The Emilio Castelar Dwellers

Well, no longer am I a resident of Calle Emilio Castelar #4 2d Alcala de Henares, Espana.
I have to tell you that I didn't expect to ever feel like living in Alcala could be home to me. I still wouldn't call this my home, because it is not where my family is or where my friends are, but I can tell you I did get very used to walking to same routes, and I did become so comfortable. I gained a love for the country and the people in just the short time I was there. I have never seen a culture like the Spanish. In fact I really haven't experienced much other culture than America. I did experience the occasional culture clash, but for the most part I tried to remain open to the cultural norms of the Spanish people. I still felt like I could be myself although being surrounded by Spaniards. Spaniard's almost always dress up, all the time. They always look nice, they wear nice clothes, they do their hair, they always wear make-up, and a scarf and boots almost always accompany a womans outfit. Ok so then comes me... I often throw on jeans, hair is usually in a pony tail, make-up is only on if I don't forget, and I would only wear a scarf if it was cold, and I don't own a pair of nice boots to wear, and am usually found in my Chacos. I think, as you can tell by the description, I was not very acceptable as a Spaniard in the way I dressed. I don't think the word granola even exists in the Spanish language. So I made some changes. I tried to always leave the house presentable, I remembered to put on mascara more often, and I actually bought 3 scarfs and wore them even when it wasn't freezing! The only thing I couldn't give up were the Chacos, sorry but I am to big of a fan, plus I have to keep my identity somehow! Anyway, I learned a lot from the Spainish. I will now put in a good word for the country and the people. Spain kind of gets a bad rap, but it shouldn't. First of all it has one of the most beautiful, diverse, landscapes of any country. It is like the US in it's diversity, only much smaller. There are beaches, mountains, plains, city, beautiful gardens, everything! The people are great. If one comes to Spain, expect to find many many viejos(old people). These people have about the most pride I have seen for Spain, especially their region. They are up for talking any time, and are always ready to teach you anything you need to know. The Spanish people are not warm and fuzzy, but if you show them you are interested in Spain, or in anything they have to say, and if you get that good Castellano accent down, they will respect you. People are so different everywhere, and it has been such an opportunity to be able to get to know some of the most unique, wonderful people in the world! Viva Espana!