Hola from Málaga!
After a blur of seemingly endless travel last Monday/Tuesday, I arrived in Málaga, and was instantly thrown into my new life. I took a taxi from the airport to my new apartment, where my host mom, María Carmen, was waiting to meet me. She is incredibly warm and willing to answer my many questions and wade through my imperfect Spanish, and I am so happy that I am living with her. I am also super lucky to have my own bedroom and bathroom! I live close to a part of the city called "el centro," and it is about a 15 minute walk or bus ride downtown where the streets are always full of malagueños and tourists, enjoying the beautiful city (Málaga boasts 300 days of sunshine a year).
This first week has been full of getting to know our host families, sightseeing around Málaga, going to the beach, and enjoying the active Málaga nightlife. We also started classes on Monday, 3 of my classes are with other Dickinson students, and I'm starting another next Monday with other UMA students, which will definitely throw me right in to learning/understanding Spanish! So far, there haven't been too many "lost in translation" moments, and every day gets a little bit easier to communicate, I even notice that when I'm not exposed to English, I find myself thinking in Spanish, which is really exciting!
Hasta luego,
Sarah
