El Fin de Semana

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     These past few days have been relaxing and not action packed. Besides taking my first exam and turning in an essay, all I have done is managed to get myself thoroughly lost and explore the city on foot, which means lots and lots of walking, but I’m liking that. I also found some really cool graffiti on a run, so I’ll definitely be going back with a camera to show you pictures. At night, we’ve been trying new bars to see which places are the best, and I had my first discoteca experience. Not one I need to have many times while I’m here, but it was fun to cut the rug for a while!

            I’m constantly being reminded of how much Spanish I need to learn, but I am actually having conversations at meals with Concepción rather than just listening now. There is LOTS of room to grow though! I have an intercambio, who is a student at La Universidad de Seville. I have yet to meet her, but the deal is that she speaks only in English, and I speak in all Spanish. This should be a fun way to learn how Spaniards really speak and a way of meeting more Spanish friends that will make me speak Spanish more.

            Since I didn’t have much to update y’all on, I’d like to leave you with some pictures of doors that I’ve taken. I’ve been obsessed over all of the different doors here, each one is so different (a common theme here). I am excited to keep opening new doors in my own life as I learn a lot about myself here in Sevilla, realizing la vida está hecha de pequeños momentos (life is full of little moments).

    Mi favorita..puertas con las manos como pomos

El Real Alcázar

            Hola! I realized that a post each day here isn’t quite realistic because of how different the schedule here is. Living la vida tranquila means an hour for breakfast, an hour and a half for lunch, and an hour and a half for dinner followed by chatting and watching some television. That makes at least 4 hours each day dedicated to spending time at the table, which I love, but means that there just isn’t enough time to write each day when you’re also walking 2 miles too and from el centro a minimum of twice a day.

            Any who, my grammar class began on Monday, and thusfar it is going well. My teacher challenges us by asking many questions in different verb forms about ourselves and other people so that we need to think on our feet. We’ve also been RAPIDLY going through lots of grammar points that we will be tested on next Friday. I hope there is enough room in my brain for everything!

           

            One opportunity the grammar class gives is three different culture activities. Today I visited El Real Alcázar (The Royal Alcázar). This is an architecturally intricate palace with acres of gardens and too much beauty to even imagine. I had a hard time even grasping the delicate ceramic work in the tiles and ceilings. Alcázar began as a Moorish fort, meaning much of the architecture is Arabic, but during the Crusades, it was converted to a Catholic church, and since, has changed hands a few hands. I couldn’t help but to be enthralled by the expanses of gardens, kept perfectly trimmed. There are both Muslim style gardens and English style gardens. Muslim gardens are enclosed, private, and precise, while English gardens are open, plants grow more freely, and there is room to roam. Both of these styles of garden are very spiritual places and I found them to be amazingly tranquil despite the many other visitors.

            It was so interesting to roam the grounds of Alcázar wondering what it would be like to live in a time of Moors and Catholic kings, the time of the Crusades and of La Guerra Civil. I was definitely thankful to have a reading from class by Blanco White (jaja) to think back to about the history and emotion of this beautiful place. I will definitely be visiting again throughout the spring to spend a day reading a book or just watching the peacocks wander around. I am constantly in awe of the depth and breadth of culture that this city has, it is unlike anything I could have ever imagined it being.

Saludos,

Kelsey

El Barrio, Santa Cruz

Chica Chica Boom Boom Naranjas

   Another great day here in Sevilla. Weather-wise, it’s been a little crummy because there are big storms up north and we are getting some light rain with LOTS of wind yesterday. The streets here are lined with arboles con naranjas (orange blossoms) and so many have fallen that every tree looks like chica chica boom boom. Because there has been so much wind, there are lots of trees that have fallen, so all of the parks and a few smaller streets were closed down today. This changed our plans of visiting one of the coolest places in Sevilla, la Plaza de España. Instead, we explored one of the oldest areas in Seville called Santa Cruz. Este barrio originated after the Christian Crusades swept through Seville. The Christians wanted to occupy Santa Cruz because it is very close to Alcazar (an important place here and el río.

            This neighborhood is a small area with close houses, thin streets, white walls, and cobblestone streets. Our Spanish friend told us that the houses are built so closely together because in the hot summers, the wind can flow through the streets to cool things down; also why the houses are all white. Also, as the town was constructed, what started as square houses were added to as families grew, adding to the unique architecture of el barrio.

            Our Spanish friend also told us the story of Don Juan, or as many people might remember him from the opera, Don Giovanni. It is said that he grew up in Santa Cruz. The story goes that Don Juan and a friend made una apuesta (bet) one night at a bar about which could be with the most women in one year. They reunited a year later, where Don Juan upped the ante by saying he could seduce Doña Ana, the daughter of Don Gonzalo, and another woman in one night. A duel arises and Don Juan killed Don Gonzalo and the father of the other woman. The second part is more ficticious, as Don Juan brought the dead father up from the dead. There are many interpretations of the ending, but the story most told in Seville is that Don Gonzalo brings Don Juan back to el mundo de los muertos (the world of the dead) that night for los pecados (sins) he has committed. We saw both the statue of Don Juan, and the bar that the bets were made at. It was definitely cool to hear part of the culture of this small barrio.

El Bar that Don Juan made his bet at

            We walked around some more, running into an excavation site en el centro. Seville is a town with layers of history; one generation or rein is build upon the next, so this site was digging down from current day Seville to some ancient Roman ruins. ¡Qué guay! (How cool!) After that, I got my first helado (ice cream) here…VERY TASTY!

 Excavation Site

            I start my intensive grammar session mañana por la tarde y estoy poca nerviosa, pero estoy emocionada para tener una rutina diaria y un horario regular.

Hablaré contigo pronto,

Kelsey

La primera escapada

   Beauty EVERYWHERE

    These last two days have been more relaxing than the crazy days of orientation and touring. I got to pick classes yesterday, which began with a walking adventure to CIEE that I was confident I knew I could do alone. I was wrong. Got a little lost, but ended up figuring it out and not missing mi session de matricula. My schedule isn’t final, but thus far I am signed up for: Psychology of learning a second language, Bilingualism/ intercultural communication/ and plural identity, Conversational phonetics, and The three cultures of Spain: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Should be a great semester ahead! These next two weeks, I have an intensive grammar class three hours a day with activities outside of class, so classes don’t officially start until Febuary 4^th. I also went on my first run yesterday in the park and by the river! It was so scenic, but the Spaniards thought I was the scene they should stare at..that'll take some getting used to.

            Con mi tiempo libre, explora y camina por la ciudad mucho. I have found a lot of really cool places, but I am also excited to do some of the touristy things like go to museums and art exhibits. Today, roaming brought us to a great market that is right by the bridge that crosses into el centro. It was teaming with people, meat, veggies, and fruit. This place is just overflowing with culture, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

             Pata de Jamón

     Anoche, unos amigos y yo tomamos unas copas cerca del río y pasamos tiempo en dos bars. The first was a quaint place that we got una cerveza (Cruzcampo) and chatted next to a big slab of meat. There are legs of ham everywhere! The second place we went, we danced and talked with some Spaniards and I ran into TAYLOR! We were hoping to meet up earlier, but she doesn’t have a phone yet, and people don’t really use phones too much here, so it was exciting to run into her. I am excited to have a friend here who has already studied in Sevilla , and can show me around some.

            At lunch today, we had anchovies and sopa con patata, calamares (calamari), chícharos (peas), y alcachofa (artichoke). Me parece bien los dos, pero no son mis favoritos. I’m trying to learn about the food and ask questions, but I don’t want here to think that I don’t like the food so it’s tricky. I also started bringing mi cuandernito (little journal) to meals so I can write down words I’m learning and actually remember them. Concepción thinks I’m a little crazy for doing that jaja.

            Abby, Andy, and la ‘hermana’ de Abby, Carmen, are going to el centro later so she can show us around las rebajas, and so we can keep learning more about the city. I’m excited because I love hearing how natives see the city. Can’t wait to have the ability to give tours to people!

Me voy a tomar una siesta, saludos,

Kelsey

El Flamenco Fabuloso

WOW! The flamenco last night was fascinating. I found out it’s not true flamenco if it is choreographed or with a group, so there was a woman and a man that danced both together and apart. I couldn’t believe nothing was choreographed. Flamenco has an interesting balance between loud stomping and clapping, sort of like tap dancing, and graceful hand movements. I really enjoyed it

            Flamenco

   We also had tapas at a place called ‘Entre Cárseles’ where we had chorizo (spicy sausage), jamón (ham), a dish similar to potato salad, and roasted veggies with olive oil and bread. ¡Qué sabroso!

            Amigas a las Setas

     Thus far at my homestay, we eat lots of bread, ham, and veggies. Breakfast is a loaf (yes, mi señora insists on giving me a whole loaf) of pan tostada (toast). The toast is sort of like a french loaf, so not huge, but still huge. We have that with café con leche (instant coffee with half and half), which I surprisingly don’t like much because the cream is so thick it hurts my stomach. Lunch is around 2:30 and we have a huge meal. Yesterday’s was spinach with garbanzo beans, jamón, a salad, and some fruit. Lucky me, every lunch and dinner is followed by a square of dark dark chocolate. So far, I have been away for dinner, so we’ll see what we have this evening.

            Today has been uneventful, I bought una bata (robe) so I can be warm in my room, figured out my phone situation, and walked around outside since it’s so nice out. This evening I have scheduling for my classes, dinner at the house, and visiting calle Betis to see what they have to offer as far as evening festivities. I did have a beyond beautiful walk back from el centro that included seeing a cool carnival, architecture, and this awesome cathedral...all 4 walls were so detailed and ornate, bellisimo.

     Me gusta todas las cosas que estoy aprendiendo: cómo ignorar los piropos (Spanish pick up lines), cómo navigar las calles, dondé debo caminar/ correr, muchas palabras/ expressiones nuevas, y mucho sobre la cultura. Aquí en España, está aceptado ser racista..ellos se llama los 'dollar stores' 'los chinos' porque los dueños son de China. También, es interesante ser una minoría. Nunca he sido en la minoridad y los juicios de los españoles son muy obvio. Esta es motivación ser inmerso en la cultura de Sevilla y para convertirme entre una sevillana real.

Saludos,

Kelsey

El Centro

 Un edeficio que me gusta mucho

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This morning we got the opportunity to tour el centro (the middle) of Seville. Our guide, Sara, described it as a labyrinth that is build around the original center of the city. There are countless side streets that get you places faster on foot, but make it VERY easy to get lost. She showed us some obvious landmarks that will help us when the inevitable happens and we get lost. It’s about 20 minutes from my house to el centro, which is probably good because it’s all really awesome shops and eateries. El centro is very close to CIEE, which is where all of my classes will be, so I’ll get the opportunity to explore there very often.

             Las Calles Bonitas

      The tight streets with colorful buildings jutting up are more beautiful than I imagined, there are colorful signs, banners, graffiti, and decorations that make each building so unique. Right now is coined, rebajas, or big sales, in which literally every single store has huge 50% off or more sales, so the streets are bussling. I’m definitely going to take some of the weekend to walk around and see how different the stores are here than in the US.

          Una cantante por las calles

        We also got to see Las Setas (mushrooms), which are structures right in the heart of Seville that have stairs you can climb and see the whole city. They are so fascinating and unusually modern in such a historical city. On a clear day, Sara said you can see the expanses of Seville so clearly. Las Setas have been a gathering place for many government protests, as the unemployment rate here is about 30%, and there has been much debate about their appearance in the city.

            Las Setas, en el Centro

       I tried to get a sim card for my phone, but there was a problem with them, so I’ll have to return tomorrow to try again.  Está tiempo para almuerzar y descansar un poco. Este tarde voy al centro para comprar una secadora y caminar un poco con unas amigas de CIEE. Anoche, hay un reunión sobre los grupos de interes, tapas con el grupo, y un flamenco. Será estupendo. 

P.S. Although it’s 60s during the day here, it is FREEZING in my house. I wear two pairs of pants, shirts, and sweatshirts in the house plus gloves and a scarf. Spaniards are different than Americans in that when it’s cold they put on more clothes instead of turning up the heat. In fact, they don’t even have heat! Brrrrr culture shock

El Día Primero

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             La puerta a mi casita Española

     After 30 hours of travelling and a cab ride my first brave Spanish conversation with a native, I have arrived in my home.  Mi señora es Concepción Borrego Fuentes, an older woman who lives alone in a modest Spanish apartment. I have a nice room where there is plenty of space for my stuff and a bed with 5 blankets (she knows me so well!) because it is so chilly and there is no central heating. After arriving, we had dinner and talked…she talked, I attempted to understand...about daily life here and how things work in her home as well as a little about my family.

            This morning was the first time I got to meet other CIEE students. We have a ‘punto de reunion’ at a plaza in our neighborhood that we meet at before making the hike to the university. We had interviews to confirm our placement in the intensive grammar course that I will be in these next two weeks. I’ve got a siesta this afternoon followed by a tour of our barrio (neighborhood), Triana, and tapas with other CIEE students..on CIEE! Since I got in late last night I missed it, but everyone raved about the different tapas, sangria, and beer that we don’t have to pay for (yet).

            SO many stories already and I don’t even feel like I’ve done anything! Voy a almuerza con Concepción..es el grandisimo comida del día, algo muy diferente que los EEUU.

 El barrio: Los Remedios/ La Triana y El río que se llama Guadalquivir

            The day was rounded out by a tour of my barrio (neighborhood) and tapas with my group at a place called Las Golondrinas! We tried vino de verano, which is likened to an Arnold Palmer with wine, as well as chiparones (squid), carne punta de solomillo (beef on toasted bread), caballito de jamón (ham on toasted bread),  ensalada con mejillones (salad with mussles), y varias verduras con aciete de oliva (veggies with olive oil). It’s been so much fun already trying to use as much Spanish as possible. This proves to be difficult with other American students, but they feel awkward speaking English when you speak Spanish, so it works. Talking and listening demonstrates to me the amount of Spanish that I have yet to learn, which is scary, but a challenge that I welcome with an open brain. I’m gaining my bearings about where things are more each day as I call this beautiful place home for the next 4 months

Salud,

Kelsey

El Viaje Larga

I can’t believe the day has come…I have arrived in Spain, just not quite in Seville. I am currently waiting 8 hours for my flight from Madrid to Seville after something got messed up and they overbooked my original 11:50 flight. So, I went from a quick 2 hour layover between my 9:45 arrival to an 8 hour one as I wait with a gaggle of other students for the 6:00 flight. Thus far, travel has been interesting; the first flight (Chicago®JFK) brought a pilot who made landing quite a ride by bouncing down the runway, the second (JFK® Madrid) brought llloooonnnnngggg hours of not sleeping just looking at stars and a TV dinner that neither Maddie nor Bruno would touch. The third flight shouldn’t be too long, that is, if we make it till then. I’m getting some déjà vu of spending 8 hours in the airport on the way home from Haiti with the added confusion of no internet, phone, and a language barrier.

           Yummy airplane dinner. ¡Buen provecho!

      Many things are already different over here. Wine is cheaper than water, they have these crazy diagonal moving walkways (I made some pals, Andrea and Brianna, go on them 6x), their bathrooms smell like the dentist, and they serve yogurt out of a machine like soda. Oh, and the attitude towards foreigners is much less patient. Whereas in the US, people tend to be patient with questions, Spaniards want none of that. They also didn't understand the crying girl who screamed about wanting her money back for a problem that was not the workers fault (the change in flights). Then again, none of us did. Jajaj

Guarding our baggage and attempting a nap

      I’m already realizing that I cannot have a ‘plan’ for my time here in Spain. You want to get to Seville, meet your family, and be shown around? Think again. You want to tell your parents you are safe and to not expect an email for a while? That will be 1 EURO, and you only get 10 minutes. Regardless of the curveball that was thrown into my itinerary, I know this is a lesson that is going to come back repeatedly. And it’s definitely a lesson I am excited to learn and embrace.

            While there are many people that I am sad to leave and will miss dearly, I feel so blessed to be immersed in such a different culture. I am excited for what each day brings in this beautiful place. I have only flown over the city and have seen the rolling hills and amazing plateaus (my favorite geographical phenomena) in Madrid and I cannot imagine the beauty that lay ahead in this journey.

            Estoy nerviosa sobre las gran diferencias de la lengua y la vida diaria, pero sé que estoy preparada por una experiancia que va a cambiar mi vida por siempre. La belleza de la vida crece con cada dîa.