Classes

I’ve been promising information about my classes, etc., so here it goes! First off, I’m studying at la Universidad Pontífica Comillas in the Business school-also know as ICADE. All of my classes are in Spanish and the majority of my classmates are Spaniards. There are a few classes, such as, International Studies and the Economy of the European Union, where most of my classmates are other exchange students from Europe. In addition to those two classes, I am taking Spanish (I don’t think I’ll ever understand the preterite and imperfect!), Competitive Business Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions and Social Psychology.

There is a lot a more in-class group work, etc. here, so I’m having to work with the Spaniards a lot more than I anticipated. So far, it’s working out well, as I’m forced to converse in Spanish and (hopefully) make friends. A couple of my friends and I went for tapas with a few of the guys, and that was really fun and it’s always great to bump into people when you’re out at the clubs, etc. Even though it’s a city of 4 million people, I usually see somebody I know every weekend.

Other differences between here and Marquette: when students’ cell phones ring, they actually get up and leave the classroom to take the call…and then they come back! Definitely not going to try that move when I get back to MKE! Also, nobody is on time (including the teachers), the students chat a lot during class and the professors seem indifferent to the noise…whereas I want to shush everyone so I have a chance to understand the lecture. The single largest annoyance: the fact that there are only 3 printers for the entire university. Students print from three different labs and then have to go and load their own paper into the printers…it’s quite ridiculous, actually.

Many days, I am completely lost and I have lots of blanks and question marks all over my notes, but it's not too bad. On these days, I head to a cafe with a friend and we try to hash out what just went on for the past hour or we just have a glass of wine and move on!