1.10.2012

Hola amigos!
I have tried to create three different posts and each time my internet connection has gone out before I had an opportunity to publish it. This is an attempt (but probably a failure) to recount the last 5 or six days in Spain.
The last few days have been exciting but seem like a whirlwind of activity. The group and I spent two days in Madrid, spending yesterday touring the famous Museo del Prado, an art museum filled with many wonderful paintings and sculptures. Later we toured the city on foot to see many famous landmarks around the city including the Plaza Mayor and the royal palace. Unfortunately, the many sites (including the palace) were closed because here in Spain the celebrate the Day of the Three Wise Men. Madrid was nice but something about the city made me eager to leave and visit Toledo. On January 7th we arrived in Toledo and this city is no disappointment. We saw San Juan de los Reyes, a monastery built under the commission of Isabel de Castilla and Fernando II de Aragón. We also got to see a famous painting called "The burial of the Count of Orgaz". It is located in a nearby church and it was painted by a famous artist known as "El Greco". His name is really long and hard to spell, therefore I´m not going to put it in here, but if you´re interested in learning more about him, I would reccomend using a wonderful little tool I like to refer to as Wikipedia. Toledo is well known for its sword making so naturally, I had to buy a dagger while I was there. I fought the urge to buy an actual sword, but ultimately, I didn´t want to have to try to get that thing through US customs. Toledo was so beatiful and had a very tranquil atmosphere.
January 8th we arrived in Granada and finally ended what seemed like an eternity of travel. My roommate Chris and I got to meet our host mom, although a little later than everyone else due to car trouble. We ended up walking to her apartment with all of our luggage but got there without too much trouble. The apartment is small for five people, but it is nice. Sara, my host mom showed us around the city for a little while that night all the while talking about herself and about the wonderful city in which she lives. Yesterday we had to take entrance exams into the University of Granada. The test was pretty difficult considering that there wasn´t much preparation for the exam. Thankfully, I did get into the level I needed in order to get into my program by the end of the month of intensive language classes. Last night, the ISA directors took us to see a flamenco show. The musicians were awesome and the dancers were very talented. It was cool to something that is rich in Spanish culture. Today was my first day of class. I have class from 9am-1pm Monday through Friday with the rest of the afternoon as free time. Overall, class today wasn´t too hard so I´m hoping that a good balance remains between being challenging and managable. That´s all I have for now guys. I will try to update again soon. Much love!

Jameson