What a busy few days. I have been very occupied, which is good for me. I’m an am very used to having my time accounted for to the minute.Time to learn “La Vida Espanola.” My flight landed safely in Lisbon. I happened to run into two other people in the program at the airport. We were able to share a taxi, which whizzed past the pastel buildings, to the Lisbon Lounge Hostel. This hostel was absolutely amazing. Best. Hostel. Ever. When I walked into take a shower, I felt like I was actually in heaven. After using some precious Internet in the hostel we found some other auxilares (all rerouted through Lisboa due to the strike) and explored the city.
We walked the cobbled streets following a path to the Castel de San Jorge. This gave a beautiful overlook of the entire city. I took a deep breath, finally in the country that I’ve talked so much about over the past few months, eager to finally be here (although not Spain … yet).
The next day we hauled our luggage on two buses (with the bruises to prove it) and finally got to Caceres in time for orientation. Spain, at long last. The two-day orientation was conducted all in Spanish. I was so happy to meet the tutor from one of my schools. She took a plethora of notes since she is so eager to help me navigate living in my new country. We got lunch where I met her fascinating friend. This was a crash course in my cinematic vocabulary (he has knowledge of everything film) and headed to Jerez.
There is so much to still figure out. I feel lost, but it is a natural feeling. I will be patient with myself to learn all of this in due time. At least I have a place to stay in Jerez de los Caballeros. So far I’m staying alone. Tomorrow I will explore the city and begin to take photos. A teacher who I will be riding to school with showed me the center of town, a grocery store, the center of tourism, as well as the store where I may buy a phone. Everything is closed on Sunday so I will have to figure out much of this on Monday.
Finding Internet is the big challenge, but I hope that I will be able to do this as well. It is hard not being able to readily get a hold of my loved ones back home, but I know that I will eventually be able to and need to remember to just be patient. It’s hard, but I know that bit by bit, all will become more simple. The first lesson that I’m trying to teach myself is patience. It’s okay if I’m not fluent. I have made a big step, need to reward myself for that, and enjoy the learning process.
We stumbled upon a concert in the middle of Caceres. Wonderful find.