Lost in Translation

Literally. What is a biochem major doing in Spain studying 20th century Spanish theater? I don't have a very good answer for that. Anyway, that's what I'm doing. First day of class proved that this is not going to be a cake walk in any way, shape, or form. We are reading four plays, in the original. There's a midterm, final, and a 4-5 page paper on a play of our choice, which we have to read in addition to the other four. The homework is pretty intense. Reading the first five scenes (some 60 pages) of "Luces de Bohemia" took me all afternoon. I started off trying to look up what I didn't understand. I gave up after a while. We're starting off with the hardest work so hopefully it will get easier. Today in class it turns out I totally missed some key action, but that's ok. Everyone was pretty equally confused. Profesora went through each scene and did a recall and summary of the plot. Then, she began explaining the different characters and their actions in light of the social and political climate of the period. Oh dear. This is bad enough in English. Try doing it in Spanish.