Today was the first day of school here at SU Madrid. I have to say, I loved it. I have been looking forward to classes starting since I got here, and I wasn't disappointed at all. All classes taught in Spanish this semester, so that they count toward my degree, of course.
Spanish 400: El cine español contemporáneo
This class seems very interesting to me, especially after taking a film class last semester and enjoying it so much. Bobby, the instructor, was also our chief instructor for the Mare Nostrum seminar, so I know him well and know I enjoy his teaching style. The guy holds—I believe—two Master's degrees and a PhD so he's a bit of a human encyclopædia. He expects a lot out of his students but gives fair exams and really shows you a lot of interesting things. I am hoping that my (limited, but still existent) knowledge of cinematographic and mise-en-scène techniques will make this class somewhat easy for me.
Fine Arts 411: Arte español moderno
I have never taken an art class and know next to nothing about "art", so jumping right into a 400-level art history class should be interesting. But I'm not that worried about it because it is a survey-type course, and the professor seems like he really knows what he's doing—as in, he teaches at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and has written chapters of several books about modern Spanish art. Much of this class takes place in the big art museums of Madrid: the Prado, the Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen. I figure that taking this class would be a good way to open my eyes to the art world and to get to experience a tour of the city's famous museums by a bona fide expert. I'm a little worried about having to do memorization of dates and stuff, but from what we've seen so far, it seems pretty conceptual.
Latin American Studies 322: La historia de América latina colonial
It seems a little counter-intuitive to go all the way to Spain to take a Latin American history class when it is a widely studied topic in the Americas (of course), but the profesora Elena (who rocks) did a pretty good job convincing us that Latin American studies is a very strong field in Spain because of the shared history, language, and culture, and that her school—UAM, like the art professor—is perhaps the top school in the world for said field. So that's all good. A lot of the curriculum consists of watching movies and discussing them. We're also going to a couple museums and going to a Mexican restaurant; the latter made my eyes light up because we have looked high and low and we have not found a Mexican restaurant here in Madrid yet! I like this class because the professor is "not big on exams" (paraphrasing, of course)... and indeed, the three classes I've had so far have not seemed very work-intensive. And I like that of course because of the "easiness" factor but also because I get the impression that the emphasis here is placed more on understanding concepts well and less on assessment. The instructors want to make sure you get out to the museums and SEE the culture instead of reading about it. They want you to understand how Picasso's art evolved, rather than memorizing the dates of his specific eras. I don't know. Part of it could also be that in Spanish universities—not at SU, unfortunately—anything 85% or better is an A for the class.
Spanish 435: Fonética española
This class hasn't happened yet, and won't until Thursday, but it will be interesting because it is looking right now like there will only be two people in it—me, and Lauren! So, hopefully they keep the class open and don't cancel it, because I need the upper-level Spanish credits.
It just kind of hit me on the Metro ride back from school today that this is it—I'm here, I'm doing it, I'm studying abroad. Into the swing of things now, and not waiting for any more dates in the future. And so far, I really have to say I feel immersed. Still want to speak more Spanish with my friends, but that will happen now that all my classes have started. I indulged in a crucial aspect of Spanish life—seriously—by staying out all night at a disco this past weekend, munching on churros y chocolate before dawn, and taking the first Metro home in the morning. I feel assimilated with my small host family, as Pilar and I watch the news together and have nice chats during dinner, and last night I was invited to a walk through the Buen Retiro park with her and her 18-month-old grandson Hermán (and his dog Alita who is awesome and I wish lived with us full-time). Sometimes I do wish I had a roommate, but it's nice because being at "home" is strictly Spanish time and I'm not tempted to goof around and speak English with a roommate. I've also made some cool friends here and am meeting more new people every day from the other seminars. All said, things are great in Madrid and I am really excited to start my "service learning" teaching English to Spanish elementary-aged kids and to get to travel throughout Spain and abroad!
Bad things about studying abroad so far: banged my toe going up the stairs at the Metro station on Saturday, and part of my nail fell off today. Lunch is getting cheaper as I find new places but is still entirely too expensive. I like coffee now—a lot.
That's all.
¡Ciao!
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