Starting a new semester of classes is always exciting, for me least. I get to start fresh with new professors and new peers. This go-around, however, I was really starting fresh. As you can guess, I knew a few of my classmates, because they were in my study abroad program. But still, they were still mostly strangers.

Walking into my first day of classes, I found myself in a room with many foreign students. The majority of my classmates are from Taiwan, a few from Germany, one from Russia, and of course, there are my American counterparts. We may come from all over, but my classmates and I all have one common goal: to kick butt in our classes this semester.

The first class I attended is Arte español (Spanish art). My first impression of the class, and the professor, was that this would be an interesting and fun class. I have never taken an art history class, so I am sure I will have to work hard in this class to do well. Nonetheless, I have always gravitated towards the arts, and I think I will enjoy this class, especially when we get to talking about artists like Picasso and Dalí.

Next up was Literarura hispanoamericana (Hispanic American literature). Now, you might be thinking, “Why did you go to Spain to take a literature class that focuses on Latin America?” The simple answer is that it was a required class, so that’s why I am taking it. But also, Latin American literature has its foundations in Spanish literature. It seems as though this class will focus on poetry and other short works of literature, so I think I will manage. The professor, Lula, is extremely exciting as well, so I see no boredom in my future.

Being that I am here in Spain to focus on my Spanish language studies, I am also taking Lengua española (Spanish language). According to the syllabus for this class, we will be focusing on Spanish grammar and writing. After eight years of speaking and learning Spanish, I thought that maybe this class was beneath me, because it seems a lot of what we will learn are grammar topics I learned in high school. Nonetheless, brushing up on my grammar will not hurt, and by the end of this, I better be fluent in Spanish!

My fourth class is Historia de España (History of Spain). I am looking forward to this class, because much of my studies in college have been focused on Latin American history. Before coming to Spain, I thought I would not be very interested in European, or Spanish, history. As I walk around this beautiful city, however, I find myself enthralled with the amount of history Spain holds. Being able to understand and reflect on Spain’s history in Spain seems like a tremendous privilege.

Lastly, I am enrolled in Geografía humana de España (Human geography of Spain). Much like Spanish art, I have never taken a human geography class. I have also never really found myself that interested in human geography. With this being said, I am predicting that this class will be my most challenging class of he semester. So far, I am having a hard time figuring out how to take good notes in this class, and that scares me a little bit. Nonetheless, I think this class will definitely be worthwhile.

So, yes, I am taking five classes in Spain. And, yes, I will probably have to rethink my normal balance between classes, travel, and my social life. BUT-my one saving grace is that I have no classes on Fridays. Praise. Jesus. I think I will be able to survive these classes after all.

And if there is one piece of advice I have for future study abroad students, it is this: bring school supplies from the United States with you to your study abroad country. I went to buy notebooks and sticky notes for my many classes, and I came to find out that school supplies here are far more expensive than they are in the United States. With that being said… Mom, can you mail me some supplies?

sinceramente