New Beginnings in Cádiz!

Ahhhh okay I have been both excited and dreading to right this blog post. First I am dreading it because I have to explain some things I don’t want to really talk about. I have kept my blog almost completely positive. Therefore it seems like I have had an amazing time, and when an exchange student told me “I love reading your blog, and I am so jealous it seems like you’re having an amazing time!” I laughed a little and told her how I really felt and why. Therefore this next part may be a surprise for some also. I have actually been very unhappy. I don’t want to go into much detail about why, but overall I was not happy in Madrid, and pretty depressed most days. There were several reasons why, and I actually got to the point where I decided to come home at the end of April with the trimester students. I came to the conclusion I couldn’t go on being so unhappy anymore so I wanted to at least make it to how long the trimester students were staying, but I moved this week to a city in the south of Spain called Cadiz, which if you’ve read my other blog posts I have actually been here already. We had tried to switch me before, but my organization in Spain wouldn’t allow it. I emailed them one last time asking them to reconsider and if not to give me information on how to come home early and to my surprise they decided to change me. Overall where I was in madrid just wasn’t the right fit for me, and I really wanted it to work out, but it didn’t. Anyways I am not going to dwell on the bad things because now I got a new start in a new place with a new family and school!

With my new host family I have a host mom Maria, and two host brothers, David (13), and Jose (20). I was really excited to have brothers, since I have my 3 brothers at home! I live in an apartment, and get this.... I AM A 10 MINUTE WALK FROM THE BEACH!!! My second day here I went to the beach almost all day with Nirm and another exchange student Lukas from Sweden, and I didn’t really think I needed sunscreen and I have no idea why I thought so stupidly, but I haven’t gone to the beach since because I am recovering from some bad sunburn! My first night here was awesome, I met up with Nirm, Kevin an exchange student from Australia, and Erling another exchange student from Norway. We mostly walked around and they showed me some of Cadiz, but it was a lot of fun! Monday I just went to make my schedule, but thought I was going to school too, and my host family did too. So when I got home early no one was home and wouldn’t be for a few hours, so I had no way of getting in. I spent a few hours at El Corte Ingles, which is like Macy’s but with so much more. It has everything from mattresses to toys to clothes to makeup and with a grocery store attached. They have El Corte Ingles everywhere in Spain, and it’s really nice its only a 5 minute walk from my house:) 

I had my first day of school Tuesday and it was great! Everyone was so nice and came up and talked to me and introduced themselves. A group of girls discovered I live by El Corte Ingles like them and invited me to walk home with them! Theres another exchange student Melissa who I knew before who is also in my class. She’s basically fluent in Spanish though from having grandparents from Mexico, and studying in Spain another time. So I feel like the stupid exchange student a little hahah. After school Tuesday I joined a gym with Kevin and Erling, because hey what else do I have to do after school now that it ends at 2:30 instead of 5 like it did in Madrid. This was funny because there were only big buff guys there, and there I was, scrawny skinny little me trying to work out. Kevin and Erling taught me how to use some of the machines and assured me more girls are there other days. Yesterday was leg day though.... so I can’t really walk today, for I am extremelyyyyy sore! Yesterday I also met Lynn and Julia two other exchange students from Norway and Italy. We ran into them at El Corte Ingles, where Erling Kevin and I went after the gym. I am surprised because Cadiz is small but I don’t think it’s that small and we’ve run into people several times. I mentioned earlier I was at the beach with Lukas, well I saw him at Mcdonald’s and he ended up coming along to the beach, the next day I saw him again on the boardwalk! On my way to school today I ran into another exchange student named Emily (oh yeah I walk to school now). I’ve only been here for 5 days and have almost seen all the other exchange students from our organization! 

I feel like there is so much I want to write about because I am so much happier here and can honestly say now I am having a great experience  There is so much more new things I want to tell everyone about. Its late here though, and even though I had a 3 hour siesta today I am still exhausted! I also tried to get this blog in before I leave for Sevilla tomorrow(another trip with exchange students with the organization) so I guess that will be it for now. Buenas Noches from Cadiz!!!


First night in Cadiz with Erling, Nirm, and Kevin!

Me, Nirm, and Lukas on the Beach:)