Now that's just crazy...

Lately I've been obsessed with tracking different polls and sites to see their electoral maps. One, electoral-vote.com, shows Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota as "exactly tied" between Obama and McCain. I think that's a little far-fetched. I know Missouri is close, and I have heard that the Democratic presidential campaign is making more ground in Montana and North Dakota than usual, but um I don't really think that Senator Obama can carry those states.

COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION '08

It is hard to believe that by this time next week we should have a president! (I don't want to jinx anything, though, because my family flew to Washington, DC for vacation on Election Day 2000 expecting to know the president by the time we landed that evening, which of course was not the case. That day was also the day of my first menstrual period.) The campaigns have gone on for almost two years! What will I do with myself once they are concluded? Barring some unpredictable change, it seems practically certain that Senator Obama will win. I'll go ahead and predict that Senator Obama will take about 53% of the popular vote, although it will be more of a landslide in the Electoral College, well over 300 electoral votes. The polls are pretty much showing every state that is "undecided" in the Obama category right now. In play the most right now seem to be Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina. I'm not sure Obama will be able to carry Indiana, which is sad because that is my neighbor state! If I went to Notre Dame or were in Illinois, I would definitely be out in force trying to help them see the light.

The Madrid chapter of Democrats Abroad is having a party on November 4 at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, which should be fun. It starts at 11 pm, which I think will be 5 pm EST (I'm still confused about the time change business...), but honestly the race should be more or less decided by the time the results come in from Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, all of which are on EST. I think one day I will be telling my grandchildren where I was on Election Day 2008 because it promises to be historic. I already have a pretty good anecdote for Election Day 2000. I really don't remember anything in particular about Election Day 2004. I guess I was in school.

The Democrats will come class but I don't think they will manage to get 60 votes in the Senate. The conviction of Senator Stevens was the nail in the coffin for his seat. The races to watch will be Minnesota and North Carolina. I'm really kind of confused about North Carolina. I've known that Virginia has been trending blue for quite a while with the explosion of the Washington "exurbs" in Northern Virginia to the point that it's no longer considered part of the "solid South," but North Carolina?????? Along with Colorado and New Mexico, welcome, welcome, welcome to the Democratic fray, North Carolina. It's good to be a Democrat right now.

Classes are ok. Being at Somosaguas until 9:30 is really miserable. Usually my host family is asleep by the time I get home. Monday my Romanian friend and I accidentally took the H bus instead of the A (I swear that it was an A on the front of the bus!), adding an additional 30 minutes to my 45-minute commute. Awesome. I had a map of the bus lines serving the university in my backpack, but the map was printed in 1998. A lot has changed since then. I took some photos of Somosaguas on Monday and the photos don't capture the miserable picture I have in my mind. Obviously, it was a trick of the light since Monday was sunny. Photos also can't capture the smell.

Yesterday it was cold and rainy, so I think that means the end of the good weather here in Madrid. We go to Sevilla in a week and a half, and it should be warmer there since it's in Southern Spain. After that begins my month of weekend travels, to Prague, Lisbon, and Vienna. I finally got my tickets for Christmas break, so I need to start planning my trip to London and Dublin with Patrick.

I have no concrete plans for housing for next year. I had a decent selection time for single selection last week (could have gotten one with a river view) but I didn't pick one because I decided to hold out for the hope of an apartment with Charlotte and Kayleigh. We need a fourth person to enter the apartment selection, which is next week, but at this point we are a bit hopeless. I just really really really don't want to be in the dorms again because I want to have my own kitchen to prepare my own meals in light of the norovirus outbreak at Leo's and having delicious dinners cooked for me here. I can't go back to cafeteria food.

Today I had my first tutorial in the Prado. We didn't actually look at any specific artworks, just talking generally about the museum. I also found out that the Prado is free every day after 6! This information would have been useful a month and a half ago. I will probably start taking advantage of this policy since the museum is within walking distance and the class only covers Spanish painting, which does not cover the entire museum. I also need to start seeing the other museums because the group visits are always cancelled due to lack of interest.

Lost in translation?

I think Daylight Savings Time ends today in Madrid. But I'm not sure. I wasn't thinking about it at all, but when I got back this evening the time on my laptop changed, and Allison just called so it's not just me.

A touch of cough never killed anyone, right...?

I had the most delicious meal in Spain so far tonight. My host mom made me a pizza topped with cheese, tomato, corn, and, por supuesto, ham. It was amazing. I should have only eaten half of it but it was so good that I ate all of it.

I am getting somewhat concerned that I am not getting any healthier. I have not been getting worse, but normally colds don't last this long with such persistent symptoms for me. Probably I would rather take my chances and slowly die of a cold than see a doctor and have them tell me across a wide language barrier that I'm fine.

Today in our mandatory "cultural adaptation workshop" we learned that in Spain it is normal to greet strangers when you enter a waiting room at a doctor's office, among other somewhat useful tidbits of random information. The session could have been much worse, as the presenter had a decent sense of humor, but a lot of the information was not new. Also, we had thought that our tutorials in the Prado started today, which would give us a very legitimate excuse not to attend the workshop, but the professor dashed our hearts yesterday when she informed us that they will not begin until next week. I've been in Madrid almost five weeks and haven't visited the Prado yet! Crime against humanities.

Allison and I booked tickets to go to Lisboa in November today. I am looking forward to going to Lisboa, but that means that I now will be travelling four weekends in a row in November: Sevilla with the Georgetown group, Prague to visit Kayleigh, Lisboa, and then meeting Kayleigh in Vienna. Additionally, the first week of December we have Monday off for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so I feel like I should at least make a day trip to somewhere in Spain. I am looking forward to each trip, but I'm also a little sad that I will be away from Madrid so much. Hopefully I should be able to maintain my schoolwork with little problem. Maintaining normal relations with my host family will be a bit of a different story. We have this great routine of sitting down to dinner while watching the news, which is very helpful since they can explain news items that I don't understand. However, since I return so late from classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, I basically don't see them at all those days of the week. Also, the other day my host mom asked me why I spend so much time alone in my room. I have been feeling somewhat sick, but to a certain degree I think I have kind of been shutting myself up in here, hiding, I guess you could say. It's awkward trying to establish the right balance between being a guest/someone who pays to live here/kind of family member and generally being a person who is naturally introverted and shy. My host family is of course very nice, and I enjoy talking to them, but I also value having my own time and my own space.

We also had a writing workshop today, and afterwards I taught my first English class. About two weeks ago, Miky gave me the name and phone number of someone who lives near me and was looking for an English tutor. I called the woman a couple of days later, but our wires were crossed. I thought our connection was bad, so I hung up and called again, and she said something I didn't quite understand and hung up on me. I felt embarrassed and didn't call back. I avoided going into the office on Tuesdays because I knew Miky would be there. Yesterday Miky called me, and at first I was really embarrassed, but it turned out to be ok since she volunteered to call the woman and set up the classes for me. The students are three girls, about 8 years old, who are in the same year in school named Ana, Bea, and Paula. I was a bit nervous about what I would go over since I am not the most creative nor the most child-friendly person, but it turned out that it was good that they are all in the same year in school, because they all are studying the same vocabulary, making it much easier to come up with exercises and games. The hour went by faster than I expected and I walked away with 21 euros. My host family has been trying to arrange for me to give English classes to the children of a friend of theirs, but the only day that works is Friday, and since I will be gone at least three of the upcoming Fridays, I'm obviously not going to push the issue.

I saw Ani today when I was in the office today on the computer waiting after the cultural workshop for the writing workshop, and she didn't say anything to me about the Reunidas lottery, so maybe I have matriculated without problems???? I would be oh so relieved, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much yet.

So it seems that Obama has 277 electoral votes in the bag? I can't believe the states that are in play such as North Carolina! I will also be very excited if the Democrats can carry Southwestern states such as New Mexico and potentially Colorado. The Democrats should also keep their majorities in the House and the Senate, special thanks to the shenanigans from the congresswoman in Minnesota who termed Obama and other liberals "un-American." One aspect of America that makes it great is freedom of speech, which means she had the right to publicly say that, but another important aspect of America is diversity of thought, meaning you should at least respect other people's points of view. Different does not mean "un-American." One thing I wish Senator Obama had been able to do in his campaign is assert his Christian faith in a way that didn't somehow seem to assert that there is something wrong with being a Muslim. Radical Islam does not represent all of Islam; Islam is a religion of peace that a tiny minority has contorted to fit their hateful purposes. In today's American political climate, however, he must attempt to appeal to a portion of the electorate who believes that there is indeed something inherently wrong with being a Muslim. I really wish McCain had taken the opportunity in the final debate to address the question about the tone of the crowds at his campaign's rallies. Is he directly responsible for what the people in the audience say? Of course not. But he certainly should distance himself from remarks about killing Senator Obama, about Senator Obama palling around with terrorists (he is directly responsible for Sarah Palin's remarks...), and those making racist threats towards the African American cameraman from Fox News.

The election is a great conversation starter with Spaniards/people from other countries when they find out I am American. The whole world is watching. November 4 should be a blast. Once again, I don't want to get my hopes up too much but I think I can safely say I will not be returning the United States if he doesn't win? My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they visit his sick grandmother (also my uncle Jim who needs re-attachment surgery on his retina...as you may know, I am creeped out by eyes, so this particular affliction is particularly horrifying to me). I really hope that if elected president he can make an honest change and at least tackle one of the major issues such as healthcare while improving the image of the U.S. in the world. I have to admit that I have based my support of his candidacy on youthful idealism, but I would definitely judge his presidency with a critical eye, perhaps excessively critical because I would hold him to a very high standard. In any case, I am very excited to have finally voted in a presidential election (I was ready in 2004) and will continue to rep the campaign with the three Obama shirts I brought to Spain.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

El Escorial:
El Valle de los Caídos:

My bark is much worse than my bite. I have the worst cough ever, and my host family seems terrified. I even went to a Spanish pharmacy for cold medicine, which would have been terrifyingly overwhelming if Carmen, a "mentor" who studies in the facultad de medicina, hadn't written me a "prescription" of what to ask for. I was concerned because I had *ahem* potential mono exposure, but the symptoms of mono usually take four to six weeks to manifest themselves so I should be safe.

Week two of classes is done. My 8:30 class was cancelled on Monday (rejoice!) in honor of Sunday's festivities. October 12 is the feast day of Saint Pilar, the patron of Spain, as well as the "Día de la Hispanidad." I do find it interesting that in Spain, where Columbus is seen in a very positive light, you only get the day off when it falls on a weekday, whereas the Monday nearest that date is a reliable holiday for schoolchildren and government employees in the U.S.

I met someone who is even more overwhelmed by Spanish than me! I turned to someone in one of my political science classes on Tuesday to ask a question in Spanish, and his response was, "Can we PLEASE just speak in English??" He is an Erasmus student from Romania who had just arrived in Spain two days earlier and furthermore has never studied Spanish, ever. I would be unbelievably unable to cope.

On Wednesday a small group visited the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial and el Valle de los Caídos. El Escorial is a royal monastery/palace constructed under el rey Felipe II, and it was cool except that we were unable to enter what are probably the best two parts. We couldn't enter el Panteón de los Reyes where all of the Hapsburg and Bourbon monarchs (and king-mothers) are buried because of some rule that you have to be on an official tour or purchase the audio guide to enter. I thought Ani, our program director, was going to be able to talk our way in, but alas she was not. The basilica was also closed because it was under construction.

In my opinion, the real highlight of the day was the visit to el Valle de los Caídos.

The Spanish Civil War lasted from 1936-1939, and the right-wing Fascists, led by Francisco Franco, were victorious over the left-wing Republicans. In 1940, Franco decided to build a monument to those who had died in the Spanish Civil War. Quite taken by Felipe II's Escorial, he chose a site nearby in the mountains on the outskirts of Madrid. The monument consists of a giant cross on the mountain and a large basilica underneath in the heart of the monument. It was constructed by the labor of political prisoners. Many Spaniards refuse to visit el Valle de los Caídos because of what it represents. Franco never released a list of who is buried in the two massive tombs. When he died in the 1970s, he was buried in the basilica.

Earlier in the day, it had been a gorgeous sunny day, but by the time we arrived at el Valle de los Caídos it was dark and cloudy, which seemed more than appropriate. It was a very powerful experience. Unfortunately photography is prohibited in the basilica so I can't show it to you. The atmosphere is very funereal. You have to walk through a very long tunnel before you arrive in the worship space, and it is very dark and all stone. Ani said that the last time she was there, a wedding was taking place. I can't imagine attending mass there, much less getting married!

I'm glad that being in a different country does not change my luck

So, I was about to get over myself and stop moping after feeling sick for the past two days when I collapsed in my room. My knee popped out of its socket. I don't think it was that bad, but it's still absolutely no fun.

Less than a month until Election Day!

This post actually has nothing to do with politics (last night's debate was a snooze fest), but I just want to throw that out there.

Obviously I survived day two of classes.

Spanish Painting in the Prado Museum is obviously not going to be a problem. It reminds me a lot of Page's class, in the sense that we cover a lot of interesting material yet the other people in the class are a little slow. The tutorials haven't started yet and somehow I've yet to make it to the Prado. I'm too cheap to do it on my own dime.

My next class is Hispano-American Literature I. I must have a blinking sign above my head that says, "I am American and don't speak very good English" because this British girl sat down next to me and asked me how the first day had seemed. I began to respond, and she demanded, "Quickly, in English!"

Then I had a little break before Goya. I think I'm going to end up dropping the class. Obviously it would be fascinating to take an in-depth look at his work, but primarily for scheduling reasons (and the fact that more than 5 Americans appear to be trying to take the class and my world would end if I got kicked out), this class doesn't make the cut. The professor is of the sit in the front and read directly from her notes breed, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but matters at least a little.

Then I went to Somosaguas, which is still a truly horrible place. I need to bring my camera and take photos although I might get stabbed or robbed or both if I walk around carrying a camera.

Even though a lot of the stress from the first day of classes stemmed from my professor from the Theory of the State seeming hostile to my presence in his class, I think I'm going to stick with it. Ryan talked to him after Monday's class and supposedly he is thrilled to have Americans in his class. We have to write something for Monday about the Magna Carta and two other British documents, which is daunting...

I love my Electoral Analysis and Behavior class. The segment of CPS involving calculations was interesting to me.

I also really enjoy my International Organizations class. Obviously the less-than-ideal aspect of these classes is that they are late at night, but I think it's worth it to take classes that interest me with good professors. I'm already limiting myself to Monday and Tuesday only classes, so I might as well take the best offerings of those days. And dropping Goya means that I have a five and a half hour gap between lit and having to be at Somosaguas, so I have time to run errands, study, or even go home for lunch and a siesta.

I finally have my abono transporte (monthly pass for the Metro)! I've been here a month and hemhorraged much money on 10-rides.

Apparently "study abroad" involves classes?

Today I rose well before sunrise to make it across Madrid to make it to my 8:30 class. Note to self: I do not like early classes. Even less so when there is a commute involved. It was cold and dark when I left, but the early class is the Spanish Painting in the Prado class, so I guess it's worth it. I felt very existential as there were more university students than I've ever seen at one time in my life (not true, I've been to college football games) flooding out of the Metro stop.

That one is with Reunidas, the North American consortium of universities. The professor kept apologizing for talking too quickly when in fact she was speaking muy lentamente. I'm pretty sure almost no one has art history experience of any kind.

The second class of the day (after inhaling a café con leche) was Hispano-American Literature I. The professor was easy to understand, and we are covering "conquista to liberation movements,"which is not my favorite literary time period, but it will have to suffice. She let us out early so I had another café con leche and basked in the sun.

My third class was Goya. I'm not really sure the class made much of an impression on me because she only kept us about five minutes. There were a lot of adults in the class. There may be potentially more than 5 Reunidas students, in which case there will be a lottery I will most likely lose.

Then it was time to go to Somosaguas, the political sciences campus. And my day went downhill...

I caught the bus going in the wrong direction.

Immediately upon setting foot on Somosaguas territory, I felt sad and dejected. The building was a prison. The students are threatening looking and so far to the left they make me look like a neo-con.

I had something to eat in the cafetería, which was infinitely more depressing than the ones I've eaten in on the main campus.

I decided that I wanted to avoid being there until 9:30 p.m. so I decided to shop around for suitable earlier classes. I scribbled down a classroom number and ran. I ran into Ryan, another Georgetown student, and when I told him my destination he said he wanted to take the same class, so we went in together. It was nice to see a friendly face.

Then the professor hands out a syllabus for psycho-sociology something so we bolt because it's obviously the wrong class. We re-check the schedule, finding it incredulous that we both wrote down the wrong room. We can't believe our luck when we make it into the right classroom just before the professor.

Until he starts to talk. He has a terrible lisp, and it is impossible for us to understand him. Not even the Spanish students bother to take notes.

We figure the next class has to be better. Somehow, I WROTE DOWN THE WRONG CLASSROOM AGAIN. No harm done, and the professor doesn't have a lisp, so all seems to be going well. The professor directs a question to Ryan and when he answers in accented Spanish, the professor asks whether he is español or Erasmus (the European exchange program I want to be a part of). When the answer is that he is from Georgetown, the professor smirks, says, "I see," and re-directs the question to a Spanish student, insinuating Ryan couldn't have understood him.

Soon, he doesn't even ask me a content-related question, just whether I am part of Erasmus (what, didn't I look Spanish?), then whether I am part of the University of California (they have an agreement with Complutense separate from Reunidas). He ignores me completely when I respond that I am also from Georgetown and the flush in my cheeks and nausea don't go away for the rest of the class.

My next two government classes were actually enjoyable and I guess I'll be sticking with them. Perhaps it is too much to ask for all of my classes to be on two days, be at two different campuses, fit within an eight-hour day, AND be with tolerable professors. The first government class was Electoral Analysis and Behavior, basically recycling the mathematical section of Langenbacher's CPS class that I liked. The second was International Organizations, an international relations course with a professor who came highly recommended from Georgetown and likes Georgetown students. There are a lot of international students, all Erasmus or from other Spanish universities, which should make the class interesting. Also, proudly, my Spanish is not the worst.

So, I'm stuck with the schedule because I'm the most attached to the first and last classes of the day. At the end of the day, I was tired, cold, and hungry, very similar to how I felt at the beginning except also much more beaten down.

I'm upset that basically one professor and the feeling that I am too much of an outsider at Somosaguas really ruined my day. I don't understand why the professor is so averse to having Georgetown students in class. It's a second-year course, whereas the other two I attended were specialized fifth-year courses. I also feel boxed in. To come here and directly matriculate, Georgetown makes us have a certain Spanish proficiency. They require us to take one Reunidas class, which is too easy, and forbid us from taking more than one. There is a cap on the number of Reunidas students in the Facultad de Filosofia and Letras. In other facultades, we can't take first-year courses. Frankly, I think I probably belong in a first-year Spanish Political System class but I can't take it. I'm stressed from my day. But I've got to go to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow...

Play-by-play and Analysis: Biden v. Palin

So, I wasn't intense enough to watch the debate live from 3:00 to 4:30 a.m. local time, but I just watched it on Youtube and everyone in the States should still be asleep so I don't feel too behind. I took notes as I watched, so hopefully my thoughts are somewhat organized and based on what actually transpired.

At the very beginning of the debate, Governor Sarah Palin seemed very giddy, pleased to meet Senator Joe Biden and asking if she could call him Joe. Obviously it was the first time they'd met since Palin the self-described Washington outsider governor of Alaska would have little reason to meet the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware. She probably felt like I did when Senator John McCain winked at me last year on the Senate subway. I don't agree with McCain on policy, but he's famous, someone who I've seen on television and whose name I've seen on legislation. She couldn't get over the "privilege" it was to be a participant in the debate. It was kind of cute.

Right off, she referred to the "soccer mom barometer" of economic hardship, a nod perhaps to the fact that "hockey moms" aren't exactly "main streeters" in most of Middle America.

One quote I liked is when Palin said of herself and McCain that "we're known for putting partisan politics aside." Interesting since Candidate McCain has thrown away his relatively bipartisan legislative record to appeal to conservatives and she's the most polarizing candidate since Alan Keyes.

Admittedly I've never adored Biden, but he came off very polished and knowledgeable. Palin memorized a few talking points (props), but Biden was able to directly combat her stats. Sure, it sounds impressive that Senator Barack Obama (wow hard to believe that's my first Obama reference) voted against alternative energy or whatever it was ninety-odd times, until you hear McCain did so more than 400 times in the same period.

At one point Palin said that she wasn't concerned about answering what Biden said or the questions posed by moderator Gwen Ifill, as if that were a positive attribute as a debater. It's not straight talk when you don't even try to answer the question, instead reeling off a talking point.

One such talking point was when she termed Obama's healthcare plan as an example of the "redistribution of wealth principle." I'm glad the campaign has been teaching her some principles and fundamentals. Maybe the aides will teach McCain next. Biden then termed McCain's healthcare plan as the ultimate bridge to nowhere, to the chuckles of the audience.

Palin claimed energy as her area of expertise, which it probably is. Back to this point in a moment.

During this segment, Palin asked rhetorically, "How long have I been at this - like five weeks?" Tell me about it, Sarah.

After railing against the "East Coast Politicians" who are keeping her from destroying ANWR for a few drops of oil, Ifill directly asked, question to Palin first, what the cause of global warming is. Palin said "Yeah" in a small voice. I'm sure she had been extensively prepped on how to handle this one. She admitted that Alaska has seen more climate change that any other state in the U.S. but blamed it on some kind of cyclical temperature change BS, saying she doesn't "want to argue about the causes." It was interesting when she argued that the U.S. needs to become more energy independent because the foreign producers emit too much pollution. If that's so important, I think we should try not to pollute the temperate rain forest of Alaska. I loved when Biden came back at her by saying, "If you don't know what the cause is, it's difficuly to come up with a solution." We need an administration that believes in science. Climate change caused by man is now an absolute consensus.

Palin corrected Biden that the chant is "drill, baby, drill," not "drill, drill, drill." She would know.

Both the candidates agreed that they are against gay marriage, which is obviously too bad. They also agreed that same-sex couples should have the same civil rights as heterosexual couples. I would like to know, however, whether Palin thinks homosexuality is a choice, because she used the word "choosing" emphasized and carefully enunciated when describing homosexual couples.

In terms of foreign policy, Palin lost all my respect (not that she had much, even though SHE CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM HER HOUSE) because she says "nucular" instead of "nuclear." Deal-breaker.

Since I'm in Spain, I loved how Biden got in the unanswered zinger about how McCain said he wouldn't meet with Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain.

Furthering my suspicion that she can't get over how famous Biden and co. are, she said, "You know, I watched those debates, I know what they were all about," referring to the Democratic Primary debates. I wonder if she's met Obama yet?

She was stuck in her colloquial main-streeter rut, with lines such as "Say it ain't so, Joe," and giving a shout-out to her brother's third grade class.

She excused her summer comment about not even knowing what the vice president actually does as a lame attempt at a joke. Biden specifically elaborated on what his role would be in an Obama-Biden administration. Palin then said she agreed whole-heartedly with Dick Cheney about the role of the VP. SCARY!!!!!

In closing, she said she was from a very diverse family, politically speaking. Someone needs to tell her that there's a difference between "Independents" and the "Alaska Independence Party."

More profuse thanks, then the Palin and Biden broods invaded the stage.

I guess I would have to say that Palin exceeded my expectations, but that's only because they were so low after watching, for example, her interviews with Katie Couric from last week. Biden came off as what he is, a statesman, while she came off as finally able to recite campaign talking points a month before the election. She did not assuage my fears that she is unqualified, but she came off as sufficiently polished so I think at least some Americans will take the bait. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the debate did nothing to change my perception of Sarah Palin but increased my esteem of Joe Biden. He made no gaffes and closed the deal that he could be vice president. She made no gaffes, but sometimes not making a blunder isn't enough. Sometimes you actually need to answer the questions and give off an aura of authority.

WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE VEEP DEBATE??!

I am.

I think I've finally figured out a workable schedule (classes started today but I'm going with a Monday-Tuesday schedule, so no pressure. Also, we're not officially registered until October 20 and if there are too many American students we might get kicked out and have to rely on alternatives, so I guess I should maybe try out the concept of a shopping period. The program director is very against my taking all of my classes on two days, but most other Georgetown students are trying to do the same, and I did this for the past two semesters at Georgetown. I really want to attend my classes, and I know that I will not be in Madrid on at least some Thursdays and Fridays, so I'd really like to have all my classes on Mondays and Tuesdays so that I can regularly attend class and then have time to explore Madrid or Europe. I'll drop the English major if need be.

Here's what I have so far:

8:30-10:00 Spanish Painting in the Prado I - I came to Madrid to take this class. It is my one with "Reunidas," the consortium of North American universities. We go to the Prado each week in small groups to see the paintings we discussed in class. My main concern is that it is awfully early. My secondary concern is that the program director informed me today that the usual professor will not be teaching it.

10:00-11:30 Hispano-American Literature I - This class is not my first choice in terms of content, but I had a hard time finding a literature class on Mondays and Tuesdays with a decent professor. I might end up dropping the English major.

13:00-14:30 Goya - The last art history class I took was in high school, but since basically none of the classes I take here count for anything anyway, I really wanted to take electives I haven't had a chance to take at Georgetown, and art history is at the top of that list. Next semester the painter-specific offerings are Velazquez and Picasso. I'm pumped.

Then I have a commute to the former prison aka the political science campus. It takes about 45 minutes to get from my casa to school each way and 30 minutes to get from the main campus to the political science campus, so I could theoretically make it home for about two hours (SIESTA), but that's probably not worth it.

18:30-20:00 State Theory - Hopefully this class will be alright. I wasn't planning on taking two government classes since I can only transfer back a total of two for my major, but since I have to commute I'm going to see if I could count both of this semester's classes and not have to go all the way out there next semester.

20:00-21:30 International Organizations - This professor is supposed to be really good, and I hope he is because this class makes my class day stretch out over 13 hours, not including transportation time. And it makes me late for dinner. And I'm kind of scared of being at Somosaguas so late.

The schedule is not ideal, since the days are so incredibly long and there is the awkward four hour break betweeen the main Complutense campus and Somosaguas. My guess is that I'll end up bringing the laptop along. It's also somewhat disheartening that the classes I'm most excited about are the electives rather than those I'm taking for my major. Ultimately, however, I think that the classes I take will play a rather small role in my study abroad experience.

Tomorrow, look forward to a dissection of the Vice Presidential Debate. Can you hear me chomping at the bit?

Viaje a Galicia

This weekend we went to Galicia, the seafood-rich region of Spain to the north of Portugal. Galicia is one of the autonomous regions of Spain with its own language, gallego, which is a mix of castellano and Portuguese, pronounced in a funny accent. The area also has a lot of Celtic influence.

We left Friday night, and it was my first overnight train experience. We had two tiny cabins of four bunks. When we were all in our cabin it was very crowded. I was worried I wouldn't get any sleep, but I had a lot of wine in the cafeteria car, so that problem resolved itself. We met a cute couple of newlyweds from New York who were backpacking through Europe for their honeymoon. The program director also informed me at this time that she is looking for a boyfriend for me...

When we were awakened by a rapping on the cabin door, we were thrown out into the cold morning in Santiago de Compostela, our base for the trip. Our hotel rooms were not ready so we had a nice breakfast (can one ever have too many cafés con leche? I think not) and went for a stroll. Santiago somehow is "St. James." The cathedral is exquisite and I remember learning about it in Page's class. Santiago de Compostela is a major pilgrimage site, even today, the third most significant in the Catholic world behind Jerusalem and the Vatican. I ducked into mass for a few minutes but the cathedral was overcrowded.

In the afternoon, we went on a tour that climbed up on the roof of the cathedral, which was incredible...I wasn't even scared. We then went to the Museum of the Gallegan People, or Museo do Pobo Galego. We shared tapas for dinner.

Sunday we had a chartered bus. Our first stop was Padrón, home of pimientos de Padrón, a common tapas dish in Spain. We went to the museum-house of Rosalia de Castro, the most significant Gallegan author who of course none of us had ever heard of, although now I notice her name everywhere. We then went to a mercadillo, where we strolled and bought little things and ate churros and fresh pulpo (octopus).

Our next stop was O'Grove, where we went on a boat ride of the fjords (I had no idea Spain had fjords...). Our group had the boat to ourselves, which was really nice. We had all the mejillones (mussels) we could eat (out of the water only three hours) as well as all of the ribeiro (Gallegan white wine) and shots of homeade alcohol we could drink, so we were all very happy by the end of the ride. I fed a mussel to a seagull, and its talons or whatnot were so sharp that it cut my finger when it grabbed the food.

We then decided to walk in the oppressively hot midday sun to La Toja, an exclusive resort island, so we could see the chapel covered in shells we had seen from the boat.

After that walk, we went to Combarro, where we had lunch and explored the town in search of the brujas.

Back in Santiago, we had Thai food for dinner.

The next morning we checked out, planning to leave our bags in lockers at the train station so we could take a local train to La Coruña. Problem: the lockers were removed from the train station after the 11-M attacks. Ryan, Edmundo, and I had to take a taxi to carry everyone's luggage back to the hotel. Fun times.

La Coruña has a San Francisco-like vibe, as it is on the coast and has streetcars. Our first stop was the Tower of Hercules, a lighthouse. We then took the streetcar to the center of town and had tapas for lunch (everyone should be proud of me because I am so far from being the pickiest eater on the trip that it's ridiculous). La Coruña is the home of the first Zara store.

In the afternoon we walked to the beach and then went to the aquarium before heading back to the train station. When I got back from Madrid on Tuesday morning I was so worn out (and I think someone gave me their cold or something which is no fun). Classes start tomorrow but I'm planning a Monday-Tuesday schedule, so I've got the week off.

I've been in Madrid almost three weeks, but I feel like I've hardly gotten to know it, especially since we've gone on trips to other very different parts of Spain the past two weekends. I'm looking forward to spending some time here and getting to know more Spaniards.

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the background:
View from the roof of the cathedral:
Pulpo:
View of the sea from Combarro: They change this landscape daily in La Coru~na (note the gallego):