Garlic Bread for Breakfast and Pork For All the Rest

It's been four days and I'm finally starting to feel a bit settled here in Spain. My family is very nice and eager to help me improve my Spanish skills. Pepi, my host mother, shares my love for reading and we spend a lot of time talking about books. Irene, my host sister, is my age and loves boots and cars. She speaks a little English, which helps in confusing situations, but we primarily speak Spanish with each other. Miguel is my host father, who seems like a fairly quiet person because we haven't spoken much at all. There's also Raul, my host brother, who's 12 but tall enough to look 16. He barely spoke to me the first few days, but he has a penchant for violent video games and really opens up when you ask him about them. He promised to teach me the art of Grand Theft Auto while I'm here. There is another student staying with us, as well, named Jennifer and she's very friendly and from Oklahoma. We get along really well and are almost never apart.

My host family and I eat almost all of our meals together, and while I love the company, it will take a while before I get used to the food. As the title of this post suggests, yesterday we had a breakfast that primarily consisted of the Spanish equivalent to garlic bread. Today we switched to the more conventional tostada con mermelada de fresa (toast with strawberry jam), but the breakfasts here are very small and lunch isn't until 2:30 or 3pm most days. Jennifer and I usually bring an apple with us after breakfast to eat between meals. Almost every lunch and dinner I've had here has been based around some pig product. The first day we had spaghetti with bits of bacon, and twice now my dinner has been a slice of pork with a strip of cheese on top. I eat whatever is put in front of me, but I can't honestly say I've enjoyed most of it.

photo of Jamón Serrano a.k.a. the pig leg in out kitchen

It's been four days and I'm finally starting to feel a bit settled here in Spain. My family is very nice and eager to help me improve my Spanish skills. Pepi, my host mother, shares my love for reading and we spend a lot of time talking about books. Irene, my host sister, is my age and loves boots and cars. She speaks a little English, which helps in confusing situations, but we primarily speak Spanish with each other. Miguel is my host father, who seems like a fairly quiet person because we haven't spoken much at all. There's also Raul, my host brother, who's 12 but tall enough to look 16. He barely spoke to me the first few days, but he has a penchant for violent video games and really opens up when you ask him about them. He promised to teach me the art of Grand Theft Auto while I'm here. There is another student staying with us, as well, named Jennifer and she's very friendly and from Oklahoma. We get along really well and are almost never apart.

My host family and I eat almost all of our meals together, and while I love the company, it will take a while before I get used to the food. As the title of this post suggests, yesterday we had a breakfast that primarily consisted of the Spanish equivalent to garlic bread. Today we switched to the more conventional tostada con mermelada de fresa (toast with strawberry jam), but the breakfasts here are very small and lunch isn't until 2:30 or 3pm most days. Jennifer and I usually bring an apple with us after breakfast to eat between meals. Almost every lunch and dinner I've had here has been based around some pig product. The first day we had spaghetti with bits of bacon, and twice now my dinner has been a slice of pork with a strip of cheese on top. I eat whatever is put in front of me, but I can't honestly say I've enjoyed most of it.

Our classes start tomorrow morning at 10:30 am. I think that by the time I receive my first assignment, this will finally stop feeling like a vacation. I'm not too worried about classes, although understanding the language is sure to present a whole new set of challenges. I'll write again soon and let you know how it goes! Take care!