interesting that 16 year olds in Spain tend to be more responsible drinkers then those of some young adults in the United States.

Their house in about two km out of Palencia and in a sort of suburbs. They usually stay here during the summer until about October then move into their flat in Palencia. The flat is also very nice and within walking distance of everything in Palencia.

Palencia is next to a large river called Rio Carrion but the surrounding area is very dry. The days hear are usually quite hot and has managed to keep my Montanan self sweating. Luckily their house has a swimming pool that they share with a couple of other houses on the block so that keeps me mostly sane. The hillsides around Palencia are covered with wind turbines so as to give the city power. Palencia it’s self is a very old but beautiful city of about 80,000. The people here are so nice and friendly that it amazes me. The city its self has many parks and plazas that people can go to. It’s a very old place so all its churches are not only huge but date back to the middle ages. The cathedral in Palencia is absolutely enormous. I’m planning on taking a bunch of picture of the city so you can all see it as well. I will post them at a later date.

So far all is well in Spain and I will continue to keep you updated. This Friday I get on a train and go back to Madrid until Sunday. I get to meet all the other exchange students around Spain and do an Orientation of sorts with them for a couple days. Then I begin school on Monday which is another larger hurdle for me to leap. You are all in my thoughts and I hope you all the best. Getting to the internet is a little hard for me at the moment and can only be grabbed at specific times but you can still write me and I will try to reply as soon as I can. I would love to hear from you and all that is going on in your lives. Please don’t be shy J. I send you all my love con mucho besos y abrazos!

Cody

Coltercombs@gmail.com