I thought I would be blogging a lot more than I am, but I have been so busy and I feel like I have not done much except settle down a little bit since I arrived. Anyway, I will start where I left off...

Orientation on the second day was much longer than the first, we had it all day and just learned a brief overview of everything we should know. It was just extremely chaotic and the program being unorganized did not help much.

Later that night, we checked out of the hotel and were picked up by our host families or taken to the dorms. I live with one divorced, middle aged woman named Pilar in a pretty large apartment near a landmark plaza. Pilar does not speak any English, except a couple of words (numbers, days, etc)...she is extremely nice and welcoming and I am so so grateful that I was lucky with my assigment. Some people are not so happy with their families.

The next day we received our class schedule and had a bus tour of Barcelona. The bus tour turned out to be really funny because it started to hail and snow a bit while we were driving around. Of course the year that I decide to study here is the year that they have snow for the first time in 3 years. Our bus driver was freaking out and people in the street were so funny...the news that entire night was only the weather.

My class schedule is good, there is only one class that I am attempting to change in order to stay on track to graduate. That is boring though so I won't talk about my schedule.

Yesterday was my first day of class, and it was only my spanish class. After getting lost on the metro (so fast! only 3 min wait for a train) and wandering around on the horribly labeled streets, I finally made it there. I am in an intermediate class, but i really feel like a beginner. My spanish has already improved a lot since living with Pilar, but I am frustrated at how little I remember when I was so good at speaking in high school. Practice makes perfect I guess.

After class, I wandered around the main square, Plaza Catalunya and looked at the stores. Barcelona really is the fashion capitol of Europe, there are more stores than anyone can imagine and lots of shopping. Unfortunatley on this day that I decided to shop, it was the Spanish version of our black friday and it was insane!! The rebajos (sales) were great, but the crowds were horrible. I ended up getting a leather jacket for over half off at a store, so now I am a real european.

I decided to face my fear last night and try to go out in the city at night. One of the girls that I met, Alex, had her 21st birthday last night so we decided to go to this place called "La Oveja Negra" (the black sheep) for some drinks. It was a really cool bar, kind of pub/american style and supposedly had some of the best sangria in town. So i got a glass for around 3 euro and it was so delcicious! I am also just proud of myself for facing my fear. It will take awhile to get my barrings, but I have to start somewhere.

Today I had my class that I am hoping to drop at the ESCI (the building that is part of the actual university). Evern though I am dropping the class, I was super excited to go to the building because these classes are mixed with other spanish students. My class had only 3 American students and the rest were spanish! It was funny because we had to form groups for a project we are doing and everyone asked the 3 Americans to be in their group, probably because the class is in English and it would be helpful to have someone fluent. I did not get placed in a group, but I spoke with a couple of guys and they were very nice and want to go out to hang out and go to the clubs. I am very excited because more than anything, I really want to make friends with spanish people. I think it would be so great to learn spanish and just live differently. The small size of ESCI makes it possible to get to know everyone so that is really great!

Tonight we are going "De Tapas" with our guardian angels. I am not sure which restaurant we are goign to, but it is around 9:30 and afterwards we are going to a disco club with a couple of other guardian angels and their groups. Everyone I have met so far is so great, and I think I will make some good friends. I am getting less anxious and annoyed and more open to learning the city and being excited for what is to come.

I will try to write again after the weekend, I have plans to attempt to walk or at least see the entire city, if weather permits. Then maybe there will be pictures as well! I am sorry I have not taken/posted really any, but I am nervous to take my camera out in the big city and also have not done or seen much yet!

Miss you, love you,

Amyx, Amanda, Mandy