Travels in Spain: TGIF and More Stuff

Wednesday morning, our group had an exam to determine which level of Spanish we were at to put us in the appropriate classes. I was really worried, and some of the simple things were the things that I forgot during the test.

Before the test, we went into their prominent lecture hall- one where Miguel Cervantes and Saint Ignatius of Loyola have lectured. It was very elaborate. The University of Pontifica is the private school in Salamanca. It was founded by Jesuits.

During the examinations, two large groups of people- one from Los Angeles and one from Philadelphia came in to take the exam too. I guess I might be cliquey, but I really only want to be in classes with the other students from Seattle University or at least in small classes.

After the tests, we took a tour around the University and saw the library and patios (which are inside courtyards). We also saw the cathedral in the church. La Universidad de Pontifica is actually a Jesuit University, and Saint Ignatius their patron saint (I think) so it's very similar to Seattle University (except for the whole grander, older, in Spain part).

When we were done at the University, I followed some of the other girls around because they wanted to go shopping. Today was the start of the bi-annual sales in Spain. Then we settled for café con leche and churros in the Plaza Mayor before heading back to the University to do some other things.

We had paella for lunch today which is one of the most traditional plates in Spain. Ours only had shellfish in it. It was different than I was expecting- there were no tomatoes and not a lot of garlic or onion, but the rice seemed to be flavored with saffron. There were mussels, pork, and the largest shrimp I've ever seen in my dish. The shrimp was still in its exoskeleton, and being Montanan or perhaps never encountering shrimp that large before, I had no idea how to eat it or what to do with it. I ended up using my hands despite reservations about bad table manners to crack open the shell and fork out the meat. It was good, but today our house mother filled our plates (which is unusual) so I had to force myself to finish the entire plate filled with rice.

After lunch, our group went on yet another walking tour of Salamanca. The tour guide was very nice, but she talked a lot about everything. Of course it was in Spanish, and because the group from Seattle had already seen some of the sites, I was not in a good mood.

The best part was finding the frog though. In Salamanca, all the University students go to this one church to find the one frog in the intricate decoration at the entrance. We found it- the bump on the skull. Supposedly, now we'll all do well on our exams (let's hope so).

The tour lasted two plus hours, I was standing in the hot sun and hot weather the entire time in shoes that are not very supportive, and the other group of students were being rude to the tour guide. I felt bad for not listening closely, but the hot weather wore me out.

After the tour, some of us decided that we needed to get ice cream. Today I had cream cheese and berries ice cream. Still delicious...

The street musicians even seem better- there was a man sitting on the stairs during our tour today singing classic Spanish songs. He sounded like an opera singer.

On Thursday, we returned to the University to find out what level we tested into. Most of us placed into Level B1 (which is the second highest level). I feel good about where I placed- what we're learning now is a little review of what we did right before the end of school. Classes start at 9am. Grammar class is first and lasts for an hour and forty-five minutes. We get a thirty minute break. Then our conversation class lasts for forty-five minutes. Immediately after that, the Seattle University group has a two-hour long literature class. It's hard to listen to Spanish for that long, but between all of us, we're able to understand what's going on or have a general idea. I have the same professor for two hours and forty-five minutes straight in the same room (and I am only one of two people that stays in the same room all day). But, the best part is coming straight home for lunch, which is amazing and always ready or just about to be served when we get back to the house.

For those of you who don't have Facebook, here are some photos captured by other people on the trip:
After dinner in Madrid on our first night in Spain