Starting Week #3!!

Today is Day #14 of travel! In some aspects it feels like so, so much more than barely 2 weeks, but sometimes it feels like it's been way less. The first 4 or 5 days that Kelsey and I were trying to travel were so exhausting that I think it makes it feel like I've been away from everything I know for months. But when I start to think about how much I still have to learn and get used to, it feels like I've only been here a few days.
I've been falling into more of a routine now, so I'm very grateful for that. I now can take the same route to and from school every day and on purpose. That's a huge improvement! I'm also starting to get used to the food schedules, but that one's a little bit more of a process. They say it takes 3 solid weeks to make something a habit, but I think I'll be pushing the boundaries come the end of July!
In the past few days we've had a lot of rain and it's been pretty cold. Risking looking like a complete American, I wore a sweatshirt and tennis shoes today. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Plus, I inadvertently bought shoes that have canvas bottoms. So even though I was particularly carefully not to splash in the puddles, they still soaked up water from the bottom. That was yesterday, and they're still really wet. We did, however, see a little bit of sun today: 

We went to a festival called Baños de Ola. A long time ago it was considered very healthy to bathe (bañarse) in the sea, but the waves (olas) were so big that there were these men whose job it was to hold a long rope from the coast all the way into the deep water so people could get in the water and hold on to the rope. Now they have a big festival for it and people dress up in traditional clothes and old-timey bathing suits to celebrate. It was very fun. Plus, we got churros which are more than fun:

(Sorry for the repeat Facebook photos.)

So, for the most part it's been a good week. My host family situation has been interesting, but I don't spend a lot of time here and they're still really nice. I think it's mostly that people are just super direct here and don't try to hide much. 

I don't have much else to tell you about, but we're headed out on our first "excursion" to the "Peaks of Europe," on Friday. I should have lots to tell and lots of pictures to show after that.

Have a wonderful rest of your Wednesday!

Love, as always!
Sydney