Word of the day: el crepúsculo, which means twilight. Before I had even started to learn Spanish, Carrie taught me the most basic words and phrases, and for a long time, my favorite word was igualmente, which means likewise in English. Unfortunately no one seems to actually use it in the context that we learned it in the US, which was "Hi! Nice to meet you!" "Likewise!" Here in Spain, they almost exclusively say encantada, which means delighted. Now, I think crepúsculo might be my new favorite.
When I got back from Barcelona (stories and photos to come soon!), we had three small goldfish instead of two slightly larger ones... Apparently, my host mom was changing their water and accidentally had the faucet (el grifo... luckily, I had just looked up this word a few days ago) on hot, and suddenly she had two dead fish! Oops!
I've discovered that my motivation to study is a bit less here than it's been for the last two years... I miss my study group! Fortunately, I don't have nearly as much homework; an hour a night is average or perhaps a bit higher. I don't have a problem with this at all since so much of my day is time I'm spending learning. Today, for example, I had a long conversation with my host dad about guns here versus in the US. The main points I took away were that 1) being able to have a gun isn't a "right" in Spain; 2) concealed permit weapons don't exist here; and 3) (my host dad is of the opinion that) if the laws were changed and suddenly it were as easy to get a gun in Spain as it is in the US, the country would be a disaster. Yay human nature.
I've taken some pictures of my house (which I should really call a flat, I think) so you can see where I live:
A sunset out the kitchen window over the neighborhood
Kitchen table (can be pulled out from the wall) and the laundry room
Kitchen (with old goldfish)
Bathroom that I share with my sisters
Sisters' room (this is "messy" since there are a few clothing items on the beds...)
Extra bedroom/study
Living/family room, with dining room table in the background
Entry way, with my back to my room, hall to parents' room to the right, and family room to the left
My room. I currently sleep in the bed on the right, although now that the heat has been turned on in the building (!!!!!), I might switch at some point to not be quite so close to the radiator.
The other half of my room....The closet which is open is mine... The golf trophies, figurines from traveling, and books in Spanish are not!
Of course I look forward to going to my real home at the end of the program, but it's been easy to get used to living here... I have my own space which is very comfortable, and I'm welcome to be anywhere in the house and participate in whatever is going on. Not too shabby.
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