Málaga

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March 11th 2008

Published: March 11th 2008

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jjbstallion

Málaga

Here is a view of the city from the top of the Alcazaba

Hola Todos!

Here is the beautiful city of Málaga! I have spent a little more than a month in Spain, and have been learning a lot about Spanish culture and language. However, speaking is still very difficult. It is tough to open yourself up to speak, when you have to think about how to formulate the sentence in Spanish. Each day is a little easier, but there is something new to learn everyday, so it feels like you are just spinning your wheels. I know that with more practice it will get easier.

University classes have been underway for a couple of weeks now, and they are not too difficult, yet. The have not really received any work from my classes however, and I guess there really is no work to be done. The most work I do is trying to translate, write, and listen all at the same time so I can take notes. The majority of your grade (70-80%!)(MISSING) comes from the final exam. The remain percentage comes from small assignments in the class. The University is very old and there are a lot of students here. Not the most beautiful thing to look at, so that is

Plaza de los Toros

The bull fighting ring in Málaga. I have tickets for Easter Sunday!

why there are no pictures, but it gets the job done.

My host family is very nice. Francisco prepares me dinner everynight. Usually it is something that can be thrown in the microwave, like a tortilla con patatas or a little pizza, but he always makes a salad too. Everything is different over here though, everything. Salads have different ingredients, still very delicious, and everything is drenched in olive oil. Occasionally, I get a nice soup with some fish and garbanzo beans in it, also very delicious. We have conversations about differences between the U.S. and Spain, school, and some other things. His friends are very nice too, we recently had lunch together. However, I did not understand too much. Yacir (his nephew) is also very nice. He likes a lot of classic rock music (Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin) and we have conversations about the lyrics. He has learned some english in his classes, so he is my quick reference when I do not know a word. My house is different from other houses, though. I feel like sort of like a hotel guest here. Francisco will not go above and beyond what he is expected to do. I

Málaga2

Again, Málaga

have to pay to get my laundry done by him, and he will only prepare the required 2 meals each day. There are other families in the program that make students feel like they are a part of the family, will do their laundry, and open their houses up completely. Francisco is a unique individual, and his house is very well kept, so I have had to adjust my normal lifestyle to fit his. Overall, I am happy and cannot complain too much.

This is just a quick update on what I have been up to so enjoy! In this blog there are plenty of pictures of Málaga, but I have a big trip coming up across Spain, so be prepared for some more pics soon.

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