I went for a run this morning, but only ended up going 4 miles. As far as I can remember I've run the past 6 days, and this morning (ahem, noon) my shins were really hurting me. I actually ended up walking a bit, which is really unlike me. I was hoping to run tomorrow since I don't have class until 5:30, but at this point that's looking unlikely. I'm considering a trip to the gym to take a spinning class or do some other form of non-impact cardio instead.
My first class today, Comparative Political Institutions: Spain v. US, was at 1, although in true Spaniard form, the professor didn't arrive and start class until closer to 1:20. I've never been a self-declared government-buff, but as I'm learning about the specifics of the Spanish political system, I keep having moments where I realize a small detail of how the US is different. Its also interesting to see some of the differences in how the Constitution is written and the flexibility of the law/government since it was written after Franco died in 1978.
There was a brief break to run home for lunch, and I got to chat with Maricarmen about my mom coming to visit for Thanksgiving week in November. She'll be able to stay here in my homestaywith me- I'm so excited! And at this point in time, that isn't so far out. Only 7.5 weeks away! I'm looking forward to seeing her walk through customs in Madrid and jumping on her á la cheesy mall movie. Que bueno!
My second class was Music with Pilar la Loca. She is truly a Spanish version of Julia Child after 10 coffees. I don't understand how she manages to shout over the music with such enthusiasm for an hour and a half, but she does, and every day I lose a little bit of my hearing, panic that I've missed something important she said when the music crescendos, and generally learn "how to appreciate" Spanish music. One thing she did say that stuck with me was el cante se baila y la baila se canta, which means "the song dances and the dance sings." This is so true in Spanish music; music and dance almost never exist autonomously of one another, and I particularly love how even the phrase that describes the music and dance has a melodic flow.
After class I had some time at home to put away laundry (Happy Monday: the day of the week my laundry appears perfectly folded on my bed smelling super clean and organized by article and color) and get a little bit of work done for tomorrow's classes. Then it was off to Sevillanas for round two of dance.
We reviewed, added music, and added more to our routine. Last week I couldn't keep my hands on my hips and now this week we worked on incorporating arm movements, but I can't move mine all smooth and sexy like we're supposed to. Once again I was struggling and flapping my arms trying to "pick the apple from the tree and put it in my basket" while making my wrists roll like a contortionist. Hopefully that'll improve in class on Wednesday. I'll keep trying.
After class, Kim and I got dinner at Cien Montaditos, which although it wasn't spectacular, tasted amazing. Neither Kim for I can afford to eat out a ton, but after the past few days, we needed to give ourselves a break. We told Maricarmen that we had a group dinner tonight to avoid more variations on eggs and potatoes. I have been craving a massive salad for weeks now, and I finally got it. And of course, I had my daily dose of fro-yo on the way home. How convenient that we had a group dinner tonight! (wink wink). There is also a great view of La Mezquita when walking home from La Plaza de Las Tendillas at night:
That's about it for today! Espero que manaña mi dia se va tan suavemente como hoy (I hope that tomorrow my day goes as smoothly as today).
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