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: