After spending three days in Madrid, we began the journey down to Guadix to meet our host families. We spent one day in Toledo visiting a cathedral and seeing a shop where gold is hand-carved into bracelets, necklaces, and other trinkets. Soon, it was time for the five hour bus ride to Granada and then Guadix. We were all a tense combination of excited and nervous to meet our host families for the first time. When we arrived in Granada, we watched out of the bus windows as the other group met their host families and headed off to their respective homes. Seeing their first experiences with their host families only added to our nerves and excitement. A short additional bus ride later, we reached Guadix and disembarked to find a large group of smiling mothers, fathers, and host siblings. We separated from the rest of our American group for the first time in four days and went to our new homes for our first dinners as parts of many new families. Although it took us a short time to adjust to the life of a Spanish family and gain a little more confidence, within only one or two days, all of us felt that we belonged with our host families and in the larger Guadix community. Over the next week, we spent time with our families in Guadix and occasionally gathered for daily activities or excursions. These events included a walk through the historic area of Guadix, a day at the beach, caricature painting, and a hike along a river with waterfalls in Castril. Throughout the past week, we have all grown extremely close to our host families and rest of the Guadix youth. As we near the end of our time here in Guadix, it pains us all to think of saying goodbye to all the close friends and family we’ve met here, but we look forward to making the most of our last days here and then the next phase of our trip as we go to Granada for a new experience.
