Companeros de piso, los Bajos, Van Gogh

I spent Saturday morning lounging around a bit, something I really haven't had time for since I arrived here. It was nice to sleep in, catch up on my Badgers (I really miss watching them every Saturday afternoon), and writing a few emails, etc... I was happy to see that we are comfortably seated at #7 at the moment, and should stay there after our win yesterday. Longest winning streak in the nation, not too bad... Got to love PJ Hill. I'm jealous of all of you who get to watch them this fall. I had a cafe con leche with Emma down at el parque del oeste, very close to our apartment, after she dropped off a load of things there and we met our other Spanish roommate named Arun. Seems like a nice guy, and he loves football, Valencia in particular, so that will be a nice way to learn more about the rest of the world's favorite sport. The cafe where Emma and I went is ideal for studying. A nice little oasis only a few blocks from busy calle Princesa. Just enough people there to keep it interesting, but very peaceful as well. I went back last night and met Dominik, the other German piso-mate. I can tell that he's going to be really chill and a lot of fun this year. Athletic guy with long blonde hair. Kind of reminds me of my cousin, Byron, but he doesn't bounce off the walls so much... Speaks Spanish very well, but in a distinctively German accent. Hilarious. There's another girl who moved in that is from the US, which I wasn't too pleased about, but upon meeting her, I thought she was from Spain. She looks and speaks like she's from Spain, so I think it will work out quite nicely. The three of us talked for quite a while last night, and Alfonso came home just as I was leaving. I was having some doubts about the roommate situation the last few days, but now I'm really excited about it. I think it's perfect. I now have my keys and my big suitcase in my room. A little dusting and I should be ready to start putting my things away. My bed isn't the greatest, but it will do with some sort of mattress pad, I think.

I went with Clemencia, Danny, Meghan, Melissa, Stephen, and Jenn last night to try to get into the last few hours of a Van Gogh exhibit downtown. It's all from the last few months of his life, and I guess he started to move in a completely new direction. Unfortunately, it was all sold out even after they extended the last entrance until midnight. We came back to the dorm, and I met some other friends at a piso in Arguelles. We went out searching for a group of bars called los bajos, and found them without too much trouble. It was a great night all in all, highlighted by being caught up in a Spanish bachelor party. I've seen a few of these so far, and they always make the groom dress up in some ridiculous outfit, (last night it was all leather, with ass-less chaps). Caught the metro home when it opened again at 6:30 this morning.

Now it's time to start thinking about classes a little bit, as I register tomorrow. Three of the classes I want to take are on Monday and Tuesday. So... If it worked, I could squeeze a fourth into those two days as well, meaning I'd have this art history tutorial in the Prado every Wednesday, but other than that, have 5 days every week to do other things. It would be a very long two days, but it sure sounds tempting to do... It's nice getting this September course out of the way, and then only having to take 4 classes instead of 5. Also, I'm thinking of taking some sort of sports class, maybe self-defense? The problem is, I think those are usually on Mondays too. Always wanted to do that, but never have. I figure a sport would be a good way to meet some more Spaniards... There's also a meeting tomorrow for different volunteer activities, which I think I'll do as well. Teaching English is also something I might start once I get into the rhythm of my real classes. We'll see. I've realized that every time I'm not busy doing something, I start to miss home and Madison. Much more than I expected. It's very easy to feel lonely when there isn't something else constantly on my mind or other people around. It remains to be seen whether or not that feeling remains the whole year, if it gets better or worse, or whether it's just part of living so far away from everything and everyone you love. In the meantime, I'll just stay busy.