Planning...

This may sound like one of the most snobby problems to ever have- but planning trips during my time in Spain has been driving me crazy.  I don't want to miss out on valuable time I have on another continent to explore more than Sevilla, but trying to coordinate with other people isn't an easy task.  So far I have a London trip planned and am waiting patiently to hear back from my little brother, Eric, to see if he has his spring break free to visit me (ERIC- LEMME KNOW!).

Today I picked out all of my courses that I want to take at the University not based on what truly interests me, but based on a) which classes don't meet on fridays, b) what's easy because I don't speak Spanish (claro) and c) which class will let me take an early final because I have to be back by the beginning of June for my internship.  I hope to be taking "anthropology of education" because the teacher is super flexible, but the class starts at 8:30 am.  I don't think I've been awake at 8:30 am in a LONG time but I gotta get back!

In addition, I finally got my allergy shots here in Triana, a neighborhood across the river.  It only cost 8 euros for both my shots, so instead of explaining to the receptionist that I do, indeed, have international insurance, I just paid the 8 euros for the company to reimburse.  After my shots, the doctor put some form of masking tape over the injection site.  It was pretty sketchy, not going to lie, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  Thanks Menke and Kirsten for schlepping there with me- you guys rule.

I also notice that I sleep A LOT here.  I think it's because the blinds on my windows block out all of the light.  I am also avoiding writing a paper that's due Thursday.  I started it last night, but Belen came over and we hung out for literally three hours.  She gave me a pink blackberry cover for my birthday, just like the one she has.  I don't understand why she likes hanging out with  me- I probably sound like a third grader when I speak to her, but we do get along famously.  She's such a doll.

                                                         Free chupito for the bday!

The view outside my window

                                                                  In Cadiz

Felicidades!

What an AMAZING day.

Where to begin.

Firstly, the people on this program are completely incredible.  I feel like I am with friends I have known for years and years.  I met them 3 weeks ago.  They made me feel so special today, like it was really my day.  We went to Cadiz very early in the morning and it was raining cats and dogs.  My entire body was drenched.  After some time, the sun came out and everything dried up.  We had a great lunch at a little restaurant (complete with vino tinto, sangria, and paella) and walked all around the city.  When I got back to Sevilla, a beautiful bouquet of flowers was waiting for me from home.  Mati kept saying “que detalle”- she was really into them.  Thank you, family- they are BEAUTIFUL!

Dinner consisted of a fried egg, sushi, and non-dairy cake that Mati made.  Yes, I know the fried egg and sushi part is a little bizarre, but Mati decided to surprise me with my two favorite foods (both on the same plate).  She’s the best.

After, we went out for the big day.  We started at a bar right by where I live in Nervion and made our way to a discoteca, Abril, where we stayed until 5:30 in the morning.  My two Cornell friends, Brian and Kathleen, even came out.  It was so great to see familiar faces!

I am currently sitting at my desk, listening to a band that performs during la Semana Santa practice outside.  It’s 5:30 pm, which means that I have been sleeping all day.  Today is recovery day, for sure.

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special!

 

Cadiz- I took this with my phone.  How clear! 

 

Birthday dinner!!

 

Lunch in Cadiz

My special, non-dairy cake (Mati and Luiqui, too!)

Fotos

                                                         Me and Leann in Madrid

                                        Me and Natalie at a church in an old hospital in Sevilla.

Outside of the Prado in Madrid

Today:  I took lots of Siestas in my jacket and scarf because it was SO cold.

What I learned today

-Never drink two glasses of wine before class.  Bad idea.  

Today, the program paid for lunch at a Tapas restaurant.  Everyone on the program ate cute little bocadillas (sandwiches) and drank way too much wine.  I almost fell asleep during culture class that immediately followed.

-I forgot how to ride a bike
Kirsten and I got our Sevilla bike pass today that allows us to take bikes from different Sevici (name of the rental place) stands in Sevilla and ride them from one place to the other.  Upon crossing the first busy intersection on a bike, with my backpack shoved in the basket attached to the front of it, I almost fell onto a group of pedestrians trying to cross the street.  These bikes have to be the heaviest I have ever ridden.  They have minds of their own!  Later on in the trip, as we got closer and closer to home, there was less foot traffic and I started getting the hang of riding a bike once again.  

Also a cool pic from my friend Catherine-- today at a church in an old hospital in Sevilla

Mi lucha con el idioma

It’s been quite an exciting week here in Spain.  I just came back from a weekend in Madrid with the group.  What a beautiful city.  We saw El Prado and La Reina Sofia.  I loved the Reina Sofia—modern art just strikes a chord in me. 

I went to my first discoteca while in Madrid- Joy.  I usually hate to dance, but the energy in those places is infectious.  I had a blast!  The Spanish men here are pretty aggressive, which is comical.

The only thing that I’m not really digging is the fact that my Spanish is not my English.  I feel ill equipped to be walking around Spain- like I’m walking through a mall without a wallet.  What if I find a great dress?  Can’t buy it.  What if I find an adorable Spaniard?  Can’t talk to him (or do and look silly).  It’s hard. 

After the short few weeks here, I realized how much I actually talk in English.  I don’t stop!! Now when I’m forced to only speak Spanish, there is much more silence.  I now stand there waiting for Mati or Luiqui (or a teacher or a Spaniard) to initiate conversation.  It’s SO not me at all to do that, as you all know.

I was in a cab going back to the hotel one night in Madrid.  I was SO bummed about my Spanish- I had such a hard time communicating to people at a bar.  The African cab driver (literally from Africa) was consoling me- telling me that I will learn “poco a poco.”   I guess you can say that Madrid was my low point, linguistically.

Aside from that, I am completely loving this place.  Belen came over for dinner tonight and gave me and Kirsten a list of cool Spanish songs.  I showed her my a cappella group videos on youtube and she kept saying “que guay!” (how cool).   After I showed Mati, she said something along the lines of “I didn’t know I had an artist living under my roof!” I miss the Touchtones SO much.  I want to sing, but I don’t think I’m going to try out for a group here.

In other news, it was very difficult to not be at the AEPhi house for rush this year.  As of last night, I am officially no longer president.  What a strange feeling of both complete joy and utter sadness.  Throughout this week, I have been BBMing everyone at the house, asking how rush was going.  I stayed up until 1 am last night waiting for the list of new members.  One of my favorite Touchtones, Chelsea, is in the newest pledge class and I could not be more thrilled.  Literally everyone on my program knows that this week was rush week because I couldn’t stop talking about it.  I even tried explaining what a sorority was to Belen- but she didn’t really get it.  To go from president, knowing everything about everything AEPhi, to being in Spain, where I am completely isolated from everything familiar, has been a difficult adjustment.  Knowing that when I come home I'll have a new little little and 50 new members to get to know makes me super excited though!

Today I bought a hair dryer from a store across the street because the one I brought from America doesn’t work.  I showed Mati and she approved.  We sat in the family room and I told her all about my day.  It’s FREEZING here at night (that's why I need a hair dryer- If i didn't have one, my hair would literally turn to ice).  Kirsten and I have a hard time moving because it’s so cold.  Our room is a freezer.  We bury ourselves under thick blankets at night, which makes it so difficult to get out of them in the morning. 

I didn’t even realize that my birthday is on Friday.  Mati reminded me.  How crazy is that?  I thought it was Saturday.  “No me digas!” (you don't say!) I replied to her when she told me it was on Friday.   Veinte uno, por fin! (21, finally!)

What's new

Steph and I at the futbol game

 En un mercado en Madrid

En la plaza de espana

Que Mono!

After telling Mati that sushi is my favorite food, she bought an entire package of frozen sushi and defrosted some of it for us for dinner.  She's incredible.  I made her try the soy sauce (she never had any in her life!) and after putting a little drop in her mouth, she spit it out into the sink.  She's not a fan.  She hates raw fish, too, and refused to try a piece.  She did enjoy the ginger, though.

Below, a typical dinner a la casa de Mati (minus the sushi).

Kirsten and I with our new friend Belen at dinner in the house the other night.

Photos!

Ice Skating in the mall in Nervion

 Girls at the futbol game

 Betis Stadium

 Cute little street in Sevilla- Kirsten (my roommate!)

 Outside of "The Arab Baths"

 After two hours soaking in pools.  What an amazing morning!

 Mom, Dad, and Eric-- remember this place?  Fried drad anyone??

Este semana

Things I have learned from Mati so far:

1.     No pasa nada- she says this all the time.  It’s my new favorite saying- it means don’t worry! The other day, a plant that was sitting in the window fell and made such a loud noise.  The vase it was in was all over the floor- water everywhere.  Kirsten and I waited in anticipation for Mati's reaction.  “No pasa nada” was all she said.

2.     Always heat your plates before you put food on them.  Why put warm food on a cold plate?  Why put cold milk in hot coffee?  She’s got a point!

3.     You can still be 80 and rule.  She’s up to date on all the celebrity gossip.  She reads “Que Me Dices,” a celebrity magazine, every Saturday.  She enjoys “Miguel Douglas” and “Eva Longoria.”  So does Luiqui (her husband).

4.     She’s not Roman Catholic, as many people are in Spain.  She loves Budah because he represents tranquility.

5.     Find a boy with a car.  Ask him: “tienes un coche?” and if he says yes, tell him your name.  No?  Next!

6.     The streets give you life.  After Luiqui’s heart attack when he was in his late 40’s, he became depressed due to his long recovery period.  Mati would send him to get free newspapers in the streets everyday and to do the grocery shopping to liven him up.  Clearly it’s working!   He’s full of life and 76!

7.     To stay thin, she only eats one meal a day.  She peels oranges for us as we eat lunch and dinner, talks to us, but doesn’t eat.  Extrano...

8.     I showed her a picture of Adam and she freaked.  She thinks he’s “guapisimo”—the most handsome man!

Basically, she’s the BEST.  She is my favorite part about Sevilla.  Luiqui rules, as well.  Even though I only understand 30% of what he’s saying, he’s literally the cutest man I have ever met.  He owns black and white Nike Air Max sneakers and wears sweater vests every day. 

In other news, Kirsten and I met their granddaughter, Belen, the other day.  She came over for dinner.  She is probably the coolest girl in the world.  She’s 19, lives in the downstairs apartment, and is a walking ray of sunshine.  We’ve spoken about how to dress for la Universidad, cool bars in Sevilla, and how crazy Lindsey Lohan is.  She always say phrases like “me encanta!!!” and has gorgeous hair. I bought an empire state building pen as one of their welcome gifts for my host family in Sevilla and when Mati opened it, she said that we needed to give it to Belen because she collects pens.  Needless to say she loved it and we have ourselves a new friend.  My first Spanish friend on facebook! (pic below!- how cute!! (que mono))

I just got back from the Barcelona v. Betis futbol game.  It was incredible.  Mati packed me and Kirsten bocadillas (sandwiches) and told us that during halftime, everyone eats sandwiches and we’d be hungry.  At first, Kirsten and I thought she was crazy.  But at halftime, EVERY SINGLE PERSON wiped out a sandwich.  Kirsten and I were armed and ready with ours, too!  Mati really knows what’s up.

The game, itself, was madness.  It was so exciting to see the stadium so alive with such enthusiastic fans.  Steph and I ate sunflower seeds, coke light, and cheered like madmen for Betis. We must have been good luck charms because Betis (the Sevilla team) beat Barcelona (the number 1 ranked team in Spain) 3-1! 

Tomorrow we go to los Banos Arabes (http://www.hammamspain.com/).  All I know is I’m going to lay in a pool for hours.  Incred.  ME ENCANTA SEVILLA.

Pictures of our house- courtesy of Kirsten

La Semana Primera

Hola Familia y Amigos!

I decided to start this blog so you guys can hear the crazy stuff that is happening to me day by day.  This week has been pretty insane- probably the most uncomfortable yet exciting week ever.  I am currently in mi apartamento con mi companera del cuarto, se llama Kirsten.  Kirsten es de la Univeridad de Michigan and is incredibly pleasant.  I like her very much!

Let me back up and explain what has been happening the past few days.  When Steph and I got to Sevilla, we took a taxi to Hotel Becquer (where we stayed until today).  Everyone on the program stayed there- students from U of M, Cornell, and U Penn.  There are 28 of us.  At first it was overwhelming to get to know them all but after a few days, we realized that we all are here for the same purpose and have the same feelings about this adventure. 

Everyday for the first three weeks we have classes in the Center (el centro) from 3-7 pm.  Grammar, Culture, and a Discussion class.  Totalmente en Espanol.  This language is pretty hard to grasp- especially because there are so many "figures of speech" that a native English speaker wouldn't get.  But I'm understanding as time goes on. 

When me and Kirsten met our host mother for the first time today, she seemed like the sweetest woman ever.  She met us in the hotel lobby and said something along the lines of "We are family now."  Definitely a nice way to start the immersion process.  Matilde (or Mati, which is what we call her) and her husband Luiqui (he told us that he has 4 names and that LUIQUI is a mix of them all) put all of me and Kirsten's stuff in their small white Hyundai car and we drove ten minutes to their apartment. It's a big apartment near "La Facultad de Ciensias del Trabajo" where I'll be studying this semester (It's the equivalent to ILR at Cornell). 


The apartment is one level and me and Kirsten have our own bathroom.  Besides the fact that Mati told me to lose weight and that Kirsten has a large forehead, we got along pretty well.  She cooked us macaroni and ham for lunch and we taught each other how to say our names.  Samantha was easy to teach- Luiqui said "Samantha es una bruja"- meaning Samantha is a witch-- and then I wiggled my nose.  He was referring to the character Samantha from Bewitched.  We all laughed.  When it was time to learn Kirsten's name, they couldn't make the "KIR" sound to save their lives.  I had to write down "KIRSTEN" on a napkin and put an accent over the I to show them how to say it.  They just decided to call her Juanita (her last name is Johnson).


We had class from 3-7 today and after, I bought slippers to wear in the house.  Mati doesn't like it when people wear shoes and only socks are a big no-no (cause they smell!).  We ate chicken with mushrooms and a salad.  Mati told me that the best way to put oil and vinegar on a salad is to start with salt, then pepper, then vinegar, and then to top it off with oil.  That's the secret- oil needs to be the last thing you put on your food because it's so heavy. 



After dinner, Mati and Luiqui just talked AT me and Kirsten for a while about the king, Juan Carlos, and the president of Spain.  They were having an intense debate about politics that we kind of understood.  My head is spinning.  Must sleep.

Hasta luego,
Sama