an American on Spanish soil listening to an Irish band...

Word of the day: desafio=challenge
---------------

We took the placement test and I am in the group Advanced B (3B). I was pleased but slightly disappointed. I was surprised to find out that I did best with the grammar section which I wasn´t expecting at all. So we start the Intensivo tomorrow. I will have class from 10:30 to 12:30 each day for the rest of the month at the other "campus" which just happens to be right next door to my house. It´s so convenient! We (the AHA people) start another class on Wednesday that will be from 6-8pm. It should be interesting to see how it all goes. I know some of the other students in my group so that will be nice to see some familiar faces each day.

We also chose our classes for the semester that starts in February. I am quite excited with the classes I am going to take, which of course, I can´t remember at the moment.

I finally learned yesterday how to heat the water. See, I was so happy about the warm shower yesterday that I was curious to find out why it had been warm. Turns out that when I had taken my "ice cold" showers, I hadn´t turned on the gas to heat the water. Hahaha (not really-just so you know, that is very very sarcastic laughter). So, moral of the story is that if I want warm water, I need to go and turn on the gas, light the pilot and then that heats the water. If I had only known sooner! So, today was day 2 of warm water in the shower and what a difference a few degrees make. It´s amazing. I´m living the good life now. Heh. :)

After the test and after el almuerzo, I went for a walk around the city. I just wandered for about 2 hours. I needed some time to just be.

I put on my iPod and walked. It was great. I went up to the Alhambra again and then walked all around downtown. It was a beautiful day and the sun made everything seem cheerier and dulled some of the dreariness that the cold weather brings. I went to the Corte Ingles (departement store) which is currently having their "big sale of the year" (think after Christmas sales in the U.S.) to browse. I was quite impressed with the Corte. It´s a complete all-in-one store for sure. I mean in one part of the store you have Pantene shampoo and in the other you have $750€ fur coats. You also have a cafe, electronics, books of all sorts, cosmetics, everything. It´s quite impressive-there´s even a travel agency inside the store. It reminds me of Nordstrom with a bit of Meier and Frank and a hint of Fred Meyer. Kinda cool.

I am enjoying the pace of life here. It´s quite relaxing. I never feel like I´m in a hurry or need to be somewhere always. I don´t know-it´s funny how the atmosphere is different. People walk slower, listen more, and just look like they are more at ease than in the U.S. Strange I think.

I can´t believe that tomorrow I will have been here a week. It has gone by so quickly and I can already tell that May will be here before I know it.


One day at a time I think, one day at a time.