estoy aqui!

      saludos de cadiz! i slept through most of the flights, and when i wasn't slipping blissfully into dreamland with the help of a wrap around neck pillow, i was powering through sedaris' naked and starting mcewan's on chesil beach. upon arrival into madrid, i was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by this:


      alas, i failed to surrender half a euro for my share of a strawberry chupachup. and then i somehow was upgraded to business class from madrid to jerez, which was nice. i got to snack on a cream cheese stuffed croissant and dried apricots. interesting combo, but i have a troubling tendency to eat everything.

      my host parents are such sweet people. they're THAT couple that collects ornate, porcelain thimbles and showcases them in a glass box that hangs from the wall. and when i had unpacked most of my things (i have yet to decide where to put my clothes, since my shoes and coats seem to occupy the entire armoire. feist.) and taken a shower, my host mother sat me down behind a (huge) bowl of stew, and when i demolished that, a (huge) plate of homemade french fries and chicken au gratin. and an apple, which i was shocked to see, after being given the "don't expect fruits and vegetables in spain, their diet consists mainly of carbs and starches and you will all inevitably gain 20 pounds" lecture by the program director in seattle. between bites i would look out the window onto the atlantic, amazed by how close we were. stone's throw. no less. it would take me less than 2 minutes to walk to the beach.

      after lunch (this was at 5p), my host mother and i decided to take a stroll through el parte viejo. cadiz is like the dream i always have and never want to wake up from. we had churros and thick hot chocolate for dipping. then i bought some shampoo and conditioner (halfway through my much needed shower prior to dinner, i realized that i just had a bar of soap and shaving cream. both inexcusable substitutes for a clean scalp and shiny locks) from this huge supermarket. there was something different about it, though. not as stale as qfc or safeway, but packed with life and warmth and a billion types of biscuits and cookies to have with tea. the last errand was to movistar for a sim card, which i promptly sucked dry via a long distance phone call to my mother (who, afterwards, put my sister on the phone. at this point i could barely speak english, much less spanish, thanks to jetlag, and my sister got quite a kick of my numerous unfinished sentences). so i'll have to put more money on it now. but at least i have a phone and a phone number here.

      it's going to be a serious problem if i don't make the one foot leap to my bed. time zone changes have destroyed me. here's hoping that i have more pictures and stories to share this weekend before k2 orientation.