So today is the third day that I have spent with my host family on the outskirts of Granada. 
In general, I have learned a lot:

DAY 1:
I love France Airlines. Period. End story. The serve vast oceans of amazing food quite regularly, although the twelve hour flight was a bit much. I didn´t realize that I write sporadically when bored... Also I cannot sleep on airplanes. Even French ones.
The airport in Paris was full of amazing architecture which almost made our four hour layover worth it. I took plenty of walks and pictures with my group, especially Jake and Nico, who I spent the twelve hour flight sandwiched between.
The flight to Madrid was awful. All I´m going to say is I hate small planes. Bear in mind I had not slept in over 18 hours.
Arrived in Madrid. Met up with more group members there, lost Logan at the airport. He´s a brave guy- he´d been there by himself for five hours waiting for our flight to come in. Which it did, not on time and at the wrong gate. He´s pretty close to me, we´re meeting for coffee Friday.
Hotel in Madrid was amazing. Spent that day sighseeing, showering, locking ourselves out of our tiny, shoebox-like room, and being supervised all the time. I stayed up talking and reading until one in the morning... I hadn´t slept for 26 hours and boy oh boy did I know it..

DAY 2: La Museo del Reina Sofia, Palacio Real
These two can be summed up quickly:
LMDRS was PICASSO, DALI, and a tour guide who enunciated clearly and made me wish my brain worked faster. And better. But it was ridiculously amazing! I understood a lot of the history he was telling us, but was overwhelmed by the Guernica. Itçs just more massively there in real life...
PR: was "hi, we like to plastrer gold on every surface in sight!" but very amazing and ornate. if only cameras had been allowed...
Between those two, we had free time for exploring and eating of tapas, which were good, and trying to buy a SIM card, which was not... The less said about this, the better.
Meanwhile a group of us had discovered that the drinking age is birth in Spain, and that people look at you funny when you order food with water as your drink.
Also went to a discoteca, and watched everyone dance awkwardly as Jake picked up random spanish girls and David couldn´t, and danced salsa with Nico.

DAY 3: Another airport, meeting the host family.
Oh god, you think, she´s writing about another airport. Hasn´t she had enough? Well, dearie, I must say, you can only imagine the four letters forming in my mind. Speaking of four letters, if anyone ever wants to cuss in any language, go to the airport! Especially around luggage claim time- you´ll catch on. 
From Madrid to Granada, once more in a small plane. Those really put the ¨weary" in "weary world traveler."
Status: Sleep-deprived and looking as thought hit by an autobus, which is how I was when my family met me at the airport. I make wonderful first impressions, especially because i guess I had already talked about myself a lot with the group, and therefore spent the day conjugating to "el" or "ella" (he or she). That same night was the festival for the longest day, shortest night, during which we traveled to the lhambra and threw water over the entire population of Granada (which had relocated itself there quite magically). 

DAY 2 en Granada.
Explored, met neighbors, family members, went to their Grandmother´s 83d birthday. Ana Maria found a kitten and brought it home, Rosa and I have been playing with it all day. I miss my kitty :(
Went out with Ana Maria, Rosa, and Rosa´s friend Ana, and David (Ana Maria´s fiance) to the town square in Granafa. It was very different from Madrid, to which I think I lost my heart.

Day 3: (today)
Shopping with the middle sister Dori and Rosa in Granada. 

More later, adios!

From the ECI coordinator:

There are 5 people in your host family. Gabriel is the dad and Maria Adoracion (Dori) is the mom. They are both high school teachers. They have 3 daughters. Ana Maria is 23 and loves reading, theater and cinema. Adoracion loves musica, to go out with her friends and play with her playstation. Rosa Maria is 16 and loves movies, music and to hang out with her friends. She’s really looking forward to introducing you to them! They have a pet dog, iguana and canary. Ana Maria works as an interpretor in the Alhambra and is planning on taking you there.

 (and at the bottom of thee-mail, in large type and in  bold letters,  was this: )

You will have your own bedroom. (Lolol!)

I'm excited- three girls and 3 pets! the only thing they lack is a cat. Apparently Rosa Maria, the one I'm spending the most time with, mixes up French, English, and Spanish. I'm going to mix up English, Bad English, and Spanish. We'll get along really well. :)
In the meantime , life is a whirlwind of packing, shopping (ksalfjs, I am never shopping with my mother for three straight days ever again. In typical parental fashion, she always likes the clothes that kindly attendants describe as "... well, I'm sure that's... interesting." Whatever that means. Although sometimes miracles occur and we do agree, in which cases a lot of money is always spent on compromises), and going to the bank for the upteenth time. I finally got Euros yesterday; they look amazing. I'm going to have the worst time converting..

Speaking of shopping, I swear to you I could not look more like a tourist than if I had a big neon sign saying TOURIST. Or saying TURISTA, as the case may be. Please give me a baseball cap, I <3 NY shirt, and a camera that hangs around my neck, kthx.

Plans for my last days include cooking (so I won't burn down their house, just ours), becoming a girl and getting hair, nails, and shopping done, and then playing daddy's co-workers in a game of soccer anyway. Senior pictures, summer homework.... Good grief, is it really summer?!