cuatro días más

Classes started today. So far, they're good as far as classes go, but some things about them are totally absurd. First off, the professor can change the time of the class. Normally, this means by being late and getting done early, but today a class I wanted to go to started early. And then it only lasted five minutes, thus ending by the time it was supposed to begin! So I went to another class which interested me, but it seems like the whole class is about discussing the possibility for history to be objective as a discipline. I've talked about that about a hundred times in Grinnell, so I feel like I know where the class is going and would rather take something new to me. But I missed that one, by arriving on time.
Also, the thing I still have to learn to do here is "hacer las fotocopias" (copy). I don't think I will have to buy one single book for any class this semester, and probably nobody in the whole facultad will either. Rather, we have to photocopy every reading for every class. Paradoxically, the cost of doing so will probably approach the cost of buying books. Not only that, but the professors don't help us do this at all. We have to go to the library, check out the book, and copy it. Thankfully there's a copy center perenially staffed with five or so workers whose job it is to copy hundreds of pages of a book all day long. I would jump in front of a bus if that was my job, so they must be more mentally stable than I. Further, we can only check books out of the library for three days. I suppose Grinnellians are spoiled by our semester-long check out policy.
Regarding my life, what I do other than orient myself at this university: I've been having fun. I'm getting to know other kids in the program more; our introductory shells are melting away. We went to the beach this weekend, and out for dinner and drinks in the centro. Other kids went to the club, but I went downtown on Saturday night to see some flamenco dancing, and then an avant-garde piece of sonar art with some Grinnellians passing through. We sat in a circle facing away from the center of a completely dark room and wore blindfolds. I think there were eight sets of speakers. The sound lasted for maybe forty minutes. For a while I was really enjoying it; it was taking me places. Later on my mind was invaded by thoughts and the sound didn't do much for me.
Today my host brothers got back. They're friendly, particularly the 16 year old. There has been eighties metal playing accompanied by live bass since I got back from class. The bass is pretty good... Iron Maiden.