Getting accultured!

Things are going well here in Spain - I've moved in with my host family and started to learn my way around Alicante. We're finishing up all of our orientation activities tomorrow and I'm starting to get more settled. The other students in my program are from a bunch of different places around the US and are all quite agreeable. My host family is really nice - it is just a mom and her 15-year-old daughter (and a really cute little puppy). In Spain the job of "mother" is taken super seriously and they really coddle their children. They do all the cleaning, the cooking, the laundry, etc... and they do it really well. I could get used to it. =) We leave in a really cute little apartment in a neighborhood that is just a short jaunt from down town. There isn't internet in my house, but the cafe is right across the street.

Alicante is a beautiful city! It's very modern and very developed. It is also quite the change from both Tanzania and Egypt culture-wise. It's quite "liberal" and very European if I had to describe it, at least if you were judging by clothing. The people dress really well all the time - no sweat pants to go outside at all, even just to walk the dog for a few minutes. Many of the women walk around in dresses and heals all day! My poor feet are trying to cope with my new shoe needs. At night it can be a bit scandalous. Lots of tube tops with midriffs completely exposed and of course on the beach, lots of topless women. Oh did I mention that I am living a 15-20 minute walk from the beach? Apparently it's not the nicest one, but I think it will do for me. I need to get on a train and check out the others that are nearby.

Tomorrow we are heading to what is supposed to be a really beautiful waterfall that is just outside Alicante and on Wednesday I start my intensive Spanish class. The language is a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm picking it up quickly and I've stopped replying/thinking in Swahili at least.

Time to go now since it's 9:20PM here and I haven't yet had dinner! I will have to explain the eating schedule/food later! Ciao! Besos!