all in a day's work

This past Saturday was quite an eventful day.

7.00h - I woke up early to study.

10.15h - I ate breakfast.

11.10h - I met Claire at the corner to walk to El Palacio (the center where we have our study abroad classes).

12.00h - Final exam. GRAMMAR!!!

12.02h - I realized the exam was like a book, containing many pages.

12.04h - I started thinking the test wasn't too bad, actually.

13.30h - Done.

14.00h - Walking back home, we passed a homeless woman who had made herself a fenced-in bed out of cardboard boxes, that she used to sleep in and house all of her belongings. I would have taken a picture to send to the participants of Bradley's annual Shack-a-thon, as inspiration, but I felt it was inappropriate. This made me want to build a house, and reminded me of the time I explained Habitat for Humanity to my host family, thinking that they would know about it because it's an international organization. They didn't. I want to bring it to Spain (or make it more popular).  

14.35h - I arrived back at home. There was a note on my bed from my madre explaining that they were going to be gone for the weekend and that they left me food to heat up for lunch. I understood every verb tense used in the message, because I had just learned two of them a few days prior. Excitement! Application of knowledge!

14.45h - Lunch. It wasn't very good. Better luck next time.

18.00h - Bull fight with Claire. Claire and I attended a bull fight, that is.

21.00h - Skype with the fam back home. My host sister and her boyfriend got to "meet" my mom, sister, and youngest brother. Apparently my sister looks just like me, but younger...? Okay. haha

21.35h - My host sister made me dinner. She then left to go have dinner at her boyfriend's house. She literally came home just to make me dinner and leave...I am capable of making my own meals! I'm confident they will understand this within a few weeks.

1.00h (Sat.) - Claire, my host sister, her boyfriend, and I went to a discoteca, named Babilonia. It's one of the most popular/ famous in Sevilla. My sister's boyfriend knows someone who works there, so we had an "in." We got in and got a free drink. I felt like I was in a movie. The club is outdoors, with cool lanterns/lights in the trees (meaning it will close in a few weeks...I think). The DJ was well-known and she father is a famous artist of some sort.  Overall, awesome experience.

5.00h - Bed.

Que Guay

Good Thing

I have come to the realization that while walking the streets of Sevilla each day, I witness something notable. 

Today's experience:

Old woman walking dog wearing diaper. The dog was in the diaper, not the woman.

Bad Thing

Yesterday, the city smelled like pee.  It rained a bit off and on, so the streets were wet. I subconsciously mixed these two thoughts and became nervous walking around because I thought that all of the puddles were pee. 

Necessary Thing

My final exam for my intensive grammar class is tomorrow afternoon. 

Exciting Thing

I'm going to a bull fight tomorrow. I anticipate this to be difficult to watch, but it's a dying art and I believe that I personally need to experience this in my lifetime. 

Tasty Thing

Dinner tonight. Green beans (really more like pea pods...I think they were cooked in olive oil and garlic, but I could be wrong). Something similar to potato salad (potatoes, tuna, hard-boiled egg, olive oil-vinegar type dressing, rather than mayo). Bread. A pudding cup with a cookie in it (vanilla/cinnamon flavored. It was flan in pudding form...only cinnamon instead of caramel flavored...Pepe licked out the pudding I didn't eat). 

Missed Thing

American pizza. After a 10 minute discussion about pizza in class yesterday, my teacher and our entire class concluded that pizza tastes best in the United States. After this discussion, everyone in my class craved pizza. At this point in time, I believe the first meal I want when I get back is Chicago-style deep dish pizza. 

Sleepy Thing

Me.

Caca en la calle

"Poop in the street."

I've entitled this entry as such because it is something that we sevillanos deal with every day. In addition to dealing with poop in the streets, there are many fun little things I experience and/or witness from day to day.

- yogur a sabor de limón

- I can finally help clean up the table after meals!

- running along the river at night

- understanding subjunctive (más o menos)

- learning about the Spanish perspective on bull fights (as opposed to the American's depiction of the Spanish perspective)

- "Frick'n Javier"

- Helado...and the nice guy who lets us try the flavors!

- walking

- speaking Spanish with Spanish students

- interviewing my host family about sports....and my sister being SUPER excited to help

- having more than one library in my university

- cheap textbooks!

- Skyping friends

- a car full of cute old nuns...best thing ever!

- coming home after class to a house full of sleeping people, with nothing to do but siesta as well

- old buildings

- feeling socially acceptable when I haven't showered

- eating with my family

- Fran and his Spanish friends

- Cine Club

- Alameda

- looking nice almost every day

- new experiences!

El otoño es todo tuyo

Today is an "eh" day.  I woke up and finished writing my essay for class. I ate lunch, which consisted of peas with a fried egg on top, bread, and a slice of melon.  It was pretty good. No complaints there.  I booked it to class to make sure I had enough time to print my essay in the lab. Although the printer was being difficult, I had enough time.  On the way to class, I saw a man step in dog poop.  Poor guy.  (There is a problem with people not cleaning up after their dogs.  My teacher said that it is illegal to do this, but clearly they do not heavily enforce this law.) We got our first essays and midterm exams back at the end of class. I didn't do very well.  Low self-esteem time....ok, I'm over it.  My intercambio (a Spanish student at the University of Sevilla, studying English, who is randomly assigned to me to be my friend here. We'll hang out around the city and switch off speaking Spanish to help me and English to help him) finally responded to my emails.  I was starting to feel desperate, but I was told that it is common not to get a response right away and to keep trying.  He sounds cool, although I cannot meet him until he gets back in town in a week.  I have a lot of homework. Boo hiss.  I am slightly discouraged at this point because I don't have many Spanish friends and I don't feel as though my Spanish is improving as much as I want it to...although, I think this is when everyone starts to feel this way.  This semester will fly by and I have no time to get stuck in a rut like this.  I must proceed onward and make the most of everything. That's what I'm going to try to do.

The weather was cooler and cloudy today.  No rain. Slight breeze.  I enjoyed it.  Tomorrow is the first official day of fall.  Fall is my favorite season in the United States.  Apparently it is a bad time of year here.  My host dad says that "la gente caen como las hojas." The people fall like the leaves.  Many people get depressed this time of year.  This is saddening because while I am happy about the changes, others are upset.  But life goes on.  I think that this is the very meaning of my day.  Life is a continual spectrum of movement and growth. We grow as we learn and absorb the happenings of each day.  How you grow depends on which fruit you pick from the trees.        

Cádiz

*Please excuse any misuse of preterite/imperfect.  Thank you.

Esta mañana, me desperté un poquito tarde, y por esta razón, desayuné muy rápido.  Tenía prisa porque solo tenía 30 minutos para caminar a la universidad y salir a Cádiz con el programa a las 9.00h.  No me lavé los dientes.  Bruto.  ¡Anduve rapidísimo!  Llegaba al mismo tiempo que el grupo salieron.  ¡Qué suerte!  El día en Cádiz era muy bueno.  La ciudad es tan bonita y fuimos a la playa.  Aprendía varias cosas.  Por ejemplo, hay una basa militar de España y los Estados Unidos en Cádiz ya que es muy cerca de África y Europa y los países pueden controlar comercio y negocios, etc.  Sacaba fotos (algunas son a bajo).  Era un buen día. 

This morning, I woke up a little late, and for this reason, I ate breakfast really quickly.  I was in a hurry because I only had 30 minutes to walk to the university and leave for Cádiz with the program at 9:00AM.  I didn’t brush my teeth.  Gross.  I walked super fast!  I arrived at the same time as the group was leaving.  How lucky!  The day in Cádiz was really nice.  The city is so pretty and we went to the beach.  I learned various things.  For example, there is a military base of Spain and the United States in Cádiz because it’s very close to Africa and Europe and the countries can control trade, etc.  I took photos (some are below).  It was a great day.

(official entrance to the old part of the city)

(their government/city hall-type building)

(the architecture is old and the streets are narrow)

(la catedral cerca del mar...the city's biggest and oldest cathedral that's backyard is the sea/ocean)

(a view of part of the city from the top of the cathedral's bell tower)

(one of the bells in the tower)

(the Atlantic Ocean...you can't really see it, but to the left is where the military base is)

(Edward Scissorhands?...we walked through a park lined with trees and bushes cut into fun shapes)

(la playa...the beach!...the beaches of Cadiz are famous. The James Bond movie set in Havana, Cuba was actually filmed here)

(I loved how all of the small fishing boats looked)

History Lesson of the Day:

Cádiz is perhaps the oldest city in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe.  It is famous for its military strength.  When Napoleon conquered much of Europe, he triumphed all of Spain except for Cádiz.  This is the only city to never be defeated...Also, Cádiz is famous for it's festivals (relating to Holy Week, before Easter).  It hosts the world's 3rd largest Mardi Gras festival.  

Random eye-witness experience (in English for greater impact):

While walking home after our day trip, I saw a dog.  This was no ordinary dog, however.  It looked like a pug/husky mix.  It was crazy!  I did not know these animals existed! I would have taken a picture, but the dog’s owner stared at me because I was looking at his dog in amazement. Bad timing.  Perhaps said photo can be obtained at a later date.                  

Por Fin

Where to start, where to start…How about last Saturday?

Saturday:

We went on a giant scavenger hunt around the city.  We had a list of clues in order to figure out the destinations we needed to find and take pictures of.  Places farther away earned us more points and places closer to the central meeting location were worth few points.  My group wanted to get a far location, so we spent our time walking there.  So much walking.  I love walking.

Here are a few pictures from the scavenger hunt:

(We looked like crazy tourists in a mob, asking people to take photos of us by random things.)

(La Catedral de Sevilla...not really on the scavenger hunt like we thought it was, but we passed it a lot.)

(La Plaza de España...This photo does not do it justice, but I like the sepia effect.)

(The field where one of Sevilla's soccer teams, Betis, plays.)

Sunday:

I woke early to go on an excursion to Italica, Roman ruins in the outskirts of Sevilla (it was basically a city for the rich Roman gladiators at the time.)

*Fun Fact: I learned the reason why Cypress trees are so popular in cemeteries.  It’s because their roots go straight down and do not interfere with or raise the graves as they grow.  Also, the trees are tall and thin, as if pointing toward Heaven…Now you know.

When I got home from this half-day trip, the apartment was empty and there was a note on my bed. This note told me that they were at the bar that my madre showed me on the first day and to call her and meet them there (note: bars and churches are basically the only public places open on Sundays, other than tourist locations and major department stores).  After reading the note about 20 times to make sure I knew exactly what it said, I called the number my madre had given me the second day (I recently realized that I do not know if the cell number is actually my madre’s or my sister’s since they are both named Maria and my sister was the one who answered the phone).  I did not know which bar they were at since I was shown two specifically on the first day.  While speaking with my sister on the phone we did not understand one another (I understood what she was saying, but was confused about what I needed to do).  She and her boyfriend had to come pick me up to take me over there.  This was the beginning of a day of me being a foreigner. 

When we arrived, I met the remainder of my immediate family, my oldest brother and his wife and my older sister’s husband.  My family was eating tapas (To explain it simply, they are like appetizers. Because meals are eaten so far apart, it became common to have a snack time around 6PM or so—their equivalent to a happy hour. The idea of tapas was originally created to be a small snack-size serving of food on a hard piece of bread that could be set on your glass as a topper to keep the flies out of your drink and you socialize with friends.)  They were eating more authentic tapas such as gambas (prawns aka those big shrimp), camarones (little shrimp), and jamón serrano (the very popular cured ham).  I enjoy seafood, but have not been exposed too much of it in my life, so I do not know how to eat most things. My family had to show me how to eat the gambas, and my older sister proceeded to take a picture of me in my struggles! I tried something with the texture of dried pineapple, but a flavor so salty, I spit it out. I cannot even explain how salty this thing was! My padre likes it because it’s good to drink cerveza (beer) with, he says.  My brother-in-law then “showed” me how to eat the camarones—just like the big ones, you pull of the head and the legs…not correct! You just eat them whole.  He joked that the camarones are for the pobres (poor people) and the gambas are for the people who can afford them.  After tapas, we went back home for lunch and dulces (sweets/candies).  I was informed that this was a special occasion because it was El Día de María (day of Mary).  Apparently, in Spain everyone’s name is associated with the name of a saint (because the majority of people are Catholic).  Each saint is honored on a specific day, so each person gets a celebration on their birthday and the day of the saint which shares their name.  My madre and sister are both named María, so we were celebrating their day.

After lunch, my oldest brother and his wife, who are 35 and 34, took me to my sister-in-law’s house.  I met her family, saw their house (which is much bigger than the apartment I live in because it is in a pueblo, still technically in Sevilla, but not in the heart of the city), and enjoyed coffee and pastries with them.  Her family spoke very slowly to me because they didn’t think I understood anything.  Honestly, I’m pretty good at the speed now; it’s just the accent that is hard to understand.  They were very nice, and made me feel like a novelty item.  It was an interesting perspective on things…Afterward, my brother and sister-in-law took me walking all over the city, showing me things and talking to me in Spanish. It was absolutely wonderful! I felt truly welcomed into the family. 

Tuesday:

I had arranged to have a Skype date with my parents after dinner.  My host sister was out of town Tuesday-Thursday, so I assumed I’d have dibs on the internet while she was away.  I discovered at dinner, when I asked to use it, that my sister had taken it to her school for someone there to use for a few days.

I did not realize how important the internet was to me until I began crying about it.  I spoke to my mom on the phone for about 40 minutes, which will probably cost me $50. No bueno.

I was overwhelmed with emotions because I was upset about not having the freedom to communicate with people outside of my home, and I felt guilty for being upset about something relatively insignificant, and I was frustrated with my lack of understanding, since I’m sure my sister explained this before she left for her trip.  I am so privileged to have resources and technology such as the internet, and yet, I have clearly been taking it for granted. 

I made the necessary accommodations to get everything done that required the use of internet.  Everything worked out fine, and in hind-sight I realize that the biggest factor was that I was surprised by the situation and felt no control.

This experience was really grounding, which I appreciate. 

Wednesday:

I realized after sitting in my room for 2 hours, that it was literally too hot for my brain to function.  I could not write my essay.  I decided to wake up early to finish it.  But not too early, because when I get up to pee in the morning, my madre wakes up to make me breakfast, even if she does not need to be awake.  I still can’t get used to this.    

Thursday:

I did not study as much as I should have for my intensive grammar course midterm.  I instead stayed up watching TV with my sister, who’d gotten home.  It was a good way to practice my Spanish, so I didn’t feel bad.             

Friday:

Midterm.  Too many essay questions. I forgot what superlatives were.  Dumb mistake. 

Epic night.  Fran, my orientation guide (soon to be real friend…as opposed to someone just being nice to you because they feel obligated), organized quite the event.  A large group of us met and took the Metro (like a subway) to a bufé libre chino (All You Can Eat Chinese Buffet) and then went to a giant street party in one of the plazas.  After this, some of us went to a discoteca.  The first one was pretty lame, so we left.  Then we went to one called Obbio.  I had a water bottle in my purse, so the bouncer smelled it to make sure it was water.  It was. I got in without problems.  But some of the guys were carded.  That was interesting.  They played American music, which is pretty popular here.  It was dance music, so it was fun.  I didn’t get home until 5:30AM. 

Saturday:

Shopping was done.  Much needed. Good, but long day.

  

Installment.

So since I do not have sufficient time to compose all of my stories from the past few days, I will give a short installment to keep you interested enough to come back and read later...

It rained today. In Sevilla. It rained. Enough said.

But really...after lunch this afternoon, before I left for class, it began to rain. My madre asked if I had an umbrella and when I said no, the look on her face was of horror. She proceeded to find me a paraguas (Quick lesson: para=for, agua=water, paraguas=umbrella (for water) get it?! Yay Spanish!). And reminded me about 47,000 times (approximately 4) as I was leaving, that "it's raining." haha...

On my way to class, I was carrying my umbrella in the wind. You should note, that umbrellas make me nervous because they are supposed to comfort you by keeping you dry, but I run into things (example: Claire's face).  Anyway...I passed a woman wearing a plastic grocery bag made into a shower cap. Innovative. Entertaining. I approved.

Another fun story, while walking home from class (and a Flamenco museum because I had to go to write an essay about it for my grammar class), I heard my name being called behind me. I ignored it at first, because how many people do I know in Spain? Then I thought, how many Holly's are in Spain? It was my madre's friend, who lives across the street and is the host mom of another girl at my school. How fun! I felt like I had friends! It was great.

Quick Thoughts

Hoy es viernes!

It's supposed to rain here! That's a rare happening.

It's still hot.

I have a grammar midterm today. Boo hiss...

I have internet again! (full story later)

I still need shoes.

I have blisters.

This weekend looks exciting!

How Unfortunate

I cannot write everything I want to right now, due to circumstances beyond my control (lack of internet at my house, limited time-frame to use it at the study center, 40 min walk to class and then back home...).

Real quick, here are a few thoughts to leave you with until I share a thorough and detailed post.

It's hot here. Super hot. So hot that after my 40 minute walk to class at the hottest time of the day (while we're supposed to be taking siesta), I am drenched in sweat. How embarrassing! But my justification is that it was 102 F. Enough said.

I started running at night. It's glorious. My host dad really likes this idea. He's very athletic. 

Claire needed her coffee fix on Monday, so we stopped in a Starbucks. While speaking Spanish to one another, a man asked us if we were speaking English. We said that we do speak English, but we currently were not. He told us he was from LA, taught science at a middle school for 18 years, and explained that Mexico was the best place to go to learn Spanish because the people are welcoming and it's only dangerous at the border. When he asked us if we were  traveling, and we explained that we were studying here for a semester, he asked if we were Mormon...What on earth does being Mormon have to do with studying abroad in Spain and taking an intensive grammar course being our regular classes start?! We asked. He said that "Mormons do that. The intensive stuff." We left quickly thereafter. We did not like him. He was ignorant. And obnoxious. We learned our lesson. Don't go to Starbucks in other countries. 

Yesterday, we discovered Sevilla's version of H&M. Did we hit the jackpot? I'd say so. 

I still need shoes. 

I'm still eating well. Perhaps too well.

La vida

Thursday evening/night was epic! It was the first night that I had dinner with my family since I’ve been here. After study abroad activities during the day, I had nothing to do, so I decided to go home and see if I could use the internet to check my important emails that I was expecting (because I’m important like that). When I got home, my baby nephew was still there. His name is Marco and he’s muy precioso. We played with him for a bit before I went on the internet. Before dinner, we watched the tele. There was a game show on called “Cifras y Letras.” It was awesome! During dinner, their version of “Cash Cab” was on, which reminded me of how it’s always on during dinner time at Bradley also. My family and I had a really great discussion during dinner and I understood the whole thing! After dinner, I gave them the gift I brought—a book filled with photos of National Parks in the United States. They loved it! I happened to have a simple map of the US in the back of my assignment book, so I could show them where the parks were located in the country. I showed them where I live and where their old host students live. It was truly fascinating because it seems as though they know so much about the US, but it turns out that they really only know what they are exposed to from the media and have no concept of the geography of our country. Being able to educate them and help them grasp more concepts about the US was a great feeling. And this led us to a really in-depth discussion about immigration problems in the US compared to those in Spain as well as other comparisons of agriculture and national parks, the structure of cities and suburbs, etc.


(Random break: as I sit here typing this, my madre has just brought me cake! It has a lemony flavor and has chocolate icing. Que bueno!)

Also, I finally got the key to work in the door! It’s such a big deal that it was actually a topic of discussion at lunch the next day. Haha…

Now, since I think I’ve told the most significant stories, I will simply tell you other random, but equally as important things about my life here:

1) I have completely underestimated the power of siestas.

2) I need new shoes. This is not a want. This is a need. (Here, I walk everywhere, thus wearing down my shoes. Also, the Sevillanas literally walk around all day in heels, wedges, or fancy sandals. They ride bikes in espadrilles! Keep in mind the sidewalks and roads are brick and uneven).

3) I’m paranoid about showering. Because water is expensive to heat, they take quick showers, and many times turn off the water while scrubbing and back on to rinse off. I have not yet been around when my family as showered, so I don’t know how they approach this feat. Also, with one bathroom, I do not want to spend too long washing my hair and then shaving my legs with the water off, so that they think I’m done, but I really still need to rinse off. This is currently my biggest fear. I am trying Plan A: take a shower every day, but rotate which days I shave and which days I wash my hair. Plan B is to shower every other day, but take slightly longer showers when I do.

4) It is socially unacceptable to walk around your house without shoes/slippers/flip-flops on. When I got up to pee last night while everyone was asleep, I secretly walked to the bathroom barefoot! It was liberating.

5) I saw unos gitanos (gypsies) yesterday evening picking through the garbage while the children bathed in the park fountain.

Tapas!

I’m going to take this opportunity now to fill you in on a few things that I didn’t get to mention before. My classes have not yet started, because I have been in orientation. We’ve done many activities such as getting to know things around the city and sitting through informational sessions about our classes, homestays, safety, etc. During orientation, we’ve been assigned alphabetically to groups with a guide who is a college student in Sevilla (I think some of them may have graduated, but I honestly don’t know). I love my group and guide. My guide’s name is Fran. He is hilarious and is very patient with our Spanish while we communicate to him and while he teaches us about the city and los sevillanos. He speaks more clearly than many of the others. Also, he loves food! For several nights, we’ve had dinner with our orientation groups, trying different tapitas at some of the best restaurants en El Centro (the down-town region of Sevilla). We’ve tried so many tapas! Since I’ve brought this up, I’ve decided that now would be as good a time as any to discuss with you the things I’ve eaten here. I can’t remember what most of the dishes are called and I’ve tried too many to list or to keep anyone’s interest, but I can explain the food that I’ve had with my family since I’ve been here…


miercoles

el almuerzo:

     - First course—puchero (a soup with a simple broth, garbanzo beans, and little pasta that’s the size and shape of toothpicks)

     - Main dish—carne ______ (I forget the name)…(beef that’s like a pot roast with what I’m pretty sure was fat…you break bread and mash the fat into the beef so that it sticks together, and use the bread as a spoon as you eat it and the bread)

     - Postre—melón (it’s kind of like our honeydew melon, but shaped like a small watermelon. It’s the consistency of honeydew, but is sweeter. It’s so good!)

jueves

el desayuno:

     - yogur del sabor macedonia (like a Danon yogurt, but a very mild tropical type flavor. It’s less sweet than yogurt en los EEUU)

     - tostada con mermelada de fresa (toast with strawberry jam)

     - zumo de naranja (an orange juice juice box)

el almuerzo:

     - First Course—gazpacho de Andalucía (a cold tomato-based soup…more flavorful than the gazpacho I’ve had in the US)

     - Main dish—sopa (a soup made from the same broth as the puchero, but with rice, pieces of hard boiled egg, and pieces of serano ham)

     - Postre—heladitos (an ice cream bar…so good!) y melon

La cena:

     - Side salad containing lettuce, shredded carrots, some sort of crab meat (I’m pretty sure it was crab meat, but I guess it could have been lobster?…I’ve never had lobster)

     - The Spanish version of Chicken Cordon Bleu (breaded chicken with a thin slice of ham and some cheese inside…mis padres told me that you can buy these at the carnicería made up, and you just fry it)

     - Potato chips

viernes

el desayuno:

     - yogur del sabor macedonia

     - tostada con mantequilla (their version of I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter)

     - zumo de naranja

     - some sort of sweet cake-like “pastry” that said it contained marmalade, but none was found

el almuerzo:

     - First Course—soup, I forget the name of it (it had a creamy broth and contained small pasta that was bigger than the toothpick pasta, and baby shrimps were in it)

     - Main Course: bocadillos (sandwich made of thick bread and meat—salami/pastrami-like meat)

     - Postre—melón

la cena:

     - A crab meat salad with pineapple in it (like a crab dip; very rich in flavor) with bread/potato chips (because my sister likes them)/picos (little dry breadsticks)

     - Pizza de queso y jamón (there was barely any sauce on the pizza and the cheese was different. creamier perhaps)

     *My sister and I ate alone because my parents were out, so the salad was in a store-bought package and the pizza was like a frozen pizza


The food schedule is much different here than back in the US of A. Americans eat when they’re hungry and snack all the time. Spaniards work around their eating schedule, and do not eat unless it is during a scheduled meal (I mean, they snack here and there, yes, but it’s not the same). Each family is a bit different. Most people do not eat a big breakfast. It’s usually cereal or toast with juice, for example. Lunch is the big meal. And everyone goes home for the lunch that the madre prepares. There are three “courses.” After lunch with the family, they take a siesta. Lunch is generally eaten between 2PM and 3PM because the common siesta time, in which many shops are closed, is 2-5PM. They take naps because they go to bed late and wake up early for work. And because it’s hot (at least, this is the conclusion I came to). Dinner is usually a smaller meal and is eaten late, but it depends on the family. For example, bigger families usually have a smaller dinner because there are more mouths to feed. My family eats lunch at 2:30PM and dinner at 10PM.

mi casa nueva

So, since I don't know how long I can use the internet right now, I'll limit myself to a few major stories from the past 2 days...

First and foremost, I have a new family! I really like them. But I can hardly understand them. Allow me to explain...I live in el barrio se llama Triana. In Triana, the people are extremely proud of their neighborhood. Not only do they boast that they live in the best barrio in all of Spain, with the prettiest views and the best shops, but they have literally petitioned to become an Independent Republic of Spain! I'm not kidding. The people here seem very friendly and I feel safe. I live in a nice neighborhood. The best! Claro! (basically as long as you compliment Triana, you're good to go). I live in an apartment, which is very typical here, since electricity and water cost so much, there is usually one bathroom and a living room which also acts as a dining room, a couple bedrooms and a small kitchen. By US standards, my home would be considered pretty small to house a family, but it's a good size for an apartment. My room is like a U-Hall RA room (for those of you who know what I'm talking about). Growing up, I've shared one bathroom with six people, so sharing and keeping my things in small spaces comes pretty naturally to me. Thank you mom and dad! Now for my family...tengo una madre y padre, una hermana quien tiene 19 años se llama María, y un perro se llama Pepe. I have a dog! There are four children in the family, but the older three are all married and live elsewhere. I've met the older daughter and one of their sons and his almost 1 year-old. He's so cute! This family is good-looking, by the way. And they're so friendly. I love them. They speak very quickly, because in Andalucia, they speak more quickly than in all of Spain and with a think accent. It's a known fact, I'm not just saying this in self-pity. They are patient with me, though, and I can already feel my Spanish getting better. 

Now, for the exciting story of the day...So last night, after tapitas (they add "ita" to the end of everything here) and una copita with the other study abroad students, a group of us decided to venture back to Triana, which is about a 35 minute walk from El Centro. We got to the barrio and split into groups of two more or less, based on the location of our houses. Note that this was our first night living in these places, many of which are on small streets that do not appear on maps...Anyway, after walking to a certain point, we walked alone to our homes. Needless to say, I got lost. After a while I decided to ask a random lady pulling a suitcase if she knew where my street was. She did not. She did, however, stop a car so that I could ask them if they knew. They did not. The man driving the SUV called his grandmother, who also did not know. They all decided it would be best for me to walk in a certain direction, so I did. I then found a bench under a street light (where I knew I wouldn't get mugged or anything. Plus, I feel safe in Triana. The only real crime in Sevilla is pick-pocketing). While trying to read my map, a woman from Mexico stopped and helped me. After discussing the fact that the map was bad, she pointed me in the right direction. I found my house and got into the apartment complex, but then could not open the door to my actual apartment. It was dark, and my cell phone light was not bright enough to be a flashlight, like my US phone is! Luckily, Pepe knows when people are home. He barked and my madre let me in. Thank God for Pepe! Good thing this was the first night and I have a grace period....and if you could hear everyone else's stories, you would probably die. What a crazy experience!

Well, I must go. We're having dinner soon. It's currently 9:30PM. We had lunch at 2:30PM. Lunch is the largest meal here. It consists of a first course, main platter, and some sort of dessert. Breakfast is small. I had juice, toast with jam, and yogurt. The yogurt tastes different. But it was fine. It is eaten whenever you want (breakfast, I mean. Not yougurt). I ate at about 8:45AM.

Here's a picture of my room:

And thus begins my journey

Let us start at the beginning. It was Sunday, the 5^th day of September in the 2010^th year of our Lord (note the official language used to emphasize the significance of this event)…On this day, I attended church with my family. Simple enough. While walking out, I exchanged hugs and well-wishes with several mothers of family friends. One would typically think of this as a nice gesture. It was; however, this gesture initiated a variety of emotions in my mother, who immediately began to tear up (lo siento madre, pero este detalle es tan importante en la cuenta)…Eventually we arrived at the airport in Chicago, where a man directed us to the incorrect line, where a curt woman told us to get into another line, which also happened to be incorrect. In that line, however, a very helpful woman told us where to go and said that she would take us to the front of the line if necessary, because what had happened to us “just wasn’t right.” We graciously turned down this offer because we were in no hurry. I then found out that my suitcase (I packed everything into one suitcase and one backpack used as a carry-on) was 49 pounds. A single pound under the “free” limit (there is an overweight fee of $50)! That’s talent, if I do say so myself! I went through security with ease, feeling as though I missed something because I expected to have to undergo some sort of extravagant procedure to leave the country. Nothing.

                

On this plane, I encountered a flight attendant from New York who strongly favored the young gentlemen near me.  Listening to their conversation, I discovered that they were brothers from Manchester, England traveling to Yosemite National Park to mountain climb, simply because it was on their bucket list. I knew from that moment that this was going to be an exciting adventure.  After arriving in Dallas, I found out that about 1/3 of the passengers on my plane to Madrid just happened to be students studying abroad in the same program as I am.  Small world.  I chatted with a girl from Baja, California who planned to study architecture in Sevilla, but was going to rent an apartment with some friends for a semester. She was fluent in Spanish and got us through the airport in Madrid pretty quickly as a result!

                

Upon arrival at the hotel in Sevilla, I became nervous because I was jet-lagged and had a difficult time understanding everything the study abroad program guides were saying.  After about 27,000 attempts to call my parents (for anyone trying to call a US number from Europe, you need to first dial “00” and then the country code which is “1” before you dial the complete number), I decided to take an hour nap and then wander in hopes of finding my friend Claire or making some new ones.  While walking the streets, I met a guy from Africa who has family in New York and London, and recently moved to Sevilla because he has friends here.  His Spanish was only slightly better than mine, so we chatted for a while and walked to the river. He was an interesting person—safe (no worries mom and dad). When the orientation officially began, I met my group and guide and felt much more comfortable. I thoroughly enjoy them. Also, I met my current orientation roommate, whom I love. We are now friends and we practice Spanish in our room before we go to our meetings, etc., in order to sound more knowledgeable around others. She is from Indiana.

                

Today (technically yesterday now—Tuesday, to clarify), we toured a bit of the city with our groups and ate muchas tapas! My guide, Fran, is really nice. He speaks clearly and loves food.  We had interviews with various professors to determine the level we need to be in for our intensive language course.  I think it went well, overall. I just hope I get credit for all of my classes here! That’s all. We also saw a flamenco show (that’s the national dance of Spain. It’s a very intricate art-form with a rich cultural history.) We saw the university, which I am excited to study in, and were given our housing assignments…drum roll please….I will be living in el barrio Triana (a region of Sevilla—a burrow or neighborhood, more or less) with a married couple and their 19 year-old daughter! I’m excited and nervous to meet them tomorrow morning (today?)…oh boy!

                

Long story short, so far so good.  I’m excited to be immersed in the culture and soon speak in only Spanish (mas o menos).  I can’t wait to get into a routine and officially start my life here.  I sweat a lot here.  Also, apparently I will get no more sleep here than I do living on campus back home...and in case anyone was wondering, writing this in English has been difficult for me because I kept starting to use Spanish. This is awesome!

                

Ciao.

It is what It is

After a long discussion yesterday with my almost 14 year-old brother about the truth and somewhat unusual comfort in the statement "You just have to let nature run its course," we argued how vague and unconclusional "It is what it is" is.  (yes I made up the word "unconclusional")

What exactly is "It?" And what "Is" it?

This is not a sufficient or comforting response to any situation!

Example:  

Boy: "A dragon just set my bike on fire! How will I get home from the disco party after school?"

Teacher: "Well...it is what is is."

ummm...

Rant. Ready and go...

It's officially Thursday, meaning there are 3 days left before I leave. 3 days! I went from excited mode to stressed mode. I have so much left to do. I can't sleep because I'm thinking about it, but I can't get real things done because I'm too tired. Asi es la vida!

I went to the doctor and they measured me. Apparently I'm 5'7 1/2." hahaha....what a joke!

Why is it that every time I text someone about my "blog," T9 wants me to write "clog?" When have I ever used "clog" in a text message?!