Homestay, School, Segovia, & More!!!

Hey everyone, it´s been a long time, and you can call me lazy, but now I´m going to do a lot of catching up. The last time I talked to you, I think I was still in the hotel; well not anymore. I´ve since moved into mi casa with Emilia Rodriguez García. What a great old woman. She´s a widow, speaks no English whatsoever, and can cook to no end!

Another little surprise from the Spanish homestay, is that I have a roomate, or rather a housemate, named Olivia, from Boston. She´s in a different program than I, but she´s a pretty good Spanish speaker, and she´s good having around when Emilia goes off on some crazy tangents.

The house has been good, mainly, aside from the first shower that I took was ice-cold! Otherwise, I have my own bed, desk, nightstand, chair, and closet; and all of it´s pretty spacious. Olivia and I share a bathroom, and although it´s a bit drafty in there, it gets the job done!

So what have I done so far. Well, walking around the city is a task in itself, as well as running, when I go to get jacked and tanned (a UofR XC term)! I usually get lost, but then find my way back by much trial and error! Oh well, I´ll learn eventually.

So far, I have successfully found out where to get a haircut, where to shop, and where to party, although I haven´t done much of the latter yet!

So more good news, is that I found a bunch of churches that I can go to, one literally being 2 blocks away, with plenty more in the neighborhood to choose from. The only problem is that I need some kind of mass book, so I can learn the mass in Spanish. Eventually though, it will come.

School has started also. I´m taking 2 classes, Lengua Español and Spanish Civilization and Culture. The teachers in both are great, especially Ruben in the latter; he´s gotta be the funniest guy I know!

And a word about my internship. I decided to go for the Opus Dei internship, whereby I am going to work at the Colegio Mayor Moncloa, doing whatever I can to help out with the Catholic University. It seems like a great fit, especially for my future endeavors in the religion tract of teaching, and the staff is so amiable and intelligent. I´ve already been invited on a ski trip in the Pyrenees for 3-4 days! I´m so pumped, and I hope someone can lend me some snow gear!

The last thing I want to say has to do with my trip to Segovia this past weekend. I went with our university, Antonio de Nebrija, and it was the best decision I´ve made yet! The sites were fantastic, with everything from the 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct, to the castle of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, to the Cathedral of Segovia, definitely the biggest and most beautiful church I´ve ever stepped in. The only problem with this trip was the weather, and the fact that my winter gear was limited, didn´t help! It was a chilly -2·C, aka 28·F, and my hands were ready to fall off, mostly because someone said taking pictures was the thing to do! Oh well, the sights and food made up for it, and it was a great experience!

So, there you have it, folks. I´ve caught myself up, and just you watch me forget about this blog and have to do it again. Oh well, we´re only human right?!