Is it already March?!

Wow, I cannot believe that I've been abroad for almost two months! The weather is starting to get really nice here, on average 70 degrees and sunny every day, and it's making the time just fly by. I felt a little homesick when it was cold and rainy, but Sevilla is gorgeous in the spring and now I never want to leave. Nothing exciting to report on the school front--my classes are going well and my professors are great, for the most part. The professor of my "History of Relations Between the Americas" class is a bit brusque and demeaning but hopefully he'll come around eventually.

The main entrance-way to the University. So beautiful!

My assigned “Intercambio” never contacted me so I’ve really been making an effort to befriend some local students around my age to practice my Spanish with! My friend’s Intercambio invited us over to his friend’s house for dinner the other night, it was so much fun! The two girls that live in the apartment cooked an interesting Italian dish for us comprised of pasta with red sauce and sliced hot dogs, but it was so cute and thoughtful! I told them next time we would come over and cook American food for them, but they didn’t seem to enthusiastic about the idea until I suggested Mexican food instead. I’ve really been craving home made guacamole and cooking for our new Spanish friends gives us an excuse (and kitchen) to make it!  After dinner we went to “botellon” in a nearby parking lot in the Triana neighborhood. Now, what exactly is botellon-ing? It’s essentially picking up a bottle of liquor, a liter of mixer, some cups and ice and taking these supplies to a public place to “pregame”. Since in Spain it is unusual for friends to visit your home at night and many local students live with their parents until they graduate from university students frequently find a park and botellon with friends before heading to bars or discos. The botellon phenomenon is an interesting part of Spanish youth culture—but actually enjoyable and a great way to practice speaking Spanish!

 

I had my last cultural visit with my program to Granada two weeks ago and I had a blast! We left on Saturday morning and returned late Sunday. There was so much to see in Granada! On the first day our group attended guided tours of the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral. Both were beautiful buildings, constructed during the early 16th century in Gothic-style architecture.  I enjoyed the outing to Granada Cathedral immensely. The interior is stunning and features huge white, marble columns, exquisite gold details and a beautiful blue ceiling with gold stars. After the guided tours our group dispersed to enjoy some free time in the city. My friends and I went for “tapas”, and were pleasantly surprised to discover that with the purchase of a drink (cerveza or vino) you receive a free tapa! 

Inside the Cathedral

Taking a break for some tapas!

The next day after a delicious American breakfast buffet our group set off for an expedition to the famous Alhambra. The Alhambra is an ancient city built by the Moors in the mid 14^th century and is comprised of a royal palace and military fortress. The palaces in the Alhambra were built for the last Muslim rulers of Spain and taken over by the Catholic kings after the reconquest in the late 15^th and 16^th centuries. The architecture of the Alhambra was beautiful and the views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the top of the fortress were spectacular. The journey to Granada was without a doubt my favorite cultural visit!

On top of the fortress in the Alhambra and overlooking the Sierra Nevadas.

Never a dull moment.

Hey everyone! I'm sitting in my favorite cafe called "Mascarpone" (everything in here is pink!) to write this update before I head to class at 6:30. Earlier this week I went to another Flamenco show on Calle Betis, about 5 minutes from my house. It was awesome! Only singing and guitar (no dancing) but I really enjoyed the music! There were tons of locals there and I think it was pretty authentic, as opposed to the flamenco we saw last week. Below is a video that I recorded!

I've been SO busy this week! On Tuesday I toured the University of Sevilla, the Cathedral of Sevilla on Wendesday, and a school called Colegio Claret on Thursday. The university is really awesome and I'm excited to study there with Spanish students and professors. It's located in the "Antigua Fabrica de Tobacos", an old tobacco factory, and was founded in the early 16th century. I enjoyed the tour of the Cathedral of Sevilla, but after a while all of the paintings of "La Virgen" and baby Jesus start to look the same... La Catedral de Sevilla is the third largest church in the world and is the largest Gothic cathedral--it's huge! I climbed up the giralda or tower (40 flights of stairs!) and took some great photos of the entire city.  Colegio Claret is a middle school in Sevilla where I'm going to volunteer to teach English once a week. I'll teach a class of fourteen-year-old students for an hour every Monday until I go home in June. With any luck, I won't have any disciplinary issues as there have been some problems in the past. I'm going to have to put on an intimidating front!

View from the girlada, I live just to the left of the river!

On Saturday some of my friends and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Ronda, a small, scenic town about 2 hours from Sevilla by bus.  Ronda is an absolutely beautiful town set in the Serranía de Ronda mountains. Walking around the charming, picturesque streets I felt as though I had stepped back in time. The Puento Nuevo, built in the 18th century, is a beautiful bridge that straddles a 100m gorge. The weather was amazing, about 65 and sunny, and after walking around the city for a while we stumbled upon a tapas bar called "El Grifo" and stopped in for a snack.  "El Grifo" means "tap" in English and each table in the restaurant had it's own beer tap in the middle! We caught the return bus back to Sevilla and arrived home around 8 pm.

Beautiful views in Ronda!

Puente Nuevo

Photo in front of the cathedral in Ronda.

Taking a break in "El Grifo"

As you all know this past Sunday was the Superbowl. I heard about a bar in Sevilla, cleverly named "TexMex" that just happens to cater to Americans looking for somewhere to partake in this great American past-time. My friends and I made reservations at TexMex earlier in the week and were thrilled to discover that they would be offering hot wings for 50 cents each with RANCH dressing (we've been searching for this condiment everywhere). I had high expectations for the Superbowl festivities at TexMex and we were definitely not let down. The venue was packed with rowdy Americans and my friends and I felt right at home. It was definitely my favorite Superbowl celebration of all time!

Getting ready for kickoff! Seating was assigned, and we had a Packers Fan at the end of our table.

Alex and I savoring the delicious hot wings with ranch.

I had my first class at the University of Sevilla today, History of Relations between the Americas, and I'll attend it four times a week from 2-3 in the afternoon. The professor is about 60 years old, from Sevilla and absolutely adorable! I was super nervous about the class before because I wasn't sure if I was going to have a hard time understanding the professor or if he was going to be accommodating to foreign students or not but I think everything is going to be fine. I'm looking forward to getting the Spanish perspective on a topic as controversial as politics between the US and Latin American nations. This weekend I'm traveling to Barcelona with some friends and I'll update again when we return!

Eso es la vida

Another week has passed here in Sevilla! Time is flying by.  I'm almost finished with my first class, Contemporary Spanish Society, and I've begun to plan for my classes at "la Universidad de Sevilla".  Starting February 7th I will be enrolled in two classes at the Universidad de Sevilla with local Spanish students and professors. I also have an "Intercambio" partner, a student at the Universidad that I'll meet with once a week to get to know and help answer any questions I may have about the university.  We're going to get together for coffee when she's finished with exams in about two weeks. I'm so excited to meet Gloria, my partner! Everything at home is still going well.  We have another new roommate, a 19-year-old German student, who does not speak any Spanish but he does speak English.  He's here doing an intensive language course until April.  There are now 5 students living here. It's really fun to come home and hang out with everyone, we've become a little family!

Family dinner!

All of us! From left: me, Franziska, Maik, Ángeles, Paulina, Alex

I'm still having so much fun exploring the city! Sevilla is considered the cultural, artistic and financial capital of southern Spain and is the fourth largest city in the country. There is always something to do! This week I went to see a Flamenco show at "La Carboneria". It's a tiny, hole-in-the-wall place near the center of the city.  It was nearly impossible to find, but luckily we bumped into a Spanish couple on their way to the show as well and followed them.  I was a bit underwhelmed by the costumes (or lack of), but the singers and dancers were very passionate and authentic. Overall, it was a great cultural experience. I found this video of Flamenco on YouTube that is similar to the dancing we watched. Click here for a glimpse of the Flamenco show!

I had a mandatory weekend excursion to Itálica this past Saturday.  Itálica, only about 10 km from Sevilla, is the site of a Roman town founded in 206 B.C.  It boasts the third largest amphitheater (it once seated 25,000 people), exquisite and well preserved mosaics, and cobbled Roman streets. It was a fascinating excursion and left us enough time to get home for lunch and a long walk along the river.  I'm looking forward to my last week of class at EUSA and then beginning classes at the university!

In front of the remains.

Mosaics preserved from the 2nd century BC.

Caitlin and me in the amphitheater.