España Hermosa

I arrived in beautiful, sunny Spain this morning at 7:30am - about 2am EST!  On the drive to my boss's house, the terrain was so intriguing.  There are trees of all types here, from pine to palm.  The ground is also dry and brown - many houses cannot maintain lawns and instead have trees planted in white rock beds.  The weather is hot, a good 88 degrees Fahrenheit, but there is no humidity so the heat is not as scorching as it is in the American Midwest! I do burn more quickly here though, so sunscreen is a must!

The Spanish are truly some of the most welcoming, hospitable people I have ever met.  The minute I arrived I was able to eat breakfast, shower, and then fight my impending jet lag by going to the horse stables down the street where my boss keeps two horses (Whiskey and Bo).  This particular horse stable is family run and called Asociacion Amigos del Caballo.  What a way to start off my immersion into the Spanish culture!  I was able to meet some wonderful people, and they all welcomed me to their country.  Everyone at least said hello to me, even though they have never seen me in their lives, and some even sat next to me and spoke to me in Spanish for a little while.  Horses are just gorgeous creatures.  I loved how I would walk by each horse and they would stick their head out so I could gently pet them.  The stables had many different varieties of horses - light brown, dark brown, black, gray, multi-colored, and the most beautiful white horses (caballos blancos). The owner of the stables was working with one of them in the riding area, holding the horse by a rope as the horse galloped around the ring in the glowing morning sun.  In that moment, I truly felt like I was in Spain, and I had only just arrived two hours before!  Miraculous things happen every day.

After spending a couple hours at the horse stables I took a much needed "siesta" and then went to walk around the town with my boss to buy lunch!  We went to a chicken place called "Pollo Listo" and they had the most scrumptious roast chicken, croquetas, and patatas fritas.  Here in Spain, lunch is the largest meal of the day, and Sundays are especially important because the whole family is home to enjoy a meal.  Everyone is out during this time, around 2pm or so, and in just walking around town with my boss I was able to meet many more people that she knew.  I have been told that Spain truly emphasizes building relationships among people, and I can definitely feel that vibe already.  Most markets and stores are closed on Sundays because the Spaniards really do desire to spend time with their families.  Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest after all.  Amen!

It is only 3:25pm here so I still have a good deal of the day left before I can hop into bed, but I needed to stay awake, so I figured I would write a blog post now!  We are all just relaxing, including one of my boss's dogs, a dear Golden Retriever, who followed me upstairs and is now fast asleep at my feet. :)

I start work on Wednesday, but until then, there will be more on my adjustment to Spanish life!