Aqui en Salamanca! Finalmente!

The train ride to Madrid was long and surprisingly very hot. When I got to my room there were two Brazilian guys about my age in there, and no space. I have certainly overpacked for this trip, my main mistake being the HUGE carry-bag. It wasn´t my first choice, but someone convinced me to take the bigger briefcase. Bad idea. Anyways, I managed to fit my stuff in the room and the trip went rather quietly apart from waking up randomly for someone´s snoring and hearing a voice say ¨Chamartin, Madrid¨(our destination) and frantically making sure I wasn´t in trouble when the train strarted moving again.

The worst part of arriving alone in any city is figuring out alone how to get around. Those maps that Becca gave me have been my life-lines to getting places quickly. After getting impossibly fast responses to all my questions from Spanish personnell, eventually I figured out how to get to the airport from the trainstation. Once at the airport... I had no idea where we were supposed to meet, I just knew 1pm. That gave me two hours to scour the airport for anyone I might recognixe. I tried to use my last change in my pocket to call the JMU office in Salamanca from a Pay'phone, but no luck, I couldn´t figure it out and got a wrong number in stead. It really sucked lugging around all that luggage and I was starting to sweatÑ in preparation for meeting my host mom, I was wearing my brown dress shoes and pants, red button down shirt, and my lovely green v-neck sweater. I also had on my long coat, cap and scarf. As I said... sweating. I figured that with the firm 1pm deadline that they gave us, some people might be early and I would find them. So searching searching...



It was with great surprise, relief, and joy that very suddenly I was walking towards the one person in the program that I know: Katie Reed in a JMU sweatshirt! We quickly swapped stories and concerns about not being able to find anyone else and more people showed up. At this point came the most pleasant feeling thing in a week or so - I would walk away from my stuff and get a drink without worrying a bit. It´s an interesting point of personal security. for once in a while, I felt a part of a community, without worrying about myself or anything for that matter. I have learned in my travels that I enjoy the independence to may my own decisions about whatever I´m interested in, but I thrive on the interactions of my decisions with others. Unless it´s important to my personal health or well being, I love to share stuff - feelings, moments, places, food (as you all know)... I am very glad to be with people again because now I can share again.



Some people didn´t make it in time, and there are still in fact some in random places across Europe - so much for 1pm. Katie and I have noted that maybe we´ll take a weekend trip to Basque country to see the Bilbao and the restaurant El Bulli in Roses, El Bulli is the number one rated restaurant in the world. It has both a restaurant, a kitchen, a workshop and many patents on their culinary creations - machines and food alike. The fixed price for their menu is €170. I would still go, and maybe I will someday.

Once everyone we thought would arrive in reasonable time was there, we left for Salamanca from the Madrid airport. The drive to Salamanca was an interesting introduction to Spain. Everywhere is sun-parched land and farming fields, and little buelos that we quickly drive through. We even passed a funeral. It´s beautiful land, in the same way as perhaps Arizona. In each pueblo, the one thing that sticks out is always a large ancient-looking Cathedral/Iglesia. The Spanish Catholic traditions live on, for better or for worse. There are also tons and tons of cranes, whatever they might be for.

I have actually arrived in Salamanca and am right now writing this in the room of my host mother´s son´s room. I don´t have time right now to describe everything I´ve seen here already, so that will wait for another post.

Miss you all!
Kip