Day One (post arrival)

So the first official day of my time in Europe is today. This morning a couple friends and I decided to take a bus to the IES center to a) figure out the transportation system and b) to check out where exactly this place is. As we neared Placa Catalunya, where the center actually is, I realized that it looked incredibly familiar. I had had a homestay mom in one of the apartment suites right on Las Ramblas! I couldn't find the actual place of where her apartment was on Las Ramblas, but it was nice to have a somewhat familiar place that I was going to be returning to almost every day of my time here.

We bought some bus tickets, though we know that we're going to run out soon. We would literally all be using this bus at least 4 times a day if you just count going to the center, coming back for lunch, then going back to the center, then going back to the dorms. That doesn't even include what we do later on in the night. So I realized that the pass that I bought would only last a little over ten days. GHA.




Anyways, I found some fantastic cafes in the area....literally, the entire area is covered with cafes that have fresh squeezed orange juice and croissants up the gazoo. DELICIOUS! My parents and friends will seriously appreciate this when they visit. On our return to the dorm we took a quick trip to the mall so I could buy a blanket. THis dorm's idea of a 'blanket' is, essentially, another sheet. I don't know about other people, but I am not as warm as a natural hot spring on a regular basis. I need my warmth.

Anyways, gotta go. Another student just arrived so we're going to help her find a place to buy towels! More later.