Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Comienzos


A surprising silver lining to the cold that has left me more or less bedridden this week is that I finally have time to sit and write a long overdue blog update.  Since my last entry about our trip to the Mission District in San Francisco, I was able to enjoy a nice week away from school at home.  I almost wish I could say that it was an action-packed, adventure-filled spring break but it was actually very low-key.  In a way, I'm thankful that my week at home was not terribly eventful.  I had a chance to relax and indulge in my most favorite of pleasures (good 'ol TV) without the heavy guilt of procrastination.  I was able to start a new series that I've grown to love very much: Happy Endings. The series revolves around the lives of six friends living in Chicago: married yuppies Brad and Jane; Alex, Jane's ditzy sister; Dave, a food truck owner who used to be engaged to Alex; Dave's gay roommate, Max; and their chronically single friend, Penny. The series functions in a similar vein of ensemble comedies like Friends and How I Met Your Mother and is definitely a must-watch for anyone with an affinity for such shows.  If you're interested in watching, Sidereel provides links to stream episodes from the show's two seasons.

On a far more exciting note, I also received some great news during the break regarding my summer plans: I was accepted to study abroad in Madrid, Spain!  My very first trip overseas, I'll be flying out June 26 and spending a month (mostly likely with a host family) in Madrid while taking two courses at la Universidad de Antonio de Nebrija.  It's a dream come true to be able to go and I'm very grateful to both God for providing the opportunity and my mom for working so hard to make ends meet so that I can go after all.  I've been wanting to take a trip to Madrid since beginning to learn Spanish about five or six years ago and it's just incredible to be able to see such things come to fruition.  I'm nervous and frankly a little scared but my excitement at being able to go outweighs any and all fear that I have.  It's all happening so fast--in less than three months, I'll be in the city of my dreams!  Prayers and positive thoughts are much appreciated both as I prepare to go overseas and in my time abroad.  It looks like I'll also be able to make a trip to Norway after finishing the program at the end of July to spend a week or so with my good friend, Claudia, and her husband.  She moved to Bergen in July of this last year so it'll be wonderful to be able to see her and to be able to meet her beau!  I'm incredibly blessed to have such opportunities.

Other than that, I'm doing my best to prepare for the semester's end and the surge of due dates slowly but steadily approaching.  I was able to sign up for three out of four of my classes for next semester (the first of my senior year of college, crazy!).  I'll be taking a class on Spanish-American colonial texts, a survey of Spanish literature, pre-1800, and an English seminar on utopian/dystopian books and movies.  So much to be excited about in the next year!  God is good!