This message is brought to you from an Internet cafe on Avenida de Portugal in Salamanca. This is one of few businesses that are open on Sundays, and one of even fewer that are air-conditioned. My flight to Spain yesterday (or was it Friday?) was uneventful, which is exactly the way I like my flights. We waited in a long line of commercial airliners on the runway for almost an hour before we took off, yet we still managed to land on time. Our resident director, Sherri, was there to meet us and take us on the two-hour bus ride from Madrid to Salamanca. She's awesome, very helpful and informative, and she took us on a practical tour of the city last night to show us the post office, banks, major plazas, and parts of the campus where we will have class and orientation. Jet-lagged and disoriented as I was, I'm sure I retained none of it, but it was helpful nonetheless.

When we arrived in Salamanca yesterday, our host families were there to meet us. My host mother, Mamen, is very friendly and easygoing; she seems pretty relaxed about everything. She brought her niece with her to help with luggage, and she stayed to have lunch with us. I really wish I was proficient enough to have an actual conversation with them, but I suppose that will come in time. For now it's superficial small talk that doesn't require advanced grammar skills, but I have decided not to worry about it and let my Spanish progress naturally. In three and a half months of immersion, it doesn't have a choice. Sometimes I get frustrated because I know exactly what I want to say, but I can't articulate it. Those are the times that I accidentally blurt something out in English, then recover and smile helplessly. But Mamen understands: I have thoughts, but I don't have the vocabulary just yet. I'm optimistic.

I spent my siesta unpacking yesterday, so I was too exhausted to go out after dinner. I relaxed for awhile before passing out and sleeping for ten hours. Today I'm on a mission to explore Salamanca and locate the important places that I'll need throughout my semester here. Just me, a map, and a bottle of water. Yep, sounds like a doomed expedition to me.