It has been awhile...

Hello! I am so sorry that I haven't shared stories in awhile...quite a week this has been! But let me see, where to start...

It is cold here! I know that I cannot complain, it isn't any worse than what I am used to, but I am outside walking much more than I ever have, so I cannot escape the cold! While I walked home today there were a few snow flakes falling!

I moved out of the apartment/host family situation on Saturday. (This was planned, not due to any problem). Now I am in a university residence. My room is nice (I am temporarily in a double capacity room by myself, and will move into a single room next week). The building was recently remodeled and has a small gym, library, TV room, game room, laundry room, cafeteria...It is about a 15 minute walk from my buildings on campus. The move was hard, though, because just as I was beginning to adjust to the pattern of the last two weeks all was changed. But, such is life! I am sure in a few weeks this will feel more like home, too. I do not know anyone here, which makes it difficult (I won't lie-I'm not a fan of eating by myself...I've only been to the dining room once!).

My immersion courses ended on Friday, and this week I began classes at the university. I am directly enrolled here, and therefore taking classes in Spanish, with Spanish and other international students. The philology (language) department prefers that international students attend classes that interest them for the first two weeks before creating a concrete schedule.

I have been to a class on Methodology of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language-I really like this one. I attended one session of Introduction to Spanish Short Story, but the professor spoke unnecessarily (in my opinion) fast, and I was quickly overwhelmed. So, I decided to choose another class and am now taking Hispanic-Arabic Culture (the only problem here is the professor is very soft-spoken, and the room feels like it is 100 degrees, and it is at the time I am ready for lunch...but it is interesting, so far!). I am in an art history class on Iconography. Due to illness, (and my being disorganized) I have only been able to attend one class. The professor doesn't speak very quickly, but she says a lot, and it is hard for me to keep up. I am going to see if there is a text book, or notes at least to help me through. Or, I know of another art class that someone recommended, so I will look into that.

Yes, on my first day I went to the wrong building and sat for a few minutes in a class on Geography of Latin America, instead of Iconography. Oops. So I missed the first class....

Then, on Tuesday, I had my first (preferably my only) experience with the health care system here. My throat had been hurting all weekend, and though my parents like to think I am enjoying the nightlife too much, I thought I had strep throat. So I (well, my insurance company) located a clinic for me to go to, which happened to be just across the street from my residence! I went in and saw a doctor; this clinic is comparable to an urgent care center in the states, but was part of the hospital, and may have been its emergency room, as well. As I was in the waiting room, whenever someone would enter or leave, he or she would greet the other people waiting. Interesting! I was diagnosed with acute tonsillitis, but I'm on the same antibiotic I take for strep, which I get at least once a year. In any event, I missed Iconography, again...but I did go to my other two classes that day, and both classes today!

If my schedule remains as it is now, I will only have classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays! Yay for long weekends...European excursions to come! I have yet to connect with the head of the English department, though, under whom I will be working, so that will change my schedule a bit.

I have many other little things to share with you, but I will save them for another post!

I hope you all have a lovely day.

Sarah