Didn't go to church... DID explore more. We met our contacts here Paula y Luna at 9 and ate dinner (just tapas) and then went to a bar that their friend owns, meaning that they opened just for us :). We all talked, requested 70s/80s American music, and played cards until 1 in the morning. Today we took our placement test in a group of over 100 study abroad students from across the US and maybe some Asians? It was a front and back page of fill in the blanks and then an essay "Please write a letter to the post office saying that is not your fault that your dog attacked a letter carrier" I had fun with that :). The carrier had meat in his pants and lost a leg. I suggested that he become a doctor instead and that snail mail is on the outs anyways. Then I placed blame on the post office for not assigning suits of armor for the carriers. My last line was: well maybe I shouldn't teach my dog to attack people who trespass. Then our oral test was just conversing with a professor. They suggested that I be in the advanced level! But then said that if I'm drowning to just go down to intermediate haha. But I'll find out my exact results tomorrow at 9!
After the tests we returned to our hotel, waited an hour... and then parents started coming in! I was sooooo anxious, especially because my mom never responded to me. But my mom didn't come for me- my dad did! We talked and drove home. I live in an apartment maybe a mile off campus. We parked underground and rode the elevator up to our apartment. You walk in and to the left is the laundry room and a patio. To the right is the dining room and living room. Straight on is a kitchen, from there you take a right into the long hallway. It has my brother Pedro's room, a bathroom, a sewing room, my room, my parents' room, and another bathroom. MY FAMILY AND LIVING SPACE IS PERFECT.
The apartment is relatively big for here and the family is exactly what I requested. My brother is 21 and has a girlfriend so eventually they can take me out to meet other people our age. My parents have a daughter who is 26? 36? I forget, but she has 2 daughters, 5 and 2! I kinda wanted someone my age to go out with, but I also wanted young children to talk to (they're more at my level) and possibly babysit *However Mom, I totally wound them up like usual :/ Also, they had a dog (which I wanted) but he actually died a week ago :( we were able to commiserate as I talked about Mickey. My family has had study abroad students for 10 years and my mother prides herself on being the best mom out there. She makes every student write in a book she keeps before they leave. She was reading me some entries and She talked in depth about one student and cried while reading another's entry, I hope I can be one of those students for her.
When I first arrived and started speaking my parents were saying, "No this can't be you, no. You wrote so well in your letter. No, no, you aren't Sara. Oh you're Sara? You must be tired... but you write so well!" Oops. You know that paranoid feeling when you think people are talking about you? That feeling increases tenfold when they are speaking you're second language. I kept thinking I was hearing, "Ella no habla nada... no entiende nada, y pensamos que... porque la carta..." However it's been raining hugs and kisses and I'm accepted by the granddaughters so I think I'm in.
Because she's had so many students for such a long time she had a lot of advice to give me. One being- DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH. "You're boyfriend doesn't speak Spanish? Ditch him." *Don't worry Tom, me cariño (as they call me in girl form). I've realized this myself over the weekend- my brain was working double time speaking Spanish half of the time and English the other. So, I've decided that I'll give myself a "sabbath". One day a week, I'll allow myself to write (not speak) in English. For this reason my updates will be infrequent, but I might make some in Spanish and ya'll can google translate. She also offered her home as a place for other study abroad students to visit, and told me that they have a house near the beach and we will go there later in the semester (AND as a group we are going with Paula y Luna to a cabin in Feb.!)
My brain is fried and I find out my official placement and have classes tomorrow starting at 9. I may go to H&M after because my Mom just asked, "You don't have anymore clothes?" Now, its time for cena. We are having good ole' Hamburger Inns.
Besos!
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