Our First Day in Cadiz

First Day in Cadiz

I don’t think I can ever put into words what I saw today. As we drove away from the small, deserted Jerez airport, we passed endless fields of sunflowers and wind turbines. The weather was GORGEOUS! The temperature today was perfect; not too hot and not too cold. But what I can never put into words is the enthusiasm and excitement Debbie (my roommate) and I saw when our homestay parents met us for the first time. Of course, that enthusiasm and excitement was reciprocated. Micaela, our host mother, is the most loving, sweet, and appreciative elder I have ever met (besides you, Mom). Manuel, our host father, is smiley, intuitive and eager to show us all every part of our new home.

When we first walked up the narrow streets leading to our new home, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. The scenery was gorgeous, and our house was less than a block away from La Plaza de Espana, one of the several plazas en Cadiz. Before entering, Manuel made sure to show us each of the three keys used to get into the apartment. “Pronto, ustedes van a tener las llaves,” he said with a smile (Soon, you will have these keys). We walked in to a narrow, but extremely adorable apartment. The first room we saw was the TV area, with couches and a TV with non-stop Spanish chatter. Even when sitting in front of the TV for 30 seconds I get lost in trying to pick apart the conversation. They speak SO fast! We were then led to our bedrooms. Debbie and I have separate rooms, each extremely close and even have our own bathroom. Our rooms are quaint and just the right size, with a huge armoire and side tables in each. It’s simply perfect!

When we handed our new family some gifts we brought from home (two candles, a placemat and napkin set, a guide to New York City, and a picture frame to later place a picture of all of us in it), their eyes lit up with appreciation. They were so grateful and happy that they gave us each two rounds of two kisses each (a common gesture here in Spain). Our first meal, la comida, was at around 4 pm. Micaela made us a dish – whose name escapes me - which was a combination of noodles and meat. To my “picky-eater” surprise, it was actually DELICIOUS! They also served us chicken nuggets and lots of fruit!

After a nice siesta and comida, we were walked by our host parents to the “colegio” (high school) where we will be taking classes 5 days a week for the next 3 weeks. It was unlike we Debbie and I are used to back home. The colegio was small with only a handful of classrooms. After a brief tour of the school, we had an orientation about the do’s and don’ts of Abbey Road and what to expect on our three week journey.

The View of Cadiz from the beach!

We then headed home and Debbie and I somehow ventured back to our host home on Calle Costa Rica.