The View from Above

Another week gone by so quickly! I feel like I just posted my last update, and now it’s time for another.

According to Ignacia, Sevilla hasn’t seen this much rain in 50 years! Que mala suerte (what bad luck!). The beginning of this week was pretty much a washout – and I wasn’t able to do much other than go to class. Two other girls and I did finalize our trip to Paris in late March/early April by booking a hostel! Booking flights and hostels always gets me excited. Thursday night a bunch of other students got together to go out for tapas for a friend’s birthday, and our guide from orientation came as well! It was great to see Carolina again. Despite the never-ending rain, she did take us out to other bars and even a discoteca in Sevilla that I had never been to.

Friday we woke up to SUN! It was a beautiful day in Sevilla – sunny, windy, and in the 60s. After lunch I met with a few other girls to spend some time by the river. After meeting with a few more girls, we finally ventured inside the Cathedral of Sevilla. I walk by the Cathedral every day to class but hadn’t gone in until this past week. Because we didn’t get there until a bit later in the afternoon we had to tour the inside quickly before climbing up the Giralda – which is the bell tower of the Cathedral. 30something flights later, we were able to see a gorgeous view of the city. We picked a great day to visit the Cathedral and climb the Giralda, and I can’t wait to bring my friends and family back!

I know I've posted a lot of photos of the river, but some days it just is so beautiful.

A glimpse at the interior of the Cathedral.

Just one of the many photos I took from the top of the Giralda - amazing!

The Giralda from ground level. Definitely a decent climb, but completely worth it.

Friday night my friends and I headed to La Carboneria, a bar in Sevilla that’s famous for its nightly flamenco shows. The show was fantastic – a lot better than the one we saw during orientation week. It was a bit more informal, and the flamenco dancer was a little rough around the edges, but she sure knew how to dance. We got there around 10 to get good seats for the 11pm show, and by the time it started the whole bar was packed. The woman danced while one man sang and one man played guitar – typical of flamenco shows – and she was fierce. La Carboneria is one more place I’ll certainly be bringing all my visitors!

The flamenco performers

Saturday we left bright and early for Granada! About 90 out of the 250ish kids on my program went on the trip that CIEE organized for us, and there’s another trip in March when more will go. After arriving around noon and eating lunch at the hotel, half of us were taken to the Alhambra – a palace and fortress that the Muslims built in the 14^th century. Sometime soon after it was built, it was converted to a Christian site after King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile conquered the previously ruling Muslims. It’s more like a miniature town than a palace with so much beautiful architecture. Because it’s situated on a hill on the edge of the city, there is a beautiful view of the city nearly everywhere you look. Luckily we had another beautiful day and after an extensive tour of the palace and gardens, we all had taken a LOT of pictures. Here are some of the best ones.

Part of the Palace

A view from the Alhambra

Looking over Granada!

A view of Granada from inside a patio.

Unfortunately my camera died at this point, but I had gotten the most important pictures. After visiting the Alhambra, CIEE took us out for tea and pastries at an Arab ‘tetería’ – a tea shop. It was a nice way to relax after walking for nearly 4 hours at the Alhambra. After tea, we were free to walk around the city for a bit before dinner at the hotel. Our hotel was located right next to the Alhambra on the edge of the city which was convenient that morning when we walked to the Alhambra, but not convenient when they left us on our own to return to the hotel. We basically could not walk (especially at night, too dangerous) so we were forced to spend our own money on a bus or taxi. It wouldn’t have been a big deal but our program specifically told us not to bring a lot of money. Oh well… we were a bit tired from the long tour that day so after a little shopping in the main center of town we headed back to the hotel to shower before dinner. Like lunch, dinner was buffet style and surprisingly delicious – and we all ate too much. It was a mix of Spanish food (paella and lots of seafood) and American food (pasta and French fries) along with many other dishes and I think everyone was so excited with all the choices that we went a bit overboard. Good thing we walked so much that day.

After dinner we were free to go out in the city (again – we had to take taxis) and CIEE recommended a few popular bars and hangouts for us. Still, once we got to the main plaza we were a little unsure of where to go. One thing we had been looking forward to about Granada was their tradition of free tapas when you order a cerveza (beer) at a bar. This is not a tradition in Sevilla and so after seeing the first bar with a sign advertising Cerveza + Tapa 2 Euro we practically ran inside. We should have gotten the hint when the bar was nearly empty but we quickly ordered beers and attempted to choose which tapa we wanted. Apparently because it was after midnight the cook was only offering one type of tapa – a small roll with tuna and some sort of sauce on it. It was definitely not the best tapa I’ve ever had, and at that point I wasn’t even hungry. We quickly gave up on our search for tapas and instead ventured out for a livelier bar. After finding one bar that seemed good enough, we realized there were other American students who were studying abroad in Madrid and also visiting Granada for the weekend. They were able to show us to a popular discoteca in Granada which my girlfriends and I were able to get in for free. Our American guy friends weren’t as lucky – but that always seems to be the case here. The discoteca was a lot of fun – not too crowded with a lot of American music. But because we were so tired from our tour that day we weren’t able to stay out too late – we left at about 2am. While at home that could be considered late – here, people asked why we were leaving so early! I’m still adjusting to the staying up all night and sleeping all morning – but so far I like it. It seems everyone in Spain likes the college life-style of staying in bed until nearly noon. Even Ignacia sleeps until 11am on the weekends! Anyway, it was a great night overall. This morning we woke up and were taken to the neighborhood of Granada which we had been overlooking the previous day at the Alhambra. Again, it was beautiful but this time we had the reverse view and found ourselves looking up at the Alhambra from below. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from today since my camera died! After touring the neighborhood we were left with free time in the city, during which we got some delicious ice cream, and then had to find our way back to the hotel for lunch. After eating until we couldn’t eat anymore we headed back on the bus for the 3 hour trip back to Sevilla. Granada was a great city but very different from Sevilla. Since it’s located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it’s a very hilly city. It’s also a bit smaller than Sevilla and as one of my professors insists, it’s quite hippy. It was a perfect overnight trip, and staying in the hotel was fun too – almost like being back in a dorm, which I think we’ve all missed a lot here.

Now I’m about to start another week of classes here followed by a long-weekend trip to Madrid! Sunday is Día de Andalucía, and our Monday classes following this day are canceled! I’m not sure why we have a day to celebrate Andalucía, but I’m not complaining. You can expect another update early next week after I get back from Madrid. The forecast for the next few days is rain (surprise, surprise) but after that it looks promising! Sunny and 70s – I can’t wait.

Lastly – my cousin Georgie has requested that I post a food review of my favorite dish in Spain thus far, which I think is a great idea. Expect that in the near future as well!

This was written on very little sleep.

It’s now been 4 weeks since I left the U.S.! I can’t believe how quickly it’s already going by, and from what I’ve heard, it’s not going to slow down.

This past Monday started the regular session of classes. This semester my courses include Intercultural Communication, Music of the 20^th Century, Publicity and Propaganda, and Spain as seen through the Cinema Screen. Luckily, I’ll be able to transfer some of my classes to both my Communication and my Spanish major at Fordham. Two of these courses (Publicity and Propaganda and Cinema course) are at the Universidad de Sevilla, while I take the other two at the CIEE study center. I really like taking classes at both places because it allows me to meet more people. The classes at the Universidad are specifically for foreigners (they’re called Cursos Para Extranjeros), so they’re taught at a level that I can understand. The CIEE classes are a bit more challenging than the Cursos Para Extranjeros, and they actually involve a little bit of homework. Although there isn’t much work outside of the classroom, the classes themselves are definitely interesting and will certainly help improve my Spanish. Overall, the classes are surprisingly relevant to my experiences here in Spain and I think I’ll really enjoy them.

In addition to classes, I’ve joined an “interest group” here with my program. There are many interest groups offered here, such as Art and Culture, Sports, Spain and Its Neighbors, Communication, etc. They filled up rather quickly but I was able to join the Communication group, which will be great for my major. Every other week or so, there’s some sort of activity. This past week, a woman living in Sevilla who runs a small media company came to speak to us about her career. We’ll also visit TV and radio stations to see how they operate. In April, we get to go on a weekend-long (free!) trip to Lisbon, Portugal to visit the major multi-media news agency, EFE. I think this group will be a cool, different way to experience Spain, especially in relation to my major.

I’ve also done a lot of planning and booking for traveling while I’m here in Spain. Many of my trips are to other countries, but I’ll also be exploring within Spain. My first overnight trip isn’t until next weekend, but this past weekend, nearly all of the students in my program went to Carnaval in Cádiz, a city on the coast of Spain. Carnaval is a celebration that occurs every year before Lent and usually involves some sort of outdoor festival. It’s celebrated all over Europe, and in Spain the largest celebration takes place in Cádiz. Everyone dresses up – either in a costume or often with a mask. After seeing how cute Laura (one of my best friends from home) looked as a mime this past Halloween, I decided to steal her idea. It turns out I wasn’t the only mime there, it was actually pretty popular – but I was definitely one of the best.

I clearly didn't practice mime poses.

Here are a bunch of my friends - you can see that the masks were quite popular among girls.

The other students and I all signed up to go with a travel group, so we were provided bus transportation that left Sevilla at 8pm on Saturday night, and left Cádiz at 3:30am that same night. It was a long, long night, and cold at times (although I wore a ton of layers) – but definitely a memorable experience. There were people everywhere and the costumes were pretty wild. I was able to get up on a platform at one point, with a great view of all the people.

This is the view from the platform we climbed up. This is just one of the many, many areas where hundreds of people gathered. Bars and food courts were also open so there was a lot of drinking and eating, in addition to small parades and choir groups performing. A lot of the groups are made up of men who sing satirical songs, and are often dressed up in ridiculous costumes. It was a crazy night and definitely a lot of fun – but by the time 3:30 came along, everyone was ready to get home.

As I mentioned, this upcoming weekend our program is taking us on an overnight trip to Granada, another city in Spain which is supposed to be beautiful. I guess I should have already explained this, but Sevilla is in a southern section of Spain called Andalucia, which Sevilla is the capital of. Granada is also located in Andualucia. Certain cultural images, such as flamenco and bull fighting, which many people associate with Spain, actually originate from Andalucia. I’m really excited for Granada, and will definitely have pictures to post.

It’s nearly 11pm here now, and I’m about to go to bed. Carnaval took a lot out of me.

Boots of Spanish Leather

I'm sorry this post has taken so long... it's been ready to go up for a while, but often times the internet doesn't work long enough for me to post it!

Anyway, in reference to the title of this one, although I haven't yet bought boots of Spanish leather, I have been listening to the Bob Dylan song quite a bit lately. But since it is rebajas (sales) seasons right now and souther Spain is known for its leather goods, I might just get some boots soon!

Since my last post, we started a two-week class (called an intensive) where we have 3 hours of Spanish grammar everyday. Everyone is assigned to a class according to their level of Spanish, and mine happens to be from 6-9pm, Monday through Friday. My teacher is great too; when we’re not learning grammar, she tells us good places in the city to visit as well as common words Spaniards use. So far, the grammar has mostly been a review of everything I’ve learned so far, which has been nice. I definitely needed a refresher before the regular session starts, which is on Monday, February 8. On Monday, I’ll begin the 4 classes I’ll be taking here in Sevilla, all in Spanish. Classes are only Monday through Thursday, so I’ll have plenty of time to travel on the weekends!

With my free time in the past week, I’ve seen some beautiful places in Sevilla. This weekend our program took us to Córdoba, a small city north of us, for a day trip. It was fairly similar to Sevilla (again, so many orange trees) but we did get to see a beautiful Cathedral, their Alcazar (which is a palace), and a medieval festival. Here are some pictures..

The medieval festival which was taking place while we were there. It was unbelievably crowded, but it was fun to see what they were selling - from candy and dessert to meat to jewelry.

The inside of the Cathedral... I took a bunch of pictures, but I thought this was the coolest.

This is in front of some of the gardens of Córdoba's palace.

I also visited the Plaza de España, which is a huge building in the shape of a half circle. The plaza in the center is currently under a little construction, but the building is still beautiful. It houses many government offices and is a major tourist attraction.

There’s a great park right around the block from my apartment, where I’ve spent some of my time reading in the sun. Although the air is still pretty chilly here, when the sun is out, it can get pretty hot.

A few more things I’ve noticed during my stay in Spain:

· There is so much more fried food here than I expected. Nearly every meal includes fried fish (the most popular), fried chicken, fried ham and cheese, or plain old French fries.

· When cooking, Spaniards use oil instead of butter. It seems they only like food if it is drenched in oil and salt. I’m still getting used to that…

· People here dress for the season, not for the weather. (A sunny day in the 60s in January = winter coat. NOT a t-shirt. One more reason we look like foreigners.)

· My intensive teacher told us that although hip-hop is not big in Spain, what does exist can be found in Sevilla. I thought you might like that one, Em!

· Meals are usually eaten around the TV. For example, instead of sitting at a kitchen table to eat, my señora Ignacia serves us at a table situated in front of the couch, so we sit on the couch and eat our meals. Apparently it’s quite common here.

That’s about all for now, but I’ll certainly have more once the regular classes start!

Oh…I keep waiting for people to start calling me María Gracia here, but it has yet to catch on! My teacher did start calling me MG today in a Spanish accent, which was pretty funny.

Some pictures for you

While I have time, I thought I would post a few photos so you can see where I'm living.

This is my room! To the left is an armoire where I have plenty of room for my clothes. It's small, but comfortable!

These are of the University of Sevilla. It is a huge building, once a tobacco factory.

This is the Cathedral of Sevilla, which is equally as big as the University and also just as gorgeous.

These are fellow students walking through a garden near the University.

These last few are of the interior of the CIEE Study Center.

A few things I have learned in my first week about Sevilla, and Spain in general:

• The buildings here are freezing because many are made of marble, therefore it's always necessary to wear slippers in the house. (Mom, it's even colder here than it is in our house at home!)
• "No siesta, no fiesta!" which means without a nap, there is no party. From 2-4 everyday, mostly every store shuts down for a big lunch followed by a nap. At first it seemed strange that everything closes in the middle of the day because it leaves little to do. But now I'm starting to embrace having a nap everyday.
• It's dangerous to drive here; Spaniards don't tend to pay attention to the traffic laws. For example, even if the traffic light is red, people only stop if there are pedestrians. Otherwise, they will happily go through it.

That's all for now!

My first days in Spain

After a delay and two missed connections, I finally arrived in Sevilla late Sunday night. Although I missed our first dinner with my program (CIEE), I wasn't the only one with flight troubles and there were a few others who missed it as well. Luckily, I was able to head straight to bed once I got to the hotel, where we stayed for our first 2 nights.

I didn't feel too out of the loop on Tuesday, our first full day, since there are roughly 200 students in my program. The students are divided into groups of 10 or so, and are assigned a guía (guide) who is actually a resident of Sevilla and also a student at the University of Sevilla. After being taken to the CIEE Study Center, which is a beautiful renovated palace where we will have some of our classes, we started the day with a scavenger hunt around the city, which was really difficult, but it was great to walk around and see where I will be living for the next 4 months. On average, it’s about 60 degrees here, which after winter in CT, feels like summer. The city is really beautiful; every building is old and gorgeous, there are many parks, and the streets are mostly cobblestone and narrow (but cars manage to fit somehow) and there are orange trees everywhere you look. After an interesting lunch (gazpacho is very popular here, but not for my taste) we were taken to the University of Sevilla, where I will have the rest of my classes, for some orientation programs. After that, our guias took us out for tapas - which is what many Spaniards have for dinner, small dishes that they share - and a flamenco show! CIEE paid for our meal, which was great, and the show was pretty fun, though many of the students were falling asleep. I guess everyone is still adjusting to the time difference. Many students are from the Midwest (University of Wisconsin Madison sent nearly 30 students) so their time difference is more than 6 hours, which is the difference for me. After the show we arrived back to the hotel around midnight, at which point some headed to bed, but many decided to explore the nightlife of Sevilla. A couple of the guias took us to a bar, though because it was a Tuesday night, not many were open. The bar we went to was on a narrow street, and because it was so crowded, people were on the street outside the bar. Drinking alcohol in streets, other than right outside of a bar or club, is illegal in Spain, but this allowed for us to spread out a bit. It was a fun night and a good way to get to know other students, but we also talked with our guides a lot in Spanish. They barely speak English, so we have to practice a lot with them. My guide told me at the end of the night that I was learning quickly, which is encouraging because I feel like I know very little when talking to them.

Wednesday we moved out of the hotel and into our various homestays. I was lucky enough to be placed with another student, which is helpful because I don’t know my way around the city yet. My roommate, Sarah, and I live with a single woman (a senora) whose name is Ignacia. She is really sweet and cooked a delicious lunch for us. I think we will get along very well, although on the first day, I had trouble saying more that “si!” y “gracias!” I could understand her for the most part, but it is always easier to listen than to speak. Our homestay is in a fairly good location though, about 15 minutes from the University of Sevilla and about 30 minutes from the CIEE center. There is a river that runs through the city, that I have to cross to get to both the University and the CIEE center, but that only adds to the beauty of the city. Wednesday night we met up with our groups and were taken to tapas again, and paid for again. Thanks to this, I have spent very little money so far. After tapas, many of the groups went to a discoteca – which to me seemed fairly similar to a bar, but I hope there are discotecas a little more exotic than that – where the money leftover from dinner paid for our drinks!

Thursday, my group was lucky enough to get to sleep in. We met around noon at the University where we attended a few programs about living in Sevilla, activities, trips and volunteer work we can participate in. After that, everyone headed back to their homestay for lunch, which here in Spain is the biggest meal of the day (which is why tapas are popular for dinner). Sarah and I ate with our senora and afterwards I met with a friend who lives in another homestay close by to attend one more meeting. We headed back to our homestays after the meeting and I ended the night with dinner with my new family. Dinner here is very late – served around 9 at the earliest – so by the time we finished, it was close to midnight.

Even after only a day here with my senora, I feel really good about staying here. I can even feel myself becoming a little less nervous every time I speak Spanish. I’m excited to mejorar (improve) my spanish even more as the semester goes on. My roommate is a bit on the negative side but she might just be stressed about settling in, so hopefully that will mejorar as well. It is definitely an adjustment living here, with everything so foreign. For the most part, I can already feel myself being comfortable in this city, and I can’t wait to explore this weekend when we have more time to ourselves. It is definitely hard to make friends in this situation however –we were sent to our homestays before most people got cell phones, and few people have Internet in their houses. Technically, I don’t have Internet in my homestay either, but I’m able to steal it from a nearby network. Therefore, it’s difficult to communicate with others, but I’m sure once classes start things will get easier. Our orientation is keeping us very busy this week so it has taken me a while to post this blog, but once classes start I will be able to post more often! Hasta luego!

Oh! And I will post pictures soon too!