Packing my life into a suitcase, a carry on, and a backpack... Again

For everyone reading, I am sorry it has been awhile since I wrote last! I have had a lot going on the past few days, and I wanted to wait for all of that to die down before I wrote again. I'll get to that later, but for now, I am going to start where I left off.

Sunday night, my host mom made this Italian dish that's like lasagna, and it made me really happy. When we asked what it was and my host sister said Italian food, I said, "Ohhhhhhh, that makes sense" in my head. We went to watch the cowboys game after that, and I was so tired that I left at halftime. I'm glad I missed the end. I'll finish the discussion there. (-':

Monday was the first day of class! So far, so good. It doesn't seem like it'll be too, too hard. A lot of our learning is through studying the culture and going in the streets to be in the moment. We also are doing a lot of excursions for our classes too. It seems like there is something going on every week, and it's all fun and educational which is up my alley (#nerd). In addition to that, we also have Spanish language assistants who come and talk to us in Spanish to increase proficiency. Monday was a pretty lazy day for me for the most part.

Tuesday is when things started to change for me in Seville, and this is where I can explain why my title is about packing my life again. Without going into details, my roommate and I were having problems at our host family house that was outside our control and the university's control. I want to make it extremely clear though that I have no hard feelings or resentment to my host mom or family at the time. She ended up getting us comforters, so we would be warm, and she told me I could cook them an American dinner since I like cooking. My roommate and I also met some family, so I just want everyone to be aware that I did like my old host family as people. Some things just can't be lived with or fixed. You know?

My roommate and I addressed the issue to our coordinator, and she told us pretty much right there that she was assigning us to a new host family. We were told not to say anything about it, especially my old host family, in order to keep the peace until they found us a new home. Not only did I feel guilty for acting like everything was fine in my old home for two days when it wasn't, I didn't want my host parents at the time to get the wrong impression by our move. It was something that had to happen for the greater good of the experience of studying aboard. It was a little traumatizing to have all of this happen in the first week of being in Seville, but I knew then like I know now that it is for the best.

Our coordinator confirmed on Wednesday that my roommate and I would have a new host mom. We were to move in Thursday afternoon and try to pack as inconspicuously as possible over the next day until we could leave. So instead of writing for this, I have been busy sorting that out and doing homework. On the brightside of Wednesday, I got to visit Plaza de España for a presentation on Gerona which is where part of Star Wars was filmed for you Star Wars people. I also got to see part of the Universidad of Sevilla which was cool. It's nice seeing other kids your age and know that they are doing normal things like you in a place that can seem so foreign. Happiness aside, I spent most of yesterday extremely stressed out and anxious. I knew what was happening, and I had to act like I didn't which ate at my mind. I couldn't escape it no matter how far away I took myself from their apartment. It was hard on me, but there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, and I was put with that host family first to remind myself how much I appreciate life in America and to be more grateful for my next host family.

Today after class, my roommate and I packed everything up as quickly and quietly (we weren't good at this one) as we could. Our host mom kind of caught on at some point, and she asked if we were happy there. She also asked why we took our shampoo and conditioner out of the bathroom. This really worried me, so I called the coordinator to come early. The plan was for her to knock of the door then talk to them without us around to explain the situation. The act of us moving out went different than I expected. It didn't seem like there were hard feelings, and my old host mom and dad even helped us move our stuff outside. We said our goodbyes, and I was off to my new start. We had to stay at the center for a little bit then went to our new house by taxi.

As soon as I walked into my new host house, I could just feel that it was home. My new host mom has never married, and she took care of her mom who recently died this past November (she has a large extended family though that come around often). She is so sweet and small. I can't help but think of my grandmas when I'm with her and in her house. My host mom has been wanting to host students to help with being lonely and bored, but she was a few days late for the application in the fall. Thankfully though, they felt like she was the perfect fit for us, and I couldn't agree more. She gave both of us huge hugs and called us her "mijas." The happiness she had at finally having us here was just radiating. We are the first host kids she's ever had, so this is new for all of us. We all fell right into place though, and the past 6 hours together have been great. She used to own a fashion store here, and she'd travel to Italy for every season to pick out the latest fashions. Also, her apartment is full of pictures and books. I love it so much. It feels like where I am supposed to be. Her dinner was amazing too. I honestly can't remember the last time I ate that much food.

I am really happy where I am, and my heart is full of gratitude and hope. I hope you enjoy the update.

xoxo,
Caroline