FIN DE SEMANA!

My first week of classes went really well! I love my professors and I’m super excited for the classes as well. ☺ I’m taking three classes at the CIEE program study center: A journalism class, were we publish a magazine at the end of the semester, introduction to Spanish linguistics, and Advanced Spanish phonetics and phonology. I’m also taking one class at the University of Sevilla, Theory of Language and Theoretical Linguistics. (Can you tell I’m a Spanish & linguistics major? ;) ) So far I love all of the classes… a lot! I even get to do outside research and field work in some of them… so it will be really fun!

It was kinda funny… the first day in my class at the University, the professor asked, “So everyone can read in English, right? Because the readings are in English, since most linguists of the twentieth century published their works in English…” I thought it was humorous that it’s a given that everyone in the class could speak English. Most of the people in that class are foreigners as well, so they are here studying in Spanish, which isn’t their native language… yet, of course they know English. :-O Foreign language is so important! I wish that they would keep it in the elementary schools…. It has made such a different in my Spanish, having been able to start learning in fourth grade. I should write a letter to them. ☺

I’ve found that the language aspect is so difficult because of the content of what I’m speaking. For example, I can talk pretty quickly if I’m talking about my day, or my family, or what I like to do. But when I start talking about the presidential election or Catholic teachings… it gets a little more shaky. Practice Practice Practice!

I’ve also started taking Sevillanas lessons! Sevillanas is a type of dance from southern Spain… kind of like flamenco. The locals all know it… I told my senora that I had started taking lessons… and she stood up and started dancing a little bit… it was cute. ☺

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! ENJOY THE WEEKEND!

Con mi amor,
Marisa