Inma

Pat and I have arguably the best possible host family. As mentioned earlier, our family consists of Inma, the 31 year old mother, Carlos her boyfriend who is a cop in Madrid, Jorge the 13 year old soccer star, and Yadira and Angela the 10 and 7 year old gymnasts. We have made such a great connection with them. This past week, Inma asked if Pat and I wanted to go to her mothers village which is about 30 minutes away to deliver some things. We were hesitant because all of our friends were going to the beach and we did not want to miss out on that. However, we decided to go and it was one of the better decisions of the trip. We arrived to a pretty small and run down "pueblo" or village. Inma kept mentioning something about a castle so I was intrigued about what we were going to see. After moving the groceries and such in the house, we were given the tour of the house that Inma's grandpa had built by himself. After that, Inma's grandma showed us all of the things she painted and sewed. Some of the things were very, very cool. Next we made our way towards the castle. It was spectacular. It is situated on a hillside that looks over rolling Spanish countryside. Next she took us to a toppled church, we took some pictures and moved on to the next church that is still in use and it was built in 1835. We were really glad we made the trip. Another reason why Inma and Co. rule is because they are the only host family to come out and meet our group. It was an absolute riot we went to the usual watering hole La Negra Flor and all of our friends had a great time. We also went to Juanita and another discoteca, it was a really fun night. Its not all party here though, class is pretty intense because we have to learn 2 classes worth of material in 5 weeks, but it is manageable. We still find time to make it to "la playa" (the beach) most days. It is a pretty nice beach on a river that runs through the city. The only downer is that the water is really gross, so there is no swimming. It is still a great spot to catch some rays, toss the frisbee around, and drink a little bit of vino. We head to Barcelona next Wednesday, but there is still much fun to be had until then. Today we visited a contemporary art museum in Valladolid. It was fun and a nice little change up from the daily routine. This past Saturday, we took a day trip to Salamanca, which was extremely beautiful. We toured the massive cathedral, and walked the rest of the town. After shopping for a little bit and enjoying some ice cream, tapas, etc, we headed back for Valladolid. I am falling in love with Spain, and time is moving to fast. Until next time!

Cheers

Parker