Wanna hear about my first day of school?!
I got up at 7:30 so I could shower and get some breakfast before leaving. Everyone from the program met in the lobby so we could make the walk together, and we got to school around 9—right on time for orientation. We took the stairs to the second floor and sat in a small auditorium where the dean of the university, along with all five of our teachers, talked to us about what to expect from the program, what our classes would be like, how to interact with the Spanish students, and basically everything we needed to know about the school and the city. All of the kids from the program will be taking the classes with eachother—not with Spanish students—and will all be taught by University of Valencia teachers. The classes will all have around 18 of us in each, which the dean said means lots of participation and lots of one-on-one time with the teachers—exactly what we need to really improve our language skills. Perfect.
At the end of their talking to us, our teachers handed out the class lists and schedules, and I was shocked at what I found: everyone is taking four classes, four days a week (no Friday classes at all)…but my schedule was different from everyone else’s. Instead of having two classes on Monday and Wednesday, then two classes on Tuesday and Thursday, like everyone else, I have ALL FOUR of my classes back to back to back to back on Monday and Wednesday! This means that I have Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be on my own to do whatever I want! The ol’ inverted work-week I’ve been calling it: 2 days of work, 5 days of free time! AND a 4 day weekend! How great is that?! Sure, those two days of work are going to be pretty strenuous, but I couldn’t be happier. I just got really, really lucky I guess: the four classes that I picked from the seven that are offered just happened to be the ones that are taught on the same day. How lucky is that?!
So after orientation, I went to my first class: Introduction to Spanish Literature. The class is taught by a native Valencian woman who looks to be about 40, has black curly hair and pink glasses, and seems really, really nice. She explained that we’ll be studying Spanish poetry and famous essays at the beginning of the semester, then theater and narratives towards the end. We’ll have a midterm and a final, 2 or 3 essays throughout the semester, and one presentation, and she emphasized that she hates to give homework and that if at all possible, she never will! Sounds good to me!
After that, I stayed in the same classroom since the same teacher also teaches my next class: Advanced Spanish Literature. She said that this class will be a bit more boring than the other lit class, but the things we read will be more interesting if you like literature (which I do!). The work structure is the same—midterm, final, essays presentation—which means I’m two for two on classes with minimal homework! Awesome!
From there, class got out 45 minutes early so I had a full hour until my next class started, so I left and walked around the part of the city around school for a while… …and guess what I found a mere ONE block away? The fifth biggest soccer stadium in Spain, home of Valencia C.F! I had no idea it was so close! What a great surprise! I walked around it until I found the main entrance and the ticket booth and asked someone how much tickets were for the next game. Valencia is number three in the league standings right now in La Liga, the Spanish soccer league, and on Thursday they play the fourth ranked team, Levante…and tickets are only 20 euros! I can do that! In fact…I NEED to do that! I think I’ll go buy one tomorrow on my day off! How exciting!
From the stadium, I continued wandering around the city, taking in all of the sights and sounds. I hadn’t eaten as big a breakfast as I should have, so I was pretty hungry and decided to stop into a café to grab a ham sandwich to-go. I ate it as I walked and then finished it on a park bench under an orange tree (how Valencian of me!) and thoroughly enjoyed every bite!
My third class started at 12:30, and was actually in the same classroom as the other, but taught by a different teacher. The class title is Composition and Advanced Conversation Skills, and the teacher is an older woman with big blonde hair, big blue eyes, lots of makeup, and hot red lips. She seems really, really nice, but the way she explained the class, I can tell that it will be my most difficult…but also the most worthwhile. We’ll be working “mucho” on our writing, speaking, and listening skills, and she says that by the end of the semester we’ll be able to understand people’s lunch conversations when we pass them in the streets! How cool! The emphasis, she said, will be to learn to THINK in Spanish, so that we’re not always having to translate things from English in our heads. Perfect.
After that, I walked back across the city to the dorm to grab lunch. My last class of the day is after lunch at 3:30 and is taught by one of the teachers who came on the trip with us! And the best part of all is that his classroom is in the residence hall where we live, so I don’t have to go anywhere! How great is that!
The teacher’s name is Jim and he’s honestly one of the nicest, most fun guy’s I’ve ever met. He’s older, with grey hair and a bald spot in the back that he calls his “cul-de-sac” (ha!) and he has a big pot belly that he lets you rub for good luck! He has a great sense of humor and is really enthusiastic about teaching and making sure we have the best experience possible. His first time in Spain was actually through this exact same program in Valencia when he was student at UGA in the 70s, so he’s really a good resource as someone who knows a lot about the city and the school and all that. Very cool guy.
Jim’s class is all about Spanish culture. We’ll be learning about Spanish customs, traditions, history, geography, food, politics, current events, popular culture, and the Spanish lifestyle in general. One quarter of our grade will be to maintain a diary for the duration of the semester, which, lucky for me, I’m already doing on my own. We’ll also be writing a few essays about the trips that we take to neighboring cities on the weekends, as well as one presentation about any cultural theme that we want. The class will be fun and very interesting, and will be a great way to finish out my busy day…two days a week.
So that’s my schedule—what do you think? Seems pretty good, right? Perfect, actually, is what I think about it. I think it will be a nice blend of work and fun, reading, writing, and speaking. I really will be totally immersed in the Spanish language and culture for the next four months, and I think my abilities and, more importantly, my confidence in my abilities will increase greatly throughout the semester. Looking forward to it all! Adelante!
Until tomorrow…
Much love to all.
C
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