The Telly

H'OKAY, SO...I just finished my first week of classes (yes that is right, I don't have classes on Fridays) :) and I feel that you all should have some kind of an outlook on what I will be experiencing academically here while in Madrid.

You should first know that SLU Madrid only has 650 students total this semester, but of those 650 they represent 50 countries...amazing, right? Since I've been here for less than a week, I've already met people who are from Brazil, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Spain (of course), Scotland, England, and even Saudi Arabia. If I don't learn anything in my classes, I'll at least get some different cultural perspectives :)

Spanish 310- Written Communication
This is the first class I have taken where my head has hurt after leaving class each day. Everything is in Spanish, including the syllabus. Literally no English is spoken. There are about 10 people in my class and only 3 are visiting students (students who are only here for a semester). I felt good yesterday after I left class because I could track with about 80% of what my profesora was saying. But today she threw in a twist: note taking. In Spanish. So now I have to take notes in Spanish while at the same time listening to my teacher speak Spanish explaining what the notes are about. It is crazy hard. Today she randomly called on me to answer a question and I asked her to repeat it because I hadn't been following what she said. So yes, this will be a challenge, but it will also be 50 minutes of intense Spanish Monday thru Thursday, which will *hopefully* help improve my Spanish in the real world.

Introduction to Oceanography
This class counts as my one science credit that I need for my social work major. Now you have to understand that I HATE science, hence the reason I avoided the recommended Biology or chemistry classes offered at SLU. But I found myself tracking with my teacher here as well. She kept my attention for the whole class, which I thought was a feat in and of itself. Oceanography also includes a 3 day trip to the Balleric Islands in the East coast of Spain to snorkel and observe ocean-like things...I guess :) I have a lot of friends in this class so if it is awful, we'll suffer together.

Public Speaking
This class is required for all students in all majors at SLU. While I'm not sure how interesting this class will get, what I know I'll enjoy is its diversity. There are probably around 15 people in my class, and there are only 3 Americans. Everyone else is from all over the world, literally- Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria. My teacher is even from Scotland. She gave an impromtu speech today about Scottish kilts and their symbolism within families. Did you know that the patterns on the kilts are a reflection of the types of trees and plants that grow where the family lives? Very interesting.

History 112- Origins of the Modern World to Present
This is basically a Western Civ. course taught by an absolutely delightful British professor who completely reminds me of Colin Firth. I've technically already taken this class because I took AP Euro in high school, but I figured I could incorporate a lot of my own application learning since it is a European history class. The class shouldn't be too bad, but like all history courses there is a lot of reading. The highlight of this class today included my professor calling a television a "telly." I love British men.

Latin Rhythms and Dancing
A dance class! I am so so soooooo excited to take this. Today we learned basic steps and danced something (I can't remember the name) and it was really fun. Our final exam is a performance for the whole school, where the girls wear these long black dresses and boys wear tuxedos and top hats. So exciting!

I'm pretty excited for the semester ahead...I don't think I'll have a ton of work to do, but definitely enough to keep me grounded while I'm here. Last night I went out to a bar with my roommate last night and we just sat and chatted for an hour. Tonight I might do the same with some of my other friends. Tomorrow I have plans to go back to Sol (the center of Madrid) and Sunday I'll be taking a day trip to Toledo! What a life! :)

AND even better news...the Euro is now down to 1.30 (from 1.38) so I get better deals on exchange rates! yay!

love love--