School, more sun & lots of fun!

My expectations for this week regarding school were definitely higher than last week. Most of the introduction classes were given and thus I expected to have proper lectures this week; which was true! My timetable shows 20 hours a week and initially included three blocks of two hours in between classes. One subject, given on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 17:00-19:00, caused two of these blocks with odd hours. I immediately realized this week, that I am not so comfortable with these hours in between lessons. I would rather have lectures following each other up in order to have more spare time in the afternoons. Therefore, I looked for a subject that could substitute the one in question and I found one. I discussed with the teachers here to stop following the class from 17:00-19:00, and will now start following the other class that fits perfectly in my schedule! From 29th of January till 4th of February I will be able to change this officially on the online platform. 

Other than that; it was a nice week at school! I'm enjoying the classes with the Spanish girls. They are really kind and very much involving me in projects and group assignments. Also, teachers are really chill and I feel very welcome in class. This week, I already did some in-class assignments for a pass/fail grade, or how they say it in Spanish: apto/no apto. I did an essay and a presentation and passed both. Together with active participation, group projects, and for some subject an exam, this will result in a grade at the end of the semester. 

This week was also a bit warmer and sunnier than the first one! I have seen more sunshine and enjoyed that a lot. In the weekend, I visited the Retiro Park with Inge and Marleen. Later on this week, my roommate Beth asked me to join dinner with her and a university friend of her. This was another really fun evening out and we ate in an Italian restaurant. It was really nice! One day later, Inge and Marleen came over to my house and we cooked pasta and had dinner together. 

Today, Friday, the weather was just great! Around 15 degrees, skies perfectly blue and lots of sunshine. After my last lesson, I went out for a walk and visited some lovely touristic spots in Madrid. The photos that I uploaded will support this sunny walk! Next up is a long weekend. This Monday the 28th of January, because of the St Tomas of Aquino festival. I still want to ask one of my Spanish roommates what this festival is about, since I could not really find this on the internet. 

For now, I will give my legs some rest after the 7,8 km that I walked today and I will enjoy an evening in my room with Dutch TV, watching The Voice of Holland! Hasta luego!