At about this time, the Shaggin Wagon cab service drove by and I had to wonder if someone had called the number displayed...

My first adventure abroad did not, in fact, happen abroad.  On the way to the airport, the father and I stopped in Lansing to eat at El Azteco, and the truck pictured above pulled up outside the window.  They were handing out free tacos.

 Anyway, I am now safely in Toledo (so stop worrying family).  After a long flight that included (for our listening pleasure) the piano arrangements of “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Desperado”, we arrived bright and early in Madrid.  As a sherbet orange, Lion King style sun rose over a hill and painted the sky and airport pink, all I could think was, “I hope we get to the bus soon so I can finish my book!"  It's an hour's bus ride to Toledo.  Once there, we had to pull our suitcases up a street too narrow for the bus- I was the only one that I saw to bring one bag (and one of the few to bring one carry-on)!  I was pretty glad for that.  Last night, we had a welcome fiesta with tapas and a "tuna"- a musical group of university students- who dressed like troubadours and serenaded us with traditional Spanish music.  

I met my host mom, Angeles, yesterday- actually, I think "host aunt" or "host sister" would be more accurate, as she appears to be in her mid to late twenties and lives alone.  She's very nice and I think we would get along very well if I weren't so bad at Spanish!  It takes me forever to think of what to say, and sometimes I don't understand what is being said.  Today was somewhat better than yesterday, though, so I hope I'm improving and continue to do so.  She lives in a neighborhood outside of the main city, so I'll probably have to take the bus to class.  I move to her house tonight and have to be to class at 8:40 tomorrow morning, so I'd better get that sorted out.  I scheduled my classes today and got the ones I want- hurray!  I'll be taking "Narrative in Spanish America", "Writers of the Spanish Golden Age and its Decline", "Spanish Philosophers", "Ethnology and Folklore of the Iberian Peninsula", and "Master Painters of Spain".  I don't have class on Fridays, which is nice.  I was supposed to do an internship, but they lost my application form, so I went ahead and scheduled another class instead.  When they found the form, my class schedule prevented me from participating, and I need the classes in question for my major.  So now I think I'll volunteer at the Red Cross, which works out better anyway.  Go figure.