Last couple weeks of class!

I can't believe today was the last day of class! The last couple weeks have been pretty tame, mostly because everyone's got a ton of papers and projects and presentations that were shoved off onto the very last second. Also I've been sort of antisocial recently, because up until this point I was never overwhelmingly homesick, since I was so far away from being home the whole time. But as soon as we got within 2 weeks or so of leaving, I couldn't stop thinking "I WANT TO BE HOME RIGHT NOW." It's also kind of weird because most kids here are never going to come back, so they're all upset about leaving and everything... but the thing is, I'm going back for another 4 months, and I'll plenty of time for all of the nightlife and the going out (which I'll be way happier about when it warms up again). I am ready to go home now. But I'm sure I'll be ready to come back after break.

So I'm really excited about going home. Of course I get to see my favorite person ever (you only get one guess who this is), and his family, who I miss too. My grandfather is flying in from Tampa for Christmas, and my mom's cousin, his kids, wife and mother are also coming in from Ft. Lauderdale! I'm really really excited, our house is going to be crazy, but it'll be great to see family. And eat awesome Puerto Rican food (arapas!!!!).

AND everyone's coming home from school, so I get to see high school buddies! Of course Sarah's abandoning us for Ghana for a few weeks, but who can blame her for that :D Just don't get malaria! I am sad that I won't get to see my Case friends though... unless anyone is going to be in Chicagoland for Xmas. I miss you guys too! I will also miss some really cool people I have met here at IES that go to schools all over... We'll definitely keep in touch.

I'm actually kind of nervous about who I am going to have as friends next semester. The thing is that all of the new students (there are only about 6 full year students) are going to arrive the 7th or so, about a week and a half before classes, to start just their Spanish classes and have orientation. I think they're doing the orientation trip to Valencia again. Since I'm not taking a Spanish class yet, and already have done orientation and all that, I don't have to go again. Plus it means I get to spend about 4 weeks at home and have a normal break. The downside is that since I'm not going to be around the first week, my roomies and everyone else are already going to know each other, so it'll be a little bit harder to make friends. Hopefully they're going to be nice!

I'm actually really excited about a couple things for next semester. I've of course got the apartment on Gran Via. I haven't been to the actual apartment yet, but in general, all of the ones from the program are really nice. Also the housing coordinator gave me single!!! Wooo! They don't have that many singles, so I'm really happy they let me have it. The apartment is a couple blocks away from a metro stop 3 down from class, so it only takes me 15 minutes to get to class at Catalunya. It'll be so nice to not have a 45 minute commute anymore.

Also, I've finally got my schedule for next semester set! I don't think I'm going to have any problems at all with being bored... I'm going to have a lot on my plate. Technically, I'm only taking 15 hours again, but it'll be slightly crazier. I am taking: Church and State in Spain from 1492 to Modern, Nationalism in Modern Europe: Emphasis on the Catalonian Case, Barcelona: the City and its History, Gypsies in Spain, and the Research Methodology Seminar. Unfortunately, two of those classes are in English, but I didn't really have a choice. Oh well...

I wanted to continue with Catalan, since I think I've actually settled into the language recently, and it's gotten substantially easier for me to speak and understand. I think I've legitimately learned a 3rd language... :D Buuut unfortunately, the Catalan class is during the research one, which I need to take, because... I have an internship!!! I am actually disgustingly excited about this. I went and had my interview last week at the HR office for Dr. Echevarne labs. I should be all set- 8 hours a week in one of their microbio labs! Pretty much, I get to play around with bacteria all day! I'll set up and run cultures, learn how to id certain types of bacteria, how to tell if it's gram negative and such like that. Also I get scrubs, Hooray! Also, no Spanish class, means no Friday class (: I'm hoping I can use those Fridays a couple of times to shadow doctors in the area.

In other next semester news, I'm deciding on where to travel next semester, since I need to budget in order to not be in debt by the time the year is over. It's alright, because all the money I've saved from summer jobs and everything was always meant to be spent this year, and when am I ever going to have the chance to travel Europe like this again? Probably not for at least 15 more years. So I've made the list of the places I'm want to visit, looked at some flights and at how much I've spent this past semester, and made some guestimations.

I'll be over what I have left to spend by maybe 200 dollars, if estimates are correct, but that is really not much, considering how much the whole semester is going to be travel-wise. I've got another account that I can take it out of, although I would really prefer not to. Also once I get home for the summer, it's straight to a summer job. That is, assuming I can find a job in this economy. So I can earn back a little bit of money without to much trouble.

What I'm thinking so far is doing a long weekend in Marrakesh, Morocco. Morocco is one of my top places to go- I know a lot of kids who went this past semester, and they all said is was amazing. Another weekend or couple of days I'll go to Granada to see the Alhambra. If my parents come visit over spring break (as I hope they do!) with my brother and sister, I'll wait and take off a couple of days of school and go with them. Otherwise, I'll just pick a weekend and go then. Some weekend I will definitely be visiting my Case suitemate Joy in London. Also I've got Spring Break during Holy Week (called Semana Santa, here in Spain), so the planned itinerary is Berlin to Prague to Budapest to Istanbul. I plan to get back for Easter, since it's a biiiig deal here in Spain. Aaaand that will be it!

It sounds like a lot, but it's about the same amount of travel that I did this past semester (Valencia, Tarragona, Zurich, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Copenhagen, Paris, Pyrenees). But I'm really psyched for all the places I'm going. I know at least one person who's been to each of those places, so I've been emailing them about what hostels they stayed in and stuff like that, just to get an opinion from someone who I know.

The only thing I have left to do is convince people to go with me now (and book everything lol)... that does make me slightly nervous, but hopefully I'll meet some people who are thinking of going to the same places I am! I would like to go to Madrid too, since I've heard good things and it is the actual capital, but we'll see if I can afford it. I had also thought of doing Lisbon, Vienna or Greece (Santorini, or a nearby island), but I had to narrow it down. Hopefully I'll be back sometime before I die...

Well enough about all this travel business. This weekend I'm going to ski in the Pyrenees for the day, then I have finals, and then I am going HOME! It's ok Spain, I'll be back. How did I manage to write a lot about virtually nothing? Guess I'm talented... I'll update at the end of finals. Someone please remind me to elaborate on Catalan Christmas traditions, because they are very very strange. Because the notion of a fat man bringing gifts down a chimney isn't strange at all...

Wish me luck on finals!