Halloween has a growing presence in Spain, due in large part to the increasing numbers of American study-abroad students. There are plenty of "international" (meaning American) parties happening tonight. I will not be attending, a. because I am anti-social, and b. because I refuse to associate myself with other American students.
We have officially passed the half-way point of this semester's program. I only have five more weeks of class, followed by a few days of exams. Crazy. I feel like I haven't done much schoolwork. I do have a midterm to study for this weekend, but it's pretty much just memorizing verb groups and idioms. I am a bit frustrated with my art history class. My teacher is totally dull and doesn't even make eye-contact with us the entire class. He fills up the chalkbroad, reads what he wrote. We take a 20 minute break, and he does the same thing. It wasn't until yesterday we even saw actual works of art, and we had a substitute, of course.
The whole host-family situation is working out pretty well. Carmen is a total home-body, never has left Spain except for a visit to Portugal. I'm pretty sure she only leaves the house to go to the bank and market to buy food. I am beginning to get used to the way she speaks (I can even hear her complaining about Carlos when she talks on the phone haha), but her Spanish seriously sounds like nothing I have heard before. It was making me lose faith in my language skills, thinking I could only understand our professors because they were talking down to us. But then I listen to people on the streets, or in cafes, and they are completely understandable, so things are looking up. In addition, last Monday I went to the post office and successfully explained the envelopes and stamps I need to mail in my absentee ballot. Things like that up the confidence level.
This weekend is completely empty, with no planned excursions, probably because this week at school we have "midterms" (read: one). The upcoming weekends are looking like: Cordoba, PARIS, Sierra de Aracena, Italy with the Arndt gals!, then the weekend before exams. Holy smokes. Then begins my 7 week winter break...yes, 7. The spring program commences January 26, again with orientation in Madrid for three days. A few friends from BC will be in Madrid by then, so hopefully I will be able to spend that time catching up! Classes begin February 9.
I have begun the whole apartment search. The options are endless. I would like to live closer to the city center/univerisity/API office. There are listings from other international students and Spanish students, alike. The prices are surprisingly inexpensive, mostly around 250 Euros for your own room. I like living with Carmen, but I have to share a room, and she puts strange meats (and pounds of salt) in our soups. I also feel slightly prisoner-like in my room. She tells Joanna and I we are welcome to use the sitting room, but all she does is watch the television. When Carlos eats with us, we watch the Simpsons. When he's not, we watch the weather. People here are obsessed and dramatic when it comes to the weather. They always think it's going to rain, Carmen always asks if I have an umbrella when I leave (did she not see my amazing light-packing skills? of course my umbrella didn't make it in).
Anyway, happy Halloween! Sixteen minutes until lunch, so about 45 minutes until I am lying on my bed unable to move.
1 comment:
¡Hola! Perdona que nos metamos así en tu blog. Sólo queríamos invitarte a que todos los viernes de 7 a 8 de la tarde escuches “la radio de los blogueros” en Punto Radio Sevilla.
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