First Impressions of Salamanca

Sooo... imagine freshman year of college, but replace cafeteria food with delicious Spanish comida, tiny dormitories with a cozy room in your Senora's house, and the English speakers with Spaniards overcome by zeal for soccer... and you don't evecn have half of what there is to see here, in Salamanca. I have not turned a corner where I was not in awe by some historical monument or landmark. While I have only spent a couple of weeks here, I already feel as if I've learned more about culture from these two weeks of studying Spanish than I have in my two years of Spanish classes.

One specific thing that I have loved is the food. For the first time, I was told that I would eat anything! While some of the foods are common in the U.S., I have had the pleasure of experiencing them first, here. From shrimp, to swordfish, to paella, to jamon... it's all amazing. Luckily, we've been studying the vocabulary for foods in Spanish, so I may be able to steal some recipes for home (Spanish Tortilla... I'm not sure how I've lived without you...).

The one thing that surprised me, though, is how often people will try to take advantage of our being foreign. I've heard that the Spanish people tend to be nice, but I feel like we're all pretty much the same... we have our nice people, and our not-so-nice people. With that said, I'll be paying much more attention to the things I buy, and the change that I receive...

Well... to sum it up, I love Spain, but miss home...

Love you, mom!

Maurice