Perdido en Las Pyrenees

(Tiles in Segovia, Spain)

More classes today!  I had Spanish, which was good.  We learned about tatuajes y piercings (tattoos and piercings), so I guess if I need to strike up a conversation with Julia about either of those topics, I will be covered. . .  

Then I wandered on over to the bookstore with a girl from my Spanish class to get the book we need for the class (the only book I need to buy this semester - a nice change from the $700 I spend on books at BC each semester).  I also bought these nifty plastic envelope things that people use here instead of binders (I really do love school supplies). 

My other purchase was "Los Cuentos de Beedle el Bardo" by J.K. Rowling.  Now I know this may normally be below my reading level, but seeing as it is in Spanish, it is really quite advanced.  Here's my strategy: first, finish reading "The Spy Went Dancing" in english.  Second, read "Los Cuentos de Beedle el Bardo" in spanish.  Third, read a more difficult book in spanish that I have already read in english (I'm thinking "Angels and Demons").  Fourth, well, I guess I should wait and see if I get past Beedle el Bardo. . . But I think it will be more productive for me to try and read in spanish than just watch TV in spanish, because I will remember the words better if I see them.  So that's the plan.

My second and last class of the day was Economics - I sat next to a girl named Lily from Singapore.  The actual professor was back today, and looks younger than I do, but he seems really nice.  Interesting story: he apologized for his appearance (shorts and a T-shirt) and said that he needed to feel comfortable in his clothes today because yesterday he was lost in the Pyrenees mountains and was ultimately rescued by a helicopter.  I'm not even making this up to make my life sound more interesting.  We were told he was at a economics conference, so I'm not sure how he managed to get lost in the Pyrenees, but he seemed pretty frazzled by the whole experience.

After class, the BC kids stayed to ask him if we could take the final early, as the test is scheduled for January 14th.  We were all pretty nervous about it, because other kids have been getting turned down left and right, (which means they will have to drive to BC on their test date, take the test under the administration of BC staff, and fax the test back to Spain.  Not only is this really inconvenient, but I know I would forget everything about a class I haven't taken for a month!) Luckily, he said we could take the final early, which is a huge relief.  He also said we could hand in our final papers early, as well, or take the extra time if we need it.  Yay for economics!

I have officially bought a roundtrip plane ticket to Lisbon, Portugal for the third weekend in October.  The ticket was only 47 euros and people seem to love Lisbon, so I jumped at the chance.  I e-mailed the info to a couple of friends, and I've started to hear back from them already, so it's shaping up to be a pretty good trip.

I have already finished my homework - 200 words about what we do if we were invisible for a day (mine involved reading the secret archives in D.C. and then sitting on the stage for a broadway performance of Wicked in NYC), so now I think I will attempt to read a page of "Beedle el Bardo."  I'll report back.