I have been in León now for about a week and a half, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. When I arrived at the airport in Madrid, I was a little overwhelmed because it was enormous (hands down the largest airport I have ever been in) and there were so many people. The jetlag, the crowd, and being by myself in an unfamiliar place already had me anxious. On top of that, I was really stressed out about being able to find my apartment when I got to León and being able to get inside because the landlord was still trying to arrange someone to drop off the key. Luckily, being horribly directionally challenged did not keep me from finding my bus at the airport.
I was able to find where I needed to go pretty easily. I got on the bus to León and just tried to sleep because I was exhausted. Jaime, an exchange student from León that came to ATU last year, had asked me if I needed a lift from the bus station. His brother came to pick me up and took me to my apartment. I’m so thankful because I never would have found it on my own. The address Google Maps took us to was a flower shop! We had to call the landlord and ask for directions, and he had to talk to the landlord in Spanish because I could not understand her over the phone. Once I got inside, I was able to meet my new roommates, who were incredibly kind. I got settled in, and after that, all the stress melted away. On the bus ride over here I was having some serious doubts, but after getting settled in, starting school, and making new friends, I am so glad I came.
