Cultura y clase

I was going to try to write an update last night, but when I finally got home around 1am, all I wanted to do was sleep. So nevermind about that, maybe that means that I'll write two posts today. But first, back to yesterday:

I woke up in the hotel with Katherine and went to preview another class at UCO on the History of Photography in Spain. I really liked the professor, he is young and enthusiastic about making this class as much of an interactive experience as possible. Part of the syllabus is for us to go out and photograph Córdoba and have prints made that we think tell a narrative of the city.

When class finished, I promptly left UCO in a taxi with Encarni and Maribel, two of the PRESHCO staff members, and we retrieved my bags from the Residencia and moved me across town to my new house! My new house is in the historical part of the city, inside the fortification walls that surround the old quarters, and is about a block and a half away form the famous Mezquita (The Great Mosque of Córdoba) and five minutes from school. The house itself is huge. My new family is a husband and wife, Carlos and Maricarmen. Carlos is a Urologist. His office is attached to the side of the first floor. Maricarmen is a homemaker, and we also have a maid named Packi. There are three dogs, two cats, and two turtles that live in the courtyard. All four floors have marble floors and beautiful tiling, and in the basement there are ancient Roman ruins- very cool. The interior of the house has a courtyard and each bedroom has a balcony. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, too. From what Encarni and Maribel told me, this is likely the nicest house in all of Córdoba. I'm not sure how I lucked out like this, but I did and it is incredible. We even have a pool on our roof, which in this 100+ F heat is too good to be true. And from the side of the pool there is a perfect view of the Mezquita. Again, how I got here I don't know. Also while I was unpacking yesterday, Packi came into my room and took all my dirty laundry. I left the house for food for about an hour and when I came back they were all sitting on my bed, super clean and perfectly folded. I've never had anything life this.

My street

Entrance

My room

Rooftop deck

Rooftop pool

So after I unpacked (and apparently while my laundry was being done) I met up with Katherine for a late breakfast. She toured the Mezquita while I was in class, and then was headed out of Córdoba back to Granada for a day or two before traveling to Madrid for her flight home. It was so nice to see her TWO times; I feel so lucky she was here in Spain and made a point of overlapping with me, particularly during the Reisdencia fiasco.

Kim and I had a mid-afternoon lunch with our new family. Maricarmen can't say my name, so she announced that she'll mostly just call me "La Rubia-" Blondie. (This is also hilarious because one of the cat's names is Rubio, so I always get confused whether she is talking to me or the cat.)There are also two kids, a son and a daughter, but the son lives in Belgium and the daughter, who is a student at UCO, is leaving for her year abroad in London on Friday. It was really cool to be sitting around a Spanish table with a family, and I secretly enjoy knowing that Kim and I will be the surrogate kids this semester. And of course, lunch was followed by a siesta.

Unfortunately, I spent my entire siesta planning classes, which start today. Every single class I'm taking relates to Spanish history and culture. Here's an example of my weekly schedule:

After siesta, Kim and Yanet and I went out shopping for school supplies. We also went to El Corte Ingles, a big department store and supermarket, and I got some peanut butter. Apparently El Corte Ingles is the only place in Spain that sells peanut butter, and as a staple in my diet, I had to get some. (Read: If you send me a care package, include peanut butter. I like chunky. Gracías.)

And finally, around 7pm, the PRESHCO group gathered at a restaurant for drinks and hors d'oeuvres with our new professor from UCO. They each talked a bit about their classes and we had a chance to mingle and get to know them. I really liked my Spanish Music professor; she seems like she's going to be a hoot.

After cocktail hour, when I really wish we had dinner, we went to a Flamenco performance. It was absolutely incredible, and continued on until about 12:30. This semester we have the opportunity to take Sevillana (traditional Flamenco) dance classes, and after last night I am definitely signing up. I'm also going to take guitar lessons. Needless to say, when I got home I was exhausted and just went to bed.

This morning, after a mere six hours of sleep, I got up and went for a run. I haven't run in a about a week, and my body was really feeling it. I have more energy and am so much happier when I'm getting exercise. It was hard to get up early, but even at 7:30 it was already 85 degrees, so for the next month or so until the temperature drops a bit, I'll be doing morning runs. This actually works out beautifully with my class schedule. My earliest class isn't until 1:00pm, so I have plenty of time to shower and do a bit of work, etc.

And today, classes begin! I still feel like I'm in transition mode after just moving in yesterday, but I know that once I get into a routine that I'll feel more settled. I'm also hoping to plan out some trips this evening to see Annabelle in London, and Johanna in Sevilla.

So yes! I'm here, and I'm doing one million times better than 48 hours ago. And now I've got to get my notebooks ready for class. Hasta pronto!