Introduction to Espana

Soooo I've been in Spain for a week now, and it actually feels like alot longer!! The first few days after arriving I felt kinda "woooah what did I get myself into!?" I think that had alot to do with loosing a piece of luggage to the airline (I got it back a couple days later), not knowing any of the other students, aaaand of course missing everyone at home (especially Nick! :-P). The first few days the program directors gave us tours around the city and in the oldest part of the city which is called the Albaicin. The city is awesome, although I KNOW I will get lost. Theres not really any logic to the ways the streets are set up. Some how I haven't got lost yet! Good thing too, because if I did get lost and had to ask for directions, no one would understand what I was trying to say!! If I ever thought that I knew Spanish at all... I was wrong...VERY wrong. Not only does everyone speak a hundred miles a minute, but there is also a very distinct Andalusian accent. For example, they don't pronounce s's, so if they are asking if I like something which is "te gusta" in Spanish, they say "te guta?" So that is taking some time to get used to. However, I do think that I have already improved in listening and understanding what is being said to me, which is a really great thing since all my classes are taught in Spanish-- some of the teachers don't speak English at all.