La vida buena

Superbowl Sunday was officially our one-week anniversary of arriving in Spain. Ironically, it made us all a little homesick. But we scoped out an American bar and it was packed with study abroad students from all over the US. I almost forgot I was actually in Spain with all the English around me. Unfortunately the game wasn't on until 12:30 a.m. the night before our first day of classes, so I didn’t even get to see the halftime show. Oh well, maybe next year. 

 Vending machine with cigarettes. Reminder that we're in Spain.

 Superbowl watch party in Sevilla

 Los americanos

I woke up Monday morning remembering that I was actually here to STUDY abroad aka go to school and not just be a crazy American tourist. The good thing is, aside from being in “the most beautiful city in the world” according to one of professors; classes don’t look like they’ll be anywhere near as strenuous as ones in the US. But then again, nothing is strenuous in Sevilla.

            Thankfully, I’m in classes with all Americans, so when the professor gets excited and talks muy rapida, someone is bound to have understood. My first class, “The Arab Influence on Spanish Literature” was almost impossible to understand. He was talking so fast he literally had to stop and take breaths. Andalucians, the “province” that Sevilla is located in, is known for fast-speaking Spaniards. But my second professor of the day was much more “tranquilo” and even suggested we all get a cerveza after class. Welcome to Spain!

            All together, classes are so much more relaxed than in the US. All classes simply have a midterm and a final along with a presentation here and there. The university offers a two-week window where you can sit in on any class you want and decide if you like it even if you weren’t signed up for it. ¡Que bien!

Even my 20-minute walk to class is beyond enjoyable. I pass upwards of three massive fountains, cross a bridge over a river full of rowers, gaze at palm trees and feel the warm sun beam in the cloudless skies. What could be better? 

 The river I cross everyday

 Horse drawn carriages on my way to class

 Again, on my way to class. I am too spoiled.

In between classes I enjoy a nice cup of café or eat my lunch by the fountain right outside the university and people watch. Sevilla is so calming. People roam the streets without a care in the world, taking their time. Dogs walk without leashes, old friends catch up over a drink in the middle of the day and life is just good. To quote my professor, "la gente no vive para trabajar, trabaja para vivir" (people here don't live to work, they work to live)

Sevilla: Un paraíso

Words cannot describe how incredibly beautiful Sevilla is. I had no idea I would literally be living in paradise for a semester until today.

            We left Madrid yesterday and headed south for Toledo, which is the old capital of Spain. Buildings remain in tact that were built as far back as the 15th century (maybe farther). We climbed the narrow cobblestone streets and followed our tour guide through various monumental mosques and cathedrals. The beauty of Toledo is the mixture of cultures that exist and the influence of art and architecture. It amazes me how many Italian artists were involved in the construction of Spanish cathedrals, palaces, etc. Their work is absolutely beautiful and it makes me proud to be an Italian J  

 Overlooking Toledo

We arrived in Sevilla around 8:30 p.m. and to say we were nervous is an understatement. Our host families lined the street where our bus pulled up and the reality of living with Spanish strangers for a semester sank in. I felt like I forgot all of my Spanish right then and there, but it turns out our family is so nice and welcoming. I live with two other American girls and host parents who have three grown kids (in their 30’s). They have been hosting American students for 10 years, but they don’t know any English. We were happy though because that will only make our Spanish better. 

My room in my host family's house

Today we saw our university, which used to be a tobacco factory, and then toured the cathedral in the heart of the city. We climbed the tallest tower that overlooked Sevilla and it was incredible. We also got to see Christopher Columbus’ tomb, which was pretty significant. Apparently there was controversy whether or not he was actually in the tomb, but DNA tests were recently done and his remains are in fact in Sevilla.

 View of Sevilla from the tallest tower

Christopher Columbus' tomb

Later we took a three-hour bike tour of the city. The bike tour was hilarious because the bikes were a little different than what we’re used to, plus there were about 40 of us clogging the streets looking like complete tourists.

 Plaza de España (picture does not do justice)

Crossing el Puente Alamillo

Sevilla is absolutely beautiful with palms trees and orange trees lining the parks, a massive river splitting the city and fountains centered in almost every plaza. The Kansas City plaza was designed after Sevilla (they’re sister cities), which is not only unique, but evident now that I’m here. It is a perfect combination of an upbeat city and a spacious tropical paradise.  I cannot wait to spend the semester here and take it all in.  

Tonight a local “travel agency” designed for study abroad students will be hosting a sangria party before we go out to a place called “Budah” for the real Thursday night fiesta. Pues, hasta luego!

Bienvenidos a Madrid

Well, after 25 hours of traveling and some serious time zone crossing I finally made it to España! It is the end of my second full day in Madrid and I can hardly believe how much we have done. I arrived on Sunday morning around 7 a.m. and was lucky enough to have two girls next to me on my flight that are part of my program. It was nice to kick-start my trip knowing a couple of people. We were greeted by our program director then bussed to our hotel in El Centro Madrid. Sunday night we took a short walk led by our director around La puerta del sol and la plaza mayor, which brought back memories of when I was here four years ago. We even stood at the center most point of Spain (0 degrees), which is in La puerta del sol. 

 The center most point of Spain

We were treated to dinner at a quant little restaurant in walking distance from our hotel. It was fun getting to know everyone despite the jet-lag. There are more than 70 people in my program from all over the U.S. Oddly enough, I made some sort of connection with more than half of them. It's a small world even on the other side of it. The dinner seemed pretty American-ized with a goat cheese salad, chicken and french fries, but it was still delicious. 

 First course: Goat cheese salad with olive oil dressing. Yum!

The next morning we met for breakfast in the hotel lobby before heading to the Palacio Royal. Anyone who knows me knows that breakfast is my favorite meal, and this continental breakfast was to die for. Unlike customary Spanish breakfasts, there was an abundance of food. I had fresh fruit, cereal, toast with Spain’s version of Nutella (awesome) and coffee. 

 El desayuno

 My roommates Meri and Emma. Meri is from Vermont and Emma is from New Jersey.

Then we headed to the Palacio Royal and although I had been there before, we had one of the best tours I’ve ever had. Our tour guide led us through 32 rooms of the palace and told stories in Spanish about the King and Queen. Although the King and Queen don't currently live there,  she said at one point more than 3,000 people lived in the palace! Unfortunately, cameras weren’t allowed so we were only allowed to take pictures outside. 

 El Palacio Royal

A small group of us later ventured off in search of some TAPAS. For those who don’t know, tapas are like appetizers and are a huge part of the Spanish culture. Most tapas are free with the purchase of a drink (cerveza or sangria) and are truly my favorite thing about the culture.  My friend and I split a plate of mini bocadillos (sandwiches) and cervezas for only 4 euros each.

 TAPAS! Bocadillos y cerveza

Today we visited El Escorial, which is an old translation for “ashes”. It’s a Monastery up in the mountains about 45 minutes from Madrid and was built in the 1500’s. It’s now a beautiful church, tourist attraction and a boarding school for young boys. During our tour we heard little kids screaming and playing through the walls but never did see them…it was a bit creepy! We even saw the tombs of ancient Spanish kings and queens. The best part about the tours aside from the history was the ability to listen to the native tour guides speak 100 percent Spanish and understand them. Even after two days I feel like my comprehension level has gone up so much. It’s definitely a beautiful thing.

 El Escorial

 Back of El Escorial

We grabbed some quick bocadillios at a local place called "El Museo de Jamón" near our hotel for lunch. The entire meal (cerveza included) only cost 2 euros! (about $3). The best part is, getting a cerveza with your bocadillio is the same price as getting a coke. Salud!

 Bocadillo de jamón y cerveza

Museo de jamón

Tonight will be our first night out (last night in Madrid) and then we head to Toledo tomorrow morning. After Toledo we get to meet our host families, which is the most exciting part! I will post more about that later this week. Ciao!

no puedo esperar

I can hardly contain my excitement to leave. Two weeks from today I will be on a plane heading to Madrid! I have been busy shopping, brushing up on my spanish and even getting my wisdom teeth out in preparation for my departure.

I finally discovered the Facebook page for my program and I can already tell everyone is going to be so fun. I have no regrets for doing this program by myself and I know I'm going to have the best time meeting all kinds of people. Most are from the east coast which is pretty neat, and no one from KU!

A lot of my friends from KU left today for Italy which makes me even more anxious to leave. I even purchased an Italy SIM card for my international phone because I will absolutely be making my way to the land of my heritage.

Well, wish me luck on my travels and next time you hear from me I'll be in Spain!

*no puedo esperar = I can't wait

Los sueños y la realidad

I have officially purchased my ticket for Madrid, set to leave January 28. The unfortunate part about buying a round trip ticket is that I have to set my return date, and considering I will be in Europe, I have a feeling I will never want to leave.

The good news is, after the initial shock of clicking "purchase" wore off, (I've never made that large of a purchase before) I started to get really excited. It's official now, for real. I am actually going to live in Spain for almost five months and I can hardly believe it.

The reality setting in inspired me to re-vamp my blog layout. With the help of my friend Elaine (I used hers as a template) I think I got the hang of it.

Looking at my old pictures from my junior year visit to Spain also got me pretty excited. That was the trip that made me want to major in spanish in college. I knew from that 10 day trip that I would come back to Spain someday, and in exactly 38 days that dream will come true.

So, here's to turning my dream into a reality.