An Endless Adventure: It's been a while.

Hola amigos,

I know it's been a while since my last post. During the school week there's just really not much exciting going on.

Anyways, this past Monday, we started our classes. They placed me in a pretty low level, which kind of disappointed me at first because I have a really high vocabulary, and my grammar is good, BUT I am almost positive it's because I am so scared when I speak. My fluency isn't good. I told my professors from back home and one of them simply said.... #trust. Ha ha, so I'm trusting the placement.

The classroom setting here is very different to back home. It's super informal. You address the teachers by their first names. Classes are interactive and fun. I think I could move up a level, but at this point I think it's in my best interest to stay.

I hung out with Paula, my house mamá's granddaughter, made some new friends. I also had a manicure and pedicure during the middle of the week with some of my girl friends here. That was really fun and SUPER cheap. 18 euros/20$ for a manicure and a pedicure.

So classes are Monday-Friday 9-130. I have comida everyday from 2-whenever at my house, go to the gym sometimes afterwards, and sometimes just take a nap. We have light homework assignments thus far.

A part of our curriculum is fulfilling these activities that we do with the school for a grade. It's worth like 5% of your grade. I decided to go with this musical "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar"for one of my activities. You guys, I don't know what I was thinking. I've never really been into musicals....and this one..was awfull...and FOUR HOURS LONG. So that was fun....We ended up not getting back until around 2 AM. Which sucks because I hiked all day Saturday.

Saturday :Karina, Brian, Logan, and me were fortunate enough to get connected with Pisa Montañas. They are a group that goes on a lot of different hikes. Brian and Karina's house mom is a member and she set it up to where we could go on this 16 km hike through the Sierra de Guadarrama. Our hike started in El Atazar and ended in Cervera de Buitrago hiked a total of 5 hours and 30 and reached an elevation of 1400 m. I can honestly say...Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, because we all got cool t-shirts to go with our journey. I have so many awesome pictures. It was absolutely worth every minute. I made some new friends, learned some new Spanish slang, practiced my Spanish, got so see some beautiful stuff, and did something here that was a little off that beaten path (that a normal "tourist" wouldn't have the opportunity to do)

Also funny story. Met this really cool girl hiking Lourdes. She was obviously an expert hiker, full of energy, just really fun and exciting to be around. She referred to herself as a una cabra which means goat, because she kept darting from here to there as we were going down the mountain. I was telling everyone what she said and I accidentally said cabrón instead of cabra.... cabrón means bastard. Everyone laughed at me for my mistake, and Brian said, "that will be the first of many, and at least it wasn't worse"...but still...so embarrassed.

We didn't get home until 2 in the morning. I was exhausted. I threw all of my clothes into the dirty clothes hamper, put my pjs on, and crawled into my bed.

I just woke up and it's 11:41 am. All I want is a good cup of coffee. I'm not home sick in the sense of wanting to be home by any means, but I definitely miss certain little things about being home.

Yesterday was a really cool experience. I learned what to say if you get lost "del perdio al río" -- which means from lost to the river. Back before there were any significant land marks, the rivers were used to guide people in the right direction. I must have found my river four years ago. I don't ever feel lost anymore.

Until next time,

Mucho Amor,

M.