La Universidad de Navarra

 (I took this picture on the walk to school ... it was a view from the edge of campus)

La Universidad de Navarra (The University of Navarra) is the school that I go to, and is bigger than the public school in Pamplona. It's run by Opus Dei and is the highest ranked private school in Spain! I've heard that it costs about 10,000 euros to attend, which is somewhere around $15,000 ... it's really expensive for here and many well-off students attend. I am officially taking Spanish Grammar, Conversation, Spanish Culture and Civilization, English-Spanish Translation, and 20th Century Literature through ILCE, a program within the school designed to help international students learn Spanish. All of my classes are completely in Spanish, and I start at 8:30 or 9:00 every day (I have to leave half an hour before in order to make it there on time, between the bus and walking the last part of the journey to my classes). I am done around 11:00 or 2:00 every day, depending on the day! Sometimes the professors let us out 15 minutes early, so a few of the classes only end up being about 45 minutes! I still haven't really had to do any homework, and when I do it shouldn't be too incredibly time-consuming ... it's such a nice break from the chaotic schedule that I left behind in the United States. Everything here is so much more laid back; I feel less stressed, am content, have lots of time to do things, and don't have a whole lot to do in my free time! It's going to be hard to jump back into my old routine at home. The campus is nice ... everything here is really green and on my walk to El Edificio Central, where my classes are, I pass a patch of blooming pansies! It was in the 50's yesterday and was absolutely amazing.

Here's how today went, and isn't too far off from my other days so far:
Got up at 7:00 a.m.
Ate breakfast downstairs at 7:45
Left for the bus at 8:00
Got to class at 8:30
Finished class at about 10:45
Went to La Morea, a big mall, with Kristen Frank (a Cobber!) on the bus (we had to walk through an industrial park at the end to get there since we took the wrong bus!)
Got home around 3 just in time for lunch
Went upstairs around 4
Checked email and did other random things for awhile
Went to the plaza near my house with Kristen to make some copies at a shop and to buy some snacks
Took a nap
Internet again
Dinner at about 9:30
Blog
Bed around midnight (after this!)

Easy, nice day :)

Overall, I'm content here. I know where things are now, how to get myself around, more or less what to expect... and Spanish is getting easier every day! When I listen to the radio or watch Spanish television, I can usually pick up most of what is being broad-casted... and yesterday I was talking to Maria, a Spanish student that I met at the University, and at one point she said a word in English and proceeded to speak in Spanish. For a moment, I honestly couldn't remember if we were speaking in English or Spanish... it's really neat to be at the point, in a foreign country, where it starts to feel familiar and maybe even like home.

My suitcase finally arrived on Monday!! After 13 days of surviving without any of my things, in a foreign country without my close family and friends, I now know that I can survive through basically anything with basically nothing.