As promised:

So this post brings us to the beginning of the second week of continuation classes, which means I have more catching up to do, como siempre (like always).

The first week of my new classes passed rather well, though I always get a bit worked up over change as most of you know. I really enjoy my Usage class (good since it’s held every day at 8:45). We basically just talk and go over new expressions, which is really fun. I also have Advanced Composition, for which we’ll write seven short papers and one longer piece at the end of the semester. I am really looking forward to improving my Spanish writing skills and I definitely don’t mind not having any exams for that class. Finally, Art History seems really interesting. I’ve enjoyed the art history courses I’ve taken in the past, and I think this one will be no different. These last two classes meet twice a week for two hours at a time, and I can get a bit antsy toward the end, but at least I enjoy the material. I have to say, all of my professors are really cool and interesting, which makes going to class less difficult.

Thursday was an excellent day because although I had class at 8:45, it’s my only one of the day. I felt great because I not only got done early, but I knew I didn’t have to go back to classes until Monday, which will be the case for most of our weekends. I then took my camera to a store to find out the problem, and though it took me a bit of time to actually find the store, once I got there I was able to effectively relate the problem and the new battery the man gave me made my camera work! I was really happy about that. I then shopped a bit in the downtown area (though I didn’t find anything good) and then headed back to lie on the terrace. Disappointingly, after charging the new battery, it did the same thing, but then I realized I probably wasn’t charging it correctly, since I was only using an adaptor and not a convertor. Sorry about all the boring details...

Over the long weekend, we went to Mérida, Cáceres, and Trujillo. In Mérida we visited some more Roman ruins, with a spectacular ampitheater. Rachel snapped the great picture of Wilheim shown here. We also visited the museum of Roman artifacts, which housed some statues of characters from Roman mythology, mosaics, and some smaller items like coins and jewelery. From there we went on to Cáceres, where we checked into our hotel, and then took a walk through the historical barrio. It was a very interesting experience, because these buildings are immensely old, yet continue as a part of the town today. Unfortunately, my camera again decided to not turn on, so I suppose the problem was never with the battery. Thankfully, Rachel has been great about taking pictures for me in addition to her own, so I am not completely heartbroken. Plus, she cheered me up to no end with a goofy photo of the two of us, shown here.

After returning to the hotel, we had a really tasty dinner of bread, cooked veggies with toast (zucchini, eggplant, and other stuff I didn’t take the time to identify because I was stuffing my face), and something along the lines of chicken cordon bleu, basically chicken stuffed with cheese and ham. Pretty yummy, especially with papas fritas (french fries) soaked in vinegar, which is definitely my prefered method of consumption. We had wine as well, which before coming to Spain I never enjoyed as much (I think because I don’t care for it warm), but I have gotten to actually like. From there, we hung out in some of the rooms of other people from the center, which was rather nice to do, since to hang out normally you have to go out somewhere, and we live so far away.

The next day we left for Trujillo, which was very beautiful, and in more of the way I expected Spain to look. We visited a beautiful castle, and were able to walk around the exterior walls. The views were absolutely amazing. Though I have pictures (thanks to Rachel!), they really can’t begin to show how unreal and stunning everything was. After the palace and walking around a bit, we had another great meal (also included in the trip, yay!) consisting of pasta with chorizo, roasted chicken and papas fritas (which I doused in vinegar again), and some vanilla yogurty stuff with cinnamon. I actually didn’t care for the dessert, one of the few things I have not enjoyed so far in my trip. More wine accompanied our meal of course, along with still and bubbly water, the former which tasted like soda. I was definitely stuffed, but that made it easy to get some rest on the bus ride back, after which I felt much better.

After another delicious meal (leftover seafood soup and chicken with mushrooms) at our home in Sevilla, Rachel, Chelsea, and I took the bus to meet with some friends from the Center. We partook in some “botelloning” (as Chelsea put it). In Spain, a botellón is just getting together to drink in the streets before going elsewhere. We shared a bit of wine, and then walked to Buddha, a discoteca. We finally managed to find a place that we enjoyed, and had a really fun night. You definitely have to be careful of the viejo verdes - creepers - that inch up behind you, but I’ve discovered I’m really good at ignoring and rejecting unwanted attention, a trait of which I am really proud. We stayed out til the wee hours of the night (or morning, depending on how you veiw it), but surprisingly, there are still lots of people walking around at night, and I definitely felt safe walking back, so no worries. Plus, I never walk alone after night, and we take the busier, more populated streets as a precautionary measure.

After sleeping in until lunch on Sunday, for which we had stuffed calamari that was truly awesome, Rachel and I walked to the Plaza de España, which we had yet to see. It was really pretty, with a lovely fountain. The surrounding buildings had beautiful tile inserts in their structures, something I hadn’t really seen before, but definitely enjoyed. Then we met with another friend, Hanna, in el Parque de María Luisa. We got some ice cream and just relaxed on some grass. That is probably one of the things I miss most about the States, and Berry in particular. There isn’t much grass here, so we made sure to soak up as much as we could.

Monday was more of the same, classes, walking (I’m up to about eight miles a day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays when I have class in the morning and afternoon), eating, etc. I feel more comfortable here as time progresses, though I do miss home more now than at first. I think since fall is coming, and fall at Berry is usually such a great time, that contributes to a bit of homesickness. Plus, I really felt like I was just on vacation the first few weeks. I definitely will continue to enjoy my time here, but there are some moments where I miss home as well.

That´s a pretty good review of the past week or so, but I´ll continue to post more as it happens. I hope you all have a very pleasant Tuesday!