Week 3 We've finally had our first complete week of classes and our schedule is pretty much finalized. On Monday and Wednesday we have three classes from 9am - 3pm, and on Tuesday we have art class in Pontevedra from 4:30pm - 8:30pm. While I was told that it would be nearly impossible to take classes on different campuses, quite the opposite has proven to be true. Although it is slightly more difficult to get to the Pontevedra campus than to the main campus in Vigo, it is 100% doable. My first class of the day is Spanish and Ben has switched into my class! What I've found to be very interesting is that of the 25 students, 5 of them are adults. I mean real adults. Adults with full-time jobs who are home owners and have kids of their own. I was surprised to see them in our intermediate Spanish class because, at home, I'm not used to seeing adults in undergraduate classes on campus. These 5 students consist of three Brazilians, an Italian, and a French student. But, for the life of me I can't figure out why they are in our level of Spanish. The levels begin at A1 which is for complete beginners- people who have never taken a day of Spanish in their life. A2 is a step up for students who have a bit of background knowledge. The next level is B1, my level, for students who can speak conversational Spanish but really need help with grammar. From there it continues on to B2, C1, and C2 which is for fluent speakers. The 5 adult students are, in my opinion, far above the rest of us in the class. They speak rapidly, and fluently, like native speakers where as most of the rest of us hesitate a moment before attempting to communicate an idea. My guess is that they can speak very well, but want to improve their reading and writing skills. Whatever it may be, probably due to their advanced speaking level and a high level of confidence, they tend to dominate class discussion; and it is a bit intimidating to say the least. On the other hand, it is interesting to have speakers who speak more quickly and have accents that are more reflective of a native accent than the typical "learner's accent." It makes for good listening practice. After Spanish we have Intercultural Communications. This class is taught entirely in Spanish, but focuses on the differences in simple gestures and mannerisms between cultures. So far I'm enjoying it- that is what I can understand of it. Since it is more of a complex subject (compared to the Spanish class in which we learn the language) both Ben and I had a hard time staying engaged. If there was even one word said that we didn't understand then we missed the next 20 minutes of the discussion. US literature is essentially the same as taking an English course at home. The professor just seems to hate his job. Not to mention he doesn't really teach. He gives us a handout, lets us read it for an hour (way too long for a 2 paged handout) and then half-heartedly leads a discussion. However, on the few occasions I did participate in the discussion he essentially told me I was wrong because I didn't answer the question in the words he would have used. Not quite my favorite way of learning. On Tuesday we had our first art class! Our professor's name is No No, short for Anthony. He's from Malaga and speaks at a pace that I can easily follow. We listened to the lecture and then waited to see what we would be drawing. In the middle of the room is a stage and something was covered by a white cloth; so, I thought we would be drawing what would be revealed from under the cloth. Nope. I was asking No No what materials we needed, and when I turned around there was a man and a woman standing completely naked on the stage! The clothed item turned out to be a chair for them to use as a prop. Wow was I surprised! We were both intimidated as we were surrounded by incredibly talented art students, but we did our best. At the end of the class we'd realized that, although a bit tough, we were both going to thoroughly enjoy the challenge. We started the weekend off with a pub crawl and went to some awesome bars. The event was hosted by ESN so we got to see hidden bars we wouldn't have otherwise seen and meet new people. Saturday was a day for resting and we tried the gelato place down the street from our apartment. We ordered a milkshake, hoping for a whopping glass of blended ice cream, we were slightly disappointed when we got the equivalent of a kids-size for €4. Even though it wasn't quite enough to share it still hit the spot. Finally the weekend ended with some homework, some exercise, and an attempt at cooking. I've been trying to run twice a week. It's good for my health and it helps me to become better oriented. I was able to complete my run without getting lost! I didn't even use a map to get back to the apartment. On my way home I picked up some groceries and, with a bit of help, made lo mein for dinner!
1 Comment
Mom
3/9/2019 08:51:48 pm
Sounds like you kids are getting settled in. Glad you are embracing the experience and trying new things. What is that crazy drkink that looks like it has rocks in it? I LOVE all the disco balls!
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AuthorCoffee addict. Chocolate obsessed. I'm ready to explore. Archives
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