Classes update!!

I am really enjoying my classes.
1. Art History. I am learning so much. There are a whole lot of new words in Spanish all at once (boveda=dome, vidriera=stained glass, etc.) but my professor (Concha) is so great. She speaks so slowly and clearly and repeats everything, which must be painful for her, but I am following and learning a lot, both about art and history. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this class, and getting even more out of the Cathedral and Museo de Belles Artes when we go with the class. It took me all class today (well at least till the first paining) to realize that this random dude named “Miguel Angel” is simply Spanish for “Michelangelo.”

2. History of Flamenco. Really interesting, really fun. My professor is a young, fashionable woman named Pepa. She is also a dynamic teacher, and makes class really fun. Since it is a flamenco class, it hardly makes sense to simply sit in our seats. The first week we learned complicated clapping rhythms (palmas) and the proper hand formation. The next class we added some feet as well. The second week we started singing a little (score!), and yesterday we got up to practice our arm and hand movements. Pepa’s father is an accomplished flamenco singer, and it certainly is genetic. She sings things for us to demonstrate, and I realized that she’s really, really good. I have learned so much about the history of Spain in this class.

3. Tres Culturas. Again, interesting, learning a lot. This is definitely my most serious academic class. My professor is a young [attractive] man who has taught in the States as well. I know very little about European history or religion, and I am learning so much. The readings are interesting, and the class structure keeps it interesting. Kai’s in class with me, and we work together, which is nice.

I’m glad to finally have a semester where I am enjoying my classes and learning a lot. I am glad that I have all of my classes with CIEE, because they pick great professors.

But wait.

4. Comparative and Contrastive Syntax.
This class is incredible. A)My Spanish is improving soooo much. B)Every class involves uncontrollable laughter. It’s difficult to describe the point of the class. I think it should be mandatory for every second-language learner, since I am learning so much. I guess it just helps express ourselves in Spanish as we would like to in English? It’s hard to explain but it’s great.

The professor is so funny. Try to imagine a fifty-year-old man with a stylish haircut wearing super-stylish clothes. He comes in in his little distressed, faded, whiskered jeans and his layered shirts and sweaters; he could be a model. A model that does ridiculous things:
1. Every time someone messes up something obvious or annoying, he announces his desire to die. “La cosa mas buena...” “BOWL OF POISON.” “La proxima dia...” “TEN BULLETS. RIGHT HERE.” He started a new route this week. Someone messed up, and he calmly said, “Give me a sandwich of anthrax.” He’s been overusing the anthrax since, so hopefully he’s looking up some other dangerous substances for next week. At one point he said “Recuerda dos mil y dos” which no one seemed to hear except me. I remembered that 2002 was the year of anthrax. Oh, Antonio. Perhaps you have to be there, but it’s hilarious.

2. Whenever he’s saying something in English, he uses a thick British accent, which is just funny. He made Kai use it while reading aloud yesterday. He told us his three pet peeves in Spanish: “cumple” for cumpleanos, “profe” for professor, and “fin de” for “fin de semana.” Later that class, to practice the verb soler, Antonio asked me if I usually eat dinner with friends on the weekends. I responded, “Suelo cenar con amigos en el FIN DE,” to annoy him. He shook his head and said in the thickest British accent yet, “Sophia Crafts you are BAD!” I enjoyed this.

3. Antonio told Scott (classmate) to “call” a girl across the room to “make plans.” After they had adequately rehearsed quedarse, Scott was ready to hang up. However, Antonio told him to say something nice to the girl on the phone. He told her he looked forward to seeing her. Antonio wanted nicer. Scott wasn’t allowed to “hang up” until he told the girl across the room that her eyes were like the sunset.

4. Antonio chose this guy Andrew to be the singer of the class. He’ll sneak in as many song lyrics as possible to our homework, then make Andrew sing into the whiteboard eraser for every example. These always include grammar stuff we’re working on, but singing them in English is fine.

5. Antonio chose the same Andrew to call Elsa, from Clark, across the room to make plans. He asked if she was free that night, and per Antonio’s gestures, she said she wasn’t. Andrew persisted, and asked if she was free the following night. Antonio was frantically indicating for her to say no, so she did. Elsa turned Andrew down a third time, and Antonio loudly whispered to Andrew to “say something about anthrax.” Andrew angrily told Elsa to give him a sandwich of anthrax.

6. Occasionally, when we’re reading in English, he has us use a “Triana accent” (that of a Spanish speaker sounding out English). Also fun.

7. He makes the occasional English mistake, which are already endearing. He explained the grammatical difference between when someone is always [blank] verses temporarily acting [blank]. He pulled out the British accent and proclaimed, “Juan behaves like a stupid!” (British, so styoopid.) This was also a favorite.

Enough Antonio for now, hopefully you don’t have to be there, I promise there will be more about him.

Preview for next time: weekend in Malaga, Bullfight, stuff about Seville that I never wrote about.