Trujillo, Mass, and more

Greetings again, followers of my foreign blog!
I write this entry from the central library of the university campus, so the keyboard is Spanish: it´s actually not as different as I thought it might be, but there are a few extra letters and punctuation is in a different place. It´s been a week since I´ve blogged, and it feels like a month. I learn so much with every new thing I do! For example, I´m a pro at sending postcards and letters via the local post office now, so don´t be surprised if one shows up in the mail for you! As usual, picking out the highlights to share with you all isn´t easy...
This weekend was a long one, considering I don´t have class Thursday afternoon until Monday morning. The Iowa group tried to meet up with a group of Spaniards Thursday night to go out, but we got separated and never caught up again, so I was bummed that I just ended up speaking English all evening again. I do enjoy hanging out in the town in the evenings though, because the weather is so pleasant, and that´s when the people really get together. I tried "cerveza sin alcohol" (beer without alcohol) which was bubbly, slightly bitter and basically pointless. Ah well. We did learn that one bar holds free salsa lessons on Thursday nights starting in October, so I am very excited about that!

Saturday morning, 5 girls and I found the bus station and bought tickets to Trujillo, a small town about 45 minutes away. Only 3,19 Euros one way, so it was definitely worth it! First thing to do in an unfamiliar town is to find a map, which we did. Then we explored the quaint old streets, shops and enjoyed the views, taking pictures, not ambitious to accomplish much. We did tour the Museum of Wine and Cheese, something for which Trujillo is famous, complete with a tasting at the end (red wine not so great, various cheeses quite good, I thought. A goat cheese was our favorite). It´s also famous as the birthplace of Pizarro, a conquistador. We ate the lunches our host mothers had packed for us (my bocadillo, or sandwich, was a baguette with ham and an egg omelette on it) and caught the bus back. I felt proud that we had figured out the bus system without problems, and gone on a sort of "practice trip" that we enjoyed.

On Sunday Autumn and I walked to the university to figure out a good route in case we ever want to walk. Later that day I walked for a good hour by myself, just to see more of Caceres, needing a little time alone. (I´ve also been running a few days a week in a nearby park, which is quite necessary, considering how my host mother cooks!) That evening, my host mother and I went to Catholic mass at one of the local churches. Isabel got very dressed up, and I liked going out with her. (She does a lot of sewing, and is quite interested in fashion, actually, so she´ll point out things she likes in the shop windows as we pass.) No matter that I didn´t understand the service at all, besides crossing yourself and "Nuestra Señor" (Our Lord). It was a fine experience.

Now for our second week of school, more normal than the first. This evening I also start giving English conversation lessons to the kids of one of the professors, so I´m nervous about that! I finally have my first homework assignment, about Spanish poetry.
As usual, check out the link to my Facebook album of photos (the link is in an older post). I´ve got to get to class now. Take care, and ¡´Ta Luego! (how Hasta Luego is pronounced here)
*Ellen*