<p>I thought I would update-
My daughter is having a blast! Classes have started and she is in a good rhythm with her house mom. What could be bad about having someone cook/serve and clean-up 3 meals a day for you, wash and fold your laundry, and clean your room with a linen change! Now that the girls are a bit busier, they really don’t see their mom more than at meals. She still keeps doors closed and goes to bed soon after dinner, but it is working out.</p>
<p>The problem of the week is where to hang out with friends. As all the kids are in home stays, when they want to just sit around and talk, they have no where to go. My daughter said it gets expensive to go to a cafe and have to buy something everyday. She said once the weather is warmer and the daylight longer they will sit at a park. Between classes I think they can stay at school, but she wants to find a place to meet up with friends from other programs. I never really thought about the students not being able to just sit around, watching a movie and chatting like they do here at home. </p>
<p>I am hoping she can find a place to visit with her friends. Right now the schedule is class, lunch, free time, classes, dinner, and then on weekends out for the evening. If course, it seems in Madrid that no one goes out until after midnight!</p>
<p>My neice just got back from a term in Spain- no warm fuzzies, just a polite Sra and they were never allowed in the kitchen, it was not stated, just obvious. It was unexpected that it was all business not family, but once the realized that was the way it would be, it worked out just fine.</p>
<p>Rather like being in a B&B rather than a home- friendly mgmt and three meals plus bedding, but guests & hosts have parallel lives.</p>
<p>The new issue, but something she will get over, is the host mom smokes. The girls requested a non smoker, and the woman hasn’t smoked in the house until today. My daughter thought she smoked as she could smell it on the woman, but never noticed it in the home until today. Neither of the girls have an allergy or asthma, so it isn’t a big deal; only that the girls don’t like the smell. My daughter does have migraines, but I have no idea if the smoke will affect her. She did tell me last week that she had a migraine almost everyday, but I just chalked it up to lack of sleep and maybe the air. Now I am wondering if the migraines are due to the cigarettes in the home as well as the places she goes out to. It is my understanding that Spain is full of smokers. If so, I will need to see what she can do as she can not take her medication every day.</p>