After the 1st day's crisis with the alarm clock, I was determined to make it work the 2nd time around. I did better... but not entirely. I set the time correctly, but apparently I didn't actually set it. I just changed the time. So with a bit of luck, I only woke up 15 minutes later than I was intending to (with enough time to eat breakfast and everything!). So I got dressed quickly, ate a quick breakfast (the Spanish equivalent of Frosted Flakes) so my mom wouldn't worry that I'm not eating, grabbed my things (a pad of paper and my purse) and headed out the door to the bus. I managed to get to the Fundación right on time. I was extremely relieved!
So. To clarify... I had the same class twice in one day. This seemed very strange to me, until I actually sat down and the professor explained why. It seemed crazy at first, having the same class twice in one day. But the way she described it, our morning session will be spent out on "field trips" throughout Toledo looking at different structures and types of art while our afternoon sessions will be spent talking about what we saw that morning. I actually like the way that will work. We get to experience it first hand and then get an explanation about what it was. That class is going to be tough though. I'm excited. (Only I would be... LOL)
After my class let out at 12:45pm, I went and spent time with my friends Elle and Kami. We went and ate lunch in the cafeteria (by the way, the food isn't that good... like, worse than dorm food kind of bad). Here, lunch doesn't start until 1:30pm. So around 2pm, Kami, Elle and I went back upstairs to Elle and Laura's room and hung out until Laura and I had to head off to class again. The 2nd half the class, we literally just watched a movie the whole time (a mini introduction to the class). She had told us that morning that if we didn't understand the movie very well, we should considering dropping the class. No pressure... I definitely understood it, but they moved so quickly between topics, that I didn't have time to take notes very well. I'd start writing about one thing, and by the time I finished, the narrator had already covered 3 more topics. :\ Oh well. I did the best I could.
Class got out 20 minutes early, which was nice. I went back to Elle's room for a little bit and chatted, then decided to head home because I was tired. I got back home around 5:30pm and spent a few hours alone while I was waiting for my family to return. I was ok with that because I feel rude being on my computer while they are around... I am trying to only be on my computer when I am alone so I can get a chance to talk as much as possible (and for those of you who know me... This is not something that I have trouble with... I talk too much! NO COMMENTS! :P Maybe I should be on my computer more! Haha!). They got home around 8:30pm and then I ate dinner (still no family dinners... it must be a cultural thing?), and then we watched the new episode of a show (the one about the end of the world) called El Barco. It's actually really really good.
Between dinner and the starting of the show, I got a chance to talk to my dad a little bit. I learned some very interesting things. For example, little kids here struggle with pronouncing letters just like we do at home. Here, it's the r's and z's. My dad was telling me that the way they taught their kids to pronounce their z's, was the same way we learn how to pronounce our th's. Then with r's... I thought this was hilarious! When a little kid learns how to pronounce their r's (and roll their r's), they go around doing it all the time. According to my dad, they sound like little cars walking around everywhere! Hahaha... I thought it was really really funny :)
Anyhow, after El Barco ended, I went to sleep because I was really tired. I'm still not sure if Spaniards actually hug, or if it's only the double kiss thing, so saying goodnight can be a little awkward sometimes. But I'm adjusting! I'm actually starting to feel hungry when I should be and sleeping a bit better. I'm adjusting! :)
Friday, September 9, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
First Full Day In Toledo
The start of my first morning in Toledo did not quite go as planned... Let me explain why. The night before, I had been talking to my mom about what time I should catch the bus to make it to the Fundación by 9am to take the language placement test (the staff there had made a big deal about being there on time) and we had agreed that if I caught the bus at 8:15 or 8:30am, I'd have enough time to get there (allowing for time to get lost). I had intended to get up at 7:30am, get dressed, put on makeup, eat breakfast and then go catch the bus. WELL... let's just say it didn't quite happen that way. I did set my alarm, but apparently I left it on vibrate so I didn't hear it when it went off. So lo and behold, at 8:30AM I woke up... only to realize that I needed to be there in 30 MINUTES! "Shit shit shit shit shit..." was all I could think to myself as I got dressed in a hurry. I managed to catch the bus at 8:55 and got to the Fundación by 9:10am (and didn't get lost, thank you very much!). I stopped by reception to make sure it was okay I was late. They told me it wasn't a problem and to just go on up to classroom 3. As it turns out, I wasn't the last one to arrive. That made me feel so much better!
So I took the placement test and finished about 10am (it's a good thing I'm a quick writer). The next thing I had that afternoon was an oral part of the test at 12pm, so it didn't make sense to go home. Instead, I sat in the computer lab with some friends and worked on my blogs/fb/etc until 11:45am. The interviews were running late, so I didn't go until 12:20 or something. It wasn't really an interview either... It was more of a "here's your class schedule" thing. It was hilarious... The woman I was talking with told me her name is Belén. I told her that that is my mom and sister's names and she looked at me funny. I thought that she was confused, so I told her again. She looked at me and said (in Spanish, of course), "No no... I know. It's just your accent! Most people have a stereotypical American accent! Yours is so good!" I was very pleased to hear that! :D
After my "interview" (or whatever you want to call it...), I headed back home for awhile. I didn't need to be back at the Fundación until 7pm, so I had a lot of time. My family ended up going to my grandparents' house for a few hours where it was cooler and hung out and watched some TV. Apparently they watch more TV then I do at home! Which is good here, because it's helping me understand people who speak really fast! :) At 6:30pm, everyone drove me to the bus stop near the Fundación, so I wouldn't have to take the bus. That was really nice of them because it was a bit out of their way.
At the Fundación that night, we had a brief orientation (again... It feels like we've had 6 by now!) that lasted until 8:30pm. Then we had a mini fiesta. It was fun to watch everyone. They provided lots of food (mostly tapas food, which was good) and music. They brought in what would be considered a Mariachi band in Mexico. They played a lot of songs and everyone danced. I'll have pictures up from that soon. Once I'm not feeling so lazy. I'd have to get up and grab my camera to do it right now... And I don't feel like it. Hahaha...
Well, I got back home around 10:30pm and took a quick shower (which felt SOOO good because it's so hot here!) and right as I finished getting dressed, my family came home. My mom and I immediately sat down at the TV to watch the finale of a series she'd shown me the night before. It was intense. Lol. Then we started to watch another one about the end of the world, but we were both getting tired about 1:30am, so we went to bed.
So I took the placement test and finished about 10am (it's a good thing I'm a quick writer). The next thing I had that afternoon was an oral part of the test at 12pm, so it didn't make sense to go home. Instead, I sat in the computer lab with some friends and worked on my blogs/fb/etc until 11:45am. The interviews were running late, so I didn't go until 12:20 or something. It wasn't really an interview either... It was more of a "here's your class schedule" thing. It was hilarious... The woman I was talking with told me her name is Belén. I told her that that is my mom and sister's names and she looked at me funny. I thought that she was confused, so I told her again. She looked at me and said (in Spanish, of course), "No no... I know. It's just your accent! Most people have a stereotypical American accent! Yours is so good!" I was very pleased to hear that! :D
After my "interview" (or whatever you want to call it...), I headed back home for awhile. I didn't need to be back at the Fundación until 7pm, so I had a lot of time. My family ended up going to my grandparents' house for a few hours where it was cooler and hung out and watched some TV. Apparently they watch more TV then I do at home! Which is good here, because it's helping me understand people who speak really fast! :) At 6:30pm, everyone drove me to the bus stop near the Fundación, so I wouldn't have to take the bus. That was really nice of them because it was a bit out of their way.
At the Fundación that night, we had a brief orientation (again... It feels like we've had 6 by now!) that lasted until 8:30pm. Then we had a mini fiesta. It was fun to watch everyone. They provided lots of food (mostly tapas food, which was good) and music. They brought in what would be considered a Mariachi band in Mexico. They played a lot of songs and everyone danced. I'll have pictures up from that soon. Once I'm not feeling so lazy. I'd have to get up and grab my camera to do it right now... And I don't feel like it. Hahaha...
Well, I got back home around 10:30pm and took a quick shower (which felt SOOO good because it's so hot here!) and right as I finished getting dressed, my family came home. My mom and I immediately sat down at the TV to watch the finale of a series she'd shown me the night before. It was intense. Lol. Then we started to watch another one about the end of the world, but we were both getting tired about 1:30am, so we went to bed.
Spain - Day 3: A Toledo!
Thankfully we didn´t have to meet until 11:30am this time. We all got to sleep in a little bit, although I still got up around 8:30am so I could shower and get packed. I´m pretty sure everything fit better this time... which was a good thing!
At 11:30 we all met in the lobby. The elevators here are SO tiny, so only one of us can fit in at a time with our luggage. For some of the girls, I was shocked that they could fit themselves and their luggage in! I felt bad for the rest of the people at the hotel... There was one couple that was trying to get down the elevator, but each time it opened on their floor, one of us was there occupying it! We were all talking in the lobby and realized that each of us had passed the couple. The poor people!
Once everyone was down in the lobby, Jauma put us all in cabs and sent us on our way to another plaza where the bus was going to pick us up. By now, all of us are realizing that the transportating in this program sucks. But it was about to get worse. I was in a taxi with 2 other girls and there was another taxi with 3 more behind us. Well, my taxi and the one behind us dropped us off across the street from where we needed to be. So there went all six of us... lugging our giant suitcases across a busy street. I´m pretty sure we got some weird looks. At one point, my duffel bag flipped over, and I couldn´t stop to fix it in the middle of the street, so I had to lug it the rest of the way across upside down. That was fun. Not. THEN... as we were crossing the next part of the street, we saw our group heading over to the bus. We were all about to scream, "WAITTTTTTT!!!!" when we realized we could see the bus. We walked over to the bus and were basically the last ones. When we walked up, we realized that there wasn´t room under the bus for all of our luggage. So some of it rode on the bus with us. At one point we turned a corner pretty fast and a bunch of it went flying towards the door. It was actually kinda funny. But also unbelievable at the same time. How could they NOT anticipate that our suitcases were going to be huge?? We are here for 3 1\2 months and there are 16 of us! I mean, really!
Moving on... We arrived in Toledo and went straight to the school (the "Fundación" as we call it). We checked in, got our family (or dorm) information and then ate lunch. For those of us in homestays, we sat in the cafeteria for an hour and a half (until 3:30pm) when our tour of the building started. We got a brief tour of the halls and then around 4:15pm got to meet our families for the first time. It was so nerve-wracking waiting on the staircase for the lady to call our names. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long before mine was called. I walked down the stairs (heart pounding) and saw my mom, dad and sister (that sounds so weird to say...) waiting for me at the bottom. We all greeted each other and then walked into another room to chat for a few minutes. Then we got my duffel bag and backpack and then headed to my new home for the next 3 1/2 months.
Getting there was a lot easier than I thought. While my family does not have a car, my mom's parents do. So they picked us up from the Fundación and away we went. They live in an apartment not too far from the Fundación. My street is called "Avenida de Ámerica" (go figure... lol). They live on the 2nd floor (3rd by our standards, remember) and it is very nice. Once I was settled, we all sat around (including the grandparents) and talked for awhile. They all agree that with some small changes (or "corrections" as they call it), no one would ever know I wasn't Spanish! The funny part is that by "corrections" they mean by accent; I need to learn how to use the "th" sound when I talk. For example, I was trying to say the word for makeup (maquillaje) and they made me say it over and over until I got it right! It was really funny :) They are always sure to correct my grammar when I make a mistake, too, which I really appreciate. If it were anyone else at home (so beware guys...), it would piss me off. But here, I know I struggle, so any help I can get is appreciated. We also Skyped my mom and dad in the US! It was so funny because everyone wanted to meet them. Given that they don't speak much Spanish (my mom more than my dad), I was playing interpreter. I'd forgotten what that felt like! Eventually my mom made me dinner. I'm hoping this was just last night because it was my first night, but she made me dinner and then I ate by myself in the kitchen. Maybe customs are different in Spain, but it was weird for me because I am used to family dinners. Hopefully I'll get some of those before I leave.
After dinner, I got to show everyone some pictures from home. It was very strange to show them my "normal, U.S." life. They did seem to enjoy seeing how I live at home, though, so all was good :) I stayed up for a bit and watched TV, then headed to bed after another long day.
At 11:30 we all met in the lobby. The elevators here are SO tiny, so only one of us can fit in at a time with our luggage. For some of the girls, I was shocked that they could fit themselves and their luggage in! I felt bad for the rest of the people at the hotel... There was one couple that was trying to get down the elevator, but each time it opened on their floor, one of us was there occupying it! We were all talking in the lobby and realized that each of us had passed the couple. The poor people!
Once everyone was down in the lobby, Jauma put us all in cabs and sent us on our way to another plaza where the bus was going to pick us up. By now, all of us are realizing that the transportating in this program sucks. But it was about to get worse. I was in a taxi with 2 other girls and there was another taxi with 3 more behind us. Well, my taxi and the one behind us dropped us off across the street from where we needed to be. So there went all six of us... lugging our giant suitcases across a busy street. I´m pretty sure we got some weird looks. At one point, my duffel bag flipped over, and I couldn´t stop to fix it in the middle of the street, so I had to lug it the rest of the way across upside down. That was fun. Not. THEN... as we were crossing the next part of the street, we saw our group heading over to the bus. We were all about to scream, "WAITTTTTTT!!!!" when we realized we could see the bus. We walked over to the bus and were basically the last ones. When we walked up, we realized that there wasn´t room under the bus for all of our luggage. So some of it rode on the bus with us. At one point we turned a corner pretty fast and a bunch of it went flying towards the door. It was actually kinda funny. But also unbelievable at the same time. How could they NOT anticipate that our suitcases were going to be huge?? We are here for 3 1\2 months and there are 16 of us! I mean, really!
Moving on... We arrived in Toledo and went straight to the school (the "Fundación" as we call it). We checked in, got our family (or dorm) information and then ate lunch. For those of us in homestays, we sat in the cafeteria for an hour and a half (until 3:30pm) when our tour of the building started. We got a brief tour of the halls and then around 4:15pm got to meet our families for the first time. It was so nerve-wracking waiting on the staircase for the lady to call our names. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long before mine was called. I walked down the stairs (heart pounding) and saw my mom, dad and sister (that sounds so weird to say...) waiting for me at the bottom. We all greeted each other and then walked into another room to chat for a few minutes. Then we got my duffel bag and backpack and then headed to my new home for the next 3 1/2 months.
Getting there was a lot easier than I thought. While my family does not have a car, my mom's parents do. So they picked us up from the Fundación and away we went. They live in an apartment not too far from the Fundación. My street is called "Avenida de Ámerica" (go figure... lol). They live on the 2nd floor (3rd by our standards, remember) and it is very nice. Once I was settled, we all sat around (including the grandparents) and talked for awhile. They all agree that with some small changes (or "corrections" as they call it), no one would ever know I wasn't Spanish! The funny part is that by "corrections" they mean by accent; I need to learn how to use the "th" sound when I talk. For example, I was trying to say the word for makeup (maquillaje) and they made me say it over and over until I got it right! It was really funny :) They are always sure to correct my grammar when I make a mistake, too, which I really appreciate. If it were anyone else at home (so beware guys...), it would piss me off. But here, I know I struggle, so any help I can get is appreciated. We also Skyped my mom and dad in the US! It was so funny because everyone wanted to meet them. Given that they don't speak much Spanish (my mom more than my dad), I was playing interpreter. I'd forgotten what that felt like! Eventually my mom made me dinner. I'm hoping this was just last night because it was my first night, but she made me dinner and then I ate by myself in the kitchen. Maybe customs are different in Spain, but it was weird for me because I am used to family dinners. Hopefully I'll get some of those before I leave.
After dinner, I got to show everyone some pictures from home. It was very strange to show them my "normal, U.S." life. They did seem to enjoy seeing how I live at home, though, so all was good :) I stayed up for a bit and watched TV, then headed to bed after another long day.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Spain - Day 2
Two words (or one... I´m not sure...): Jet. Lagged. Monday (Sept 5th) was by far the hardest day. We´d all been in Spain for 24 hours now, but none of us were quite used to the time difference yet.
We were all to meet in the lobby of our hotel at 9:30am, so we all got up around 8:45. Once in the lobby, our official walking tour of Madrid started. We had be warned the day before about our tour guide, Juan. Jauma had told us that some girls have tended to... fall in love with him. The way he said it was hilarious! He said, "Juan... *sigh*" Soooooo funny. Anyhow, so our walking tour lasted about 3 hours. We ended up eating at this restaurant around 1:00pm. After lunch, we were free to do as we wished until 5:30pm, when he had to be back at the hotel for a mini orientation. I napped for a bit (jet lag sucks) and then went with my friend Elle to the statue of Don Quijote to take the same picture I have from 10 years ago. Oh my gosh! I ws so frustrated when I realized that the park we had been sitting at the day before was RIGHT NEXT TO Don Quijote! I could have taken the picture a day earlier and spent that afternoon exploring other parts of Madrid. Oh well... As Elle said, everything happens for a reason, right?
5:30pm rolled around and everyone met on the first floor (**side note** the bottom floor of the hotel is always considered to be Floor 0) of the hotel for our orientation. Jauma talked for awhile about safety related things. Apparently he wasn´t supposed to be our director person... a woman was. So when he got to the females traveling alone part, he was a little awkward. But again, managed to get through it with a sense of humor. He told us that Spanish boys think American girls are much more approachable because Spanish girls always turn them down (usually rudely, too, it sounds like!). So he told us that if a guy tries to hit on us, it won´t hurt his feelings when we say no (firmly) because they´ve already been told no 10000 + 1 times. LOL.
Our orientation thing ended around 6:45pm-ish, then we were on our own for dinner until 9:30pm. I ended up with 3 other girls (Nora, Elle and Kami) at the Plaza (pronounced Pla-tha) Royal for dinner. We just order to plates of tapas and shared it since none of us were very hungry. We just sat there and chatted until about 8:30pm and then headed back towards the hotel.
At 9:30pm, everyone met back at the hotel to head over to a live Flamenco show! Oh my god, it was amazing!! I never fully realized how they really do use their ENTIRE bodies. And the woman´s outfits! I love the dresses! The show started at 10:30pm and finished some time around midnight. We were all so exhausted by the end (and I´m sure the sangrias didn´t help...). I have lots of pretty pictures from the show, so be sure to watch for those soon.
We all got back to the hotel and crashed immediately.
We were all to meet in the lobby of our hotel at 9:30am, so we all got up around 8:45. Once in the lobby, our official walking tour of Madrid started. We had be warned the day before about our tour guide, Juan. Jauma had told us that some girls have tended to... fall in love with him. The way he said it was hilarious! He said, "Juan... *sigh*" Soooooo funny. Anyhow, so our walking tour lasted about 3 hours. We ended up eating at this restaurant around 1:00pm. After lunch, we were free to do as we wished until 5:30pm, when he had to be back at the hotel for a mini orientation. I napped for a bit (jet lag sucks) and then went with my friend Elle to the statue of Don Quijote to take the same picture I have from 10 years ago. Oh my gosh! I ws so frustrated when I realized that the park we had been sitting at the day before was RIGHT NEXT TO Don Quijote! I could have taken the picture a day earlier and spent that afternoon exploring other parts of Madrid. Oh well... As Elle said, everything happens for a reason, right?
5:30pm rolled around and everyone met on the first floor (**side note** the bottom floor of the hotel is always considered to be Floor 0) of the hotel for our orientation. Jauma talked for awhile about safety related things. Apparently he wasn´t supposed to be our director person... a woman was. So when he got to the females traveling alone part, he was a little awkward. But again, managed to get through it with a sense of humor. He told us that Spanish boys think American girls are much more approachable because Spanish girls always turn them down (usually rudely, too, it sounds like!). So he told us that if a guy tries to hit on us, it won´t hurt his feelings when we say no (firmly) because they´ve already been told no 10000 + 1 times. LOL.
Our orientation thing ended around 6:45pm-ish, then we were on our own for dinner until 9:30pm. I ended up with 3 other girls (Nora, Elle and Kami) at the Plaza (pronounced Pla-tha) Royal for dinner. We just order to plates of tapas and shared it since none of us were very hungry. We just sat there and chatted until about 8:30pm and then headed back towards the hotel.
At 9:30pm, everyone met back at the hotel to head over to a live Flamenco show! Oh my god, it was amazing!! I never fully realized how they really do use their ENTIRE bodies. And the woman´s outfits! I love the dresses! The show started at 10:30pm and finished some time around midnight. We were all so exhausted by the end (and I´m sure the sangrias didn´t help...). I have lots of pretty pictures from the show, so be sure to watch for those soon.
We all got back to the hotel and crashed immediately.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Day 1 - Madrid
After the crazy adventure at the airport, we did eventually make it to the Hotel Moderno. We were allowed to run around the city on our own once we checked in with Jauma (our coordinator) as long as we were back by 7:30 for dinner (and a brief walking tour). The group of girls I've fallen in with (we are all girls with Arcadia) and I walked around Madrid for a bit, got some ice cream and then sat a park and chatted for awhile. Then we realized that we needed to be back soon, so we headed back... leaving time to get lost, of course.
Our walking tour was very short, mostly because Jaume doesn't know Madrid very well. But we wandered around anyway and then we ate dinner (I wish I could remember what restaurant...). It was really good. Jaume ordered a bunch of tapas for us which allowed us to get a sample of a bunch of different foods. He ordered a soup for himself... filled with cow tripe. Ewwww. I tried everything else, but I couldn't get myself to try it. Why can't they name cow stomach something a bit more appetizing? But tripe? Really? I don't understand.
Anyhow, after dinner we were all pretty jet lagged, so everyone went back and crashed. It was a very long day! First the running around the airport for 5 hours, then exploring Madrid on our on for a few more hours, then a brief walking tour, then dinner, then the walk back... Oh and the 9 hour time difference doesn't help either ;)
Our walking tour was very short, mostly because Jaume doesn't know Madrid very well. But we wandered around anyway and then we ate dinner (I wish I could remember what restaurant...). It was really good. Jaume ordered a bunch of tapas for us which allowed us to get a sample of a bunch of different foods. He ordered a soup for himself... filled with cow tripe. Ewwww. I tried everything else, but I couldn't get myself to try it. Why can't they name cow stomach something a bit more appetizing? But tripe? Really? I don't understand.
Anyhow, after dinner we were all pretty jet lagged, so everyone went back and crashed. It was a very long day! First the running around the airport for 5 hours, then exploring Madrid on our on for a few more hours, then a brief walking tour, then dinner, then the walk back... Oh and the 9 hour time difference doesn't help either ;)
Traveling Chaos
To those of you how knew how freaked out I was about traveling internationally by myself - it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I sat next to some really nice people, which made it a lot easier. However, once I arrived in Madrid, things got... crazy.
We landed in Madrid somewhere around 7:00am (30 MINUTES earlier than we were supposed to) and then proceeded to take 30 minutes to taxi to our gate. Needless to say, I was SO happy to get off that plane. From the gate we headed to the passport checkpoint. Now this is where my airport adventure got "fun". The man I sat next to was German, and misinterpreted what line I should be in to get my passport checked. So I stood in line with him for 20 minutes or more only to realize that it was the European passport line and that they couldn't approve my passport there. So baaaaaack I went to the "All Passports" line... to wait another 30 minutes. I made friends with the people in front of me, so it wasn't too bad.
After making my way through the passport line and through customs, I sat down in Terminal 1 to wait until the 10:00am pickup time. 30 minutes passed... then 1 hour... then 1 hour and 15 minutes... I'm looking around trying to decide if there were any other people from my program waiting also. I finally spotted a girl sitting by herself with a huge duffel bag like mine so I went over and introduced myself. Fortunately, she was also waiting for Arcadia. Another 30 minutes passed... and then another 30 minutes... and then another hour... By 11:30am (with 12:00pm being the cutoff time for pickup by Arcadia) we had a group of 6 girls trying to figure out where to go. Finally one of the girls called a number we had and found out we were supposed to be in Terminal FOUR, even though all of our paperwork said Terminal ONE. So we were all like, "Ok... off we go then." None of us realized that we'd have to take a shuttle alllllllll the way across the airport to get there.
Long story short, we managed to find the guy we were looking for and were all put in taxis to the airport. We all explored on our own during the afternoon and then met up again for dinner. I was so happy to finally get a chance to sleep!
We landed in Madrid somewhere around 7:00am (30 MINUTES earlier than we were supposed to) and then proceeded to take 30 minutes to taxi to our gate. Needless to say, I was SO happy to get off that plane. From the gate we headed to the passport checkpoint. Now this is where my airport adventure got "fun". The man I sat next to was German, and misinterpreted what line I should be in to get my passport checked. So I stood in line with him for 20 minutes or more only to realize that it was the European passport line and that they couldn't approve my passport there. So baaaaaack I went to the "All Passports" line... to wait another 30 minutes. I made friends with the people in front of me, so it wasn't too bad.
After making my way through the passport line and through customs, I sat down in Terminal 1 to wait until the 10:00am pickup time. 30 minutes passed... then 1 hour... then 1 hour and 15 minutes... I'm looking around trying to decide if there were any other people from my program waiting also. I finally spotted a girl sitting by herself with a huge duffel bag like mine so I went over and introduced myself. Fortunately, she was also waiting for Arcadia. Another 30 minutes passed... and then another 30 minutes... and then another hour... By 11:30am (with 12:00pm being the cutoff time for pickup by Arcadia) we had a group of 6 girls trying to figure out where to go. Finally one of the girls called a number we had and found out we were supposed to be in Terminal FOUR, even though all of our paperwork said Terminal ONE. So we were all like, "Ok... off we go then." None of us realized that we'd have to take a shuttle alllllllll the way across the airport to get there.
Long story short, we managed to find the guy we were looking for and were all put in taxis to the airport. We all explored on our own during the afternoon and then met up again for dinner. I was so happy to finally get a chance to sleep!
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