Mi primer dia

     The first day...hmm, what can I say? Well, it was terrifying, to say the least. But in the best way possible. I got up in the morning (notice, I didn't say wake up...there was no sleeping for me that night...no joke, literally none) and went to the bus station at 7:30 AM. Honestly, I don't know why they would have us go there that early, considering the first kids out of our group to leave were leaving at 10:30, and my bus didn't even arrive until 11. I kid you not, I was so tired, I fell asleep on my suitcase in the bus station......that was slightly embarrassing. The volunteers were super cool though. They helped us relax, and if we needed anything, they were there for us. But once we got on that bus, there were no more volunteers. There was no more help. It was just AFS students with a long road ahead. 
     We arrived after a 5 hour bus ride, in which I did absolutely nothing but sleep, and every single person looked at each other like, "Oh my god, what are we doing?" Even the people who swore that they weren't nervous were scared. We all knew what was coming, but I think that was the moment that we really realized it was real. I looked around and said, "This is it guys.." And then we got off the bus. 
     I immediately saw my host sister and ran up to give her a hug and the "dos besos" (two kisses) that are almost a necessity when meeting up with someone in Spain. That's something I'm going to have to get used to. In America, when you meet someone, you either give them a slight head nod with a hello or shake their hand. But here, it's two kisses on the cheeks. I'm never really sure what I should do in those situations so I just follow the other person's lead to be honest. 
     Anyway, we drove from Bilbao to Mungia, which is the "pueblo" or small town that I live in. I was doing a lot of "Que?"ing and a lot of looking around like omg what? Because practice as much as you want, it's still hard to understand them. When I got to their house, I gave them their gifts, which thankfully they liked. Then I sat in the "sala" (livingroom) with my sister, whom I now just call Ane instead of Ane Elena. At first, it was really hard to understand her and really hard to communicate back. I mean, it's still really hard to communicate back. Talking is definitely the most difficult part for me. I can't put together a grammatically correct sentence that fast. I have to write it down and check it and fix my mistakes first, which I can't exactly do in natural situations. But anyway, it got easier, and we both got more comfortable with each other. We laughed a lot, mostly because of communication errors, but it was good to be able to laugh and have fun! 
     I also met my little brother, Gotzon, who is the cutest thing in the world, I swear. He's also got an addiction to video games, just like every other 8 year old kid. Honestly he's so nice and welcoming. They all are! 
     We went to a Rugby game in Valencia, which I had no idea was close to here. I also had really no idea what Rugby was, because I've never seen it before. It's not exactly common where I live. But we went with Elena, my "host aunt" and met her husband, who plays Rugby. They were both incredibly nice, as well. They said I understand a good amount of Spanish, which makes me extremely happy. 
     I ate paella!!! I am in love with paella...I was before I left, but seriously nothing beats actual Spanish paella...if you ever have the chance to try it, DO IT!!!
     Then later, for dinner, we ate tortilla espanola. It's kind of like a giant omelet, but so much better. Everything here is good. All the food is incredible. I have not yet tried something that I didn't like. There's also these things called "bocadillos" which are basically sandwiches. Bocadillos with chorizo are incredible, especially with the bread here, which is nothing like our sandwich bread. It's REAL bread! 
     Then, of course, I went to bed. I slept for a good 12 hours, and I'm still always tired, no matter how much sleep I get. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still jetlagged and not yet used to the time change or if it's because I'm completely surrounded by new things and a language I only speak a little of. Either way, that's one thing you should know about this trip...it is exhausting...especially at the beginning. I'm sure it will get easier. Every day, it gets a little easier. Or as they say here, "Poco a poco."
     But, in all honesty, I feel completely at home with my family. I couldn't have asked for a better family. I adore them, I adore Mungia, I adore Bilbao, and I adore El Pais Vasco. Here, they don't consider themselves a part of Spain...This is "The Basque Country" or "El Pais Vasco." Seriously though, it's amazing. I feel so great here!!!