Feb 6

Today was pretty uneventful really. I stayed in bed until 12 hoping that when I really did got up I would feel all right. All in all I didn’t feel too poorly though, and I could talk, it was still pretty raspy, but I could talk.

I had my second Don Quijote class and we learned about the life of Cervantes and I think that its interesting enough for a quick summary, mind you I learned all of this in Spanish:

He traveled around his whole life as a kid because his dad always gambled away more than all of their money
He studied philosophy with Lopéz de Hoyos who was later exiled for being associated with Erasmus
He was a secretary to a 29 yr. old Cardinal whose dad bought him the position
Joined the Navy
Got Sick
Begged to Fight anyway
Was shot in the arm and lost use of it
Given a letter from the highest general of the Army as recommendation to the King and Queen to give him a good job in Madrid
Captured by Pirates on the way to Spain from Italy
Pirates find letter
Pirates think that he’s important because of letter
Pirates take him hostage for five years along with his brother
Parents pay ransom for brother, can’t afford both
Finally some monks pay it

All before he was 35

There’s more that makes his life worse and worse, but its not quite as exciting as that.

Becky and I wandered around the city tonight trying to find the restaurant that her friend’s parents own but it took us a looong time because her other friend who gave us directions definitely told us the wrong streets to go to.

It was ridiculous, but cool to finally meet some people who really live here. Unfortunately all of her friends would rather speak English with us than stoop to speak Castellano.

You don’t realize until you’re here how much Cataluña really could be its own country and how much the people here want it to be so.

Word of the Day: resfriado- cold, as in my nose is stuffed and I can hardly talk, not brr