*Old man voice from Monty Python and the Holy Grail* "I'm feeling betteh!"

Thanks, to everyone who wrote me emails or talked to me online to make me feel better. It definitely helped! Well, needless to say, after yesterday’s going ons, I decided to get a little proactive about making some progress in the “Getting Used to this Place” department. I started out by going to school an hour early today, and wrote down all of the positive things I saw along the way. I know... It either sounds really silly, or like one of those “Let’s Get Along” exercises they make you do in Convo. at Loma (for those of you who haven’t experienced this yet, its a required psychology class), but it helped... a lot. By the time I actually got to school, I had a huge list... which I won’t bore you with, minus one: As I was exiting the metro, I saw an elderly lady drop her cain in the middle of the road near one to the taxi stands. She went to go and get it, but a cab driver stopped her and braved traffic himself. Very sweet. Oh! and I got a response back from my program director about the choir. The audition is in Catalan, but he said that he would help me figure it out and make a go at getting in. So excited! Oh! And I made some friends in my one of my classes. Well, we have a lot together, actually. Oh! and one of the girls I met up with found a protestant church, and invited me to come along. Today was a good day...

For my fellow study abroad friends, a few words of encouragement from my Dad (wow, guest blogger! sweet!). They helped a lot when I was feeling crumby:

Michelle,
I'm so proud of you. I was exciting for us to hear that you got placed
in the advanced Spanish classes. I also can identify with your
adjustment to life in Spain and the frustration with common things
that aren't so familiar nor so common from your cultural experience.

When we moved to Birmingham, I had to adjust to the cultural
differences. Some I appreciated (like basic courtesy), but some were
rather frustrating. It seemed that I frequently offended the
southerners with what I thought was commonly acceptable social
interaction. When I needed a driver's license, I couldn't find the DMV
(I needed the Revenue Office), When it rained, it got hotter and more
humid, not cooler. Foods that we were used to (mostly fresh
vegetables) were not found in the local supermarket, and if one could
find it, it was very expensive. There was a never ending parade of
creatures, critters, and bugs that I never have seen before nor since.

I could list some more, but I think you get the point, which is that I
felt out-of-place for a while during my adjustment to the southern
culture. However, I'm glad to have had the experience.

I'm encouraged to see that you acknowledge that you will eventually
adjust to the culture, and more than likely begin to feel as if you
fit in.

And thanks for the blog. You put your experiences and thoughts into
great visuals. I can hardly wait to read the next entry.

Love you lot's and lot's,

Dad