Getting the ball rolling

I am completely moved and settled into my new piso! It's pretty nice. Nothing really fancy, but the room is very big and I get internet, so I'm not complaining. I also figured out how to work the hot water, which means I can now shower in comfort. Bread, butter, and jam has also become my snack/breakfast of choice. Mostly because a baguette (barra de pan) only costs 0.45€. Also because it is really tasty and reminds me of our bread and jam breakfast at the Residencia.

Although I'm happy to get real life moving and started, I do miss my life at the Residencia. I miss having a private bathroom (which I know I probably won't have again until I have a house and a master suite... which won't be for a long time...) and I miss going downstairs to a cafeteria full of friends. I do keep in touch with my American friends, maybe even more than I should. But for now, it's comforting to know I have a handful of people I can rely on.

I hope to start making some Spanish friends next week. We'll see how that goes...

I also have (sort of) officially started classes!!!

The reason I say "sort of" is because there was no class on Monday and Wednesday there were strictly-reduced classes due to a general strike. I only have class Monday through Thursday, so... I guess I had like half of a week of class.

But really, I have begun taking classes in Spanish with Spaniards and Spanish professors!

Currently, I have 6 classes. I must remain in at least 4 of them. I have until October 15th to weigh them out and figure out which 4 I want to keep. My classes are as follows (I'll put the titles in English):

Spanish Political System
Spanish Political Process
Spanish Constitutional Rights
Sociology of Religion
Rural Sociology
Advanced Grammar (It's a Spanish grammar class specifically for California students. I figured it would be useful).

Since it was the first week and the week was very interrupted, classes were very basic. The professors introduced themselves, talked about their syllabuses, asked if they had any foreign students and if we understood (they all did that... I haven never had an American professor ask that before. Interesting...), and mentioned if there was a book(s) we needed to (or should) buy.

It was nice to get into a real regimen, or to at least peek at how my real regimen will be when classes really start next week.

In other news, Beverly will be here from Córdoba to hang out with me tonight and tomorrow morning! Which means I should actually buy a blanket for my bed... it's cold in my room.

It will be nice seeing her. I miss my San Diego friends.

I suppose even that is part of the experience.