Time to write things down

I have been in Alicante, Spain for almost 7 weeks now and have been meaning to blog but have not been sure how to begin. The first month or so has been pretty crazy so I haven't known exactly how to sum it all up in words and thus am a little behind, but I am starting now....

Alicante is beautiful!! It is a pretty small city, but it seems bigger than it is because it is extremely compact. Almost everyone lives in apartment buildings here, and there are stores below them lining the streets. Every once and awhile there is a plaza or a small park, with benches and fountains, and of course palm trees. Ever since I went to South Carolina as a little kid, I have wanted to live somewhere with palm trees, and now I do! It's a little surreal, especially since I also live by the sea! Having been land-locked my whole life, I am still amazed that I can walk a couple minutes from my apartment and be at the beach! Sometimes I forget and have to take a walk around the port and beach to remind myself where I am. It is impossible to be in a bad mood after visiting the beach!

The Explanada, a wide path lined with palm trees, runs parallel to the beach. It is a neat gathering place where people stroll, exercise and just sit and mingle. There are people chatting and relaxing at any time of the day. That is one of the biggest differences that I have seen, life here is so much slower. At first I was taken aback by this a bit. I am used to looking at my clock all of the time and planning out my days, yet here time is more abstract. For example, classes don't start till five, sometimes even 10 minutes after the scheduled time. Once you learn how to slow down, though, it comes almost too easy. Needless to say by my lateness with this blog, I am officially on "Spanish time."