I thought I left the cold back in Minnesota

Sadly enough, there are midterms in Spain. Thankfully though, they aren’t to the extreme that I’ve found them to be in Minnesota. Also,  it’s only one week here, while at the UMN tests can go on for weeks - which is why many students tend to refer to “midterm season.” 

Like I said, my midterms aren’t bad, just a couple of exams and a couple of twenty-minute presentations. Easy enough once I got through them. But having midterms this week meant no traveling this past weekend and instead focusing on school work for a change. 

Friday night I went to a bar with my friends and then Saturday we went to the zoo. I was surprised to find myself as excited as the little kids there: I, too, shouted “penguins!” and practically ran to look. I wonder if parents get that excited to go to the zoo or if it’s just the fact that I am still not quite twenty that I got excited. I will say that I think everyone present was impressed with the dolphin show (how do they train them to do flips in the air??). 

The funny thing was that the zoo had two raccoons on display: Two “North American” raccoons, which we thought was a little odd but also funny considering how often they’re “on display”  in Waseca. 

After the zoo, we went and studied at McDonald’s, which looking back does seem a little weird, but there are no good public places to study here. There is one library, but it’s a number of Metro public transit stops away. Our “college” here consists of only one building which has regular building hours. So no going to a school library or building on campus to study. McDonald’s was okay considering it has pretty strong wifi compared to other unreliable places such as Starbucks or cafes and such.

After the chill night Saturday spent studying, we went to the large, bustling Rastro (flea market) on Sunday. It spans streets and blocks and is fun to walk around in. I bought two rings and called it a day, which of course led to more studying. 

After a simultaneously chill and stressful weekend, and getting done with my midterms, I am looking for a relaxing couple of days before our class takes a three-day trip to Valencia, Spain next week.

My host mom is so cute. Every time we talk about Valencia, she lights up and starts singing the Valencia song. I hadn't known the city had a song, but trust me, I know now! My host mother has also made sure I know it’s a good song; she also tells me I’m going to enjoy the Valencian music that will be played in the street. I don’t know if she’s going to be right or not but I am very excited to go. 

I will say though, that the weather has been quite cold here lately. We’ve been averaging 30 degrees some days and I don’t appreciate it. I came to Spain to be warm, not to feel like I’m still in Minnesota!! Although I am glad that I didn’t have to deal with that big cold and snow storm. 

My Determination: “To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” ― Marilyn vos Savant