Final Farewells to Our Home in Alcalá

Lauren, Elaina, and I. Elaina was the kindest host "mom" anyone could ask for. Everyday I smiled and laughed with Lauren around!

We finally were able to navigate around our little Alcalá and find our apartment after figuring out that we lived next to this awesome water fountain.

Wait for green. Press the button. I think I picked up a nasty habit of jaywalking in Spain though.

We lived right next to a post office which was convenient. I felt so happy when I was able to send a package all by myself!

Numero siete. Our apartment building.

The everyday walk to school.

It's funny to see all the laundry hanging outside of the apartment buildings.

A phone booth. Not as cool as pictures I've seen of vintage phone booths in London, but still a little different.

For the longest time I had no idea what these booths were. They are actually lottery booths where you are able to get a ticket for the lottery. I wonder what it would be like to work there each and every day. A percentage of the money from the lottery ticket revenues goes to the blind and disabled (ONCE).

There are ATM machines on every corner.

A photo booth on the street.

An eye glass shop. The shops put down metal covering things at night and during siesta and sometimes there is some pretty neat graffiti on the outside.

The equivalent of the Dollar Store in the U.S. (except that things are more than a dollar). Think cheap stuff and little trinkets. These stores seemed to be pretty common in Spain.

Inside Acalingua, our school.

Our Spanish classroom.

We had only a small space heater so the first month we wore our coats inside everyday.

The vending machine in the school. I had to take a photo because I wanted to remember the palmeras and choco bon bons. So good!

The plaza behind the school. I did my homework here often. Did you notice the funny walking/leash thing the little baby is wearing?

I fell in love with Alcalá when I went on a walk and saw this. It remined me of floating down the Provo river during summertime. Lauren and I often went running in a park and by this river.

Overlooking Alcalá. Part of our study abroad group went on a Saturday hike up above the city. It was interesting to see the size of Alcalá and see the difference between the center of the city near the Plaza Cervantes and the outlying houses and apartments.