See the World, by Gomez

This time continues to pass slowly here. I've only been in Madrid for 6 days, but already, it feels like so much longer. I've been able to explore around my neighborhood, el centro and the area that SLU Madrid is in. Thursday was the first day of classes for us, and I only had 2 that day. My Old Testament Prophets class seems to be the most in depth religion class I'll ever have. Well, it is the last one I'll have to take, but that's beside the point. Our professor is an archeologist, thus it will be quite historical and technical.

The class I am so excited for is my Modern Art class. It will be incredible to be able to see some of the artwork we are studying first hand. As part of our homework, we'll have to go to la Reina Sofia and other museums. I am incredibly excited for this class and I think I'll get so much more out of it being in Spain while studying this art.

I'll be sure to write about my next 2 classes after I have them on Monday. I've been realizing how brilliantly I made my schedule, because my classes end around 2 on Thursdays and begin at 4 on Mondays. I have almost 4 days of weekend for travel. Estoy animada!

Thursday night after classes, a group of friends were heading for Sol, so I joined them. We ended up dancing in Madrid discotecas until about 3, something I'm going to take a while to adjust to. This Madrid party scene is the strangest scene I've ever seen in my life. People don't even start until about 12, and I was leaving early at 3. My roommates stayed out until about 6, a concept I hope will remain completely foreign to me. I don't think I can do with nights like that very well.
As I have no classes on Friday, I slept in until around 8:30, eating, then joining the gym right up the street. It's 3 levels with a rock wall (!), punching bags, ellipticals, weights and classes in everything you can think of. After that, I went to school for the welcome back barbecue and club fair. I signed up for every possible sports activity I could; the outdoors, ski and ultimate frisbee clubs and the scuba trip. I'm more involved abroad than I am at my home campus. Maybe Spain agrees with me.

I had a lazy afternoon where I sat and read for a while. Having already finished one book a week in, I'm trying to pace myself so I don't finish all my books by the time my parents come in October, but I'm already halfway through F. Scott Fitzgerald. Maybe I shouldn't read so much. Alas, I love it so.

Around 8:30, a group met on campus for tapas, which were delicious. We had calamari, mushrooms, chorizo, tortilla de patata (a recipe I'll be getting from my Senora, Maite), eggs and bread. Everything was delicious. Then, a group went out to dance for a little. I left around 12:30 to meet up with another group, with whom I was out with until 3:00 again. Too much for me. I think this next weekend will be a little more mellow, with maybe a trip somewhere.
Saturday, I went with a group from school to Segovia, a roman town with an incredible Aqueduct. I find it strange that every area I go to (except Yellowstone) is known for it's aqueducts in some form. Maybe I'm drawn to them. Segovia is beautiful, however, it is a tourist area. Unfortunately, it's also so small you can't get away from the tourist-ness of it. It didn't help that both Scott (a guy from Gonzaga) and Amalia had huge cameras hanging around their neck. The rest of us were able to fit in a little more. Relatively. Stay tuned for pictures of both people and places.

I stayed in last night, a little homesick, watching movies. However, today, I think I might go to the Reina Sofia. We get in for free on Sundays, and my art teacher spoke of it so highly I'd love to go.