El Primer Día de Clases

View from my bedroom

Today was my first day of classes! Yesterday, we took a placement test so they could place us in the correct level for our grammar and conversation classes. For the month of September I will be taking two hours of grammar and two hours of conversation everyday! My class has five other Loyola students (which I was very happy about!), four students from China, one from Japan, one from Korea, and one from Denmark! Both my professors seem great and the courses do not seem too difficult but it was just the first day!
We spent most of the day getting to know each other. We were asked simple questions such as our favorite color and things we liked about Spain. I am incredibly impressed with the ability of the students from Asian countries to learn Spanish, since their language is so different. With English and Spanish there are many words that sound similar, but with Japanese, Korean or Chinese, all the words and letters are completely different! Us Americans finally started to speak to each other in Spanish and not our go-to English, which is definitely a little weird now since our sentences are jumbled and not always complete but in the long run I think its for the best!
My host family, especially Victor, have been testing me on different words they have been teaching me! They make me repeat them over and over and a few hours later will quiz me, it is all in good fun though! My biggest accomplishment so far is learning that when someone sneezes I am suppose to respond with "Jesús." I am also finally starting to learn to joke around with the family and understand when they are being sarcastic or funny!
Some other Loyola students studying in other countries are in Madrid tonight, so we are going to try and figure out the train system and have dinner and go out in the city! From what I hear it is going to be a very, very late night, or should I say an early morning because the train we will take back leaves Madrid around 5:30am!! I am going to need more than just a siesta tomorrow!

 Adiós!