Hey everyone! My name is Lydia Mahan, and I am currently on the study abroad trip to Trujillo, Spain. Currently, we have only been in Spain for 12 days, and I am absolutely in love with this place. My favorite foods so far are the Spanish tortilla (similar to a buttery potato casserole), “angulas” (baby sauteed eels), paella, and peppers stuffed with fish. Another aspect of studying abroad in Trujillo, Spain, is that you get to live with a Spanish family. My host family is so kind, generous, caring, and funny. At first, you feel so nervous that it is going to be awkward to live with strangers who do not speak English, but I can honestly say that I would not want to experience Spain or studying abroad any other way. Living with a Spanish family provides insight into Spanish culture, foods, dynamics in Spanish families, work-life balance, education, etc. It also forces you to practice listening to and speaking Spanish in the day-to-day context. A lot of Spanish life is very different from American life, but it is interesting to observe the similarities. For example, I live with a family of five, a mom, dad, and 3 daughters. Some interactions are universal across cultures–bickering between sisters about who finished the last cookie, borrowing clothes, the dad eating whatever the other girls don’t finish, etc. I have been able to connect with the local people by going out with my host sisters and hanging out with their friends. I also have been going to the local gym here in Trujillo to try Zumba. Surprisingly, Zumba has been a great way to meet new people here and build connections. A typical day in Spain for me starts with getting up at 8 am, getting ready for school, having a cup of coffee and a cookie with my host mom, and then walking up to La Coria for class. Around 10:45 we have a 30-minute coffee hour where we get to talk to our peers and professors while enjoying some coffee and more cookies. Class usually ends between 1 and 2, after which, I either walk home to have lunch with my host family at 2:30 or go out to study/eat with my peers. Around 4:30, I go to the gym for about an hour, and then come home again to shower/study or go to a local restaurant/coffee place or the library to study. After I have finished my work, I either relax with my family in the living room or hang out with friends in town. We have dinner around 9/9:30, and after, everyone relaxes in the living room. I finish the day by studying Spanish before bed and calling my family back home; and everyone usually goes to bed around 11:30/12. I am so grateful for this experience and can already see how it is positively impacting my life now and will positively impact my future.