Entry 1: July 1, 2012

Besides the roughly 14 hour journey to Madrid and then the seven and a half hour train ride from Madrid to Santiago, the trip has been wonderful. The people in Santiago are as a whole very friendly and welcoming and I’ve loved getting to know my host family. My host mom is a great cook and spending time with her is fun and has helped me improve my Spanish. Classes are fun and basically stress free with only short tests here and there to make sure that we are comprehending the material and professors who really want to help everyone succeed. The language is still a barrier in some cases but practicing in class and then on the streets is helpful and I’m confident my Spanish ability will grow further before the trip comes to an end.

We’ve taken fun excursions like to the island Ons and a trip to A Coruña and there are a lot of people in our classes that we have come to know and hang out with on a regular basis. I do have to say though I tried pulpo (octopus) and I don’t like it. It’s a regional delicacy but the suction cups and tentacles just feel very strange on your tongue, besides that though everything has been wonderful and I know when I get home all I’m going to want to do is come back.