On Monday we took our placement exam. I thought it was difficult, but I ended up scoring much better than I expected. I placed in level 6 out of 9, which is good, because that means when the semester starts in October I will be able to follow the Hispanic Studies track, which is a little more advanced than the Spanish Language and Culture one. Monday evening we went on a walking tour of Granada. I was a little too tired to fully appreciate everything, but considering I will be here for four months, I figure I will have plenty of time to explore on my own and see things.
Tuesday was my first day of classes. Unfortunately, I got super lost on my way to school, and arrived late to my first class. That was embarrassing, but it just inspired me to work extra hard to impress my professor and make up for it. It was really strange not having anything to do after class. I did go for a walk after lunch, to make sure I knew the streets better so I wouldn't get lost again, and I did have a bit of homework, but it wasn't a very big deal. I spent a lot of time just relaxing, reading or watching videos of Spanish stand up comedy.
Wednesday was a much better day. I didn't get lost and was on time for class, so that was good. Afterwards, I went down one of the main streets in the opposite direction from my house, to explore some parts I hadn't seen before. The main streets are wide and have sidewalks, whereas the side streets and much more narrow and confusing (hence, easier to get lost). I looked in a couple of clothes and souvenir shops, just to get an idea of what sorts of things they sell and at what prices. In general, things are a bit cheaper here than in Madrid. Then, I needed to buy some nail clippers, so I went into a farmacía. They aren't like Walgreen's, where you can walk around and browse and pick out what you want. You have to ask the cashier for what you need. I didn't know the Spanish word for nail clippers, so I said "scissors of nails," and she understood what I meant. (In case you are ever in the same position, the word is "cortauñas.")
After lunch, I had a siesta. It was wonderful, but I slept too long and woke up groggy. I forced myself to get up and went shopping. The prime shopping area of Granada (think: Magnificent Mile) is not even a 5 minute walk from my house. I went to El Corte Inglés, which is a huge department store. It's more than a department store; I guess it would be like if you combined a Sears with a Target. It is 4 stories tall (which is really 6 stories, because there's also the main floor and the basement). It was kind of funny, because some of the things were really cheap, and others were rather expensive. I bought some nail polish and remover.
After shopping, it was time to meet my ISA group. We took a really long uphill walk to a flamenco studio to watch a performance. When we got there, we all sat in chairs along the walls of the room, and ate the sack dinners our host moms had prepared for us. Most of us had bocadillos (long sandwiches on baguette-like bread), and mine had cheese, tomato, and spinach. It was delicious, like everything I eat here. The dance was really awesome, too. After the show, I went out with some of my friends. At all of the restaurants here, if you order a drink, you get a tapa for free, so that's really nice.
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