School... Finally :)

School started on Monday for me. Well, orientation did at least. I woke up at 6:30 (totally not what I'm used to, especially here in Spain!) and headed off to CEA, which is the program that this study abroad is through. Luckily the CEA building is just on the other side of the park, so it's only a 15 minute walk from my house. Perfect! Monday morning was full of orientations regarding housing, school, traveling, etc. We also talked about the differences between Spain and the states and what we should look out for, including...

1. People in Spain don't walk barefoot on the floor. Or sit on the floor/ground. It's "dirty." I miss being barefoot.
2. People in Spain don't tip. Good news for students on a budget!
3. People in Spain are obsessed with soccer. When there's a game on, my apartment building reverberates with yelling.
4. People in Spain smoke. Everyone. Hence my hair and clothes smell like a cigarette whenever I get home at the end of the day. Lovely.
5. People in Spain don't stretch in public. It's rude. If you know me, I move around all the time so that's no good for me.
6. People in Spain don't go to the gym. Everyone walks.
7. People in Spain always dress up. No white tennis shoes are ever allowed. Me=bum according to Spain.
8. People in Spain are usually late and always slow.
9. People in Spain don't make phone calls after 10pm. It's rude.
10. People in Spain love to save energy and resources. Blanca always wants me to turn off the lights, turn off the water, etc. Conserve conserve conserve.

So that helped. Fun facts for me. CEA also gave us our schedules for the duration of the trip. Seeing it all laid out made me realize how quickly it's going to go! There are a ton of trips planned by CEA that are all paid for, which is so exciting. Next weekend we're going to a town in Spain called Cuenca- and going cliff jumping! And this weekend I'm going to Valencia, a city on the coast, with a bunch of other people from my program. It will be my first trip outside of Madrid, so wish me luck! All of the other CEA trips that we have planned are to different cities here in Spain. But I'm also planning on going to Galway, a city in Ireland, to visit my roommate from Chicago, Delaney. I CAN'T WAIT! Alex and I are planning to go to Rome as well to see our friend Scarlet. We have so many plans and so little time. The next two and a half months are going to be so packed and so much fun! And I love that Spanish culture allows me to savor every minute of it. The relaxed, laid back, totally-enjoying-life-attitude of the people here is perfect for studying abroad.

After the morning orientation, we went to the University Complutense to take our placement tests for our Spanish classes. I was so stressed and nervous about the exam but everything turned out really well. Alex and I are in the same level, along with three other girls from our program, so I feel really comfortable. My Spanish classes at Complutense are challenging but I already feel like I'm learning so much!

I have class Mondays from 3pm-7pm and Tuesday-Friday from 3pm-5pm. What a great schedule, right?! Tuesday and Thursday is my literature and writing class, which I had yesterday and which I am OBSESSED WITH. I LOVE my professor! He knows so much and is so intelligent. I feel like I could listen to him talk all day. Wednesday and Monday from 3pm-5pm is my speaking and conversation class. Again, OBSESSED. LOVE my professor! Today we did an oral exercise and he literally corrected every single pronounciation, verb conjugation, everything. But that kind of teaching is what really helps me and I feel like this will definitely improve my language skills. SO GREAT!! Then on Friday and Monday from 5pm-7pm I'll have my grammar class. Hopefully that's just as great as these two have been!

Aside from my Spanish classes at Complutense, I also have a class at CEA that a DePaul professor teaches. It's an art history class about how art and architecture throughout Spain's history has been influenced by the Islam, Judiasm, and Christianity. The majority of the trips planned through CEA are meant for this class- to visit the actual sites that we're talking about in class. It's so crazy that these places and objects that I'm studying are just minutes and hours away from where I am right now! And for the third time, OBSESSED. I could listen to Dr. Boeck (my professor) talk all day long! She knows everything about everything regarding art, architecture, history... and I don't know anything! So I'm just a little sponge soaking up everything she says. And besides, everyone knows I'm in love with school. I mean, hello, I cried every day on the last day of school until I was 14 because I didn't want it to end. Embarassing, but totally true. I'm so glad I'm back in classes and learning, learning, learning. I LOVE IT!!!!!!

The only thing that's been really mind boggling for me is being bilingual. I'll skype with my mom in English, then talk to Blanca in Spanish. I'll go to my art history class and speak English, then go to Complutense and speak Spanish. One minute I'm listening to my friends talking in English on the train, then I turn around and listen to other people talking in Spanish. By the end of the day, my brain is absolute mush. But I just feel so great about school.

Obsessed and love it times a million.

First day of school picture! I wore my glasses so I would look extra smart :)