la semana pròxima

this week has been just as fun and interesting as last week. my classes i have discovered are not really that challenging as they would be if i were taking classes in athens, but i think that it is more of a holistic experience. yes, i am here to learn, but what i came here to do goes far beyond a classroom. i don´t see myself doing much book studying this semester, but that doesn't mean that i will not learn a lot. i am learning about the people and a culture that is very foreign to me. at the same time, i am integrating their habits into my daily routines. i am getting used to the eating hours here, too. the american are always the first to line up at the door at 8´oclock for dinner and then you can tell which student are latinamerican because they eat earlier too. but the spanish eat very late. eating here has been a small challenge since i dont eat meat. i always ask the lunch ladies for the vegetarian options and they tell me i need to sign up for that, but then when i ask them where i can do that, they cant tell me. so, everytime i am in line for food, its always a little frustrating. other than that, the food is alright. they eat a lot of patatas fritas which literally translates to jut french fries. they have patatas fritas for every meal except breakfast. that takes a little getting used to for me. on sunday we went to the beach. it was only a ten or fifteen minute ride on the metro. the beach is awesome because you can see the horizen of the city on one side and rolling mountains on the other side. this city seriously has everything you could ask for! we ate at this restaurant next to the beach, and it was the first meal that i had that wasnt at the dining hall. when we got in the restaurant the whole family and everyone that worked there was sitting down at the table. they ate different courses, drank wine, and talked a whole lot. after they finished, they got up to clean and go back to work. they work very hard but its nice to see a change of pace at eating time. fast food does not exist here because the take the time to relax and enjoy life for a second before they have to get back to this crazy world.