I spent much of the Christmas break in a blissful touristy state of awe as I traveled to both A Coruña and Madrid. I didn’t have much time to feel sad or miss home, or even get much of a decent night’s sleep. My host family not only made sure to include me in all the celebrations, but they made sure that I felt like one of them. I even received gifts, something I had not expected entirely.
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I had a blast quickly trying to shove 12 grapes into my mouth (seeds and all) on New Year’s while watching the clock chime in Madrid on the TV. Paint-balling that morning was also fun, especially since it gave me something to talk about with my friends. I also got to celebrate Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men) for the first time, which is basically the equivalent of a second Christmas. (Yay!) This time, I was with the family in Madrid for a little of five days.
They took me to all the best sites, and made sure that every day was filled with plenty of activities. The same went for A Coruña, a trip taken shortly after Christmas. I got to use the train for the first time since I have arrived, and had a laugh with the family when a drunk boarded the train. We only stayed a little over 24 hours, but I had fun with my host father’s friend, who would talk to me in Galician to see if I understood. Other than site seeing, we managed to play Just Dance, a game which my host family has gone absolutely crazy for after I showed it to them at the Thanksgiving dinner I held.
On the last day of break, I switched families for the first time, and it’s taking more effort to get used to than I originally expected, but all is well. I’m going to have to downsize on the amount of things I have though; which will be a bit hard because one or two days after Los Reyes Magos the big sale season starts in Spain. It’s almost like Black Friday, but continues a tad longer.
Over all, I had a great time this holiday season, even away from home. Although I must admit that I wasn’t too happy to wake up and go to school today for the first time in two weeks, I can’t wait to continue the adventures.