Classes and more

Hola otra vez de Málaga!

We've had the first two days of "classes" at the center for foreign students in Málaga. Classes is in quotation marks because, as with any class, the first session is always more of an introduction than something to actually be interested in.

In the first language class, we simply took an exam to determine which one of two groups we would be placed into. They told us that the groups were not based on skill level, but it appears that they are, since all of the native Spanish-speakers are in the more advanced group. I was fortunate enough to also be placed in this group, and so it appears I will be one of the weaker students in both the language class and the culture class, for this divide is used for both. Well, weaker in the sense that I will understand less of what is going on.

Interestingly, the Spanish language teacher, who conducted the briefest of interviews as part of the exam, told me that she thinks I have a Puertoriqueñan (from Puerto Rico) accent. This is something that my host mom told me as well. I still haven't figured out how I could have a Puertoriqueñan accent, but apparently I do. One of the guys on the trip has parents who are from Puerto Rico, and when I told him, all he said jokingly was "no me digas": Don't tell me this. Nonetheless, I don't think my Spanish would get me very far on the streets of little Puerto Rico in the Bronx.

We still have yet to begin the class on the history of Spanish and Hispano-Arab art. The Professor is apparently on vacation until this upcoming week. This is a class I'm looking forward to very much, and so it will be exciting to begin it.

One of the other more interesting things this week was a meeting with Manolo, our tour guide when we take trips. He talked to us for about half an hour about some of the trips. Then, some of us who are here for the year had some questions for Profesor Borges, but Manolo was just hanging around, so he told us about an optional trip to Morocco that would take place in December. It sounds AWESOME. We either take the fair to Ceuta or fly to Marakesh, then rent a tour bus, which takes us as far into the desert as possible, at which point we travel by camel to an oasis, spend the night, there, and then go back by camel in the morning. We also would get some time in one of the cities, either Marakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, or another one. Can't wait for that!

I've also been trying to figure out if I can get to a Liverpool game in Liverpool sometime. I got really excited today when I saw I could fly round trip direct to Liverpool over a weekend for 80 DOLLARS, but then when I tried to get tickets for that game in November, the cheapest I could find were 240 POUNDS. Something about these prices doesn't make sense to me.

Tomorrow I'll finally get to the Teatinos Campus, that's the main campus for the University of Málaga. Hasta pronto...