So another exciting week has past.
Like I predicted, Cuenca was absolutely amazing. It's only an hour away from Madrid and still, it is situated is the prettiest mountainous landscape. I have to admit I was terrified of going without actually knowing anyone but I got talking with some people very quickly.
Some of the students were new to Alcala, others are here for the whole year.
When we arrived at Cuenca, it was very clear that we had underestimated the weather. It was about 0°C and at the top of the village, it was snowing. You can imagine the faces of the few Brazilian students, it's heartwarming to see them in snowy conditions for the first time in their lives. Unfortunately, it was not feet-warming; we were so cold that we explored the city in fast-forward mode and went for the first hot chocolate in sight.
Cuenca was originally in Arabic hands so there are still a fair amount of "moor" aspects. The most famous part of Cuenca are the hanging houses ("casas colgadas") which are build on the side of a rock overlooking the canyon. A pretty, but scary sight to behold!
On Monday, my friend Pauline came into town. The first thing I did was take her to "El Burrito", a mexican restaurant in Alcala that has won over several of my visitors already. It is not a very Spanish thing to do, but Pauline is not new to Spanish culture so I felt it was permitted. The nachos they serve are incredible, we feasted on them like it was our last meal! The owner even treated us to a free shot of tequila, after which we went to bed which kind of defeated the purpose but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
The next day we went to the Xanadu shopping mall in Madrid. This place is honestly every girl's dream. I've been there several times now, and I discover new things every time! It takes about 90 minutes to get there from Alcala, but it's so worth it. With a food court like you've never seen one in Belgium (not hard, they don't even exist in Belgium), Pauline and I first went to Muerde La Pasta, a restaurant than seats over 300 people with a pasta buffet of about a 100 dishes. For 10 euros, you just fill up your plate and get sick from eating too much. But it's all SO delicious!!
The next day we went to Madrid centre to do some more shopping. In the evening we had another mouthwatering dinner at a Pizzeria in my street.
This week I also attended most of my new classes. One class in particular got me excited to come to Alcala in the first place: "Tradición y presencia hispana en los Estados Unidos" (its translation is evident). Since I want to become an interpreter in the United States, where the two most spoken languages are English and Spanish (which I study) I thought this course would be really interesting. Unfortunately it was full and I had to contact the teacher to try and add me to the class. When I went to the first class, there were only six of us, the second class, only four! This class was in no way complete, lucky me! A small group makes for interesting teacher-student interaction and discussions. It is much easier for me to memorize information when it's given to me in an interactive manner.
And the teacher's very passionate about his subject, which doesn't hurt :)
Another class is Juridical Translation, and I think this might be a challenge, but an exciting one!
However, I'm most excited for my extended Spanish course. With three nights a week, it will keep me busy and hopefully I can move on to a higher level of Spanish proficiency quickly.
Also, this weekend I'm going to Salamanca with ESN; I'm really trying to seize every opportunity I get. As such, I'm going to a salsa class this evening - shoot me now!