El Día de los Selfies

-->

¡Joder, qué atareado este fin de semana! On Friday, I went to Villanueva, a suburb of Sevilla to visit a Bodega (winery). We visited Gongora, one of the oldest wineries in Andalucía. They have the oldest (seems to be a theme here) wine press in all of Europe that is still in use. We learned a little about how they rotate the barrels of wine and how different types of wood affect the flavor. We also got to try three different types of wine, of which I was only a fan of the dry. Their fortified and naranja (orange) wines here are too much for me. I also learned that you cannot call a wine a Sherry unless it is made in Jerez, Spain, which is only about an hour from here. The best part of that visit was getting to have a nice conversation with Luis, my professor for that class. He gave some great advise on places to visit and books to read, and told us about his favorite glass of wine...a full one. :)

            On Saturday we went to Córdoba. There we visited the Mosque-Cathedral. It’s called that because it originated as a mosque and was converted into a cathedral during the inquisition. The changing architectural styles in Spain can be seen in its different sections, with the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles all represented. When it was a mosque, it was the third largest in the world, just behind the Mecca and one other. In the first built section, each column is a little different because they recycled them from ancient ruins, so there are over 1000 different columns all made of marble. There are also three unbelievable mosaics that still remain from the mosque that are all made of precious stones. It is quite the site. My favorite part though was the arches that look like candy striped pants.

            We also got to visit the Synagogue. It is one of the three best preserved Medieval synagogues in the whole of Spain, with the other two being in Toledo. It was built in 1314 and was built within a home because Jews were not allowed to outwardly worship. The Synagogue is right in the middle of the Jewish quarter, which has tiny streets, and lots of shops. Very unique.

            The last main site we saw before wandering the city to find some great gems was the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. Like the Alcázar of Sevilla, it has expanses of gardens and fountains. I cannot begin to describe the beauty and tranquility there. The orange and lemon trees are starting to smell great too, so it’s such a great ambiance.

Concepción out to play

Thanks for stopping by

-->

Mirror Pic

            The highlight of my day was my election to be a total creep and take the weirdest ‘selfie’ pictures ever. I always get a kick out of catching people doing that, so I thought I’d dedicate a day to poking fun at tourists like myself. Well…I really committed and came up with some really odd ones. Not shocking that I could do something weird, and it filled the day with some great commentary and laughter.

Saludos,

Kelsey

El Viaje a Marruecos

¡Oye ve! It’s been quite a while with lots of happenings here in Sevilla. You might actually want to read this whole one because I went to Marruecos (Morocco) this past weekend!! Before we get there though, in my literature and the kitchen class, I ate brain last week…and yes, I am much smarter now. We ate a brain soufflé so if any of you would like a personal chef when I get home, I’d be glad to whip that up for you. We have also had normal stuff too like fish, tortilla española, and three different types of gazpacho. Other than that, I’m still enjoying each of my classes, each brings something different that I will surly bring back to the states with me. Outside of class recently has been filled with working on an honors grant for my thesis next year and my application for the Riley Children’s Hospital internship..looks like I brought a little bit of my work load from the US with me.

But now for the stuff you have all been waiting for….CULTURE!!!!!!! Just wanna tell you real quick about this little guy called la estufa or el brasero…it’s this great little heater that goes under the table which is set with a tablecloth/ blanket that goes all the way to the floor. When we eat, we get to tuck our feet under and feel real heat, which is a true rarity when you are inside the home.

Ok, but really, now I’ll tell you about Marruecos. We left on Friday and headed to Tarifa where we got on a HUGE ferry to Tangiers, Morocco. The bus ride was about 2 hours and the ferry took only 45 minutes or so. From Tangiers we headed to the hotel, which was about an hour away. I had to smack myself in the hand a few times because I kept feeling like I was in Slumdog Millionaire so I needed to recognize how culturally inaccurate that was. Regardless, when we got to the hotel we had an AMAZING cous cous (or as an Andalucían could pronounce, coo coo) with chicken, eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and sweet potatoes.

The next day we went to the city of Assilah. En route we learned some Arabic words from our guide who sung for us and told us stories. The biggest thing I learned was that you cannot determine a person’s religion by their garb. I really liked that we were told that right off the bat so that it wiped out any judgements that we were already making about the people we were seeing. I definitely think that that lesson applies in the states in more subtle ways, so I will definitely bring home the lesson to live out what you believe and stand for, not just show it in a piece of jewelry or say it. Our guide also gave me an Arabic name, Laila, which means “night beauty” so I guess you can take that whichever way you’d like.

 In Assilah we got to tour the city and see their beautiful murals that are replaced each year. Some people got henna and we got to browse the markets some, but I was fascinated by the murals and chose to try to see as many as I could instead.

Later on, we went to Tangiers, where we rode camels, ran around on the dunes (did that one just with someone else—wasn’t really the trendy thing to do), visited los cuevas de Hercules, and saw el Cabo Spartel (the point in which the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet). Cada sitio era precioso y muy muy impresionante. Marruecos es un mundo totalmente diferente de cada lugar que he visto antes.

Sunday we visited Chefchauen, which is a city built into the mountains of Morocco. The city is surrounded in a wall. The streets are tight and hilly and BLUE! It is unbelievable how much blue there is there. So so gorgeous. In Chefchauen we wandered and saw the markets and ate lunch on the roof of an amazing restaurant that overlooked the whole city.

All in all we had an unbelievable weekend. I am very thankful we travelled with a group because we felt safe the whole time and everything was organized, but we still got to do our own thing for a lot of the time.

Saludos,

Kelsey

El Carnaval

¡Madre mío! Ha sido otro semana con muchas cosas hacer. I had my first week of real classes and I’m really enjoying all of them—although I have yet to go to one of them because I just switched into it on Thursday. I am taking Psychology of Learning a Second Language, Religion and Fanaticism in Spain, Liturature and the Kitchen, and Phonetics and Phonology. The stand out class last week is my Liturature and the Kitchen class. On Tuesdays, we are in the classroom discussing readings that we do, and Thursdays we are in the kitchen cooking authentic Spanish food. The professor for that class, Luis, is a very welcoming and knowledgeable man and he gives us the opportunity to go to the market on Thursday mornings to buy the food we will cook that day. Naturally, I was so interested so I went on Thursday. Thank goodness too, because he made sure to explain all about the history of the open air market and told us lots about each stand…and informed the three of us there that we would be making sheep brain next week. EEKKK! Well, like they always say, when in Spain.

            On Wednesday for my interest group, I got to learn some about Jamón Iberica and Sherry wine, which is specific to Sevilla. There are only 4 cities in the world that produce this jamón, and they are all in Spain. This ham is the best of the best, the pigs eat and live freely, and when they die, their hind pata (leg) is soaked in salt for 24 hours then hung to dry for 1-3 years. From then, the patas are sold, and people slice the meat right off the bone. Sherry is a wine made from grapes hat are grown near the town of Jerez here in Andalucia. It has a very different taste, which I didn’t love but could definitely appreciate.

            Friday began with a day trip to Carmona, a suburb of Sevilla that has the world’s most well preserved necropolis, which is essentially a burial site. It was very interesting to learn about the significance in these ancient Roman burials. My favorite part about all of these tours is that our guides always set the scene by saying ‘imagina que es el siglo II.’ This just gets me every time as I am dumbfounded by how ancient these places are and how many people and cultures have set foot where I stand. Carmona also boasts beautiful views, and an Alcázar that was used to defend the city from attackers coming from both Granada and Cordoba.  After our day trip to Carmona, Abby, Bri, and I ate our bocadillos in a park and walked around the city all afternoon in the perfect Sevillan weather.

            Saturday brought Carnaval in Cadiz. What a night. Carnaval is a two week long event with parades, a competition for Reina del Carnaval, and fiestas. The main characteristics of the carnival in Cádiz are the criticisms, the punny costumes, sarcasm, and the mockery of parody. The chirigotas are satiric groups sing about politics, topics in the news, and everyday circumstances. This year, the crisis, corruption, and huelgas were a main focus in many of these songs. I tried to be a little witty with my costume, as I was going to be a Día de los Muertos business person, to reflect the bad economy, but I bundled up in favor of not getting hypothermia.

 Jirafas que son baloncestistas

            He sido planeando viajes con Taylor y es muy complicado. Es un buen problema tener, pero no me gusta tardar tiempo por el Internet tratando planear vuelos etc. También, no me gusta tardar todo el tiempo en casa mandando emails para comunicar xq más y más cada día, quiero  pasar tiempo con Concepción para practicar y escuchar a todos sus historias. Te hecho de menos mi familia y mis amigos, pero todavía me encanta Sevilla. 

Saludos,

Kelsey

La Visite a Granada

 Preciosa

-->

¡Hola!

            This past weekend, I traveled to Granada with my program! We took a 4ish hour bus ride to the mountainous (and cold!) region of Granada. We got the opportunity to visit el Alhambra (visit http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.asp?secc=/alhambra/history_alhambra ß for more info about the history!), the oldest neighborhood in Granada, el Centro, a crazy weird contemporary art museum, and el Capillo Real. El Capillo Real is where los Reyes Catolicos are buried. This chapel is HUGE, and so so beautiful. After our visit there, I had some of the best conversations I can remember to date with my friends as we strolled around town.

            I also started class this week, so I’m finally going to get into a real schedule! Along with this, I got to meet my intercambio, Marta, who is a Sevillano learning English. Today we spoke in Spanish for an hour, then in English for an hour. I’m very excited to continue immersing myself in this language throughout the semester as I break away from a typical American way of life and thinking and adopt the Spanish lifestyle.

     Estoy emocionada celebrar el Carnaval en Cadíz este fin de semana y para visitar Caramona, un pueblo fuera de Sevilla. ¡Debes ver los fotos en Google sobre el Carnaval, es como Mardi Gras para los Españoles! Es algo muy alegria en vez de los huelgas y el crisis.

Saludos,

Kelsey

La Plaza De España

-->

February already?! It was another busy week here in Sevilla with class everyday and museum visits and exploring the city a little each day. I definitely can’t think of a single complaint about that type of schedule though! I finished up my intensive grammar class today, which means I’ve got 3 credits down, 12 to go. I could use more of the grammar work, but the class challenged me with different verb tenses and helped me to be more aware of my grammar when I speak. One part of my class was a visit to el Museo de Bellas Artes, which I adored. I spent the whole morning into the afternoon there in complete shock of how beautiful the works of art were. I also came away from the museum with a few new favorite artists. Frida is still my number one gal though.

    Yesterday I visited La Plaza de España, el parque de María Luisa, and los jardínes de Murillo. Once again, absolutely spectacular. The Plaza de España was one of the main constructions and symbols of the Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair that took place in Seville in 1929. It was originally designed and built as the ultimate symbol and the most ambitious project of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair. The initial idea of holding a World Fair in Seville was promoted in 1909 with the aim of opening the city and, especially, to modernize it. It would be the perfect occasion to achieve civil works, thus improve employment, promote the tourism, enhance the image of Seville and strengthen relationships with American countries. The half-ellipse shape of the building represents the embrace of Spain and her colonies to all those who come. There are intricately designed benches for each province in Spain, each having a unique scene from an important event in that province’s history. The architecture is distinctly Arab. Fun fact too, Star Wars was filmed there! What got to me was the sheer size of the place, but as I got closer, I noticed the fine details from sculptures of past officials to crowns on the pavement. It will definitely be one of my go to outdoor study places this semester because it is so close to the University.

            The gardens and other plaza were gorgeous as well. Inside the gardens were peacocks, swans, paths everywhere, huge trees, and fountains. I’ve found my new stomping grounds for running!

            This weekend I am off to Granada with my program for a weekend trip, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to write about. I also must mention the current trash strike here in Sevilla. Because of the horrible economy over here, there have been huelgas (strikes) because officials are cutting pay and upping hours for laborers. This same thing happened in Granada and lasted for a few weeks, so I am hoping it won’t be so long, because the dumpsters are llenisimo (SOO full). The strikes are a reminder about the gravity of the economic crisis here, and are a reminder that although this place is beyond beautiful, it still has its problems. 

 Saludos,

Kelsey