Phew, I accomplished quite a bit today. I was able to sit outside before class today, it was warm enough! No looks from the cleaning ladies today! Class was decent, we played a review game at the end of class and I realized I know the answers, it just takes me a while to get to them, which for the game was not so good, but for the exam might not be so bad. Otherwise, class was pretty uneventful.
I sat in the direct sunlight for a half hour between classes. The departmental building where my classes are is usually pretty chilly, so the sun felt really nice! I did get a bit warm though, so I sat in the shade for the rest of the time before my next class. I read the rest of the chapter for my class, and then listened to country music on my phone. It was nice because I wasn't surrounded by silence for once. In my second class, we did a practice quiz on the geography of Spain. My team was the only one who got all of them correct, and I did most of it. My partner didn't study at all. It's pretty simple though, it's the major cities, the water around Spain, and the mountainous ranges within the country. The only hard part is the rivers, which she listed on the board in order. So it wasn't bad.
After class I paid Brendan for my ticket for the Bullfight this Sunday, which was only 5.20 euros. I'm not sure I'm going to like it, especially since I found out it's baby bulls, but I'm in Spain, and it's a large part of the culture for most of Spain, so I feel like I should at least go and try it. Then Brendan and I went to the supermarket across campus, which he didn't know about. I found pretzels and Nutella, and bought them for a snack for the days that I'm super hungry between lunch and dinner. I also mixed it up and bought a wrap today instead of a sandwich. It was chicken and cheese and was delicious. It was also .40 euros more. I didn't think it was too much of a difference. I went home after that and went through my notes for tomorrow's exam once. Then I took me a nap for two hours.
When I woke up, I decided to be adventurous and try and kick the boring mood I've been in. I went to Reina Sofia. It was very large. When I went to get my ticket (which is free for students with proof), I showed the man my library card for the university, which is all I have. Apparently it's not good enough, it needs to be an actual school ID, which I wasn't given. I didn't need to explain though, because he said he'd let it slide this once. I was glad, plus I'm not planning on going back, at least not soon. There were four floors, two permanent exhibits, and two temporary ones. I was there for a little over two hours, and I think I only saw 1/2 to 3/4 of what was there. For me, it was about half and half.
I liked half the art, and half I didn't quite have an opinion about. It was really cool to see some of it though, I stared at a few of them for a while, admiring the brushstrokes and the shading that the artists were able to achieve. My favorites were the ones with really dark shadows, since I'm always afraid to go dark for some reason. I also liked the abstract ones with lots of color. I thought the one pictured below represented Spanish society. There's a lot of smokers here. I was truly blessed with a host-family that doesn't smoke! The artwork itself was a commentary on art as relating to government, and each cigarette (7 total) had an article of the US constitution on it.
Another one I liked a lot was the one on the right. They reminded me of extra shaggy carpet, like sea urchins kinda. The really cool thing about these was that they moved! They're attached to some sort of vacuum that makes them puff out, and then retract, and puff out again, much like sea anemone billowing with the underwater current. I'm not sure what the artist intended, but in the museum on another floor was a saying, and I wish I could remember what it said or who said it, but it was something along the lines of "it's not about what the artist intended, but how it makes you feel". Well this one had a really strong impact on me.
The last photo I'll include from the museum is below. I believe it's a make on the Winged Victory, which is cool in of itself, but what really made it stand out is the INCREDIBLY vibrant color. It was absolutely beautiful. Much of the artwork in the museum "spoke to me", but these were some of my favorites.
After the museum trip, I walked around the Antón Martín metro stop (where I got off to head to the Reina Sofia). I went into a clothing store, and it's only the second store in Madrid that I've actually tried stuff on in. I didn't buy anything because I didn't love anything though. There was a shirt that was kinda cool, but I wasn't sure on it. This stuff was all in my price range though, all under 9.99 euros. There was also a pair of shoes I liked, but it was a bit too much for me to spend. I guess I'm too stingy, but there's not too much wrong with that I'd say. Then after that I came home. I had enough time to do my email, Facebook, and start my blog before being called to dinner.
Dinner's here are a bit strange. I was told they would be every day at 9:30, but usually I'm the only one eating, occasionally Pilar will join me, but usually with a different meal. I assumed it was because she's diabetic, but yesterday Maria Teresa ate with me, and she ate something different than what I had. I had a hamburger, but it was very different from what I am used to in the US. It tasted like ribs on a bun. It was really good, I'm not complaining. It was served with fries. Maria Teresa ate something that looked like chili/sloppy joe. So I found that interesting. Today dinner was something that I never would have tried in the US. I don't know what to call it, but it was string beans cooked til they were partially mushy, very soft, and a few chunks of potato. It was pretty good though, it was seasoned nicely. I actually ate all of what Pilar gave me today too. It was served with a slice of bread and a hard boiled egg, which was DELICIOUS. I can always go for a hard boiled egg ;)
Now I'm going to study a bit more for my exam tomorrow. I think I'll do fine, but I'd rather be on the safe side. Hasta luego!
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