First Impressions

Grace and I first arrived in Spain on the morning of April 1st . We had an overnight flight into Madrid. 

When we landed in Madrid, we got off the plane and were in complete awe at the fact that we were even in Europe. The airport in Madrid was very easy to navigate and most of the workers spoke English. However, we did have to go through Spanish customs, which was stressful as I was falsely flagged for something -- which I still don't know what it was! They re-searched my bag and put it through additional testing and then I was good to go, thank goodness!

We then got on our connecting flight to Barcelona. 

When we arrived in Barcelona, we got our baggage and then took a taxi to my host mom's house to drop off our big luggage before going to Switzerland. 

While we were in the taxi, I was just gazing out of the window in total fascination with the beauty and atmosphere of the country.  I was surprised though at how normal it felt to be driving on the roads. I don't know why I expected something totally out of the ordinary, but it was no different from the U.S.

When we got into the neighborhood, it was like going into a completely different world. There were so many kids playing in the streets, and people drinking coffee outside of cafes. The streets were so narrow and were all laid with brick. All of the houses and apartments just seemed timeless and historical. It was just simply beautiful. We only spent about an hour in Barcelona before returning to the airport for our flight to Switzerland. 

When we returned to Spain a few days later, there was much more time to form our first impressions. 

A major thing that I noticed immediately was how laid back everyone and everything is. People don't seem to be stressed about safety or about being late to things. It is very common to see kids walking the streets without an adult, which is rare to see in the United States anymore. 

Within the school, my first impression was that it was very chaotic. Not in a negative way, but in the sense that the kids are way more rowdy and expressive than in the U.S. The boys will be on the floor wrestling. The girls will be constantly singing and dancing. It's just a very flamboyant culture -- in the most beautiful way. 

The school is also very relaxed. The doors to the classrooms stay unlocked and sometimes wide open. The classrooms are VERY loud. A lot of kids go home for lunch. Teachers don't have to wear tags, etc. 

Another thing is that EVERYONE is always so stylish! I honestly felt, for lack of a better term, ashamed to ever leave the house wearing sweatpants or leggings. I got so much inspiration for teacher outfits and day to day dress!

I also loved how many bakeries there were and all of the markets with fresh fruit on display!

My first few days there made me immediately excited for the days to come.