Studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain

Coming to Spain was the start of the biggest adventure that I’d ever undertaken. It would be the furthest I’ve ever been from my house in Massachusetts, and it would be the longest that I had been away. It felt weird to be catching the plane ride a whole month after my friends had returned to Castleton. Going through airport security was not a problem. The problem was that from when the plane landed, there was a four hour wait before the people from the program would come to pick us up at the airport.

My first actual ‘problem’ came when they brought us to the hotel we would stay at for two days. I could not figure out how to turn on the lights. No matter how many times I pressed the light switches, they would not go on. I had never thought that turning on lights would need instructions, especially not at a hotel. So, not having much light I read by the window for a little while, then sat down on the bed for “just a minute”. Next thing I knew, it was an hour and a quarter later, and the door was being opened by my roommate for the hotels. She knew how to turn on the lights. apparently there was a little slot by the door in which you put the keycard, and that made it so that you could turn on the lights. It made sense-the hotels then do not have to worry so much about wasting electricity.

The program I was with (ISA) spent two days in Madrid, one day in Toledo, then we went to our actual destination, where we would spend the next two and a half months-Salamanca. Salamanca is a nice little town. Well.sort of little. It is not a city, but it is not as small as Castleton. From the home stay house where I am currently living, it takes 15 minutes to walk to the building where I have classes. The walk back usually takes the same amount of time, but sometimes a little more, since almost half of the walk back is up a semi-steep hill.

As for classes, I am taking five. Three of those classes are taught entirely in Spanish, and for two of those three classes, the teacher does not speak English. That is a little difficult at times, which is why having a dictionary is a necessity. (Three guesses what was the one thing I forgot to bring and had to buy here.)

With the American Dollar being weak against the Euro at the moment (It is currently $1.42 to _1.00) more than normal, I have to watch how much money I spend. Despite things like that though, I like Spain, and Salamanca, and will be sad when it is time for me to leave.

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