It's with a C.

Tomorrow lent starts and I haven't slept; I drank coffee, pepsi, and tea today to keep me awake for classes- and all I have eaten was some chocolate this morning, and a friekin donut on the way to Catalan. Run-on sentence rants are so much fun! Lent is going to clean me in and out, seguramente. Gasty and I are both giving up sweets/soda/fast food/alcohol, but my extra sacrifice is to refrain from playing any form of internet games... his sacrifice is coffee. This is going to be a long, long 40 days... but I am looking forward to them- I am happy to do this..

PS RANDOM:I got the same Catalan teacher as last semester, she's so cool- I am pretty happy about this.

Good night all,

and happy fasting.

Catrina

Hola,

Today I was the first day of class... I would have been on time to the first one but the train stopped at Alfons X (pronounced AL-PHONES DAY-UW) for almost 10 minutes, then at Joanic (pronounced JEW-AN-EEK) for 5 minutes, and by the time I got to Passeig de Gracia, walked a block and a half down Gran Via, and got to the room, I was 15 minutes late. The class was amazing though, I really like this guy. The second class is no joke, there are 3 additional books, a 15 page paper, a packet of poetry readings, and 2 exams, plus you have to participate and cannot miss class. The guys personality was overly flamboyant as well, so I dropped the class ( since it's an elective I would rather take something I actually like...) Then the ESL class apparently starts next week. The class I added is a history of Catalonia class ( I figure I could use some more Spanish history, since I rarely attended my history class last semester)... which also starts next week, and I'm trying to figure out if I am going to add Catalan. Right now I have to e-mail my advisor, and call UIUC financial aid, before I fall asleep. I bought some yummy candle/ incense stuff today.. and some henna- I also managed to find tacs, so I can tac up a sheet over my exposed window.

Here are some pics of my henna- I outlined it with orange marker to make it pop.
Peace,
Cat

I literally ate a loaf of bread. ugh, that's what i get for not eating dinner. I'm going to upload some pictures from Tarragona to my photo blog now.
peace

Today i registered for second semester... well actually I still need to register for my Catalan II class, which is at a separate building, but assuming it is not full (which I doubt it is), here is my schedule:

Mon+Weds

11:30am-1pm
SPAN399
Contemporary Spanish Art
(Picasso, Dalí, Miró)

1pm-2:30pm
SPAN399
Contemporary Spanish Film

6pm-7:30pm
SPAN399
Teaching English as a Second Language
(This class is taught in English)


Tues+Thurs

3-4:30pm
SPAN305
Advanced Spanish Structures
(This is supposedly a composition/grammar type of class, I decided to take this to keep my writing skills fresh as well as my communication skills)

7-9pm
CAT402
Catalan II

I am thinking about adding one more elective, that way when I get back to Champaign I may be able to fit my minor in one semester... either way, minor or no minor, I can graduate Fall 2010 and save myself a semester of tuiton.

I am super excited to start class again, right now I am bored out of my mind!
-Cat

My final final exam is in about 15 hours. I have 2 things due other than taking the exam itself... and right now I am working on the "Casa de Bernarda Alba" essay. Everyone made such a big deal about it.. but it's only 70 pages of reading (plus it's a play so it's a great deal shorter in actuality).. and there is only one page of questions to consider when writing the essay. I am not worried. The other assignment is to answer 5 questions in our poetry packet (which will help me prepare for the Lit final anyway). What else... I have to go to the Sants building tomorrow morning and get my certificado so I can get credit for my Catalan class... and then I am going to try and register for next semester (I confess, I forgot to set up a meeting with the advisor, so hopefully he'll be available early tomorrow).

Today I had my history final, and went to sleep at noon, and woke up a few hours ago. Therefore, I have tranformed into a nocturnal creature yet again.

Also, I am moving Friday to the Guinardó area (by the Hospital Sant Pau)... from the ocean to the mountain. The price is 350 total for Gaston and myself including the gas and electricity and water bills, as well as internet. With a moto, getting around is a piece of cake, also the roomies are totally chill, and Spanish is the common language so I will get plenty more practice. I hung out with them the other night.. I feel a lot more comfortable with this crowd ( 2 Paraguayan cousins, plus one Romanian boyfriend ).

I can't wait to move out of this shit-hole in Barceloneta. I hate the men, I can't even walk a block without being harassed. Also- my roommate is the most awkward human I have ever met. There's no kitchen table, and unless I want to sit next to him with his feet up on the living room table, on the tiny ikea couch, I eat every day in my room. I have had ENOUGH!!! I had to replace the toilet seat, kitchen towels and sponges, shower curtain.. he doesn't do shit. He leaves his laundry out for weeks, so I can never do laundry, and I'm confined to this room. He peaked into my room twice without knocking... so I had to install a lock- NOT to mention he NEVER puts the toilet seat down. Now I have been quite patient, I realize that he, being from Delhi, India there is a big culture gap, but I am sick and tired of this tiny, shitty apartment, and he doesn't help matters.

OK now that I got that off my chest- Here's some exciting news:

Instead of taking a short, expensive trip to Greece this summer, I have decided that I would rather spend the money on a 2 week vacation to Costa Rica again. That way Gaston can get his waves, and I can get some peace and quiet ( I am getting rather sick of Europeans).

Hopefully Jimmy and Joy will come, I think it will be a blast. I want to take a separate trip to Greece, hopefully with Aunt Vikki in the future, or with my cousins... with someone who knows what to do and see, and how to avoid tourist traps.

That's all for now. I'm counting down the days till Gaston gets here.. 56 including today!!! YAYYYYYY
-Catrina

The car was switching lanes to my left, but then the driver decided to switch back without signaling. I realized this and put my left foot off the vespa to kick the side of her car while honking. I made a sharp right and got the fuck out of there. Stupid bitch.

Let me start by saying Gaston and I had a blast in Duluth and Chicago over break, and things couldn't be better (well actually they will be, when he moves here in 2 months). A ghost from my past proved to be the same old ghost over Christmas break... some people never change (and those are the people that don't want to). What else... I put 75km on my vespa yesterday.. drove around all over Barcelona (even went into the mountains twice). I have finals starting tomorrow... and then some time off, however I still have to register for classes, and visit possible apartments, because this one sucks, and I am over-paying. Not to mention my flat-mate is super awkward and I can't stand to be in the same room with him.



I can't wait 'till Gaston gets here, I miss him so much. After 4 years, I still get butterflies thinking about him. He is my best friend in the world; the person dearest to me. Without his light, I would be lost.

5:11am sunday. time to sleep
ciao