Por fin, ¡he llegado en Cádiz! Aka I have finally arrived!! I can’t even begin to tell you how
excited I was to get here, meet my host mom, and just see what the southern tip of Spain was
like. Before I get you too hyped up let me backtrack for a second and tell you about my crazy
journey because that’s what its all about right? The journey (although the destination is wayyy
cooler so forget the cheesy journey quote :p). You better have packed light and can find your
way around airports because otherwise, it’s going to be a really long day for you. How long you
may ask? 3 flights with a 5-hour layover, long. Yah. I’m exhausted just from typing all of that.
Okay jk my day wasn’t bad at all but it was just very long and as per my usual self during the
school year, I am very sleep deprived. My day started bright and early from my first flight:
Chicago O’hare International airport to JFK in New York. If you remember a couple of blogs ago
about me dissing Chicago’s airport because of the thousands upon thousands of people that are
there…. well yeah it’s true- complete mayhem. Luckily my mom walked me to my gate so that
took the stress off of that part.
Once I got there let’s just say thank god I wasn’t alone because there would’ve been no way
I could’ve gone from a domestic to an international flight alone. You have to take skytrains and
go to different terminals. All of this sounds pretty doable, which I know it is, but let’s just say I’m
glad someone was with me. Now 1 flight down 2 to go. Luckily the flight to Madrid(our
connecting flight) was pretty short(for an international flight in my opinion) and only seven hours
(versus the 14-hour flight to Australia with my family). Don’t worry, don’t worry, there’s a tv with
numerous shows and movies to keep you occupied. As a bonus, they gave me a blanket and
pillow to make my journey more comfortable. Pro tip: if you are one of those people who
absolutely detest planes and everything about them, make sure you have whatever you need to
sleep( etc. Medicine) and some good food because it’s very iffy. They did provide dinner and
breakfast, but I always bring a couple of snacks just in case I don’t like anything.
I almost forgot; I met my group!! It was so fun meeting everyone and seeing where everyone
is from. I made friends really fast and I love everyone! I know this may seem cheesy but
seriously everyone is so nice and just an amazing group of people I can’t wait to hang out with
for three weeks! Okay, okay, so now is where I had to wait in Madrid for five or so hours until my
final flight to Cádiz my life is “so rough”…. not. Although we didn’t have time to explore the city
and remained in the airport, I have been to Madrid before and honestly, I was just excited to be
there again and be one step closer to my final destination.
The last paragraph about my flight I promise. You’re probably like “Asha, we get it, you traveled a
lot and are tired”. All I’m going to say, as you may be able to guess, is that I finally arrived! I
couldn’t be happier to start my real journey of becoming more confident in my Spanish speaking
abilities and make friends of a lifetime. P.S. *Cádiz is seven hours ahead of Kansas City time.
Right off the plane from Madrid to Cádiz. I mean just look how beautiful it is, and it’s just the
beginning! I promise there will be a ton of more pics to come! Similar to Italy and other areas in
Europe, Spain is very beautiful and there are lots of small towns and stores within walking
distance of each other. Tendrás queue esperar hasta Viernes—you will have to wait until Friday
when I write my next blog.
[This is off topic from the previous paragraphs], but can we just talk about the World Cup (la
copa mundial) for a second? I have been watching and actually trying to keep up with the teams
this year. However, Spain lost to Russia 4-3 (in penalty kicks!!) the morning before my flights
here. The morning before!!!:/ I was so excited to celebrate their victories in Spain and watch as
everyone here went crazy and be a part of the soccer (fútbol) madness. Nevertheless, they still
had a great run y ¡Viva España!
Isabel y yo estamos mirando la tele(my host mom and I are watching tv). We spent our first
night together and had so much fun! She is such a kind-hearted person and I already know we
are going to have a great time together. I also got to meet her son and her grandson and spend
some time with them. Look at me already meeting the family (on the first day too) 🙂 ! As you can
guess family is much more of a stronger unit here versus the United States. What I mean is that
everyone (seems at least) to live very close and always see each other (versus only seeing your
family on special occasions or holidays in the states). Tip: in Spain, they kiss cheeks as a
greeting/saying goodbye instead of hugs. Of course, hugs are still a thing but not so much as a
way of greeting
.
This is one of the many plazas we visited. Needless to say, it’s breathtaking and the view is
incredible. We just sat here for an hour and enjoyed the sun, music, and people. This was by far
one of my favorite things to see. It was so relaxing and seemed unreal and basically, everything
about it was perfect!! I will leave you on this note and hope you enjoyed my crazy ride getting
here and ¡te escribo muy pronto!
Keep on Reading! Asha’s journey continues in her next blog post.