Learning Something New

Time flies when you don't understand what is going on, which is how I feel 85% of the time at school.  I go to school at Colegio Sagrado Corazón in Godella, which I can walk to or take the metro to. It is a beautiful school with a breathtaking view. Before I explain too much, let me list my schedule. I have Castellano, Latin 2, Geography, English, Sociology, History of Spain, Economy, History of Philosophy and Valenciano. 

Castellano is the equivalent of an English class in the United States. I have Latin 2 in my schedule, but it is Latin 1 for me because I have never taken Latin. English is many of the students second or third language, so it is their foreign language class. Valenciano is another language, but it is a study period for me because I would get too confused with Spanish and Valenciano. The rest of the classes are exactly as they seem. 

All of my teachers are helpful and understanding. They always make sure I understand, or they have someone explain it to me. Some students speak English really well. They help me with directions, but I think sometimes I am a good laugh for them. I know my Spanish is sometimes painful to listen to, but they always seem to have listening ears. I had to read aloud in class for Geography, and the whole class clapped for me at the end. I do not know if they clapped because they were glad it was over with or because they were pleasantly surprised, but it was nice either way.

School here is just different in some aspects. The teachers change classrooms instead of the students. We call teachers by their first name. We receive little to no handouts, so it is all about taking notes. We are allowed to go out for the breaks. There are no lockers in my school because you usually stay in the same classroom all day. The schedule is different everyday, and the time I am done with school is different some days. The grading system is on a 10 point scale too.

Future Students: School will be hard. You will not understand everything, which is completely fine. There have been days that I do not understand anything but my English class. This whole process is little by little, so put in the effort and you will see improvement. I know many of you are used to being in the top of your class, but while you are studying abroad focus on the language, the culture and the people.