The receptionist, Elana, showed us around the residence and brought us up to our room. It's a nice big room. Shari and I each have our own area in the room with a bed, desk, wardrobe, overhead light and reading light. The room has its own bathroom with toilet, sink and shower, and we even have a TV. Unfortunately, we get only one English channel - the BBC World, but it's better than nothing. We also have 2 big floor to ceiling doors that open to overlook the patio area. Luckily, we don't overlook the street because the school is on a busy street and it would be very noisy at night with traffic. There are big windows on both sides of our doors, so we get lots of light and fresh air in the room. We can also close out the light by drawing the floor to ceiling drapes to cover the windows and doors.
The residence is quite large and it has a nice common room off the kitchen with tables and chairs and a TV, and the kitchen is very well equiped. There are 2 ovens, 4 stove tops, 2 toaster ovens, 4 microwaves and 6 refrigerators. The refrigerators even have mini freezers so we will be able to buy ice cream for dessert.
We all have our own shelf in the refrigerator, and our own shelf in the cupboard. There are a couple of stoves and sinks and lots of pans, cutlery and dishes and glasses. There are also 4 clothes washers and dryers that we can use for free, and we have free access to the internet on Monday through Friday, but it is very slow so I prefer to go to Easy Internet.
We unpacked our things, took showers and did laundry, and went to the grocery store. We bought only a few things because most stores are closed on Sundays and just a small, sort of expensive market was open. We went to use the internet about 7PM and got back about 8:30. We had a nice dinner of rice and a rotisserie chicken we had bought cooked at the store. I went to bed about 10PM but I couldn't fall asleep so I read until 11:30
10/13: Our first day of class! We all met in a big room at the residence at 8AM. The beginners stayed in that room, and the other level students went to take a test to determine what level class they belonged in. There are about 70 people starting classes today, of which about 30 are beginners. It took about an hour to fully sort people out, and then we went to our classroom.
There are a maximum of 8 students per class and we have 8 women in our class. The classes run either 9AM to 1PM, or 3PM to 7PM, and luckily Shari and I are in the same class, and we have the morning session. We have a lesson with one teacher from 9 to 10:45 and then a half-hour break, and then another lesson with a different teacher from 11:15 to 1PM. The classes were really fun and I liked both teachers.
After class, Shari and I went to pay the balance of our bill for the classes and our accomodations. The total for both is 802 euros, 410 for the residence and 392 for the classes. Even though the student flats are less expensive than the residence, I am glad we are here. There are lots of interesting people of all ages here and best of all, we don't have to commute. Some people in the flats need to take the metro to school, and some have quite a long walk (half hour). We can just run up to our room anytime we need anything.
After we paid the bill, we went to check out a few stores that one of the young women, Olivia, recommended. Olivia is from Martha's Vineyard and just graduated high school. She is traveling on her own for four months and will start Middlebury College in February. Next, I went to see about getting my hair cut and I got an apppointment at 2:30. I went back to the residence to make a grocery list and then went for my hair appointment. After I got my hair done, I went grocery shopping and then went back to the room to dye my hair. I hadn't colored it in 4 months and it was vey grey. I didn't particularly like the look of it, especially with very short hair.
We all met in one of the reception rooms at 8PM to go out for our welcome dinner. About 50 students and a few trachers went out. We walked down to a restaurant that was in the area of the hostel where Shari and I stayed when we first came to Barcelona. Shari and I sat at a table with Antonella, a 24 year old from Florence who is working on her Master's thesis (she is in our class), Anna, an older woman who is a language teacher from Australia, and Hans, and older German man who is on sabbatical from his teaching job in Germany. We sat in a private room on the top floor of the restaurant, and while the food and wine weren't particularly good, it was a fun evening talking with new people. After dinner, we walked back to the residence and got there about 11:30 PM.
10/14: Another good day of classes. I know very little Spanish, but I am amazed at how much I can already understand of what the teacher is saying. After class Shari and I went to the Boqueria Market to buy some produce and some meat (normal stuff - sausages and hamburg, no rabbit or tripe). When we came back, I went to use the internet at the residence and then I went to call Susan, and Shari went to talk with Sandi, who is also in our class.
Next I went to the room to do notes and the small amount of homework the teacher had given us. I had just started my notes when there was a knock at my door. Antonella came by to thanks us for her flowers; it was Antonella's birthday and Shari had bought flowers for her (she is so thoughtful). Shari was out, but Antonella and I sat and talked for about an hour. She is an interesting young woman, and it was fun to hear about the university program in Florence and her plans for when she finished school.
Shari came back about 6:30 and then left again to use the internet up the street. Antonella also left, and I finished my notes and homework, and then went to the kitchen to cook penne pasta with sauteed garlic, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese - delicious!
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