School started this past week... as I said earlier, I am in a 2-week intensive class called "The Cultural History of Spain." So far it is really interesting and I like being able to learn about Seville instead of walking around not knowing what anything is or why it's there. Our professor is really smart and knows a ton of little facts about the city, so that when we're walking on the street he will randomly stop and tell us an interesting fact/story about what's in front of us. We get to go on tours of really awesome places in Seville with a guide and get in for free, while everyone in the grammar class has to go to those places on their own. We had our first test Friday... although we were only tested on 4 days of material (class is 3 hours each day), we learned the history of Spain from 600 BC to 1500 AD in those four days, making the test pretty difficult. That class ends this Saturday with our final exam, and next Monday we begin our regular classes. I signed up for 3 classes at the CIEE program center, and 1 at the University of Sevilla. The classes are: Women Writers of the 17th century, The Image of Spain in the Cinema, Phonetics, and Linguistics.

Pepi continues to make wonderful lunches and dinners, and continues to be an awesome senora! The other day a man came over to help us install our wireless internet (cause we're technologically challenged, even more so when the directions are written in spanish). We had already been calling the company to help us for about three days, and each time we called they said they would send someone over... and each time no one ever came. So Pepi bet us one euro that no one would show up. When he did show up, instead of paying us a euro she went out and bought a ton of fresh churros for us and made us hot chocolate. YUM! There is a famous churro stand at the end of our bridge that we go to... I'll have to bring my family when they come!

I have visited so many awesome places in the past week (a lot of them for my history class). We went to the Cathedral on Friday, which the most beautiful, breathtaking building I've ever seen! It is amazing. They have masses there everyday, so I think I'm going to try to attend one (shocking, I know). The moment I walked into the cathedral, my camera decided to run out of battery... so I don't have very many pictures. It is only 2 euro to get in though, so I think I will just go back a different day. We got to go to the top of the Giralda (the tower) where you can see all of Sevilla. It is soooo beautiful! We had to climb 34 floors to get there. The tomb of Christopher Colombus and his son are in the Cathedral and so is the mummy of King Fernando III. We also visited Alcazar Real, the place where the king and queen stay when in Sevilla. I am very very glad that we had our teacher to explain the history of the building, it made it a lot more interesting. The Almohades (Muslims) started building the palace, but after the Reconquista, the Christians came to power and built the rest. They followed the Almohades' architectural style and designs, and even copied hieroglyphics that said: "We believe in one god, Allah, and his prophet Mohammad." I thought that was kind of funny/ironic. We got to see where the king sat in his throne to receive guests, and got to walk through the gardens (the most awesome part in my opinion). They go on forever and are so so sooo pretty. Another day we went to the Indian Archives where all the documents involving the New World are kept... it wasn't anything special since they don't have the documents on display, but there was a video we watched about it inside. Yesterday we traveled with our program to Cordoba. It was a long day filled with tours, but I was really happy I got to see the Mezquita (mosque). It is really neat.

The weather here is chilly (I know that doesn't mean much since most of you are suffering in Wisconsin with -0 degrees windchills...). In the morning it is pretty cold walking outside, but by afternoon it usually reaches 60 degrees and there is no need for coats. Yesterday night, around 11pm, we "botelloned" down by the river in front of the Torre de Oro, and it was surprisingly warm (making me very anxious for it to get hot!). "Botelloning" means buying bottles of whatever you want (usually wine) and drinking down by the river. My bottle of wine cost 2 euro, and that wasn't even the cheapest kind. The police don't care as long as you're not being a drunk idiot (which I obbbviously never am!). After botelloning we walked to a bar that was packed, and I talked a lot of Spaniards there. My "intercambio" Jesus met up with us. He's 30 years old, graduated from the University of Sevilla with a degree in graphic design, and is a "hombre hombre" as Pepi would say it (a "real man"... haha). He's a nice guy. We went to Buddah after that, a discotequa with 4 floors. We didn't get home until about 5 in the morning. (When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do...)

Well, that's about all the news I can think of right now. I'm going to the Sevilla v. Valencia soccer game at 9:00 tonight, and am meeting some friends right to go eat at a truly authentic Spanish restaurant (Mcdonald's) before the game. Hope all is well in the States!

Besos!!
Emily



Picture #1: The Roman bridge to Cordoba
Picture #2: La Mezquita (mosque) in Cordoba
Picture #3: Natalia and I in the gardens
Picture #4: Natalia and I in Alcazar Real
Picture #5: The Plaza de Espana... across the street from the University of Sevilla

Sevilla in pictures...

Here are some more pictures of Sevilla for all of you to enjoy!



Picture #1-2: The bridge "Puente de Isabel II" near my house. I live to the left of the bridge, less than a 10 minute walk.
Picture #3: View from Triana, on Betis Street (on my side of the river). Yellow/white building is where bullfighting takes place.
Picture #4: The circular building is Torre del Oro, where Columbus set sail for the New World. It's on the other side of the bridge from where I live. About a 5 minute walk from the University de Sevilla.
Picture #5: The first floor of the CIEE study center. Que bonita!

Italica

Yesterday our program organized a trip to Italica, a place about 20 minutes away from Sevilla where there are Roman ruins. It was really awesome and I’m glad we had a tour guide to explain to us what everything was. The most interesting part was the stadium-like area where gladiators used to fight wild animals. I know my dad is going to love it when he visits, and there are plenty of stray rocks for him to steal for his weird little “rocks from around the world” collection :) After we got back from Italica we had lunch with Pepi. She made us a more American-like meal: chicken, vegetables, bread, and homemade french fries… sooo good! We always get a “dessert” afterwards. I eat fruit and my roommate, who doesn’t like fruit (what a weirdo), eats chocolate. In the afternoon we had orientation at the CIEE study center again, and on our walk there we saw a completely naked man walking around below the bridge… we were really shocked, because last I heard clothes are required in public here too (minus nude beaches)...

Later in the night we went to a party that was organized for our program. It was on the top story of a hotel right across the street from la Giralda, so we had an amazing view of the cathedral (I got a lot of good pictures). Afterwards we went to a bar called “Long Island” that had shots for every state in the US… naturally, I had to take a Wisconsin shot. As much as I like going out with our group and meeting new people from the program, I think in the future I’m going to try to hang out with smaller groups so I can speak Spanish with more locals instead of being stuck in a crowd of students from the US. We got home at around 3:30 and slept today until 12:30! We ate lunch again with Pepi and headed off to the CIEE study center to sign up for classes. It was pouring rain outside, so all day my shoes have been soaking wet. I need a hot shower… however, in Spain they are very conservative and take showers less than 7 minutes. I have to turn off the water when I’m washing my hair. Anyway… class scheduling. We received the results from our 3-hour online placement test and our oral interview, and I got placed in the most advanced class… this means that instead of taking the intensive advanced grammar class I originally signed up for, I am now enrolled in a class called “Cultural History of Spain.” We have this class until Feb. 6th, and after it’s done our other classes start. I’m kind of happy I tested into it because instead of 3 hours in the classroom everyday, we have an hour and a half in the classroom and an hour an a half en la calle (in the city) each day. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll be doing yet… That class begins Monday, and we have a free day tomorrow. I have to figure out which other 4 classes I am taking still.

We were assigned intercambios (Spanish students that want to become better at English, and that will help you with your Spanish). Mine’s name is Jesus. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I think he may be my new Spanish boyfriend (haha, just kidding). We exchanged numbers and are planning on meeting tomorrow.

On a more close-to-home note, I’m missing everyone from the US very much! A little while ago, when I was waiting in line at starbucks to get my café con leche (so I could use wifi!), the song “I’ll be seeing you” came on and it made me think of Anni and all the choir girls. I saw the street “Arenal” the other day and it made me think of my family, because that is the location of an apartment they were looking at renting when they come to visit. A lot of things remind me of someone from home that I miss! I am having the time of my life here though and it’s only going to get better! Oh, and for all you Spanish-speakers out there… I’m already developing an Andalusian accent! My “s’s” are turing into “th’s” and I’m starting to drop the “s’s” off the ends of my words... pretty dang exciting.

It’s 8:30pm… time for me to get home to my Spanish mama for some supper. Hope all is well back home!

Emily



Picture #1: At the hotel party, with the Giralda in the background
Picture #2: The amphitheater at Italica where the gladiators would fight!
Picture #3: Where they kept the animals that the gladiators would fight
Picture #4: A walkway in the amphitheater at Italica
Picture #5: Melissa and I standing by the Roman ruins

I LOVE SEVILLA!!!!!

I haven't been able to use the internet for a couple of days, so here is an update of what's been going on... I am currently at a starbucks across from the university using their wifi ("wee fee"). This blog will probably be filled with random thoughts because I only have 30 minutes on the internet and therefore have to write this very quickly!!

Tuesday we woke up to a buffet breakfast at the hotel... some of the food that was offered included eggs, different varieties of meat, bread, and cheeses, fried rice, french fries, fruit salad, juice, and coffee! Most of the food was pretty good but a lot of it I wasn't used to... the meat tastes much different and the milk is a lot thicker (especially if you're a skim milk lover!). After breakfast we took a walk through Sevilla on our way to the university. The Spanish leader of our 9-person group, Daniel, explained to us what everything was. He is my first real Spanish friend and he is hilarious!! We finally arrived at the university, which used to be a tobacco factory centuries ago and still has signs guarding it that read "Fabrica real de tabaco." We went inside and had about 4 hours of orientation. The school is so beautiful and half of it is outside. One problem: there are no drinking fountains. We had a small break and decided to go to a coffee shop across the street. I ordered "cafe con leche"... my first purchase en Espana. Later our group met at the CIEE study center (where half of my classes are)... which is IMPOSSIBLE to find. The streets here are so tiny and surrounded tall buildings... it is one big confusing maze. Everything looks identical so its super easy to get lost. BUT it is sooo pretty. For some reason they have pharmacies everywhere.. I started taking pictures of them for Krista but after I realized there were a million of them I stopped :) Later in the night we went on a scavenger hunt around Sevilla. We got placed into groups of 8 or 9 people and had a list of clues about a location... we had to ask Sevillanos (locals) for help. They are all so sweet. One older man helped us figure out our clues for a half hour! It was a really great exercise for us to see the city, but I need to walk around by myself soon so I can start to figure out where things are. Later we went to a flamenco show and got tapas. The flamenco show was absolutely amazing... nothing like I expected.

Yesterday we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel again, and got picked up by our host families. My friend Natalia and I have the cutest senora ever!!! She is short, sweet, and her name is Pepi. We live in the part of the city called "Triana" and it is about a half hour walk to the university. The walk is BEAUTIFUL though. Anyway... Natalia and I both have our own rooms in the apartment which is great. It is very small; there is 3 bedrooms (mine, Natalia's, and my senora's), a tiny tiny bathroom, a kitchen, and a tiny living room/dining room. Outside of my window is a park with stray cats that are very cute. Our senora made us lunch (paella- a rice dish with chicken), and salad. Bread is served with every meal. Her son came over to eat with us and he knows a little bit of english so if we ever don't understand something he is able to help. Pepi's husband died of cancer when he was in his 30s, so she has raised her 3 kids on her own. She has about 8 grandchildren and she said they visit often so I'm very excited to meet them. It's kind of hard to understand her sometimes because she talks SO fast, but we understand her for the most part. After getting settled in, we walked to the CIEE center to have our oral exams that place us in an intensive grammar course that we will be taking for two weeks. I think it went well... afterwards we had tapas at a bar and then went to a different bar closer to our house. I talked to some Spanish boys there and it's kind of funny, because I can understand their Spanish better than I can when they try to speak English. A lot of the Spanish guys I've met (that aren't a part of the program) are pretty sketchy but I like to talk to them for a little bit so I can improve my Spanish... but, don't worry mom, I always slowly back out of the conversation if things start getting creepy :) There are over 200 people in our program so I definitely don't know everyone but I have made a lot of good friends that are really fun.

I go on an excursion to Italica (roman ruins) tomorrow. It's about 20 minutes from Sevilla. I'm pretty excited for that. Hopefully my thoughts didn't blur together too much in this blog! I have to run some errands and get back to my apartment for lunch by 2, so I will write more later (if I can find a place with wifi!) Oh, and I will try to post some pictures on here soon... I haven't really taken much yet because I keep forgetting to bring my camera places!

Miss you all,
Emily



Picture #1: "Fabrica real de Tabacos"... the signs outside of the University of Sevilla
Picture #2: Tiny streets!
Picture #3-4: My bedroom
Picture #5: Our living room/dining room

I made it!

Hola!
I arrived in Sevilla yesterday morning at 9:45 am (3:45am in Wisconsin). The 8 hour flight was very long and I was only able to sleep for about a half hour. Even though I wasn't feeling the best for most of the flight, it was nice because I was able to sit next to three of my friends. Once we landed in Madrid, we had less than an hour to go through customs and board our next flight. We thankfully made it there with 8 minutes to spare. The flight from Madrid to Sevilla was short and sweet, and because the Sevilla airport is pretty small it was easy to find our luggage. A staff member from CIEE (the name of my program) was at the airport to meet us all and directed us to a bus that brought us to the hotel Becquer. Leaving the hotel, Sevilla looks very dirty and run-down. There were a lot of high rises and garbage on the side of the road. Once we got closer to the center of the city things started looking prettier and closer to the Spain I pictured in my mind. At the hotel we got our orientation materials and got randomly matched with a roommate from the program. There are about 15 CIEE staff members who are around 25 years old and are Spaniards who live in Sevilla. They are all very nice, helpful, and fun to talk to. The hotel has a restaurant on the first floor, and we were served free lunch and dinner yesterday. We had lunch at 1:30, and it included 3 plates of food. The first one was a type of salad tortilla, the second was a big bowl of pasta with a spaghetti type sauce, and the third was a Spanish chocolate cake dessert (i'm not sure what it was called). It was WAY more food than I am used to eating and I felt bad because I wasn't even able to finish half of the food I was given! After lunch we had a much needed siesta (afternoon nap) and returned to the restaurant for dinner at 7:30. They served us 3 dishes at that meal as well: a mushroom rice dish, fish and potatoes, and another postre. It's a good thing I wasn't very hungry, because two of my least favorite foods are mushrooms and fish. I picked out the mushrooms in the rice meal, but couldn't quite bring myself to try the fish yet. After dinner some people went to bed and some went to the bars... I decided to go to bed due to the lovely effects of jet lag, and I'm glad I did because today l feel a lot more energetic and ready to start the long day. Today we're going on a tour of Sevilla (which includes a scavenger hunt), going to the Universidad de Sevilla, getting money to go eat at a tapa bar, and going to a flamenco show! We have to meet in the hotel lobby in 10 minutes, so that's all for now!

Un abrazo,
Emily


Picture #1: View of the Cathedral
Picture#2: Constitution Avenue... so beautiful!

I'm leaving on a jetplane...

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog! I leave for Spain in about 2 days and am getting verrrry excited! I will be flying out of the Chicago O’Hare airport at 4:45 on Sunday night… my flight goes from Chicago, to Madrid, to Sevilla (a 9 hour flight). It’s kind of strange, but I’m not really nervous yet. Several of my friends from Madison (including one of my roommates this past semester) are in the same study abroad program as me, so that makes things a lot less stressful. I think my biggest concern is speaking Spanish… all day, everyday. Although I’ve taken a million and one Spanish classes, I’m certain it will take a while for me to get used to constantly speaking a different language.

Last night my friends that haven’t gone back to school yet and I went to Shenanigans Irish Pub in Green Bay for one last “hurrah.” It was a lot of fun and I’m glad I got to say goodbye to everyone before leaving. I’ll be spending my last day in Wisconsin packing my life into two suitcases (that I can hopefully manage carrying on my own!), getting coffee with my good friend Anni’s mom, and having dinner with my family at A’Bravo.

Well, that’s all I have for now… more to come when I’m in Sevilla and have more interesting experiences to talk about! Keep in touch…

Hasta luego,
Emily