The last few days have been very eventful!
We spent most of Sunday at a local beach town called Conil. It was absolutely gorgeous, with whitewashed buildings and a beautiful beach.
My friends and I first walked around the town. There were a lot of vendors selling jewelry, leather purses, and souvenirs. We then decided to brave the ridiculously strong winds to spend time on the beach. Conil’s beach was much bigger than La Caleta at home. We spent time swimming in the waves, looking for seashells, and even building a sandcastle!
We began our actual classes on Monday morning. Our Spanish classes here are different from those at home, because part of the class takes place outside on the streets of Cádiz. It really helps to practice by speaking with locals. After going home for lunch and having free time for shopping, going to the beach, or getting ice cream,
we returned to school for our afternoon elective class. I picked Flamenco Dance, which is with three other girls. For our first class, we learned a few arm and hand movements and bought shoes in town. I hope we are ready to perform for the other Abbey Road students in two weeks’ time!
If we don’t have elective classes, we’ll meet as a group for a cultural activity. For instance, we met to explore the cathedral in Cádiz today. At night, we’ll meet again as group before nightly free time. On Monday, we had a scavenger hunt around Cádiz to find things like a yellow motorcycle, the Spanish flag, and a person eating ice cream. My group was definitely out of breath by the end of it! Tonight (Tuesday) is our weekly “Noche en Casa”, which we spend relaxing and spending time with our host families. 
-Dana