Pillows. Intense. Cold.

Well, the Intensive class is Intensive. My pillow is pathetic. And I'm STILL COLD!

Yesterday I started my Intensive Language class "Español por Negocios" aka Business Spanish. Luckily Iowa offers two "business spanish" classes (Business Spanish and Advanced Business Spanish) and I've taken both of them and therefore have a far more extensive knowledge of vocab then I should and appear to be a lot smarter than I actually am. It's three hours of Spanish vocab, Spanish grammar, and Spanish culture - as if living in Spain isn't going to be enough, we have to spend the first two weeks reviewing everything we should have learned in the past and added about 1 bilón (which is actually = 1,000,000,000,000 not 1,000,000,000 like you would think) extra rules and details and conditions and clauses and of course, "el subjuntivo" aka the subjunctive aka death by grammar! Regardless, I know I'm going to both be mocked and at some point will regret saying this but it's really nice to be in classes again - it gives me something to focus on other than how much I miss everyone from home... and I actually have learned something in the week-ish I've been here and it's semi-noticable! ¡Olé!

So um fyi I'm not so much loving the sleeping situation here. First off the hours are pretty much INSANE. It's "normal" to wake up at 8, sleep from oh 1:30/2-ish until 4/5-ish and then stay up until the middle of the night... Now yes I made it through most of sophomore year with little to no sleep every night but I had the all powerful energy supplements of Nel and Bails and the confined area of the Panic Room... Well, not so much in Sevilla, HENCE the great Pillow Hunt. So after class and a quick siesta oh and a meeting to register for my real classes, off I run with a fellow study abroad student to "el Corte Ingles" aka world's most expensive department store ever where we found teeny tiny pillows that would have done nothing to improve my sleep. Our next plan is to somehow find a way to the IKEA that is ONLY 5 miles away. Is that "walk-able"? After shopping for housewares we had some café con leche and a delicious dessert that I had the waiter pick out for me. It was delicious and only 1.50€ and I should have taken a picture of it using the Food mode but I didn't... I'm pretty sure they had more though!

So classes: I will be taking Finanzas Internacionales, Marketing Internacionales, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and US Production and Operations Management. The last class I listed will be taken at the Universidad de Sevilla with spanish students and will require me to stay in Sevilla until the middle of June-ish (if I'm lucky.... technically I'm supposed to stay until the end of July but that is WAY too long.) Now I know, half of your heart is jumping for joy because it means that since I'll be here longer it gives you more time to save up your money so that you can fly out here and visit me... but the other half of your heart is crushed because it actually means that I'll be gone for as long as I initially said I would be which is of course... way too long!

Today during our 15 minute break in the middle of the three hour intensive class I had a tostada = more or less a small loaf of bread cut in half and toasted... Don't fret, they give you both halves for a grand total of 0.60€ ~ $1.00 :) It's delicious and VERY filling. After class I went home, did some homework and then met a few girls to go shopping for "las rebajas." Every January/February and June/July the stores in Spain have what is called "rebajas" or discounts/Victoria Secret's Semi-Annual sale :) Unfortunately I didn't find anything I had to have but I'll keep looking.

Well, now it's midnight and I can go to bed without being made fun of too much... actually, the 10-year-old is still awake... I might have to post-again.