First Day of School

    Today I had to be at school by 9 am!  That really isn't bad since I had to be at work or class by 8 every day last semester.  The first hour we got out class assignments.  Luckily, I tested into Spanish 3, which is what I needed this semester for my major.  Three days out of the week I don't have class until 10 and Tuesdays I have class at 9.  Fridays are meant for traveling so there isn't class.

    So far, my classes seem like they will be very easy.  Usually at UNL, after reading the syllabus I would be ready to drop out of school, but here there are very few assignments and tests.  All of the classes were gone over completely in Spanish, and I understood the majority of it, so that seems promising.  In my Spanish Conversation class we will be paired up with Spanish students learning English and exchanging stories to help us with the language.  Our final grade will be determined by a presentation we will give about our partner.

This is a picture of my notebook paper.  Almost all of the
notebooks are like grids.  It took me forever to figure out a
system to write my notes!

    The school has 3 main buildings.  It is so small compared to UNL!  There is a building that houses all of the business classes and the "Glass Building" which is where all of my classes take place.  It's also where the office to the CIDE program is located so I can get all the help I need.  Attached to the Glass Building is something very similar to our student union.  It's enormous and holds everything that you can think of:  a small cafeteria, a chapel, a small bookstore, and plenty of space to spread out and "study."  I went to the bookstore today to get a few notebooks for my classes.... I'm definitely not in America anymore.  The notebooks and folders are so weird.  There aren't even normal folders.  The "normal" ones here have rubber bands to hold in your papers and they only are on one side.  I don't think I'll ever understand.  One thing is the same though; the bookstores know how to screw you over.  Notebooks and folders in America would probably be around $4 but I spent 7 euros on two notebooks and two folders.  That's nearly $10 in America!!!!

    One thing I learned today is that my umbrella will not hold up in Bilbao's weather.  Today it poured.  Tomorrow it will pour.  It will still be pouring on Friday.  One of my classmates said that we won't see the sun until next Wednesday!

    My next class is tomorrow morning at 9 am!  Adios