Week 2

I don't even know where to begin with this past week.

For the most part, this week was normal with a few exceptions here and there. Monday evening, our host mother told us that the apartment was being fumigated on Tuesday and that we would have to be out of the house from 9 AM to 11:30 PM. This was mostly okay except that Lindsay and I were both looking forward to going to bed right after dinner. Esperanza took us to her mother's house for lunch- she lives on the other side of the river in a nice housing complex. As Esperanza was driving us, I was holding on for dear life. I could see the speedometer from the back seat, and our cute little host mother was going 100 km/h in a 60 km/hr zone. Then, she proceeded to tell me about all the times she has gotten out of tickets or fines and her tricks for doing so.

Tuesday evening, all the University of Pontificia students were invited to watch "El Orfanato"- a Spanish horror film. I'm not easily scared by movies, but I have to say that this one was good and the soundtrack was very fitting. There were a lot of girls screaming in the audience throughout the entire movie though.

Since Lindsay and I couldn't return to our apartment until 11:30, we did our homework on the university steps and waited in line to get into a free concert- there has been a week or 2 week long series of classical music concerts going on in the patio at our university. We got in and grabbed seats. The pieces were quite interesting- composed by some lesser known people. I was completely impressed with the audience. They barely move during the piece and for the most part stifle their coughs. They know not to clap between movements and when the pieces have really quiet parts, it's as if they are all holding their breath in order to hear. Our university patio was one of the most beautiful settings in Salamanca for the concert too. I'll put up some photos later- I have to get them from my roommates camera.

The rest of the week was jam-packed too. On Thursday, we watched "Pan's Labyrinth" by the same director as "El Orfanato". Then, we went to a bar to learn how to cook paella. It wasn't as I had imagined- everybody had some vegetable to chop up. Then we were taken back to the kitchen to watch the chef put the ingredients in the pan and sent back to our table to wait until it was done cooking. No real recipe involved, but I will for sure have a good recipe to bring back to the U.S. by the end of this trip.

Friday was a relief as I had been working hard all week. I finally went running in the morning on a bike trail/pedestrian path I discovered exists along the river. I actually got a little lost, but I was smart enough to bring a map with me so I could find my way home. It was a great run, and I got to watch the Salamanca sunrise because of it. I went for ice cream twice, but it was well earned with running in the morning and dance class in the evening. I tried two more flavors today- Cafe Irelandes and Hazelnut- both really good.

This week seemed a bit calmer, and things are getting more routine although still really busy. By the end of next week, Lindsay and I will officially be the veteran students in our house. It's sad to see all of our housemates go because they are all so nice.

Later today we head to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls, which will probably be the one of most exciting and one of the scariest things I will ever witness, but more on that later.