After that, most of us went to our translation class with Kevin. It was in a computer lab (aula informática), and that's where the class will always be, I believe, since we'll do a lot on computers (ordenadores). 
We talked about what translation really is, & how it is different from interpretation. It seems like an interesting class, & I look forward to improving my translation skills (Spanish -> English). We left from there around 12:55 to go get lunch. Since lunch was just starting, it was fairly empty & we had our pick of the tables (the farthest away from the doors!). Lunch: pasta with red sauce, bread, pineapple, salad (Spinach leaves), potato salad, pasta salad, and a couple of other good "salads" of mixed foods. Everything was really good, especially the pasta. 
After the quick lunch, we all went to our Practical Spanish class with Sandra. She is really nice & funny! She told us that we would have to pay her 5 euros if she heard us talking in English (I'm not sure she was kidding). She said they don't pay their teachers enough here... so I guess that's a pretty international problema. We went around the room & said our names & what we study, and then we talked about common phrases to use in restaurants. We'll have Functional Spanish with her for [all] 4 weeks (6 hours total). I am back at the dorm now. After class, the 7 of us changed into our bathing suits at the university and headed to the beach. We made our way back to the wider beach to the left of La Rambla (if you're facing the sea) and really enjoyed the view. The water is so blue, and it contrasts beautifully with the tan architecture.
We all napped for a bit, and as I pulled out my journal to start writing, guys came over near us and started doing different flips. They reminded me of the guys from our last beach day, but most of these ones looked high school aged. We were at the beach for about an hour and walked half an hour back to the dorm. It got pretty hot while we were walking, so we were toasty by the time we got back! We changed & met downstairs for our next adventure... "Taller de gastronomÃa Romana y Cena Romana." Basically, we learned about food that Romans ate (lots of honey and olive oil) and made some of it! I was in one of the 2 dessert groups. We peeled and chopped green apples and pears and put them in a skillet with water, honey, and pepper. In the end they were thoroughly cooked and pretty tasty.
The other groups (3) made one of the main courses / first dishes. They had hardboiled eggs, herbs, pepper and salt. They ground ingredients together and put it on the opened egg halves. They also spread a cheese spread onto slices of nut bread. 
Once we were done cooking everything, we went to the pre-set tables, decorated with typical Roman table objects: fake and real fruits, candles, & our other plates and cups. There was water & warm rose wine to drink, so I opted for the agua. In addition to the food we prepared, we had large lettuce leaves with honey, olive oil, and nuts, a square of flatbread with cooked leeks on top, radishes (which I didn't eat), and 3 edible flower petals. The flower petals didn't really taste like anything. 
We ate all of those with our hands, and used our "spoon spear" (thanks for coining that phrase Kristen) for the chicken that came afterwards. The chicken also tasted good, but mine had bones throughout it - definitely part of the spine (cervical region, we guessed) and a few ribs, & maybe a couple scapulas. Interesante. We also filled ourselves with: the real fruit display (strawberries) & loaf of more nut bread. 
We learned a typical toast of Roman dinners... NVNC EST BIBENDVM (ahora es el momento de beber, or now it is the time to drink). We also learned the special purposes of each corner of our napkin: 1) to wipe hands 2) to wipe mouth 3) for vomit, and 4) to fold in to take food home. Questioning #3? Yep. The Romans had small stomachs but large spreads of food, so once they were full, they would go purge out the contents of their stomachs by vomiting, wipe their mouths with corner 3, then go continue eating. Ew. We left the restaurant/teaching place & came back to the dorm. I wasn't hungry, so no residence food for me tonight. However, they redid the dining area tonight with new tables & lights, so I'm excited to see the changes closer tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we have classes, lunch, then a free afternoon! We'll probably go to the beach in that time, & maybe shopping.
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