One Month Mark: Reflection?

As I roll up on my on the mark of my being here in Spain for one month, I find myself feeling as though I´ve been here forever, but still have a long way to go.

So far, this week has been the busiest week thus far. I´ve begun shopping for classes and it´s both exciting and a nightmare wrapped up in one. So far I have two classes which I love because I can understand my professors´ Spanish, and I find the subjects intersting. The first is Greek language and Culture and the other is the the history of Spain from 1939 (although so far we´ve only covered events prior to 1939...). At the moment, I´m kind of in the process of looking for a third course which will fit nicely into my schedule from 9am-10am Monday-Thursday so I can take a Spanish course at the Language School in the evenings twice a week. Problem is there are only TWO classes during that time block in my Facultad de Historia. One I know I already don´t want to take because I sat in on it already, Anthropology of Kinship. This morning I went to a history of modern and contemporary art class which thankfully I understand most/somethings, but I don´t find very intersting. But, it´s my only option right now which is a bummer because I want to take something I actually find intersting and understand more, but I don´t really have a choice because I need the credit. Problem is, credit won´t count if I don´t pass the class :p. I think this is the kind of class I´ll have to Wikipidea everyday after the lecture is over....

The whole process of choosing classes can be a little overwhelming, especially when you´re taking courses in a different language other than your native one. So far I have chosen classes (with the exception of art history) based on the facts that (1) I can understand my professor´s Spanish (2) The subjects are of interst to me and (3) I can find people to collaborate with/compare notes. One thing that lingers in my mind as I sit through all my classes is the final exam in June. That´s pretty much my entire evaluation for the course. ONE exam. Hit or Miss? I don´t really love tests and I don´t completely undersetand how people go about their studies here. I´ve heard the exam period is so long because it´s one big cramming session. There are no required readings throughout the semester, but already I feel like I´m doing/will have to do so much more work than if I was at Pitzer becaue everything´s in Spanish! Well, I mean, with the exception of Art History, I´ve been surprised at how much I actually do grasp, sometimes without trying. But I think i´m freaking out so much because I don´t like Art History and I have terrible memories of what Will went through when he took an art history course last semester. But I know I just have to suck it up and make the best of it because the decision has been made and I have to do what I need to do to get through that course with grace, right? Right :)



My family is still doing well. I was having a rough time last weekend when I wasn´t feeling too well (slight fever and cold) and my host mom wouldn´t really allow me to take care of myself. I appreciated her concern and wanting to make me feel better, but she sort of took things to the next level. I couldn´t sneeze, cough, or blow my nows without her rushing to me telling me what I should do next to feel better. She kept telling me over and over again that I was feeling cold and everytime I wanted to go outside she said it wasn´t a good idea because i´ll get even more sick. It was incredibly frustrating because I´ve been sick before, obviously, and I know what my body needs in order to get better. But she just kept insisting I do things her way and it was driving me crazy. I was so overwhelmed. I felt like running to my room and having a good cry, ya know, the kind where you throw yourself on the bed, bury your face in a pillow and pound your fist every now and then for emphasis. But I refrained and decided to walk to a pay phone to call home. No one picked up (I tried about 17 times) and I felt like crying again, but instead, took a deep breathe, walked home and tried to calm myself down. I´m feeling much better now emotionally, healthwise, and with my mom. It was just one of those low moments and almost every and anything can set you off without notice. But i´m fine now.

I´m going to Amsterdam next week (kinda said I need a ¨vacation¨already) with Molly, her friends and two of the Pitzer gals. We´re all really excited to explore a new country, city, and culture. I don´t really know what we´re going to do, but I guess we´ll find out soon! I gotta go talk to a professor now, but I´ll write again somtime.

Michele