Las clases

Last night some of the madres in our apartment building took their foreign exchange students to the Renaissance Festival! We had so much fun walking around, getting to know one another, and seeing what special events are like in Spain. The calles (streets) were super crowded and there were a lot of things going on. Because there were many stands set up with food and other things to sell, it reminded me of a farmers market in the U.S. more than a Renaissance Festival. There were some (not many) people in costumes including a comedian (I think like a gesture), a person running a small manual ferris wheel, a group with owls, and some other things. It was fun making our way through the city and seeing what Alicante has to offer!Some of us walked around the marina, and after a total of FOUR hours of walking, we returned home around 10 for cena (supper). For supper Rachel and I experienced eating ham (very salty and dry... but delicious!) with MELON! It was absolutely wonderful! We also had tuna and tomato in a boiled egg (it looked kind of like a deviled egg).

This morning I woke up at 6:15 to leave for class. Surprise: I was running a little behind! My hermana (sister) Rachel decided to wake up early as well even though she didn't have class until much later. Being the sweetheart that she is, she made me some coffee and pan tostada (hard bread, like toast) and Nutella! I met up with a few other girls, and we took the bus to class. I have class every weekday for three hours, starting at 8 a.m., so I have to leave the house by seven. :O My profesora is a lot of fun and very easy to understand. I think I will need to drink more coffee tomorrow because three hours in the morning is really long. After class, I spent a few hours with some other girls in the program: two from Georgia and one from NYC. We had a really incredible chat (in English...) during lunch to get to know one another better. We talked about our religions, and it was really interesting because we had a non-practicing Jew, a Methodist, a Baptist, and a Lutheran, all with different views!

After a little more time at the universidad, we took the bus ride back to our apartments and headed straight for la playa (the beach)! It is SO beautiful, especially the view of the castle on top of the mountain. Unfortunately, the sky started clouding up as soon as we got there! Oh well! We laid out and chatted, and it was great!

Luego (later) we returned to our homes and relaxed for a little while until la cena. We had fish and green beans drenched in olive oil with a little vinegar. Rachel and I then met up with Olivia and Haley to go out. I got a chocolate drink and walked around the city with them. Everything is really laid back here, and I felt completely safe!

Well, I better go to bed... it is1:45 and I have to get up at 6:10 for class! Tomorrow we tour el castillo (the castle). Hasta luego!