Hola from Denia!

Today is our third day here.  On Thursday we met our families at the school (U.N.E.D.).  My family is a 73 year old woman named Maite (Maria Teresa).  We did the customary greeting of two kisses on the cheek and then hugged.  She is a very nice, lively lady.  We took a taxi from the school to our house, which was good because I had two large bags, a backpack and my purse.  Her house is in a rectangular neighborhood where all the houses are touching and are bright colors.  When we got out of the taxi there were 6 or 7 guys standing around talking.  Maite introduced me to each of them and told me how they were related, where they lived, etc.  We first went into her neighbor’s house where there were lots more people, the couple that lived there, their children, their mother, and their friends.  We then celebrated the feast of the three kings with cake and coffee.  They were all very nice and we did talk a little.  Next we went into our house, what a surprise!  Downstairs is her bedroom, a living room/dining room, a kitchen and a patio out back.  Upstairs is all mine!  There are two bedrooms, one has a closet, a double bed, a table, nightstand, and a couch.  The other has a single bed, a chair, a desk and a closet.  I also have my own bathroom.  The first day I unpacked my things then we went out to a restaurant/coffee shop for dinner.  I had a crepe with nutella.  After dinner we went to a store that had everything I could need or want including Frosted Flakes!! :) Friday we started class/orientation.  We looked over the cities, rivers and mountains of Spain.  I had forgotten that lunch is the big meal of the day here so I wasn’t expecting much but we had soup, salad, chicken, bread, and oranges!  All delicious! That afternoon we took a tour / scavenger hunt of the city to become familiar with it.  We went in groups of 5 and I had a blast!  I enjoyed getting to know those people more and it was so much fun touring the city.  By the way, Denia has a mountain (mongo) on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side; its streets are lined with palm trees and lights.  All the buildings are different bright colors and it’s in around the 50’s F.  It is very warm!  During our scavenger hunt we saw the ancient castle that is on one side of Denia, the supermarkets, a church, some stores, a few plazas, the sea harbor with many boats and ships, and tons of shoe stores!!  Even though we saw most of Denia (we walked around for three hours!) I acutely remembered a quote my Dad always says.  We are often lost and people will ask him, “Doesn’t this look familiar?” and he says “Yes, because I have been lost here before!”  I feel the same way although I hear in a couple of weeks the city becomes very small and easy to navigate.  I had dinner while watching pasapalabra (password) on TV with Maite.  Oh man, do they speak fast on TV!!!  At night I just did little reading and writing and went to bed.  Saturday morning I got to sleep in, have some cereal and my Mom’s (Jodi) homemade friendship bread which was excellent.  Today we went to el Torre de Gerro(a large tower) (she told us we were going on a nice walk on the beach) this was a three to four mile walk on rocks and to get to the Torre you need to climb a mountain!  It was beautiful and the walk was all on the street next to the beach so we could smell the ocean and feel the breeze the whole time!  After we walked back from that, a few of us got our computers and went to the school to use the internet.  I have talked with a couple of the locals and it has taken them a minute or two to realize that I am American, usually after I saw a sentence or two J  With three hours of walking yesterday, jet lag, and our 6 + mile walk including a mountain, I am pretty exhausted.  Class starts Monday and I am hoping to get to know the city a little better soon so I can enjoy all that Denia has to offer.  Plus I can’t wait to go lay out on the sandy beaches!!   I miss you all at home and I hope you are enjoying the snow for me!  It is 66 degrees F here!  Hasta luego (Until later J)