Midterms...

So I just finished my first experience with foreign midterm exams week. Let´s just say it wasn´t too intense...I had 5 tests in 4 days and probably studied less than I would for 2 tests back home. Yikes. So, they all seemed to go pretty well considering. However, then I got back my grammar test today...not as good as I thought, way bad actually. So I now know that I have to study lots for that final. Good thing the midterm is only worth 30% in that class, cuz otherwise I´d be hurtin´. I´ve learned that it´s really hard to be motivated here though, not because I don´t find my classes interesting or even becuase my grades don´t transfer...I don´t know what it is...but it´s weird because I´m pretty sure I´ve learned way more this semester than any other in my college career. Traveling is so informational! So enough boring stuff...

I´m leaving tomorrow morning at 9am to go on a road trip along the east coast of Spain with 4 other girls!!! I´m so excited! We did all our grocery shopping, hoping to save lots by eating pb and j and making meals in our little apartment in Barcelona! We only booked a place in Barcelona, everything else is just an adventure! I kinda like the idea of being unorganized and just going...I think we´ll end up having some pretty amazing times! Tomorrow looked like the only nice day according to weather.com, so we´re heading straight for the beach first thing! Then it´s gonna be rainy and cloudy the rest of break, BOO! I hope that it´s not raining when we get back so that the Semana Santa processions will still happen, I really wanna see a couple of them!

Kind of a random entry, but I was bored...it´s cold here in Granada, so it´s been kind of a lazy week, studying for midterms, sleeping, and playing solitaire has pretty much been my life!

Oh, let´s talk about my family and living sitch a bit, eh?! So, I love my family...they are great! It´s better everyday, we´re able to communicate a bit better, and now we´re laughing and joking a bit, always comforting! My host dad, Jaime, is a goofy guy...love him! He works at the farm, and is pretty much always there, but is home occasionally for meals and a couple nights. We love it when he´s home, the meals just always seem to be more fun! We think he might be kind of a lazy guy...he doesn´t seem to do much, and like most men in Spain, he "lets" his wife do absolutely everything for him, including dishing his food and clearing his plate. I guess that´s a part of their culture that has taken some adjusting to...it´s a miracle when he brings his plate to the kitchen and puts it in the dishwasher! Anyway, he talks really slow and quitely with a thick accent, and he´s always smiling! He´s pretty great. My host mom, María, is a sweetheart...she usually has 6 international girls in her house at a time...all year except August! She´s constantly cooking and pretty much only stops when she has migraines. She is on a diet, but is so funny and sneaks food and chocolate! She´s a good cook, it´s hard cuz I don´t have much to compare it to here, but everything is very edible! Definately some recipes I´ll be bringing home to attempt:) My host sisters are pretty nice too. The younger of the two, Elena, is a sweeheart, she´s always smiley, and whenever we ask her a question she´s always really helpful. The older one took a while to warm up to, Mar, but now I think she´s nice too, she just isn´t the warm fuzzy type of nice! Then there´s Bambi, the family cat, weirdest animal of my life! This cat is more like a dog, always wants to play. I´ve grown kind of fond of him though, which is weird, cuz I´m not a cat person, but he likes me a lot, so I think he´s a cutie, but I´m afraid of his claws! He´s nuts, constantly darting around, and clawing at you, but then the next minute he´ll jump up and curl up for a nap on my lap!

Now that I´ve rambled about nothing...I´m gonna talk to the fam on Skype and then get some rest for my trip!!! Hope all is well!