Martes - 19.51

I got up this morning and went to class, as usual. I went to the right classroom this time, as did the rest of my classmates. Class was really good today, which was good, because I felt like the total outcast today. There were six of us there today, and I was the first in the class, so I sat in my normal seat in the front row. When the other five came in, they all sat in a row, next to each other, two rows behind me. Whatever though, it didn't hurt my feelings at all since I don't know any of them, and I know they all went out last night. I overheard them talking about it; how they didn't get back until 5:30 in the morning, slept two hours, and then came to our 9:00 class. Talk about hard core partiers...

I also got my conversation book back from Jimmy. Apparently they don't need it for class anymore. I was really depressed about that. If I had gotten the money from him when I gave him the book, it would have been his problem. Now I'm stuck with a book I don't want and can't sell. Maybe I'll leave it in the office for another student or something. I don't know, I'll figure it out later. During class though, we heard someone outside playing some sort of instrument, it sounded like a mix between a harmonica and a flute. It was really pretty. Patricia stopped the lecture to tell us the history of it, how the sound took her back to her childhood. She also said that we wouldn't hear that particular instrument in Madrid, only because we were on the outskirts and only because Spain is in an economic crisis right now. I wasn't sure how that related, but I enjoyed the sound and the mini-history lesson.

During our twenty minute break, I tried to find a bathroom to use and to fill up my water bottle. Well, I found four bathrooms. All of which were locked. There were two on the same floor as our classroom, one on the floor above us, and one on the floor below us. I was very frustrated to say the least. But class went by pretty fast after that. I really really enjoy this class. It's so interesting to hear her talk about the paintings as well as the lives of the painters. She's really passionate about the subject too, which makes it much easier to follow along. I didn't feel sleepy as much as usual during class today, because I was taking a lot of notes and really paying attention. So that class is all thumbs-up.

My second class today was good as well. I sat in a different seat today because the air from the window was just too cold. I had goosebumps. Other than that it was good. We were split into teams for an activity, which I actually enjoyed. Not because it was a group activity, but because I knew a lot. There were about thirty questions about Spain, including geography, culture, traditions, economy, politics, etc. I knew more than half of the answers! I was the only one in the class that knew two questions about geography too. How ironic, since I don't know anything abut the geography in the US... It was fun though. The woman in our class, who I now know the name of (Lynette), was on my team. I don't like her much, she seems like the center of attention kind of person, one who does not stop talking! There was one question, "Do Spaniards eat a lot of fish?" The other guy on my team and I answered "yes" in unison, but Lynette said no. She kept fighting us on it too, especially when Sara asked us for a final answer. We would say yes, and she would fold her arms, shake her head, and say no. Then Sara finally said it was two against one, and that we were right. Lynette was then all smiles and congratulations, as if she had known all along.

At the end of class, Sara asked us to show our pictures we were supposed to draw and briefly summarize, since we only had a few minutes left. She said we would start with the best one, and then she told me to start. I guess she assumed mine was the best because she saw me drawing before class a few days ago. It was nice to know she thinks highly of me, at least in one regard. Then when she asked Lynette, she went on and on and on about her observations about Spaniards, her drawing, what Spaniards like, what's typical of Spaniards, etc. We didn't get to the last two people in class because she talked so long. But good for her, she's certainly getting in her practice.

After class I wasn't very hungry, so I went to the supermarket and only bought Nutella. Then I headed back to my apartment. Before my classes today I went to the USAC office to pick up a DVD. For our cinema class, we need to watch a movie on our own time and then prepare a fifteen minute presentation for the class. I was pretty excited, because it was bumped down from twenty minutes. We were given a list of movies to pick from Monday in class, and since I didn't know anything about any of them, I picked one at random that I thought was going to be about women on the border. When picked it up in the office, the title read in English, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". My thought was, "now this could be interesting". When I got back to the apartment, I watched it. It was definitely interesting.

It was a bizarre plot about a woman who wanted her ex-boyfriend back, since he had left her the week before. The whole movie is about her trying to find him and get in contact with him. Then there was a subplot in which her friend shows up to seek refuge in her apartment, since she unknowingly harbored terrorists in her apartment and is afraid of being arrested with collaboration. Then the son of the ex-boyfriend shows up with his fiance to look at the flat, which the woman wants to now sell. The fiance ends up passed out on the patio, having knocked herself out by drinking gazpacho spiked with sleeping pills. Then skip forward a few scenes, and the police and the man's ex-ex-girlfriend, the mother of his son, show up, having met in the elevator.

The police question about the terrorists, but before they can get answers, they're offered the gazpacho and pass out. Then the ex-ex-girlfriend takes their guns, and points them at the woman, revealing that she's mentally insane and faked insanity to get out of the mental hospital she was in so that she could kill her son's father. It was very bizarre. The movie ended with the woman saving her ex-boyfriend and the crazy woman being taken back to the mental hospital, but never explained what happened to the group when the police woke up. Cliff hanger I suppose. But it was pretty decent.

Then I left to meet up with a group to see the Archaeology Museum, which their website said they were closed, but the girl who was planning the trip didn't know, apparently. I went anyway, just in the off chance that the website was just outdated. Well, I got there five minutes late, and the only person there was David. We waited for ten more minutes, and no one else came. We talked for a while about the second group of students that came here for the USAC program. David is one of the more social ones from the last group, so he was eager to meet the new people and talk with them and such. He commented that they were much less friendly though. There's one that we like, that we think is making an effort, and her name is Talia, the same one in our conversation class. He said that when he went to Pamplona with them for the running of the bulls (he was the only one from the first session that went) the new group didn't include him in much, and that he got the impression that they didn't really like Talia. I found that interesting.

We headed over to the museum to see if it was open. I mentioned to David that the museum said they were closed on their website, and he had no idea. I guess I'm too much like my father in that I research things first. If I'm going somewhere, I don't like not knowing their hours, or how much tickets cost, or where the place actually is. Long story short, none of the USAC people look at websites before they decide to get a group together to see museums, or buy tickets, etc. We did get photos from outside the museum though.

(L: The museum entrance. R: A statue outside the museum.)

The trip wasn't a total waste for me though, because for my conversation class, we're supposed to have a news article that we present to the class. I present on Thursday, and found an article from today's paper. I actually had it with me because I knew the metro ride would be a long one and figured I could multitask and read it along the way. It's about robots being constructed to help the handicapped. Well, David is in the same class, and he presents tomorrow. We somehow got on the topic of that class, and he mentioned that it was hard to find an article to talk about, but that he finally found one today. As he was describing it to me, I pulled out my copy from my purse and asked, "this one?". He said yeah. So we were planning on doing the same one. I said he could have it, since I have an extra day to prepare. It's just my luck that he would pick the same one though! It was actually interesting too. But now I know I don't need to prepare a presentation or anything. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to see if there's something interesting in the paper. If not, I'll think of something.

When I headed back home, I was able to get a picture of this sign, which was in the metro. I've noticed a lot of their advertisements here in Spain, and since it's something that interests me, and deals with my major, I pay attention. I really like a lot of the ads here; they're interesting. Anyway, when translated, or half translated I should say, since half the saying is in English, it says "Spain needs you to speak proper English". It's an add for an English language class. I found it really interesting because it's obviously supposed to represent Uncle Sam, but a Spanish version with the Spanish colors on his hat. I guess other cultures are more in tune to the US than I had thought...

When I actually got back though, I started and finished the PowerPoint for my cinema class, over the movie I had watched today. I also read two articles for my art class, getting me caught up on that front. I took a break to let my brain roam wild, and then had dinner. It was the bean soup again today, and it was delicious again. I ate alone, since there's a lot of people in the living room that were socializing. I burnt my tongue though, I think chef Mike did a bit too much sometimes...

Now I'm going to wash my face, brush my teeth, and see if I can't manage to read a bit more of the next article for my art class. If not, then I'm going straight to bed, because I am tired!