Salamanca: Segunda Semana

The first week of classes for me has been full of experiences to say the least. On the first day, they issued a placement exam to see what level we needed to attend. With my previous (very dusty) knowledge of Latin and Portuguese, as well as numerous afternoons spent grading papers with J. Santiago at a coffee shop, I know what Spanish should look like, but that does not mean that I know what it means. Since the test was multiple choice, I did very well and placed into a relatively high intermediate level where the average number of Spanish classes completed by students in the class was four years.


The first day of class was OK. I understood about 80% of what was being said, but I could not speak in Spanish since I did not have the background of conjugating or knowledge of vocabulary. I was in two communication classes, so that was a huge struggle. On the second day, I decided to switch classes to the highest beginner level. I absolutely LOVE my new classes! The profesoras are more experienced and prepared than the college students who were teaching my intermediate classes, and they make the classes really fun. I've never laughed so much during a class, and their enthusiasm is contagious. We are learning so much so fast, but everyday I feel more confident with my language skills and am even starting to attempt conversations with people in public.

Tonight I attended my first Spanish dance class and really enjoyed that as well. We learned the basics of three types of dance--Sevillana, Flamenco, y Rumba--that we will be perfecting in the coming weeks. It was a good workout and everyone had a blast "trying" the new moves. Right now, flamenco is my favorite. If you let yourself go, your body naturally moves to the rhythm of the guitar the way it is supposed to (plus, I like to shake my hips!).

J. Santiago's classes continue to go well. He has excursions on the weekend, and I'm trying to convince him to make guest posts on this blog about his experiences (I even let him borrow my camera last weekend so he could take pictures for you guys!). Hopefully, he will post soon.

I am going on an excursion to Burgos on Sunday and am looking forward to getting out of Salamanca for a day. The tour will be conducted in Spanish, so it will also provide me an opportunity to continue improving my listening skills.

Well, that's pretty much it. I'm off to do my tarea before getting some sleep. Hasta luego!