Arriving and first days

9.14.19 @ 10:22:33 PM

I arrived in Jaén, Spain on Thursday night (9.12). The trip was quite long and exhausting. The entire trip consisted of 10 hours in the plane and 4 hours in bus. We have had full lodging at the local hotel (Hotel Infanta Cristina) where we have also been eating our meals.

Today (9.14, Saturday) I slept in and walked around the town with my cohort. We visited Bulevar Park which is a lovely place with beautiful greenery and water fountains. We also stopped for some delicious cafe con leche en El Corte Ingles which is the main shopping center in Jaen.

I do not think I have yet experienced the culture shock yet because I am surrounded by American friends. Tomorrow, I move in with my host family who speak Spanish and some English. I am feeling a little anxious about this experience, however, I know that once I get over my fear of speaking the language I will feel much more comfortable.

As I sit in the hotel and write this post, I consider the next ~240 days that I will be living in this city. Over this time I want to learn the language, however, I also want to form strong relationships with my host family and locals.

I look forward to continue writing about my experiences. Once I feel I have enough time and knowledge to write in Spanish I may write my posts in both languages.