Here I am!

After a whirl-wind week of orientation in Sevilla, I made the long journey through the lovely Southern region of Spain to land in Andalucia Oriental in the pueblito of Huercal-Overa, Almeria. In a week and a half, I have encountered an Evangelical church to attend, met almost all of my fellow professors (I believe), and por fin found a place to live! Upon my first visit to the local church, I became acquainted with a Colombian couple, Mari Elisa and Osbaldo, and their daughters, Katharine and Carolina, who happen to live in an apartment right above the church. Having two extra bedrooms and learning that I was in search of a place to live, they offered that I rent one of the rooms. So here I sit in my new living room with my new Colombian family, who are currently watching Spanish nature shows as I write this very blog. It’s been a fun cultural learning experience so far. While experiencing the surrounding Spanish culture, I’m also experiencing Colombian culture through my housemates by sharing meals with them and passing the days together until I begin my job on October 1^st.

I don’t remember exactly requesting CIEE to place me in a tiny town but I have certainly been surprised by how much I enjoy the smallness of it. I adore the fact that I see my grocer at football games, the hardware store clerk at the same café in the morning, and that if I want, I can join my boss at the same rooftop restaurant everyday at noon to have aperitivos because I know that’s exactly where she’ll be. My fellow Americanas and I (there are three of us in Huercal) have gone out some nights and made some new acquaintances and encountered them the very next day in the street. It’s delightfully “chiquitino” - or super, super small.