A New Life

I wrote this post about a month ago and never got around to posting it. Typical. So here it is.

I'm snuggled up in my big double bed in my own room, clutching my worn, well-loved lime green teddy bear as I type away on my iPad. The doors to my own balcony are open, and if I lean forward I can look out above the Spanish rooftops and see the glistening lights of the Malaga port, blinking like a hundred kids with flashlights trying to light up the black of the night sky. My host brother Manolo is playing Tears in Heaven on his guitar in the next room, my host mom is yelling at my host brother Fernando in sharp Spanish downstairs... This is my new life.

The view from my balcony

It's been quite a while since my last blog post, which mostly spoke about leaving home and my arrival. I've now been here in Spain for 2 months-- it's actually hard to believe. Sometimes I feel like I've been here for only a few days, other times I feel like I've been here for years; either way, I am definitely beginning to settle in. Here's a quick summary of what my life is like here.I live in Málaga, Andulucia, a port city in the south of Spain. It is a common stop for cruise ships and while walking along the beach, you will notice that every third group are a bunch of pasty white Nordic foreigners coming to soak up the Spanish sun. However, tourists don't affect daily life too much, and living here is absolutely wonderful. My favorite part of the city has to be El Centro. There's a long, beautiful street called Calle Larios which has plenty of shops and resturaunts and things to see. One street over is the Cathedral of Malaga, by far my favorite building in the city-- it's almost 500 years old and overwhelmingly beautiful. Near by is La Alcazaba, a palatial fortress (palatial = resembling a palace) from the 11th century and a roman theatre, both kept in incredible condition. The harbor/port are pretty much right across the street from the center, and there is a new shopping center called Muelle Uno right along the water.

 

Center of Malaga

I live approximately 10 minutes away from the center, on a big hill that is regarded as one of the nicer areas of the city. My house is what we would call a town house; skinny yet four stories tall and right next to the neighbor's place. My school is about a fifteen minute walk away. Classes begin at 8:20, so every morning I put my uniform on, have breakfast with my host family,and trudge up a huge hill to the back entrance. There are only 4 classrooms for my whole grade which we switch between throughout the day. We have a 30 minute break at 10:30 called recreo, extracurricular activities at 12:45 (I do swimming), and lunch at 1:45. I walk home for lunch and then go back for afternoon classes. That's right, I don't get home until 6 pm. Whoo.

The backside view of my school

My house

My host family is great. I live with my host mom, Sara, my host brothers Manolo (15) and Fernando (13), and the au pair, Janja (24). Sara is a flight attendant, a strong feminist, and quite the comedian. My brother Manolo's passion is the guitar and he honestly plays better than anyone I've ever met. Fernando loves video games and rowing, and he does both with admirable dedication. Janja is a hilarious, energetic Slovenian girl. She cooks and cleans but is really like a part of the family. We all have a good time together.

My host family and I at arrival

In short, I'm loving my life here in Spain. It is far from perfect and far from easy, but it is great. 


Thanks for reading. Until next time.