Study Abroad
Day 9
January 26th, 2006
1:02 PM

Flamenco class on Tuesday was INSANE. Practically everyone wanted to take it, so we piled a hundred kids into the gym with the two instructors. They divided us into two groups, and we got an instructor with a good sense of humor, which was necessary in a room filled with people.

I can’t dance. I can point out many occasions when I have danced (at the Dance Shoppe, at church on Christmas and Easter, at auditions for musicals) but I couldn’t point out one where I danced well. I just can’t do it. But I like to try. The combination was simple in theory—mostly just stepping back and forth in a certain rhythm. But we couldn’t hear any instructions over the ruckus and could only try to match our steps to the instructor. Insanity ensued. Stay tuned for next week’s lesson.

Yesterday was good. I had two classes, Culture and Linguistics. The linguistics lecture was fantastic and Culture wasn’t bad either. Danielle and I also did laundry, which was painfully necessary because we hadn’t done any until we got here. That project took up much of the afternoon, because he had to hike to buy detergent, wash the clothes, then set up a makeshift clothesline on our little balcony outside the window. My clothes are clean, and mostly dry. Mission accomplished.

For last night’s dinner, the Fundacion invited a bunch of Spaniards (those who go to the nearby language school to learn English) to come eat with us. They served “American food” (hamburgers and hot dogs…well, they were supposed to be). Is that what we came here to eat? Really? The dinner itself was fun, though. Danielle, Amy and I talked a bit to Ivan and Roberto, who live in Toledo but teach elementary school in a little town outside the city. They’ve been learning Spanish for a couple years, but consider themselves horrible students and said they had trouble when they visited the U.S. Ivan said he stayed in San Diego for awhile, surfing. His favorite part was eating Denny’s every day. We laughed at him.

Robin, Amy, Danielle and I stayed up waaay too late last night giggling. It was ridiculous because I had an early class this morning, but fun. I had my two literature classes this morning. It was a good time only because I could not stop marveling at the teacher’s outfit. She was literally dressed head to toe in bright pink: Pink boots, pink pants, a pink sweater with a lime green stripe, a shiny pink watch and a big pink hat with a lime green stripe around the brim. It was almost as if she’d planned the whole outfit to match her lipstick. And, as if she suddenly tired of the pink motif, she’d lined her eyes in bright blue.

Tomorrow we have an excursion to El Escorial, after which we plan to go somewhere, but have no definite location in mind. It should be good. Amy is going to spend the weekend moving into the Fund (at last. After switching from family number one, who never talked to her and lived an hour away, to family number two who smoked so much she thought she’d gotten lung cancer in one night, they’re finally letting her live here). Tuesday is Danielle’s birthday, so we’re going to spend next weekend in Portugal.

BTW, I’m loving the stream of e-mails you’ve been sending me—keep them coming. I’ll respond to all, I promise.