How time really really flies. Less than a month till my exams start (uh oh!) and less than a fortnight till I'll be nipping back to Scotland for Crimbo. It will be good to have that cosy-homely-Christmassy feeling, and all that omgIamSoNotReadyForThisExam stress in between. Ah well, at least there'll be family, turkey, parties, ceilidhs, Edinburgh and Inverurie!

So now it's Tuesday, yesterday was a holiday because it was the Día De La Constitución! On Friday I asked people what the holiday was about, nobody really had much of a clue. All people are really bothered about is the fact that it means we can squeeze in another night of fiesta! So I'll start with the weekend and work backwards.

On Friday, as always I had my operating systems lab. As always, it was like... 2 days' work jam-packed into 2 hours - it's stressful! Because what we do actually counts towards our final marks, and I spend half the time being like? "Huh? What does he want us to do?" After that it was off home for a wee siesta (which I needed because I'd had a tiring week and wanted to be awake at night) and then some more studying.

Went out for "sopar" with the usual suspects, and then onwards to the discotecas. Naturally, because it was a holiday weekend, it cost 1€ more to get in. Pah. But still, you get a beastin' large drink for free, so never mind. It was a really good night though, everyone was really up for it. Got home rather late. Early. Umm, people on their way to work kinda early. This song is everywhere right now, I don't think it would be possible to go to any club in Spain without hearing it at least once. On Friday, it was 4 times.

Tenía Tanto Que Darte - Nena Daconte

Here's a few paaactures! (My nights-out photography skills have gone waaay downhill since first year!)

Pix

What else? So I spent Saturday (the awake part) and Sunday working away at my desk, although I had a wee wander to the shops too. Wild. But necessary.

On Sunday night I went to this bar called Infussion (yes, I know that's not how it's supposed to be spelled) which was funky! It was quite small, and a bit far out from the centre, but really well decorated in an Arabic kinda way and the cocktails were goo-hood. Cleverly, I only took a picture of the roof. Well done, Fraser. See? (Why I've uploaded this I have no idea...) Roof

We then went to El Gato Negro for a bit (and a chupito or two), then off to a club. I got home before 5 though, so it wasn't quite so hardcore! Plus there were only 2 prostitutes to shoo out of the way on the way home.

Here's another comment about languages. Before I came here, my biggest concern was about how I'd cope with the languages, but that hasn't been a problem, I'm doing more than fine in that department. I really like Catalan and I'm enjoying living the tri-lingual life (oh yes I say!), but I can't help but find it a bit rude when there's an obviously non-Catalan lecturer (eg. South American) who asks someone a question in Spanish, and they reply in Catalan. It's like... come off it, every single person here speaks Spanish as a native language, why? It just causes unnecessary confusion for the lecturer and is a bit disrespectful in my opinion. So, so many people do it though. If I was at school, and, for example, an American asked me a question in English, I wouldn't reply in broad Scots Doric just because I could.

It's going to be a bit strange after Christmas, lots of the other Erasmus students are only here for one semester and they'll be beetling off home or onwards to their next destinations! So does that mean things will change and I'll be back at all the Erasmus nights with the bright-eyed newbies? Hmm, we'll see. I do know for sure that the people in the rooms closest to mine are all going to be replaced, so it'll be new year, new neighbours! I'm looking forward to getting a change of courses (I can't wait to get rid of Operating Systems!) and having a break after my exams to see some more España.

What else is there to tell? Umm. El Bosc De Les Fades! (The Forest Of The Faries) Another really cool bar I went to after a dinner-and-drinks-travaganza on Tuesday which is decorated like some enchanted forest, with trees and a wee waterfall and stuff. I'll put up a photo in my next entry!

I've recently realised that I want the October weather back... although it's still bright and sunny, it can be pretty airy first thing in the morning. I wouldn't bother going out to lie in the sun any more!

Random things! There are signs everywhere which say "Bones Festes" - basically Seasons Greetings, but it always conjures up images of dancing skeletons in my head. Why do they turn the Christmas lights off at like 11pm!? Why is the fine for smoking on the metro €40 if you go on without a ticket and €30.05 if you smoke? 30 euros, 5 cents?! Why is the staircase closest to Palau Reial in building A6 so smelly? Why do I hear an ominous bugle call from my PCD lectures at 7pm? Why do all my blog entries seem to include recommendations for bars? I suppose it is Bar-celona.

Bye bye