Hello my dearest, patient, beloved Readers,

I realize that it has been an unpardonably long time since last I wrote, and for that I beg forgiveness. I looked at my calendar today and realized that next Thursday (as in, a week from tomorrow) marks the halfway point of this semester. Posting only one blog entry up to this point is, I realize, inexcusable, but I do hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive and we can move on together.

That being said, let’s get started!

Where last we left off, I had just arrived in Córdoba on the high speed train and was about to meet my host family. So we’ll start with them, shall we? I live alone (as in, without another American student in the apartment) with an older couple named Mariacarmen and José Manuel (referred to from now on as Pepe, because that is a common nickname for José – don’t ask me why, I don’t know) who have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. To date I have no idea how many of them I have met, since I cannot for the life of me keep track of who is a blood relation and who married into the family. I do know that I have met 3 of their grandchildren: Javier (10 years old), álvarro (14 years old and surly), and Alejandra (5 years old and precious). These three come over for lunch every Wednesday and Thursday, so I see them on a fairly regular basis. My host parents are wonderful people, and fascinating to talk to. Pepe is very into his fútbol (as is everyone here) and supports Real Madrid to the last. Mariacarmen is constantly out and about and I swear has a more active social life than I ever will! She is also a wonderful cook, and so far I have been able to try such traditional dishes as Tortilla Española, Gazpacho Rojo, Paella, Calabacín Lleno, Berenjenas con Miel, Berenjenas Llenas, Jamón Serrano, Sopa de Manzana y Almendra, and so much more! [Those are, in order: Spanish Tortilla, Red Gazpacho (the Gazpacho that you think of when you hear Gazpacho), Paella, Stuffed Zucchini, Eggplant with Honey, Stuffed Eggplant, Ham, and Almond and Apple Soup.] One of the things that I have noticed the most about Spanish cooking is that there are very very few uncooked vegetables hanging around. Most veggies here are cooked into the dish or fried in olive oil, though in my house we have a salad every night (this is rather unusual, from what I hear from my compañeras). There is also a LOT of olive oil! As in, you can buy a 5 gallon jug of olive oil at any grocery store! SO MUCH olive oil! Of course, one look at the surrounding hillsides and you’ll know exactly why there is so much of it. To give you an idea, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Granada recently and saw nothing but olive trees the entire way there. On every hillside. Nothing else. Thousands and thousands of olives. So I can understand their slight obsession with the oil. On the topic of cooking, I am indeed taking a cooking class while I am here, so in theory I should be able to make dishes such as Gazpacho, Fritura de Pescado (Fried Fish and Kalamari), Tortilla, and Sangría (we were most excited about that one during the class – did you know that they put cinnamon in it?? It makes it taste delicious!), but somehow I have the feeling that they won’t turn out quite as well when I make them.

Since this study abroad experience is primarily about the academics (umm…..sure. That’s actually only a part of it. A significant part, yes, but only one aspect), I should probably talk about classes. So, here goes. In my program there are 3 types of classes: 1) Preshco Classes, which are taught by a Spanish professor to American students and only American students. 2) UCO Enhanced Classes, which are taught by Spanish professors to American and Spanish students, but the Americans get an extra hour of tutoring with the professor and the professor agrees to work with the program beforehand. And 3) UCO Direct, which are taught by a Spanish professor to Spanish students and American students (usually only one) and are not set up beforehand by our program. PRESHCO suggests that we take 3 Preshco courses and one UCO Enhanced OR UCO Direct course while we are here but, with my usual flair, I decided to do things a little differently (and PRESHCO was ok with it because my Spanish level was high enough). I am taking two Preshco classes: Andalusian Archeology and Political Philosophy of Spain and Latin America and two UCO Direct courses: Spanish Poetry and Literature of Latin America (can you tell what interests me the most?). In the Archeology class we learn about the history of Córdoba (there’s a LOT of it: Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Spaniards) and then we actually get to go and get our hands dirty! As in, we get to participate in an archeological dig. Of a Muslim and Roman necropolis (read: cemetery). I guess I’ll be facing my fear of dead bodies this semester. In my Philosophy class so far we have covered the differing political philosophies of Hobbes and Locke and applied them to our own lives. Eventually I’m sure we will apply them to Spain and Latin America, as the title of the class implies. In my Latin American Lit class we’re reading Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz for 2 whole months! I love Sor Juana! She’s so awesome! Granted, I occasionally find some of her sonnets a bit repetitive, but as a whole she’s one cool nun. This course is also an entire academic year long, so I will be with the same professor and classmates for 9 months, which I think is a good thing. Maybe they’ll get to hear me participate by the end of the year. The Spanish Poetry class is also very interesting, and definitely a challenge. Many of the students from the Latin American Lit class are also in it, so I see these people every day and I’m even starting to learn names! In this class we’re starting with the Romance form of poetry, the kind that the troubadours sang way back in the olden times. I’ve also been called on to read aloud in class several times in this course, which ensures a mini heart attack every time.

Since I’m here and have the option, I am also enrolled in some non-academic courses! Woohoo! I’m taking a Sevillanas class (the traditional dance form of the region – it’s a variant of Flamenco) and a Spanish Guitar class! I’m enjoying both of them immensely, and I can’t wait to show people back home what I’ve learned in them, since I doubt most of y’all will enjoy hearing me drone on and on about Pablo Neruda (seriously guys, he’s fantastic).

Another long Blog post – maybe someday I’ll do them more frequently so that they don’t have to be so long…..ha. Right. But, in the meantime, here is something to keep you entertained: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRMt0J2dG4

It’s a car commercial from Spain! However, I will be discussing it in my next post, so study up!

Abrazos!