Finally!! Uni has started...that's the main one. I turned up last week because I'd read that classes started on the 14th September. And I was right...about the chemistry ones. Mine didn't start until this week.
So I turned up on Monday morning at 8:30 and...the professor didn't show. Neither did many students but I figured that they were not bothering with the first class. They all seem to take several days to get into anything meaty.
It turned out that all first year students have some kind of presentation to attend their first day and as this was a first year class it was cancelled. Hmph. Tuesday morning we spent an hour going through the course description. I can read!!! Classes are at 8:30 on a Tuesday morning! You don't need to tell me too! In fact, I'm more likely to understand written instructions.
So it wasn't until Wednesday morning that I FINALLY learnt some Arabic. We did the first four letters of the alphabet, and they have different positions depending on their position in the word. So that's sixteen new symbols. It's not that bad actually. The reason for all the pretty lines is that Arabic is a cursive script, and in order to make it look good if a letter is at the end of the word it's 'finished off' nicely...and so on. To make things a little more complicated though is some letters don't 'join up' so not every word is a continuous line. It is really interesting though! And my flatmate's boyfriend is from Syria, he can help if I get stuck.
My next class is the History of the English Language. It is a fourth year course, taught in english (yay) and rather than being history, it's lingustics. Not having studied linguistics before I don't really have any advantage. Still. Did you know that english is descended from *ProtoGermanic in the same way that french/spanish etc are descended from Latin? And that both *ProtoGermanic and Latin are descended from *IndoEuropean? The * means that it is a reconstructed language, ie the only resources we have are written texts, there is no way to know how it sounded.
And lastly, but not leastly, Italian!! I was a little worried when the professor walked into our first class and hardly spoke a word in spanish the whole hour but to be honest it wasn't that bad. We didn't learn much, just went through the course description again (which is entirely in Italian - thanks), and the next day we did some basic geography. IE fill in the blanks on a map with what the teacher tells you to put there. Next week we're required to turn up with a textbook (I'll buy it tomorrow) so hopefully we'll get stuck into it.
There are lots of international students in my classes. Arabic there is Johana, french, and Kristin, german. English history there are two Lithuanian girls, and Italian three more french girls, one of whom is called Julie. I don't remember the other two names. Also in italian is a spanish girl called Aldara, who has bright orange (dyed!) hair. She's very interesting..very friendly too! So...
Also, I have finished term one of my scrapbook, found a new favourite band, done lots of guitar playing, written a couple of songs (yay), covered a wall of my room with postcards...and updated facebook way too much. Oh, and today I put my name down for badminton.
Write me something!!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Around and About
Well, I'm still in Ciudad Real, surprise surprise. I have got my scrapbook going, my guitar un-cased, and my blog to update, and all I've done the past couple of days is read. The library is so close, just across the park, and it's air-conditioned, so I've spent a lot of time there. I've been re-reading the Hobbit/LOTR, and just started the final book today. It's been sooo hot!
I cooked an NZ dinner for my flatmate and some friends on sunday. I wasn't too sure of the pavlova so I made a mini-one Saturday, which actually worked out quite well, and the one for Sunday was just gorgeous! I am a Pavlova Queen. Despite the fact that I had to make them by hand, as we don't have a food processor. It was very tiring. Tip for anyone who wants an arm workout: make a pav!
I also made way too much cold potato salad, we're still eating the rest of it, but it is very good so I don't mind. Tomatoes and pesto were a hit, and macaroni cheese went down well. But the most-liked part was BBQ'd sausages with bread and butter and onion. I enjoyed eating them again too!
They seemed very impressed that I'd cooked it all myself, although it wasn't that much work, and one of the comments when they left was 'now you're ready for marriage'. Ha! Ha! I think the days where cooking was a pre-requisite for marriage are long gone! It was nice of them to 'compliment' me though. Lol.
Yesterday I went to the Extranjeria, Immigration essentially, to renew my residency card (it's only valid until the end of september). I had an appointment but I still had to wait an extra half an hour even though it was right at the start of the day, although I suppose it could have been worse. I have grown to detest the waiting corridor though, it is a horrible place and it must be so much worse if you are wondering whether you're going to be kicked out of the country you've made your home in. I feel sorry for migrants everywhere.
After I left I sat by a fountain and read my book for a while, and some lady came and sat next to me, and started talking to the sparrows. Then she pulled a tame one out from under her shirt and chattered at it nonstop, while she threw a few breadcrumbs to the wild ones. It was very strange and a little un-nerving. I can usually read through just about anything but this was hard to ignore so I got up and left. There's one in every village!
That's pretty much it. I am kinda bored and I can't wait til uni starts, but I've got a few things to do I guess. But now it's dinner time! We tend to eat together and both of my flatmates are good cooks, one even works as a chef, so I haven't had to do much (except for sunday). I try to wash the dishes though!
See you :)
I cooked an NZ dinner for my flatmate and some friends on sunday. I wasn't too sure of the pavlova so I made a mini-one Saturday, which actually worked out quite well, and the one for Sunday was just gorgeous! I am a Pavlova Queen. Despite the fact that I had to make them by hand, as we don't have a food processor. It was very tiring. Tip for anyone who wants an arm workout: make a pav!
I also made way too much cold potato salad, we're still eating the rest of it, but it is very good so I don't mind. Tomatoes and pesto were a hit, and macaroni cheese went down well. But the most-liked part was BBQ'd sausages with bread and butter and onion. I enjoyed eating them again too!
They seemed very impressed that I'd cooked it all myself, although it wasn't that much work, and one of the comments when they left was 'now you're ready for marriage'. Ha! Ha! I think the days where cooking was a pre-requisite for marriage are long gone! It was nice of them to 'compliment' me though. Lol.
Yesterday I went to the Extranjeria, Immigration essentially, to renew my residency card (it's only valid until the end of september). I had an appointment but I still had to wait an extra half an hour even though it was right at the start of the day, although I suppose it could have been worse. I have grown to detest the waiting corridor though, it is a horrible place and it must be so much worse if you are wondering whether you're going to be kicked out of the country you've made your home in. I feel sorry for migrants everywhere.
After I left I sat by a fountain and read my book for a while, and some lady came and sat next to me, and started talking to the sparrows. Then she pulled a tame one out from under her shirt and chattered at it nonstop, while she threw a few breadcrumbs to the wild ones. It was very strange and a little un-nerving. I can usually read through just about anything but this was hard to ignore so I got up and left. There's one in every village!
That's pretty much it. I am kinda bored and I can't wait til uni starts, but I've got a few things to do I guess. But now it's dinner time! We tend to eat together and both of my flatmates are good cooks, one even works as a chef, so I haven't had to do much (except for sunday). I try to wash the dishes though!
See you :)
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