Day One of School-Related Items

Today, breakfast was some pastries (a muffin like thing and bread with jam) andcoffee with milk and sugar, which I LIKED...to my surprise (I usually just like coffee from Starbucks that's loaded with so much sugar that it's basically not coffee anymore). We met at 8:45 in the typical meeting point, "debajo del reloj/under the clock" in the Plaza Mayor and then took the language test. The test was 80 multiple choice questions and a short oral interview. The interview was very simple and nothing to worry about; the questions asked were basic and had to do with where we were from, how we learned Spanish, how long we'd been in Spain, etc.

Then, we took a walking tour in which we were shown important areas of "el centro/downtown", but it was hard to catch everything since we went to a lot of places and sometimes a really loud car would pass when the guide was talking. We had "tiempo libre/free time" during the afternoon from about 1 until 3 ish, in which Gracie and I bought some of the things we will need in the apartment (shampoo, etc.). Turns out that the bazaar right outside our apartment has EVERYTHING you could possibly think of (including a towel with a marihuana leaf on it....hmmm). After shopping was lunch: albóndigas (meatballs), arroz (rice, but with beets, corn, and lots of other vegetables mixed in...delicious and kind of like orzo...). After lunch, we had some free time, in which I wrote some post cards and rested. We had a meeting at 6:30 p.m. to get the results from the placement exam as well as our books. I got better results than I had expected and should be able to take the classes that I really to take (as long as sneaky scheduling doesn't hinder my plans)! After the meeting, Brenda, Salvador and I went to wander around the city and see some of the stores/spend time in the Plaza Mayor. A lot of the stores have "ranas/frogs" because there is a legend that there is a small frog on the façade of one of the University's buildings and if you find it you will have good luck in your studies (and if you are not a student and you find it, you can make a wish)! In the Plaza, we had granizados (slushies, mine was strawberry flavored) and sat contemplating our ASTONISHING surroundings. 

Dinner: leftover meatballs, rice, and the most delicious grilled ham and cheese sand which ever. Oh, the perks of living with a chef. 

Hasta luego,

Katie

La perra y la gata

I won't complain about taking classes here...

El Reloj de la Plaza Mayor! 

Brenda y Salvador en la Plaza

 Front door to the apartment building

bigger view of the building