Classes and Other Fun Stuff

It is already Wednesday, February 1st, which means that we only have two more days of the intensive writing course. I was so afraid of Spanish classes before I came here because I had heard that they would be very, very difficult. I can't really speak for the classes that start on Monday, but so far I have been very proud of my grades. The grading system in Spain is very different than it is in the United States. Instead of giving letter grades, they give numbers. The lowest grade possible is a zero, and the highest grade is a 10. I got an 8.3 on the exam and an 8.5 on the essay. Both are the equivalent of a B+. Since I am in a completely different country, I am very proud of these grades. I only have one more essay and one more exam in the class, and then I will get my overall grade. I am hoping to get a B+ in the class (anywhere between a 8.25 and an 8.74).

I have made my official schedule for this semester: Catalan, Don Quijote, Twentieth Century Spanish Poetry, and a class called Realism and Naturalism in Spain: The Novel. I am probably most excited about the Catalan class. It starts February 13th, a week after all of my other classes, and ends March 15, almost two months before my other classes. When it is over, I will only be taking three classes. I am kind of nervous about the Poetry class, but I know that I will get a good grade if I put enough work into it. I have some early classes, but I am willing to wake up early because I don't have any Friday classes and my finals are at the beginning of June.

Today, we toured the library and went out to lunch. I had delicious paella and fruit for dessert. I eat so much fruit here. It is delicious. I also got my eticket for Valencia and made a reservation at a hostel. Should be a good trip.