Moving to a new country is hard!!

I can hardly believe I have been living in Spain for a complete month already!! I have an official ID number, a flat to live in, a bank account, and of course a favorite pub to go to!!

Getting here was no easy feat! I packed two large suitcases and jam-packed my hiking pack and trekked across Madrid, through the Metro, on the train!! When you have that many bags and don't speak very much Spanish people tend to look at you like you have three eyes and purple hair. I think on of the biggest reasons it seemed difficult to me is this.... THE ELEVATORS HERE ARE VERY SMALL. Super small, three people max or one person with two large suitcases and a full hiking pack on their back (me).

Once I got to Santiago de Compostea, the capital city of Galicia, the northeastern region of Spain I had quite a few long, taxing days. My hostel was an experience all in its self. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of dorm room, illegally used as a hotel/hostel for rent. Notice the sleeping bag in the picture!!

Again, the language barrier. Finding a flat to live in and not being sure how to convey that over the phone was completely frustrating. I went to the school and took down phone numbers, posted mine, sent e-mails, looked on 15 different websites for "Piso a compartir," (a flat to share). I found one that was perfect and before I got back to my hostel it was already taken by someone else. I also felt the pressure of needing a place to put my bags before I went to Lisbon, Portugal to run a half marathon. I would absolutely NOT be taking all of that stuff with me.

One thing to notice and remember about here is that the people are very friendly. Spanish and English speakers alike. It also seems we all meet up in the police station. The second day I was looking for a flat, a girl who already had a place offered to watch my bags for the weekend so I didn't have to take them with me. I met another girl who has become our point person for the frequent outings of our large group of Auxulares/friends. I met another girl who is also from Florida and now works here as a translator and she helped me with...translating!! Ha!

I have also met quite a few people through my flatmate or working at the school that have just been amazing.

It was a pain to get here but it's been worth it all the while. There is a saying here for the pilgrams that walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela "Sin dolor no hay gloria!" That traslates to No Pain! No Gain! but it is so true.