Classes are in Colegio Claret. It's a high school near the aqueduct, but is empty for the summer with the exception of 30-something college kids from good ole' Georgia using the building. Because there is not class in the summer, there is no air conditioning. I am convinced that we are extremely spoiled in that regard back in America. We have air conditioning in our houses, walk out to our air conditioned cars, and then there is air conditioning wherever we go. Nuts I tell ya...
So we are in a classroom on the second floor of the school. It looks and feels pretty much the same as highschool felt in America. It even has the same smell.
At 9am Spanish time...meaning more like 9:30, our first professor walks in the class. Edu is his name, short for Eduardo. He is very tall and has curly hair. I think he kind of looks like a bat, which can be pretty amusing at times. He teaches culture...which is really a class of geography, history, religion, art, war, politics, and about a hundred other random things combined. I love it. It's still a little early, so the room isn't terribly hot yet, but it is a bit stuffy this morning. Towards the end of the class I begin to drift off into my own thoughts, somehow combining the lecture on wars in Iberia with a mental image of Edu the Bat.
After culture we have literature class. Paco is our professor and he is a cute little old man who rocks a fedora and italian leather shoes. He is as typical Spaniard as it gets. His voice is scruffy and he can be a bit of a firecracker. He has a love for Spanish poetry, and is introducing us to all the Greats from Spain. I'm a closet poetry lover, so I have truly loved each lesson. Most people here don't share my affinity for poetry and take this class as a mini siesta. I must admit to doing the same, but at 11am in a room with 30 people and no A/C, listening to poetry that has the same effect and beauty as a lullaby, I am powerless in the battle against my eyelids.
I enjoy each class, but i must say that grammar is my favorite. Yes. It is. I promise. No really. Our profesora is Emi, and she is the most bubbly, energetic person ever. She comes into class with a colorful outfit every single day and a huge smile on her face. She is absolutely sweet. When she arrives, she takes the time to ask each and every person how our day or weekend has been. We have discovered that if we each have a story, she will listen and enjoy it with utmost interest. We have successfully shared stories through the first hour of each class we have had so far, leaving about 25 minutes for the actual grammar lesson which, in my opinion, is perfect.
The walk home (uphill again...seriously it's ridiculous) is always interesting. Segovia is finally awake and people are everywhere. Along the way, my roommate and I take note of new parts of town we want to visit, new stores to go in, new cafeterias to try out, all while joyfully complaining about the hill and our aching leg muscles, yet remaining simultaneously ecstatic that we actually have muscles that can ache now.
After some of the best food and conversation with our host family, along with a 2 hour siesta, I am refreshed and ready to explore the beautiful city. I have fallen in love with Segovia. It's so beautiful. People like Hemingway knew what they were doing when they came to Segovia to write. The very air gives you inspiration. The city is old world meets the 21st century. It's big enough where there is always somewhere new to go, yet small enough that you can walk everywhere. It has the big-city clubs and the small town coffee shops. You know everybody, yet meet new people every day. There are gardens and remnants of a more ancient city, founded in Roman times, and new buildings being constructed all around.
settled about the edges of the city are mountains. A few steps down and you find a river, over around the corner you see nothing but farmland and valleys filled with wild flowers. It really doesn't get any better than this. It's almost surreal. We've visited some other cities: Salamanca, Madrid, Avila.. but none of them compare to this place. It's been an incredible time so far. More adventures to come!
