settling into a routine

hey!

Wednesday night Jano and i went to VIPS. It looks pretty much just like a normal chain restaurant but the food was really good. We had chips and queso for an appetizer then shared a salad and sandwich. yummy.

Then Thursday I had my first day of my other 2 classes. The first one Literatura Espanola from the 18th and 19th centuy was okay. The teacher is like kind of deaf so his voice is really weird and hes kind of hard to understand, but there's a girl from Indiana University there so i talked to her a little bit and the professor said that Erasmus students get an easier exam. haha

Then my second class, the teacher is just insane. It's spanish as a foreign language, but its not teaching you spanish, it's teaching you how to teach spanish as a foreign language and this poor australian girl got picked on so bad by the teacher because she didn't speak Spanish that well.

Then I went to Jano's house and he made spaghetti carbonara for lunch and then we went to a bar to celebrate feria de abril. I dont know why its called that since it happens in february, but supposedly its like this sevillian festival where the bars are open all day and they play flamenco and give the girls roses to put in their hair and everyone gets drunk right after class, so we did that with some of Jano's friends which was really fun. Then we came home and went to Jano's aunt Gloria's house because it was his cousin Paula's 23rd birthday. They ordered pizza hut for everyone and we partied! That night I spent the night at janos.

Then yesterday I had the same two classes. The first one we basically talked about Spanish history during the 18th century the whole class, so it was kind of boring but I feel more like I'm in a routine now with going to class and actually covering material. Then in my second class we made groups that we are going to have for the rest of the semester and I'm with three spanish girls: Elena, Maria and Maria and a czech girl named Natasha and they are so nice! They make me feel a lot better in that class. Then that teacher was going on about how just because you know a language doesn't mean you can teach it and telling us that we had to fight against the intruders who think they can teach a language without studying how to teach it. Power to the teachers!

Then we ate calamari at Jano's for lunch and I took a nap and Jano did homework. Then at like 630 I woke up and we tried to go see the hotel where my dad is going to stay when he comes for my birthday but eventually we just gave up and we went to the mall. We wanted to buy a board game but they didn't have any good ones. We put more minutes on my cell phone, bought candy bars and then went to dinner at Gino's an Italian restaurant in Principe Pio and apparently we saw some famous Spanish rapper at the mall, but I had no idea who it was. Jano kept pointing at this guy who like had paralysis or something where he walked weird and saying look look and I was like Jano stop! and he was like no thats Elangi hes a famous rapper and he just made a movie. I was like wow. Not what I was expecting you to say. Then we went to Starbucks after and back to Emi's house where we just hung out for awhile. Then I slept over there.

This morning I walked home because it was so nice outside, even though I got a little bit lost. Then I took a shower at breakfast and went to go shopping with Emi. Apparently everyone does there grocery shopping on Saturday mornings because there was like 10 million people in every store we went in. First we went to the post office, then the fruteria, and then the pescaderia (fish market). This was my first time in a fish market and I have to admit it kind of grosses me out seeing them cut up fish and then thinking about eating it.. Oh by the way all of these stores are in walking distance and Emi knows everyone who works in all the stores. We just got back and after we eat lunch I'm going to Toledo with Jano to celebrate Carnaval. Here it's a really big deal and everyone dresses up in costume like Halloween in the US. We are going as Cuban soldiers (I dont think from our costumes youll be able to differentiate between cuban and any other soldier but whatever) Really all I have to wear is camo pants that Janos sister is letting me borrow and then on top Ill just put the warmest thing I possibly can on.

Emi is so funny sometimes. She always tells me that I have to wear a coat when I go outside and that I need to eat more fruit!