The First Day [el primero día]

The cathedral in the backdrop, as the band plays the infamous song by Buckcherry in perfect English.

   I have had quite the first weekend in Spain. I don't think the locals ever sleep.. The festivals started at the end of last week so there has been something going on in every plaza, every night. The first night I was here, I just slept. I was too tired from traveling to even think about going exploring.
   I had my orientation for my classes on Saturday morning. We were all a bit jet-lagged but it was very helpful learning important features of the culture. Some things I learned were: 
   People don't say hi or smile to strangers on the street here. Instead, they walk by without looking. The professors told us we should walk like we are in New York City. From walking around with my host mom, I have also noticed that people say bye to friends/acquaintances in passing instead of hello. 
   It is rude to walk barefoot in the house. I have been a little forgetful of this. It's hard when it's something you aren't used to, but my host mom hasn't said anything about it to me yet. Apparently, the myth is that you will get a cold if you walk around the house in bare feet. 
  The people in Spain are very direct and always say what is on there mind. I haven't had any problems with this yet, but it's also kind of hard to offend me. 
   Saturday night I met up with some people also in the program and explored a little bit of the city and the nightlife. First, I tried my first Segovian craft beer. It was called "Cerveza Rubia. " Now, nothing compares to Michigan beer, but it was really good. Next, we stopped by a concert in front of the aqueduct. The mixture of modern music, lighting, and stage with the ancient aqueduct as a background was truly impressive. After that, we went to a discotheque where a horrible band was playing. I enjoyed people watching and trying to pick up on more details of the local culture. I left the discotheque early with a few other students and headed to La Plaza Mayor where a Spanish band was playing. When we walked up, the band was performing an English cover of the song "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry in front of the cathedral. It was both shocking and hilarious. I came home around 2:30 in the morning which is actually kind of early here. It's very common for people to stay out until 4 in the morning.
   Overall, I am loving my time here. I look forward to getting to know the other students in my program even better as time goes on. Also, I am excited to see what surprises Segovia has in store for me.