So the whole updating more frequently thing didn’t go quite as planned, but here goes, my boring update of the school, class, obligation stuff, soon to be followed by more interesting travel and adventure stuff.
The reason I’m here, to ‘study’ abroad:
I’m currently taking four classes, all instructed in Spanish at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, an experience that has definitely proved a roller coaster ride thus far.
I also don’t have classes on Fridays and am entirely spoiled by the experience--all of my UR-Barcelona peers are currently rushing to construct schedules for this spring that will eliminate all signs of Friday obligations.
1) Literatura Castellana: By far the most difficult Spanish class I’ve ever been enrolled in, this class is the only one of the four that is a regular UPF class, rather than the HESP, or international studies classes. Upon the start of class on my first day, I found myself staring, utterly confounded, at a disheveled looking professor who spoke quietly, more of a drawling mumble, and had even worse handwriting than speaking ability. Jess and Ryan, two of my fellow Richmond students, quickly dropped the class, but I remain determined to stick it out, hopefully. Next up, an eight-page paper in Spanish regarding the intricacies of the Italian humanismo period in the 14th century—sounds absolutely thrilling.
2) Arte y Artistas: This class was my solution to the UPF Art History class that I abandoned very early on, fearful that I wouldn’t pass. In a complete 180-degree switch, this HESP class is much more relaxing and interesting. My professor speaks some version of Spanglish most of the time, and fulfills his artsy-professor role to the fullest. Always dressed in Chuck Taylor’s and wearing scarves, and gesturing wildly and enthusiastically about Picasso and Dalí, I couldn’t ask for a better excuse to take field trips to museums and learn about Spanish art.
3) Imágenes de España en el Cine Contemporáneo: This class started off slow, with two of the most boring Spanish films I’ve ever seen, but it’s picking up pace, and has a basic syllabus that goes like this: watch a movie in class on Thursday, discuss it on Tuesday, give one 10-minute presentation and write one paper, the end. Let me also add that it didn’t take long for me to discover that Spanish cinema relies heavily on sex scenes, enough said.
4) Lengua y Cultura Catalanas: Surely the most bizarre class I am enrolled in is my Catalan class in which our professor speaks at us in Catalan, I believe as a teaching technique for helping us pick up the language more quickly. The only catch is that none of us speak Catalan, which means that we can’t understand about half of what she’s saying to us. It’s a bit of a dichotomy when we’re learning things like numbers, and letters, and family member vocabulary in a new language, but we’re being instructed in full-blown Catalan, which again, we do not speak.
Let the sightseeing continue!
Montjuic
Costa Brava
Amsterdam
Dalí Museum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39332893@N03/
Besos,
Liz
