What I actually came here for...school

Semana numero seis: The start of classes.

Now that orientation is over, I actually get to start my semester classes! Last week was the first week of classes. I am taking four classes during the semester. They are; advanced Spanish grammar, theology, Spanish phonetics, and a Spanish literature course. All my classes are going well so far. It is hard to switch into school mode though since I am in such a beautiful place and I still have so much to see and experience while I am here. 

My grammar class seems like it is just going to be a review of things I already know so it shouldn't be too difficult. Theology is actually really interesting and might end up being my favorite class this semester. The class is an Old Testament overview and I'm actually learning a lot! The class atmosphere is interesting. While there are 6 or 7 other American universities that take classes with us, the theology class is only offered to Marquette students. We're the only catholic school here that has a theo requirement. Because of this there are a grand total of three students (including myself) in this class. Since there are only three of us we are forced to participate, pay attention and be prepared for class since if you don't it's pretty obvious. My phonetics class should be really interesting and helpful. It will help me with my pronunciation and boost the confidence I have in my Spanish  speaking ability! Spanish Literature is just like other Spanish lit classes I have taken, but we are reading things I have never heard of so I'm excited to explore further into the readings. 

The way that classes are organized here is really different from what I am used to. I have classes every day except for Wednesday and only for 3 hours each day. Classes aren't like in the US where they are Monday, Wednesday, Friday but instead they are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Friday. I'm finding that I have a lot more free time here than I did when I am at Marquette. I'm sure once classes pick up I will have a lot of homework to do during my free time. 

That Friday, I went with Carolyn out to where she lives. She is working as a nanny in Pozuelo, which is about 30 minutes by bus out of the city. I went with her to volunteer at a club for girls. That Friday was the first get together for the club so they were having a party to start off the year. Carolyn and I went with one of her friends and got to run one of the activities. It was so fun to be around the kids and use my Spanish. I hope I get to go back and help out with the club again! 

On Sunday, I got up early in order to meet up with the rest of the group for Chocolate con churros. This is a delicious Spanish snack mainly eaten for breakfast. The restaurant is open 24/7 though so you can eat it whenever! It's basically plain churros dipped in hot chocolate syrup. It's so rich and delicious! After that we went as a group to the Rastro. The Rastro is a huge flee market that takes place every Sunday in Madrid! It was so crowded but if you really searched there were some great deals! I plan on going back when it gets chillier out so there is less of a crowd. 

As for life in general, I am doing great! I am absolutely in love with Madrid and Europe in general! Everything I experience is new and amazing and I can't get over the fact that this is real life! I love my home stay and my Senora! She is a sweetheart and cares so much for all three of us (Allegra, Allie and me). The weather here is still pretty nice. It's only chilling in the mornings and gets up to 80 degrees during the day! I have made some amazing friends in the last six weeks and I'm so glad I get to experience all of this with them! 

Oh and by the way. Sorry for any previous grammatical errors you may have seen in my blog. I went back and looked through my previous posts the other day and realized I really need to edit what I am typing! :D I'll work on that! :D 

That's all for now! Love and miss you all!!! :D

Chocolate con Churros! :D 

Is this real life? Or the Lizzie McGuire Movie?

My weekend in Rome was a dream come true! Never in my lifetime did I think I would get to fly off to Italy for the weekend! I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I am getting while I am here in Madrid! Rome was just one of the places that I hope to visit while here and I don't know if anywhere else can top it! 

On our first full day in Rome we got up fairly early to head out to Old Rome. We decided that we wanted to walk everywhere all weekend so that we could see more of the city! This was a great idea until we realized that the map we had was not very good or detailed and none of us knew more than two words in Italian. After a while though we figured out that most Italians will understand Spanish if you speak that, but they will answer in Italian which we couldn't understand. Also, I found it interesting that it seemed like there are a lot more Italians who speak English compared to the amount of Spaniards that speak English.

Once we found our way to the Coliseum we got to go inside and look around. It was so unreal to be inside the Coliseum. It's something you learn about all the time, but to actually see it in person is unbelievable. After walking through the Coliseum in awe we headed over to see the Forum and Palatine Hill. Both of these places were just as amazing as the others! This area includes old ruins of royal palaces. When you walk though it you are actually walking through where the palace would be if it was still standing! It's really strange to think about! That night I got my first taste of real Italian Gelato and it was amazing! 

On day two we decided to head over to Vatican City! Again, it was hard to believe that I was walking through St. Peters square and standing in an area with such rich history! Alyssa and I went through the Vatican Museum together! It is full of so many old sculptures and pieces of art. One of my most amazing parts of the museum are the ceilings. Every ceiling was different and so detailed. Once you walk though the museum you end up in the Sistine Chapel. Walking into the Sistine Chapel was another time that I couldn't believe that I was actually there! It still seems unreal that I was standing in the Sistine Chapel seeing the paintings of Michelangelo in person. The whole chapel was absolutely breathtaking and indescribable. After going through the museum and the Sistine Chapel we got to go inside of Saint Peters Basilica. St. Peters is a huge church, in fact it is the biggest catholic church in the world! My camera decided to die right when we got into the Basilica which was unfortunate, but looking back I am kind of glad it did die. Because it died I got to actually take in the beauty of the church rather than being preoccupied with taking pictures! 

After going on the tour and eating lunch, we met up with some of our other friends and together we explored more of Rome! We walked past a beautiful castle, over the "Angel Bridge" and though the most gorgeous plaza! We found a place to eat dinner, not before almost starting an Italian war though. For anyone who plans on going to Rome in the future here is a tip: don't joke around about fresh food with Italians, they will get really protective over their restaurants and take it really seriously. The restaurant we had dinner at was right across the street from a gelato place so of course we had to have more! 

On our last day in Rome we still needed to hit up a few of the larger, famous monuments. We began by walking towards the Pantheon. On our way there we stopped to take a look at the Spanish Steps. I honestly wasn't as impressed with the Spanish Steps as I thought I was going to be! However, the view of Rome from the top of the steps was absolutely unbelievable. One of our last stops was the Trevi Fountain. Yes, I did through a coin into the fountain, so I will be returning to Rome someday! After that the guys ran off to a concert and Alyssa, Carolyn and I celebrated our last night in Rome with amazing pasta, wine and tiramisu! We headed back to the Trevi fountain to see it at night! It was just as gorgeous then as it was during the day! 

The whole time we were there the weather was absolutely amazing! It felt like it was the middle of the summer and not the end of September! I could not have asked for better weather! Also, the group I traveled with was amazing! We had so much fun together! I'm so proud that we managed to figure everything out by ourselves! 

Sunday was another long travel day. Our flight was at 9 am so we had to head to the airport super early. Over all it was a fantastic weekend! Again, I can not express how grateful I am for this experience and all the rest of them I am going to have this semester! 

Coliseum!! 

View of Coliseum and Palatine hill! 

St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City

At the top of the Spanish Steps! 

Real Italian gnocchi!! :D