Granada and a birthday - Week 8

Time is flying by WAY to fast!!  I’m trying hard to live in the moment and not think about the future, but it’s sad to think that I already have less than two months of my program left.  I’ll continue to soak it all up, enjoying every minute as I am! :)

This week was filled again with lots of sun which meant a lot of studying on our terrace and being quite happily warm, yet we continue to have soup as one of the plates for lunch :)  Oh the food here, I think I’ve increased my capacity to eat by at least three times.  I’m amazed at how much I am able to consume in one meal and still be plenty ready for the next!  Thankfully I walk and ride bike all the time here to help even it out :)

This weekend I went on an overnight trip to Granada with the school.  We stayed in a nice hotel and all the meals were included which was really nice.  We visited the Generalife and Alhambra which is a garden and an 800 year old Islamic fortress.  It was beautiful!  The second day we went and saw the Caspilla Real where the Reyes Católicos (Isabella and Fernando) are buried.  Isabella is the queen who gave Christopher Columbus permission to sail to find a new route to Asia (and he encountered the Americas).  The tour was ended with seeing the Cathedral in Granada which is the 4^th largest in Europe (the 3^rd largest is in Sevilla).  Both days we had free time and my group of friends wandered around Granada and saw different parts of the city and the markets.  We also went to the look-out called Mirador de San Nicolas which as a great view of Alhambra looking over the river.  We also stopped and had tea in one of the tea shops which had a fun atmosphere – though I split a delicious crepe with a friend. :)

Friday was Rosario’s birthday so Grace and I bought flowers and made a card that we left on the table for her to find in the morning (as we left for our trip to Granada that morning).  Today (Sunday) Rosario made a special meal which consisted of chicken, french fries, bread, cold pasta salad, meat and cheese.  Then she also had bought a cake so Grace and I attempted to sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish to her (we didn’t know all the words) and she made a wish and blew out her candles.  It was quite fun and sweet. :)

Another week begins tomorrow and will fly by.  This coming weekend I’ll be going on a trip with friends to Barcelona.  The traveling just keeps going and the time keeps passing – Spain is definitely capturing my heart!

Enjoying the city, river, and ice cream in Granada :)

La Alhambra - Islamic fortress

Generalife - garden next to the Alhambra

Roomie picture!

Cathedral

Reyes Catolicos - Isabella (left) y Fernando (right).   The artist made Isabella's head sink farther into the pillow to signify that her head was heavier and to hint that she was more intelligent!  ha ha ha

The Cathedral

Tea time

Flowers and card left to surprise Rosario for her b-day!

Happy Spanish family celebrating Rosario's b-day!
She pointed out to us the candle that she put on her cake "0" years! :)

¡La primavera está aquí! (Spring is here!)

Yesterday (Monday) was the first day of spring here and the weather has definitely been acting accordingly!  I’ve been able to do a lot of studying on our terrace in the sun and am already starting to have tan lines!  The sun is definitely stronger here; I only need to be out for twenty minutes to see some noticeable color difference.  It is so beautiful and really brightens your day when you are able to walk, bike, and study in the beautiful weather.  I think every day I love being here a little more and appreciate it all a little more – it’s a lot of fun!

Here is an excerpt of something I wrote to one my professors at St. Kate’s earlier this week:

“The sun is shining here -- it is absolutely beautiful!  There are days like today when I ride my bike home from morning class past buildings of the 16th century (or older or newer) with the sun shining and blue skies; walk down the street to my house that has become as familiar as my walk on St. Kate´s campus; enter the home and say ¨hola¨ to my host mother as we chat about the day; go upstairs to our terrace and study as I listen to the quiet neighborhood around me with the sun on my face; head downstairs as I hear the grandchildren are playing and play a version of basketball with them; go inside for a light lunch that ends with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, then leave again with sunglasses on to bike back to school for my dance class....all intertwined in this is Spanish - me speaking and listening......and then I stop and think -- yep! This is where I´m supposed to be :)  I am SOOOOO glad I decided to do this!  Of course there are those days that aren´t as wonderful as days like today, but it is these days that make it all worth it!”

Last Tuesday I went on a guided visit by our school to one of the churches in Sevilla called Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador which I believe is from the seventeenth century.  This is another church that was built on top of an old mosque just like the Cathedral of Sevilla.  The visit ended with a stop for churros and chocolate which is a fun treat to have and is commonly a breakfast treat like doughnuts or pastries would be for us.

The weekend was filled with catching up on some homework and other little things while also exploring and walking around the city a little bit.  Sunday I went on a trip with the school to Doñana national park and also saw the Ricón.  Sadly, we were only in the Ricón for about 3 minutes because there was a mass about to start, so I didn’t get to see much or learn much about it.  I believe it’s a place where an appearance of the Virgin Mary occurred – but don’t quote me on that.  Also, the town with the Ricón is quite fun and interesting.  It’s kind of the “wild west” town of Andulucia, Spain.  There is a festival here where everyone travels from their home towns on horses or walks – no cars allowed (for example, it is a three day journey from Sevilla and a large group of people will travel together).  Then there are big buildings/houses (kind of set up like hotels) that are for each neighborhood or city that the people can stay in.  It sounds quite fun.

After seeing the Ricón we had some free time on the beach – how wonderful!  We were in the very south of Spain.  Next, we went to ride horses through Doñana national park and along the beach.  We had to go in two groups so I had to wait for the first hour and a half until it was my turn.  My horse was named Angelic (or something close to that) and she had quite an independent spirit.  She was good, except when I asked her to turn…she would just turn her head in the direction, but not her body!  Oh well, it worked out okay :) We were walking in a line most of the time (except when she wanted to make her own line) so it worked out.  The decent to the beach was a little treacherous and there was definitely one time I wasn’t sure I was going to stay on – but it is amazing how horses can maneuver on rough terrain.  The trip was WELL worth it once we made it to the beach!  Wow, that was a new and wonderful experience – I definitely want to do that again!  My pictures can’t even come close to capturing the experience, but I tried :)

It’s already less than two months left for me here – time is flying by!!  I would love to write more, but time is limited.  I should say that I have started to watch a show with my host mother, Rosario, called La Republica that is a drama based in the time of Franco which is one reason why my host mother likes it -- it reminds her of her childhood.  We watch it Monday nights at 10:30 (a little late, but well worth it).  It’s great for me to practice my listening to Spanish and it’s a great show.  But also it’s a lot of fun to watch it with Rosario because she has such great reactions to everything and it is fun to get excited with her!

Más fotos!

Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador

Ricón

The town had a wild west feel :)

On the beach!!  So beautiful and fun!

For all my MN loved ones!  HOLA! (and all of you not in MN - HOLA as well! )

Made it to the beach!  Breath-taking!

Walking through the park...the beauty

Rainy Days, but still things to be done...

Well, it has been raining most of the week which is kind of a downer when you want to be doing things (especially since most everything involves walking outside).  Thankfully I made the very wise purchase of a 3 euro umbrella which I believe has been my best purchase so far here! :)  The second week of classes seemed pretty successful, I can tell I’m settling into the schedule which is nice and figuring out the balance.

On Friday Lindsey and I went to Córdoba for the day by train.  We saw the famous Mosque that was once the center of western Islam and now has a Cathedral within it.  It was very beautiful and interesting to see.  We also walked on the Roman Bridge.  It is amazing how old these structures are and how well maintained they still are!  The Romans really were so smart and advanced in their ways.  We saw (and Lindsey touched! Ha ha ha) a ruin from the 1^st century!!!  Crazy!  We also went to the Alcazar of the Reyes Católicos.  We weren’t as impressed with this Alcazar as the one in Sevilla.  We actually kept wondering if were in the right place because it seemed mostly like a building with white walls.  The Arab Baths in the gardens of the Alcazar were beautiful though and with the rain the colors of the flowers and plants really popped.  It was a very tranquil day.  By the end we were ready to head back though as it has been raining all day which meant we hadn’t sat down much since everything was wet.  It’s kind of fun and interesting to feel so content to return to Sevilla – “oh we’re home now.  We are in a place where we are comfortable and know the area.”  Who knew that Sevilla, Spain could feel like that. :)

I have continued to meet with my language partner Isaac and now have a second one as well because Isaac and my schedules are different so it is harder to get together.  The school has many language partners for us and they encouraged us to have more than one.  Yesterday I met my second one, Juanlu, a 26 year old that lives just outside of Sevilla.  He is very nice, a gentleman that’s for sure, and I think we are going to have a lot of fun.  His English is at about the same level as my Spanish which is nice so that we both feel comfortable trying to talk, but do not feel intimidated by the other person.  He has a lot of connections in Sevilla so I think we’ll get to do some fun things together.  Yesterday we went to my favorite ice cream place, Rayas, and then walked around the city a little bit.

I was going to go on a trip with the school today (Sunday) but that has been postponed until next week Sunday because the rain.  The trip was going to consist on riding horses in a national park and some free time on the beach along with other things which is why it wouldn’t have been so successful in the rain.  Next weekend is my last free weekend here and the rest are filled with trips or festivals except for the final weekend of the semester when I’m sure I’ll be studying for finals – wow time is going to fly by fast!!

List of trips (completed and upcoming):

Zahara de Sierra

Madrid and Ávila

Córdoba

Ricón y Doñana National Park

Granada

Barcelona

Alicante

London and then Slovakia (to see Kacians!) – back to Sevilla for the end of Holy Week

Portugal

Rome (and maybe Assisi if I can get that worked out)

Málaga and Norway with the family!!!

Here’s a couple pictures from this week.  Enjoy!

Isaac (one of my language partners) and me in front of the Cathedral

Lindsey touching a Roman Ruin from the 1st Century!

The Mosque/Cathedral

Inside - the beauty!

The Roman Bridge

Having lunch in Cordoba

On top of the Alcazar de los Reyes Catolicos

In the gardens with the Arab Baths

Singing in the Rain? :)

Arab Baths

I just love this picture :)

Plaza de España in Sevilla - definitely am going to return here!!

El Parque de Maria Luisa - I cannot explain how beautiful the parks are here!!!

Already March!!! Week 5

This was the first week of our new classes and I like my classes and schedule a lot more – which is great since these will be my classes and schedule for the rest of my time here.  One of my classes is going to help me improve my conversation skills and learn more about present-day Spanish – about what I can use in my everyday interactions and I will hopefully learn a lot of new vocabulary.  I’m excited about this, but of course it means a lot of studying and hopefully a lot of practice to secure the information in my mind.  Thankfully I’ve started meeting with my language partner Isaac.  Yesterday we got together for a few hours and walked around the center of the city talking in both English and Spanish.  We would take turns, only talking English for a period of time and then switching to Spanish.  Isaac is a twenty-five year old who lives in a town near Sevilla and is getting his masters in computer programming/business.  He is also studying for the American test that certifies that he is fluent in English which is why he wants to get together to practice English.

My history class here I believe is going to be very interesting but also challenging as I do not know much of anything of this topic (Spanish civilization centuries XV-XVIII) and the class is all in Spanish.  It makes it a little harder to follow, but I’m working on it.  I’m excited because we are going to be visiting some historical sites in Sevilla as part of the class which is definitely my type of history course.

The other two classes I have are a culture course where we discuss different topics about the culture and our adjustment and reaction to our time here.  Finally I have my dance class where I’m learning the traditional Spanish dance of Sevilla called Sevillianas – it will be very useful during the festival called Feria where they is a lot of dancing of this type.

I have been dealing with a pain on the top of my right foot – I don’t know if it’s a tendon or ligament or what, but it’s making it difficult to walk which is a problem as I need to walk everywhere here.  Rosario (my host mother) said that previous students of hers have had pains in their feet as well because we are not accustomed to walking so much.  For me it started about a week ago when I returned from Madrid.  I’m hoping it can improve soon or I may have to go see the doctor, though if they say I have to stop walking there is going to be a problem as not walking is not possible for me here.  We will see. :)

                I wanted to write about a few observations I’ve had and things I’ve learned through class about Spain.  I don’t have time to write everything, but here a few things:

• The stop signs say “Stop” here in English
• Pedestrians definitely have the right away – If I am ever in a crosswalk the cars always stop for me (even if they don’t look like they are going to stop, they always do).  Though many times when I watch Spaniard pedestrians, they don’t even stop and look to see if a car is coming – they just start walking…therefore the cars must stop.  I still tend to hesitate a little bit.  Though, you must be in a crosswalk for them to stop.
• You know how in the US you are so bothered by the one street that doesn’t have a sign saying what it is?  Well here you are lucky if you find that one street that has a sign to say what it is! Ha ha ha, it is sometimes hard to find the signs for the streets (if they have one) and the signs are usually on the sides of buildings, but are not always obvious
• Families seem more dependent and connected to each other here.  For example, it is not uncommon for children to live with their parents until they are 25-32 years old.  They usually leave when they are getting married or moving in with their significant other.  There isn’t the competition between universities as there is in the states and most young people attend the university in their home town and live with their parents.  The universities usually only cost between 1,000-1,500 euros a year because they are public and taxes have been paying for much of the costs
• Water and electricity are very expensive here therefore they are very careful with leaving the lights on and cautious with the water.  We turn off the water during our showers when we’re putting shampoo in our hair in order to converse the water and also converse the hot water or we’ll run out before our shower is done.
• With cell phones, it is pay as you go – a text and a call all have a set price and you only pay what you use.  Also, you are not charged for anything incoming – calls or texts.  I think this a great system since you cannot control who calls or texts you.
• In Sevilla they have a great public bike system.  There are bike paths marked along many of the sidewalks and there are public bikes that you can sign up (for a low cost) to use to get to various parts of the city.  There are bike racks where you check in (or take out) the public bikes all over the city.  I actually just signed up for this so that I can get around a little faster if I want without having to use the metro every time.
• It is true that they dress a lot nicer and more intentional here.  All ages – it is not uncommon for me to walk by a five year old who is better dressed than I am :)  I remember talking about this in my culture class and we talked about how in the United States it is more about comfort and here is more about style – women are constantly wearing heals (big heals) and walking everywhere in them.  I could never do it, but they definitely look nice :)

Well, that’s all for now – I hope to keep putting these reflections up every once in a while as I find time because I want to remember them and I also think they are interesting.

Love!