Blog Abroad

Hey! Sorry I haven't written you in so long, but the outlets in Europe are different and I didn't have a converter to plug my laptop in. I will post the pictures missed and some info about Barcelona soon, but this upcoming week will be chaotic for me so have patience! I start intensive orientation tomorrow morning at 9 AM.

Some things I didn't post in Spain: some toilets have two buttons: a poop flush and a pee flush. There is a second comode for women to wash their derrieres when necessary. I am not allowed to flush toilet paper in Spain. People in Spain are much more friendly than in the States, saying "hola" or "buenas" when they cross paths and "hasta luego" or "staluego" when leaving each other, even if they don't know each other. In Spain, the "baso" (cheek kisses) are one on the left and one on the right. In Barcelona, you will see that we visited the Sagrada Familia (a very large church designed by Gaudi who died before in could be finished and is still under construction), the Castell de Montjuic (where apparently the last battle of the Spanish civil war was fought? I will find more info on this to post in the Barcelona section), the Columbus statue as he points dramatically to the Americas, the old Barcelona bull ring (which has been converted into a shopping mall since bull fights have been banned in Barcelona- although not yet in all of Spain), and an art museum that we didn't get to go into.

Now for the real purpose of this blog: Today is my first day here in France. As many of you know, I had to describe myself in five words in order to be matched to a family and also had to list any allergies. I listed my allergy to the smell of pine and the smell of cinnamon. My hostess, a (widow?) named Catherine, lives in an apartment surrounded by pine trees. And she was told I don't like the taste of cinnamon and promised me she will not use it. It is surprisingly easy to understand her French, but she speaks a lot and very quickly and it intimidates me... :(. Our first dinner was spaghetti (one of two meals I hate) with water, followed by cheese of variouos sorts and then fruits. I drank my breakfast tea from a bowl for some reason she did not tell, and since water is very expensive here, I have to only use the water in the shower to rinse which, yes, means I turn it on then off then on then off then on once more and off again. Also, I am allowed to flush toilet paper, I am not allowed to touch the washer or dishwasher, I sleep on a pull-out couch in a very pink room, and I use the toilet in a closet because the bathroom has no toilet. Today we are visiting the town and going to a gethering "Je suis Charlie", the tradgedy of which I will post in my Encyclopedia with the Barcelona information.

Bon voyage, mes amis!