Finally Here

I. Am. Tired. I forgot how exhausting that red eye flight across the Atlantic can be. I was fortunate in that there was nobody between me and the woman in the window seat. She was a journalist who is traveling to promote a book that she wrote about her grandfather's lost love, which I hope to read when I return to the states. In spite of the extra space, however, I'm still not much of a plane sleeper. That was why it was a huge relief to finally make it to the airport.

Unfortunately, once I got to the airport, I had to wait 5 hours for my bus. Then, the woman at the information kiosk told me to wait at the wrong place, and I actually wound up missing it. It literally drove right by me, and wouldn't stop. Completely dejected, I went back inside the airport, where I learned that there were no more seats left on any of today's direct buses from the airport to Salamanca. I had to pay for a new ticket and take a cab to the bus station in the center of Madrid in order to catch a bus that was leaving two hours later. My taxi driver was very kind, and even gave me his phone number if I had any questions about my return trip thru Madrid. Fortunately, I made my next bus. That ride was hassle free, and I honestly don't remember much of it because I dozed on and off for most of the ride.

Upon my arrival in Salamanca, I took a quick cab ride to the University, where I was able to check into my dorm room. As you can see below, it's tiny but functional:

Check out my bitty baby bathtub! Also, you might notice the ducky hanging out on my bed. That is the stuffed animal that Annaleigh picked out for me to take with me and photograph in different places here in Salamanca. Stay tuned for more photos of Mr. Duck.

I had about an hour to unpack before it was time to head downstairs for an orientation meeting. The meeting was led by Sonia, one of my professors and the go-to person for our particular program. She was incredibly friendly and funny, and made me feel at ease immediately. I learned that while there are many student and teacher programs going on right now, there will only be nine Spanish teachers in our particular program, and we're all women. I got the chance to get to know a few of them over dinner in our campus cafeteria, and on our mad dash to Corte Inglés (a department store similar to Macy's, but bigger) before they closed so that we could each by a little fan for our very HOT dorm rooms. It's amazing how quickly you can make friends when you're in a foreign country and don't know anyone. Here is a shot from our very first evening together:

(left to right: Diana, Isabel, and Kati)

I look forward to getting to know them and the other women in our program a little better when we're not so jet-lagged. Speaking of which, I need to get some sleep so that I can make it to 7:30 breakfast tomorrow. I promise to be a little peppier with future entries, but for now, ¡Hasta luego!