Gosh!! There is so much to tell!

Hola my faithful followers! I'm actually going to put a lot of different things into this blog. I have GOT to be caught up after this one or else I might go insane. As much as I would love to tell kind of long stories every time, I realize that I won't ever be caught up in telling you everything if I do it that way. And we're rolling!

So I made it into the Advanced I level! That was an absolute God thing. I really didn't expect to be in advanced at all, but clearly God knows what He is doing in that. For example, I couldn't take the business class that is offered here unless I made it into the advanced level and look at that! I'm in!!! This was something for me to consider taking anyway because my minor is international business.

With the 24 clock, this is my class schedule:

LUNES (MONDAY):
9-10 Business
11-12 Literature
12-13 Hispanic America

MARTES (TUESDAY):
11-12 Translation

12-13 Grammar
14-15 Literature

MIERCOLES (WEDNESDAY):
10-11 Grammar
11-12 Translation
13-14 Literature
14-15 Business

JUEVES (THURSDAY):
9-10 Hispanic America
10-11 Translation
11-12 Grammar

VIERNES (FRIDAY):
11-12 Hispanic America
12-13 Business

The first week of classes was pretty relaxed (which you will find it is like that every week here!) but I still wasn't used to listening to Spanish for so long each day. It was pretty draining and at times I really wondered if my comprehension would actually get better. Well at this point (my 5th week of classes) I'm feeling much better about understanding what my professors are saying in class. I still don't catch EVERYTHING they say, but I'm following along much better than I did at the start of the semester. All of my classes are going well and of course I like some better than others, but I don't think there are any that I absolutely can't stand. That is good news!!

Winter in Spain is so much nicer than winter in IA. I'm lovin' that no doubt!! Of course I love our snow back home, but it is kind of nice to experience a winter without it since I have to walk so much. Plus, it makes being outside much more enjoyable even though I don't have the opportunity for random snow ball fights or get to watch to see whether or not people slip on the ice as I'm walking to class. (That is a favorite past time for most of us at UNI.) The sunshine is one of my favorite parts because it is sunny every week for several days, and I try to bask in it as I'm walking to and fro. It is lovely to see blue skies!

First adventure: There is a HUGE statue of Jesus up quite a ways from the main part of the city of Oviedo, and we hiked to it the first week of classes. It was a perfect day for a hike, and we had such a large group. There is a student organization called ESN, and they were the ones to organize that excursion.

This is the statue of Jesus that is actually lit up at night on top of the
mountain. The hike was initially us walking in order to be on the far edge of the city and eventually out of it. We walked along a road that we saw people riding their bicycles up. They were way HARDCORE!! It would have been kind of intense for all of us to attempt to ride a bike because there was definitely an incline. In the picture from left to right is me, A, and D. They were my two travel buddies as we left the U.S. and are two people I'm SO thankful to have with me on this trip.

Here was our view of the city and we weren't even at the top of the mountain when I took this. It was so gorgeous and so fabulous to see what our city looks like because Oviedo is seriously one of my favorite places now. I am in awe just about everyday of how beautiful this place is, and I wish all of you could come and see where I live!! It is just too lovely to express with only words and pictures.

Rebajas is the word that is currently in about every single one of the stores here. That is the word for the sales this time of year which are apparently a lot lower than year round. They last from January till the end of February and then happen later in the year in July. Needless to say, I have definitely made sure to go shopping already! For most of us girls, we have all made at least one purchase for the fashionable boots that all the women wear here. There are so many different styles that pretty much anyone can find something they like. I of course have gotten one pair for myself and they are what I believe are known as "shrug" boots. They are gray and suede and super super cute!! I have worn them many times already and feel so Spanish whenever I wear them. Plus, I feel less American because I have a substitute for my tennis shoes. I do love those shoes don't get me wrong!! But the only time I see Spaniards wearing tennis shoes is if they are running or walking in a jogging outfit. They just aren't the norm for what people wear on their feet everyday.

Since being here, I have taken 3 small trips in Spain. I have traveled to Leon, Santiago de Campostela, and Gijon. These are all very pretty places with very different main attractions. For Leon, this is a huge city with about 250,000 people and we saw a beautiful cathedral when we visited. In Santiago de Campostela, I went with four other girls and we ate churros and chocolate in a little cafe and stayed in a hostel. This city is the 3rd most important place in history for Christian pilgrimages. And finally, Gijon has a beautiful view of the sea. While the water was freezing cold, it was so nice to be at a beach in FEBRUARY!! That doesn't happen anywhere else that I have lived. There is much more I could say about these places that I have visited, but you have heard about the most important parts of the trips from my perspective! :-)

                Much love to all of you!! Hasta luego...