UAM

This week was my first week at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, or UAM. I take three classes at UAM: principles of molecular cell biology and biotechnology, electric circuit theory, and differential equations. Thankfully, these classes are taught in English. My classes start at either 9:30 or 10:30 a.m. Every week, my schedule changes. Some weeks I have lab, some weeks I don't. Some days I end at 11:30 a.m., some days I won't end until 5:00 p.m. I'm not sure I like this varying schedule, but I'll have to see how I feel in a month or two from now.

I also take two classes at the International Institute in Madrid: Spanish language and Spanish Civilization. These classes are taught in (mostly) Spanish. I have these classes twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. The Institute is only a fifteen minute walk from my apartment.

{Metro near my house}

Unlike the Institute, UAM is far from my house. The commute takes a total of 40 minutes from my front door to the campus. I walk to Alonso Martínez, the nearest metro station, hop on the dark blue line to Nuevos Ministerios, transfer to the train, Cercanias Renfe, and take the train to UAM. At first, I really dreaded the thought of having to commute to school, but it's actually not that bad.

{Facultad de Ciencias
aka where my classroom is}

All three of my classes take place in the same classroom. The professors come to us. There are pros and cons to this. Being in the same classroom all day is kind of boring, but I don't have to worry about getting lost (the buildings at UAM are SO CONFUSING!).

So far my classes are manageable. Then again, it has only been one week. I can already tell that electric circuit theory is going to be my most challenging class. I'm going to have to study extra hard in order to pass. What makes it especially hard is that I find the topic to be extremely boring. Also, the professor's voice is monotone, which is excruciating. Another thing I don't like about this class is that from time to time we (the students) will have to explain a problem in front of the class. This terrifies me! I would hate to embarrass myself in front of my peers.

UAM's campus isn't very pretty. The buildings are very old and it looks more like a high school than a university. The brand new science library is really cool, though. The design is very modern and minimalist looking with a mixture of wood and concrete and sleek lines everywhere. Of course the science building, where all my classes take place, is one of the farthest buildings from the train station. The science library actually is the farthest building from the train. This presents a big problem if I'm running late one day; I guess being late won't be an option this semester.

{UAM Campus}

Although classes aren't very tough right now, I am exhausted after my first full week of classes. I am going to use this weekend to rest and get ahead in my classes. TGIF!