![embrace the journey embrace the journey](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/61/df/6161dfd54be79d5226b8686c457aaf7d.jpg)
Most days we only had very short sessions therefore, we had a lot ofįree time to explore the city on our own. We got to stay in a very nice hostel in the center of This weekend I am going to a festival with my sisters and their friends in their dad's town and am very excited! I like seeing what the people my age like to do around here and is good practice for my Spanish. We played poker and a game similar to BS then went out for tapas. Last weekend, I went to the house of Natalia's boyfriend with a bunch of her friends.
![embrace the journey embrace the journey](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/4d/32/9e/4d329e1293ff6cdaf99a2994136dfdf9.jpg)
They know that I probably won't say or understand much, but it is very nice to be included. In addition to the food, my sisters have been very good about inviting me out with their friends. Food is definitely one of the many ways my family has embraced my presence. Even though half the time I don't know what I am eating and probably don't want to, it is always delicious. The mothers here feel it is there duty to do so and are constantly forcing more food down your throat. She even wakes up early with me before class to simply make me toast and coffee. Even though you apparently now spoil Sarah.) My mom here makes every single meal for me and most of the time it is from scratch.
![embrace the journey embrace the journey](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/af/21/37/af21375e30a2763f93d88dccc93f8c0b.jpg)
One of the biggest differences in my home life here is the food. It is quite obvious to natives that I am definitely not from here. I am definitely taller than almost all of the women and taller than a lot of the men.
![embrace the journey embrace the journey](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/48/2b/ce/482bceef91792ad31f3455b6a8b522fd.jpg)
While some people back in the United States may think that I am tall, but I am practically a giant here in Spain. I am clearly a rare breed here because when I first met my new professors for an interview to assess my Spanish, they also pointed out the color, or lack there of, of my skin. Now, my family endearingly calls me 'blanquita.' The second thing my family proceeded to comment on after my paleness was my height. She is always asking me if I put on sunscreen we we are outside. My mom is very cautious about me spending any time in the sun. First, they could not get over how white and/or pale I am. However, there are two things my family said upon meeting me that I did understand. My Spanish, amazingly, over the past week has already improved. At first, I could maybe understand a third of what my family said to me. I suppose rather naively that I assumed that my family would at least speak a little English, which has been quite the transition. My first meal was extremely overwhelming as I was with a new family in a new house in a new country and realized that they did not speak a word of English. Of course the first thing I did with my family was eat. At night it can get a little loud because there is a tapas place right outside, but I leave it open for the fresh air. I have a window that looks out onto the small street that we live on. I have my own room, which is quite large compared to the dorm rooms I've had the past two years. The four of us live in a small apartment outside of the center of Granada, but it is much nicer than I expected honestly. I thought, 'this is going to be quite the interesting semester.' When we got home, I met my two sisters-Natalia, 21, and Belen, 19. Almost immediately, I realized that I am in way over my head and don't know Spanish nearly as well as I thought I did. My homestay mom found me and after a quick introduction, we got in a taxi headed towards my new home for the next three and half months. We all waited while our families picked us out one by one from the pictures and letters that we sent them. The four hour bus ride filled with nerves in the anticipation of meeting my homestay family. A short week ago, I got off the bus that brought me to Granada.