Alcalá Week 1

Sorry for the delay, it took me forever to figure out how to configure my laptop for wireless!

• I started classes last Thursday at el Instituto Benjamin Franklin. It is a special school for North Americans, however all my classes are in Spanish and all of my teachers are Spanish too. I'm taking Phonetics, Contemporary Spain and a grammar class, plus one more "real" class at the Universidad de Alcalá that will not start until February.
• I also moved into my apartment! I have all female suitemates; 5 are Spanish- Inés, Sonia, Sara, Miriam and Sandra (my roommmate) and 1 is Portuguese- Sofia. They are all very nice but talk to each other really quickly, so it's been hard for me to participate in group conversations. I can hold one-on-one conversations just fine though.

• I have already visited Madrid twice, because is only 35 minutes away by train. First I visited my friend Luis, who was nice enough to give me a walking tour, and the next day I went with my American group and got another walking tour. I will definitely be back to I can shop and explore places like El Prado.

Luis and me at La Plaza Mayor, a historical site used for many things, including executing people during the Inquisition

The Royal Palace

• There are HUGE storks in downtown Alcalá that nest on pretty much every rooftop. As far as I know they never swoop down and attack citizens, but I'm keeping an eye on them none the less.
• We've been to some pretty sweet bars here so far. Most Spaniards don't even head out until about 1am, and hence get home about 6am. My favorite place so far was El Casco Antiguo, where everybody was dancing salsa the whole night. There were some amazing dancers that were fun to watch. I only danced one song where you had to keep switching dance partners and felt pretty dumb, maybe sometime in the future I can at least learn the steps!
• Tapas bars are amazing, and delicious. All you have to do is order a drink and they bring you a free appetizer of your choice!
• The Coke here is made with real sugar. My father would love it haha
• I promise that I will update ON TIME next Monday! I might head to Madrid this weekend to watch the Vikings beat the Saints!!

The Plaza de Cervantes, the heart of Alcalá