I Love Ana and Juan

I could not have had a better welcome into my new home...

I got a taxi from the airport with my two large (read: overweight) bags, my carry ons AND pillow and got dropped of at campus (where I ran into an orientation group that I was supposed to be in but was 3 hours late for because of the airline mess from yesterday).  I looked like a fool with all of my stuff trying to haul it into the Student Life building but finally made it (feeling rather alone and confused) and was shoved into the last hour of an orientation tour.  They were then re-grouping and heading out to a 5 hour tour of somewhere in Spain, but I knew I would never make it so one of the Student Life administrators helped me call my host family (Ana Anton and Juan Velmazan) and get a cab to my new home...

So I pull up to the front of the building and I am not even out of the cab yet when a woman comes rushing up to me almost in hysterics she is so excited, and it is my new host mother, Ana, she is absolutely wonderful.  Wearing a big green fuzzy hooded coat she grabs my overweight bags from my hands and rushes me up to the elevator, talking so fast (in spanish) (but I hung on and understood what she was saying, yay me!) and hugging me every chance she got.  Then we get up to the 5th floor and standing in the doorway is Juan, this adorable bald man in a fancy suit with a hot pink shirt with white cuffs and collar and a black and pink tie.  He wrapped me up in his arms and gave me a tour of the apartment, which is so unbelievably charming (I will take and post pictures as soon as possible).  There are 2 doubles and 1 single room, so my friend Mary and Lisa are in one room, Maria and another girl are in the other double, and I have my own room. It is very small but it is perfect for just little me. 

I figured I would update you all with my excitement and let you know I am safe in Madrid.

Off to take a nap now  (this bed is so comfortable!)