Adventure Log

Getting to Pontevedra

Sep 17, 2023

After a week, I'm back for another update!

Recovering

I began to recover from my sickness, and as I did, I began to explore the town. My program's orientation started on Monday, so I had the weekend to recover.

My First Few Days in Spain

Sep 10, 2023

Hello everybody, and welcome to this blog's first post! I have a lot to cover about what everything was like getting to Spain, so I'll jump right in.

The Airport

I had to drive to the airport with my family, which was a 2+ hour car ride. I didn't use my phone much so save battery, since I was never sure when I'd be able to charge it again. The drive was pretty smooth aside from a couple crazy drivers. My family drove for me, which I think helped a lot in making me less exhausted.

At the airport, we checked in a couple hours early, since I wasn't able to check in online the day before. My airline wanted to know a return date to the U.S., which I didn't exactly have yet because I'll be staying here 9 months. But when I went to check in at the desk at the airport, the man at the counter just put in the expiration day for my visa. The man at the counter was very nice, and my parents made some small talk with him and asked him some questions. He talked about visiting Spain a while ago, how the weather was nice and people good. My bag was actually a little over weight, so I took out a heavy jacket (foreshadowing) and some shoes, but then it was lighter than it could be! So I put the shoes back in and added a few extra t-shirts I thought I'd have to leave behind, so that was nice. The total weight was 52 pounds (which was not nice to roll around the airport and town later! We also used a scale off to the side to test it). My mother, being worried about me, asked the man at the desk if she and my father could go past TSA to see me off at my gate. The man was hesitant but he understood. My mother also explained my health condition and the fact I'd be gone for 9 months, which I think helped to convince him. He gave my mom and dad passes, so if there are any other worried parents who'd want to do the same, you can ask (though if they allow you to is largely up to whoever you speak to at check in).

Before going through TSA, I had to say good bye to my boyfriend. It was difficult. He started tearing up, and on the ride there he had held my hand nearly the whole time. We've spent our whole summer together, and the week before my flight he took time off work so we could hang out every day. There were hugs and kisses, and we took one last photo together for the time being. It was nice, as I was boarding the plane, he kept sending pictures of flights asking if they were mine lol. It was also hard when I had to leave my twin sister. She had stayed at home because she had work in the afternoon. We hugged for a long time and were still joking with each other as I was preparing to leave. We talked about how she was going to take over my room and use all my coat hangers, how the house wouldn't be the same without me. I felt bad leaving and wished she could have came too. I'd have felt way more confident with her with me. But yeah. As we drove off, she stood outside in the driveway, and we waved bye to each other.

TSA wasn't very busy. It was midday, but the International section is separate from domestic flights, so that probably helped keep the line to be less than 10 minutes. Everything went pretty smoothly, though I did work fast to empty my backpack of my electronics. I had brought along a 9 months supply of my medication, and TSA never said anything about it. What they actually stopped me for was a heating pad I had brought along, one of the neck ones. Apparenly they have some kind of metal or suspicious material in them? But the officer just inspected it and let me keep it. So if you do go and worry about being stopped, perhaps consider avoiding certain metal objects, or at least know you might get stopped for them. One my flight to the Spanish consulate, my Dad got stopped for a pair of nail clippers, as another example. I was able to go through the scanner while wearing my medical bracelet, though, so you don't need to worry about that. You can ask a TSA officer if you're not sure, but every flight I've been able to wear it.

The Flight

Once inside the main portion of the airport, my mom got very turned around. My flight was actually in a terminal for domestic flights, not international. So be careful and check your gate number, rely on that. We ended up going up and down the same escalator 3 times looking for our gate haha. My dad and I were right to go down them, though my mother insisted the baggage claim was that way. Be very careful with signs, though, because I actually got confused once I made it to Madrid airport! I ended up asking a security guard what terminal I was in, and he told me, "mira", and pointed to a ten foot sign that said terminal 1. Huge facepalm...

My family ended up getting food at a sit down restaurant I think it was a good idea. Last time my dad and I got food at a regular to go place, then we managed to find a table. However, everything was very rushed due to lines of people, people pushing past, etc. If you're late to your flight or only have an hour, grabbing something quick is best (and some places had at least one vegetarian option). But if you have a couple hours, sitting down can really help give you time to relax and not suck down your food. The prices were the same regardless, too. So we ate at Fridays. There was a line but it moved quickly, and we go in within 10 minutes. I will say it was very crowded and cramped, not a booth unused, and packed quite close together, considering people kept their luggage beside their tables. To use the bathroom you had to leave the restaurant, which is not super ideal if you're travelling alone. It was also loud due to tons of chatter and loud music. I probably should have worn my earplugs throughout my time in the airport, so if you've got noise sensitivities, I highly recommend ear plugs or ear defenders. I got a cobb salad, and the food was fine, the chicken a little overdone. I recommend getting something satisfying and somewhat filling, but not too heavy. You don't want to be on a flight with a stomach ache. Bringing snacks would also be a good idea, since sometimes you can go hours without food on the flight.

We waited a bit longer by my gate, which had plenty of seats, though we did go early. Eventually, I had to say bye to them, and throughout the wait, I'd been hugging them and talking with them. My mother borrowed my heavy jacket because it was super cold in the airport. When the opened the gate and started boarding, everyone started huddling trying to get ahead in line. If you're not good with crowds, it's not that great, but getting to the front is best if you have a large carry on. When only about half of the people got on the plane, the stow bins were already filled, and they were checking bags. If you have medication or other important things, you'll want to be able to have your bag with you. Anyways, I hugged my parents a lot, my mom tearing up. They waved bye to me beside the line of people, and I boarded.

The flight was a little over 8 hours. Honestly, it passed pretty quickly. My plane had small tvs on the back of every seat, which had tv shows, movies, and music. I listened to the music a lot, including 2000s hits and rock favorites playlists. I also watched a movie called Till about Emmett Till, which did cause me to cry for 2 hours, but it was well worth it. The movies, at least most of them, included subtitles. I also watched The Wizard of Oz and listened to a sleep playlist to sleep. However... the plane was freezing the whole time. I had on leggings, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, AND I had my heavy jacket, and I was still freezing! The plane provided things like a small pillow, a thin blanket, and ear plugs and an eye mask, which might help some sleep, but the cold made it impossible. I was lucky to have the seat beside me empty. I was in an isle seat in a row of three, with the middle one empty. So I lifted the arm rest and could lie down a bit, though it was still a bit awkward and cramped. They were also having a lighting problem, so the lights were very bright for the first two hours instead of dimmed. That's where the eye mask would come in handy. I managed to get an hour of sleep maybe, which did help I think. Although sleeping was rough, my flight did provide a dinner or either chicken or mushroom macaroni an hour after we left, midnight snacks like cookies and chips, and a breakfast sandwich. If you have any dietary restrictions, I would suggest bringing some of your own food or snacks, asking the flight attendents for other options, or even calling ahead to see if you can arrange anything. That food was really a lifesaver, since I didn't even grab lunch at the airport and only had dinner at 8 at night that day.

The Bus

When I got off the plane, I started to grow anxious. I realized I was really in a whole different country that spoke a whole different language, completely alone. I'll admit, when I talked with people at the airport, I spoke completely in English. Most staff could, at least to give the needed answers. I think it helped save me a lot of brain power, and with all my anxiety of being alone and feeling confused, it's what my brain could conjure. I asked a currency exchange person if she had change smaller than a 5 euro, but she didn't. If I had large bills she said I could, so keep that in mind. But also know that euros are more expensive to exchange, as with any currency, in the airport. However, outside the airport, there aren't really places to exchange it aside from a bank. So what my family did was order euros ahead of time at my local U.S. bank. It's cheaper that way, especially if you do it online. I ended up not needing smaller change, since my 5 euros was enough for my bus ride.

Oh gosh. The bus. I already talked about being careful about signs, but these buses were what confused me the most. I cried at least twice trying to figure it out. First of all, there are different buses, ones that only travel to different terminals in the airport, ones that travel through the city and to outside cities, etc. And these are all mixed in with taxis and car share services. So I was walking around on the ground floor (remember, in Europe the ground floor is floor 0, not floor 1 like in the U.S.!), and I couldn't find that 824 bus, which would take me outside to a different city. I will say that these buses were the cheapest option, with most tickets 5 euros or less, mine only 3.60. You pay on the bus as well, and the driver can give you change if you have a small note like a 5. So finally after tears I ask another currency exchange person about bus info, and they direct me to a help desk. It's labeled with a large i, for information. The man at the desk spoke English which was great, and with a quick search he told me the bus I needed was on the floor above! I didn't even know they had a second floor of cars and buses. So up there I found the 824 bus, the interurbano. I checked the schedule and it was the same one that I found online, which helped me know it was definitely the right one. The weird part was it didn't show the stop I needed, just the city. But I saw a lady on the bus put the bus stop in her google maps, that way she knew how much further she had to go. It was such a good idea, so I did it myself. Before I get ahead of myself though, I do want to mention I got confused again about the fair, or at least worried. I wasn't sure the bus driver was going to make change for my 5 euros. So I went back to the information desk, but the man was gone. I waited some time, and some other couple talking in English came up for help too. They didn't seem to be enjoying their couples vacation... So decided to just try the bus and see. If not, I would take a uber, which was 30 euros instead of the 3.60 for the bus. Sometimes, if you have a lot of stuff, or if you're also confused or intimidated by the buses, it can be a good option. The bus driver did take my change, and after hearing him mention "equipaje primero", I put my suitcase in the boot of the bus (he did have to help me with the door, which seemed to frustrate him aha). I was on my way!

The bus ride took about 40 minutes, but it went by so fast. I looked out the window at the scenery, and I tried to think of what it reminded me of. It was quite arid, like scrublands. The closest I could think of was when I lived in eastern Washington state. Oh, I forgot to mention too, while at the bus stop, a Romanian girl was nice and talked with me. I heard her speaking in English, so I asked a few questions. She was a student and going to be studying in Madrid. She was also confused by the bus, but said she would just hand him a 5 euro. To me that seemed so crazy. To not know the exact amount, how the interraction will go? Later in my hotel room it was a point of reflection. Many people just take things as they come and don't really plan. They have a general idea of what it will be like, like, "Oh, I'll just pay the driver." How will you pay? How much? Where do you sit? Where do you put your suitcase? For me, it's intimidating not knowing how to engage in an interraction or situation beforehand. That's the autism I think. But it also means I think as a problem solver. Not sure the amount? Check past emails, check the chart, ask an employee. I hope I keep this mindset in mind in the future. I hope, too, I can continue to build confidence in my social interractions.

The Hotel

I actually ended up getting off at the wrong spot despite my google maps trick. The walk to the hotel was difficult with my heavy suitcase, but moreso because of the hotel weather and the rough stone streets. My suicase had 4 wheels, but the roads were just too bumpy to roll it upright, so I had to tilt it. I was carrying my carry on as well, so what should have been a 10 minute walk became 20. I managed it though, and luckily the hotel's front desk worker spoke English and said my room was ready. She also helped me get my suitcase up the stairs. Again, my room was on floor 1, which actually meant upstairs haha. I paid and worked everything out. It felt good to finally drop off my stuff and find a safe place away from people. I kept the lights off in the room and just relaxed, breathed. Having that space of quiet, dark, calm is really important to me, so I'll keep that in mind as I start to look for housing. The room I stayed in was really nice, small but everything fit very efficiently. A nice full bed, AC, a mini fridge. The hotel had breakfast in the morning too (though that was an additional 20 euro expense, though well worth it imo). After relaxing, I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast. My family called to check on me, and after freaking out worrying about how I'd get to a restaurant and manage the social interraction of ordering food, my mom gave me the good idea of going to a grocery store to pick up some food. So I searched on google for a grocery store and found one within a 7 minute walk. I needed specifically a grocery store too, since many stores here are specifically for one type of product. It's a very interesting difference. I'm sure it makes the product higher quality since that's all the workers focus on, but it also sacrifices some convinience, which I'm really used to in my large town back home.

I made it to the store, and when I walked in the cashier pointed, and all I understood was "maleta", my backpack. She wanted me to put it at the front. At first I stared pretty blankly, not really expecting the interraction (I had decided on the store to avoid as much interraction as possible!). I did my shopping, buying some essentials like bananas, some bread with meat and cheese for sandwiches, water and apple juice, and a salad to eat that night (major foreshadowing). During check out, I said to the woman in Spanish that I didn't speak much Spanish, and she gave a big, "Ahhh," and understood. She was kind and helped me understand more, like how she pointed out the price of the groceries on the machine, and then asked simple sentences, like only saying, "bolsa?" to ask if I wanted a bag. The interraction really helped me and assured me people wouldn't be mad at my imperfect Spanish. I really thought about the lesson of telling people your situation and explaining yourself. It gives them context and helps them understand you, and understand how to help you, how to communicate. Furthermore, as I went through the store, I was reading the packages of food items and understood many of the words. Of course seeing the food helped, but reading things like "zumo de manzana" and knowing it was apple juice gave me confidence in my Spanish, at least in terms of vocabulary.

The Sickness

I went home with my groceries and had my salad, and I video called with my family as I told them about my day. They were glad to hear I had made it and was ok. I went to bed, though I did stay up quite a while due to jet lag, despite getting at most a few hours sleep in 24 hours. When I woke up, I was just in time for the hotel breakfast. But when I sat up in bed, my stomach felt weird, and I was sweating. For an hour I was sick and in pain, and I felt myself panicking hoping it wasn't anything bad. The fear of being by myself in a different country with no help started to get to me. Turns out I had food poisoning... From what food I'm not sure. But I only had 3 meals within those past 24 hours, so it had to be one of them. So, that day I stayed in bed sick, never leaving my room. I felt so lucky I bought food yesterday before it all happened. My bananas and apple juice came in handy (I guess I'm also glad I ended up buying foods good for a sick stomach!). I let my parents know about the situation, and they encouraged me to contact local people about it. I did, and eventually I did get some responses. I got better pretty fast too, or at least could move around again by the next day in case I needed any more food. My stomach still hurts while writing this blog, but I think with time and eating more mild foods, I'l get back to normal.

Today I woke up feeling better, so I was able to make it to the hotel breakfast. It was really nice, I included a photo of what I had above. The tea they provided really helped settle my stomach, as did the muffin and apple. I also had some meat, since they had a meat platter too. That's definitely a Spanish thing, since I've never been to a hotel with that. I also had some orange juice for a boost of vitamins. I think orange juice is pretty popular here, since the store I went to had an orage juicer machine. So many little details like that make me think, "huh, that's interesting". It's all a lot to take in sometimes, but ultimately I find it really interesting and try to accept things as I go. Also, the hotel had very small cups. I suppose as an American I'm used to Big Gulp sized cups, but still. I'll have to see if this in common in other eateries.

Conclusion

To wrap up an extremely long though necessarily detailed account of my first few days, I think overall it's been a pretty good experience. Despite my anxieties and physical sickness, I managed to get the things done I needed to. I hope that during these few days before my my orientation, I can rest up and adjust. Having the quiet time to write this blog has been hugely stress relieving. I hope to add more updates in the next few weeks where I can give more personal and cultural insights.