Cocinando

Today I only had one class, so that was super nice. I was done with class at 11, and then stopped at the copisteria (copy store) because I had to get pictures taken. They have a weird system, where for every class we want to take we have to give the professor a ficha. It has our name, picture, and some more information on it. Then a little later I went over to Ashley's apartment. Her host mom invited me over to dinner, and Ashley and I wanted to help cook. We made two different salads, one had celery, walnuts, apples, mayonnaise, and heart of palm. The other had lettuce, raisins, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, and goat cheese. It was so fun to be able to help cook, and learn some more food vocab. Their whole family was so nice and it was fun to meet all of Ashley's family, and see where they live. It's only a five minute walk between our apartments, closer than we have ever lived before. Then it was time to head home for lunch. We had really yummy artichokes, stuffed with some type of meat. They were cooked in some spices and olive oil, and my fingers are still a little stained from eating them.  And we had more of the cauliflower salad, which I really like. I took a siesta this afternoon, which felt so good! Soon I'm going to head over to Ashley's for dinner, and then we're going to go to a Flamenco show later. Tomorrow we have to get up early, cause we are taking a day trip to Malaga. It is a beach town, and has a Picasso museum.

Know what's crazy? My birthday is in 1 week! Also I discovered my new favorite time 14:14.

Arroz con Leche

Today I had the same schedule as Monday, three classes, with a break in between all of them. After my 9 am class was over, Rachel and I walked the 5 minutes to the plaza de España. She ate her lunch, while I painted my nails, and it was just gorgeous out. The universidad de Sevilla is all made out of stone and everything is open so most of the rooms are freezing! It was nice to get some sun and warm up a bit. Then I went to history... he spoke the whole 2 hours, with no breaks. History is hard enough to pay attention to, throw in the Spanish and a cold classroom, and it's nearly impossible to listen for the whole time. Finally it ended, meaning time to go to home for lunch. We had a bean soup, they said it was chícharos, which means peas, but they weren't the same as our peas. It had a few different vegetables in it too, and kind of reminded me of chili. We also had beets, in olive oil, with some cilantro, which were delicious. And we had some type of small fish and that was good too. Then it was time to go back to school. I'm not quite used to the whole going to school at 5 o'clock yet, but it seems better when dinner isn't till a lot later. I have Flamenco with Ashley and Tara, so afterward we went into el centro, and looked at a few shops. For dinner we had salad, empanadas, and lasagna. For the first time we had dessert- arroz con leche! It was really delicious!

Good news. It only takes a day to do laundry, I have no idea why the ISA directors had to scare us. So I had all my clothes back last night.

I got an email today, that the audiovisual class is canceled. So now on Tuedays and Thursdays I only have one class from 9-11.

Plaza de España hoy

Plaza Nueva 

Church in the streets

Más clases

This morning I had my marketing y sociedad class. It was really interesting and the professor seemed really nice. We talked about Spain and how everyone thinks of the unemployment when they think of Spain. He showed us this video about all the other things happening in Spain. Spain is 2nd in the world in tourism. They are developing a cure for alts timers. One company is building a high speed train from Mecca to la Medina. Spain is #1 in solar power and #4 in wind power. I never really took notice of these things, and it shows there is so much technology that is getting forgotten because of the unemployment. After class Ale and I stopeed to buy chocolate. We don't really have dessert here, just oranges of yogurt, and so we wanted to have something sweet. There is a supermercado right in our building, so that was convenient. In the store there was a whole row dedicated to olive oil. It was in huge containers and definitely something Dad would like. Also they love to lick their plates clean here. If they have any oil or sauce left on their plate, they'll soak it up with bread, and either eat it, or give it to the dog. So Dad, you might have the cleaned plate in the US, but not here. We we came, our mom gave us bags for our laundry. We were running low on clothes, since we've already been here for a week and a half, but we didn't want to ask when she would do laundry since everyone is still here. So today I left my bag of clothes on my bed when we came home she said she was doing our laundry! I'm running out of socks and shirts, so it's a good thing, especially since our director said it takes 3 days for clothes to dry. In Spain they only have washers, so we have to hang our laundry out to dry.

All the olive oil 

Dana

Random fact: 

So I was unable to watch the superbowl since it started at 12:30 our time and I had class at 9 the next day. Derek sent me a superbowl quiz to fill out, ex. score, how long the national anthem lasts, what color gatorade... So I filled it out and guess what? I won! All the way from Spain, I knew what was going to happen. So currently Derek owes me $5. (If you see him, remind him). That $5 can be 2 glasses of sangria, very valuable.

Today I had to eat an early lunch (14:00) because I had class at 15:00 (I'm trying to get used to this whole 24 clock thing). Ale and I ate together and had lentil soup with some vegetables, salad, and some  meat (beef I think). It was all very good. After lunch I had to walk back to school for my audiovisual subtitle and dubbing class. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take it or not, but I though I would go and see how it was before I decided. There were only 4 people in the class. If there aren't 10 on thursday the class will be cancelled. He taught us today anyways and it was really interesting. He started out talking about silent films, and about the advancement. There were many problems with the development on movies in Spain, because everything was in english, but  they didn't want it in english. He also talked about the name of movies and tv shows in different languages. They basically name it whatever they want. The sound of music in spanish is sonrisas y lagrimas (smiles and tears). I think it would be a good class, but I think it will end up being cancelled.

This evening Ashley and I went up to my roof to see the view. It was just after sunset and the sky was super pretty. Then we walked down the stairs. There are no 1st or 2nd floors in the building. Even walking down, you had to get off at the 3rd floor and take the elevator to the 0th floor.

Weird numbers in the elevator

Cute little palm trees

La Primera Día de Escuela

Today was a very long day and I want tot go to bed, but I feel like I should write before I forget all that I did.

I started school today at 9, and it was a little stressful. It was international marketing in english and one of the first things out of the professors mouth was I can't make it on mondays and wednesdays, can we move it to tuesdays and thursday at this time. The only other class that I get IE credit for is at that time. So I was annoyed. Why would they put a class at a time when the teacher can't even make it. This whole registration process could definitely be run more efficiently (they probably need to introduce IE as a major here). After five out of the fifteen students said they could not make it at that time, he rethought and decided to move something else around. Fingers crossed it stays where it is. The class looks interesting, and the professor seems nice. After that I had a two hour break, so I went to the post office and mailed a post card (Mom be on the lookout). There post office is very organized, You have to go to this machine, press what you have to do there, like send something, and it gives you a number. Then each desk displays the number they are ready to serve. I didn't really have to say much to the guy there, so hopefully it get to the US. After that I met my friend Rachel and we walked to a nearby park. She ate her lunch while I sat in the sun. We went back to school, and I still had a little more time before my next class at 1. That class was economía y la sociedad en la España contemporánea (the economy and society of contemporary Spain). It is a history class, and I'm not so much into the whole history thing. The professor was saying how in science classes you can repeat experiments multiple times, like with gravity and math, but with history it only happens once; I definitely prefer the first. He got into summarizing the history of Spain from the late 1700s to the late 1900s. So of it was a little hard to follow, but I got the gist of what he was explaining.

After the second class, I went home for lunch. Outside out building they were scooping up all the oranges, the workers had shaken from the trees. I asked Ana and she said they were collecting them for zumo (juice). For lunch we had this really good chicken the aunt made, and homemade french fries. Today I finally put together what exactly was happening  The aunt and uncle came into town from Morocco so she could get cataract surgery. She is 80 and looks fantastic. Yesterday I was showing her and my host mom pictures of my family, dog, and house, and they were so interested and cute. After lunch I had only a few minutes to sit down before I had to leave for class again. I had Flamenco at 5. I think I'm going to like this class. We learn about the dance, singing, and all the history of Flamenco. The teacher was really nice, talked slow, and made sure we were understanding the Spanish. Finally after 6 hours of class, I was done for the day. Ashley, Tara, and I went and got cappuccinos at a cute little cafe. We sat outside and enjoyed the weather. We were there for awhile because tonight we had an ISA welcome dinner. We went out to some restaurant nearby, it was good, but not as good as my mom's cooking. I finally got back a little before 11:30 exhausted. And it now is the first time on the internet all day.

Cappuccino 

Tomorrow is another early day. I have classes at 9 and 3. Hopefully they're both interesting. It's so draining listening to a lecture in Spanish, especially since I haven't been in school for 56 days. Also fun fact: I walked 39.5 miles in my first week here (thanks Nike Fuel band).

¡Hasta Luego!

My friends and I the other day in the park

Sunday in Sevilla

Yesterday after lunch I went back out exploring. We meet at plaza nueva and walked down one of the side streets. There were lots of shops around and we browsed a few of them. I didn't get anything yet, but there are rebajas (sales) everywhere. It got a little chilly and so we stopped at a place for coffee. I had a bombón, which is coffee and sweet and condensed milk. It was sweet and really yummy. We sat there for a while and then it was time to leave go get back for dinner. We had amazing artichokes! They were cooked with olive oil and I'm not sure what else. Practically everything here is cooked with olive oil. We also has a stew with beef, brussels sprouts, and lots of other vegetables. It was really good.

"Smile you're in Sevilla and spring in coming"

My Coffee

In front of my school! 

This morning my roommate knew of an art fair that takes place every Sunday. So we walked to el museo de bellas artes, and the little market was outside there. It was filled with so many beautiful paintings. We walked around for awhile and then it was time to head back for lunch. Along one of the shopping streets there are lots of street performers. People posing as statues, doing magic, dancing, playing music, and then there are some creepy ones too. This morning my host mom was sending her uncle out for bread and they were having a lengthy conversation about bread. She told he always got bad bread, and he had to go somewhere specific to get it. You know it's not a meal with out bread.

For lunch we had paella con mariscos (seafood) and this coliflor salad. The paella has entire shrimp in it even with the heads and some small clams/mussels? in it. The coliflor salad was cooked, but cold with cilantro and tomatoes. It was all yummy. To drink we apple soda, which was like sparkly apply juice. After lunch I went and met some friends, walked around a little, and found a place to drink sangria. We went inside the cathedral and it was really huge and beautiful. There was a service going on, with lots of nuns in attendance. Later we came across a statue of the Polish Pope! So I had to take a picture with it. Nana and Grandpa would be proud I found a statue of him in Spain.

Some things I've notices about Spain

• The children are so adorable. Way cuter than American kids. Every single kid is dressed extremely nice: dresses, tights, little leather boots, suspenders... lots of fancy things. Oh and they like to match their children alike. 
• They like to ride their bikes and roller blade a lot. There are bike lanes all over the city. 
• They don't drink much milk. 

Art Fair

Tree by the art fair

El museo de bella artes

Inside the cathedral

Service inside the cathedral

Pretty stained glass 

THE POPE

Gorgeous City

This city is so gorgeous! It's sunny, the sky in the perfect blue, and it's the perfect temperature! I think it would be impossible to find a better city to be in today. Last night a few friends and I wandered the streets, and then drank sangria outside. It was amazing how many people are out so late at night. This morning I walked the dog with Ana. There is a park right outside our building, and so we walked around there. Dana was crazy when the elevator stopped. She started jumping and was so excited to get outside. A little later we she showed me the rooftop. It has a fantastic view of the city and a pool! The water was chilly, but I'm really hoping it will warm up soon. In spain most places only have washing machines and not dryers, so they have a little clothing line at the end of the kitchen, it's sort of a balcony. Then they also are able to hang clothes on the rooftop too. They also had some benches and plants up there, which would make it a wonderful place to study. Another thing about Spain is they have a different meaning of time. Time isn't the most important thing here, and so 5 means more like 5:20/5:30. It's kind of nice to not have to worry about being right on time, but at the same time it's kind of annoying. One more fact. Here the crosswalks are called paseos de zebra, or zebra crossing, because there are the stripes on the street.

View from the roof

The pool

This morning I met some friends at la plaza de España. It is magnificent!!!! The plaza has so many hand painted tiles, and there are little areas for each main city in Spain around the outside. It was cool to see it at night the other day, but it was fantastic to be able to see it in the daylight. I don't think there is a more beautiful place. I took so many photos of everything there, cause it was just so picturesque. After we admired everything there, we walked through this nice park. It reminded me of a jungle and central park at the same time. There were palm trees everywhere, ducks, and fountains. On the other side of the park was the river, so we walked down by the river for awhile. There were rowers and kayakers in it, and lots of people running along it. We decided we should back in the direction of our house, and came across la plaza de toros, the bullfighting ring. It was very pretty from the outside, and there are tours of the inside, so hopefully I can do that sometime. I came back for lunch and the families aunt and uncle were her from Morocco. For lunch we had salad, beef stew with brussel spouts and some other vegetables, bread, and an orange. I had fanta to drink and it was way better than it is the US. My mom here keeps trying to give me mountains of food and is very insisting that I take more. Good thing I'm walking so much!

Bridge at Plaza de España

Plaza de España

Plaza de España

They had all these things around the plaza. They are so intricately designed.

In front of the plaza

Madrid's little area. They must have had about 30+ of these areas for different towns.

One of the trees in the park

The river

la plaza de toros

First day in the city

My host mom taught me the right way to peel an orange. First you cut off the top and bottom, then you slice the skin around the outside, and then peel. It looks a lot easier than they way we do it.

orange tree

Today we had orientation at the University of Sevilla. It is the most gorgeous university you will ever see. We learned about different services they offer and all that orientation type stuff. Then we got to walk down to the ISA office, which was about 15 minutes away. We got to see a few plazas, the cathedral, and lots of pretty buildings. There were orange trees everywhere, and one of the directors said that later on the trees will have white flowers and the trees will smell amazing. We had another meeting and afterward we went back to the university to try and find our classes. It was way more confusing that it should be. There were roman numeral numbered rooms, which were in no particular order. There were 17, and 11 on the ground floor while 13 and 15 were up a floor. It makes no sense, but we eventually found all the classrooms. After we came home for lunch. We had salad and spaghetti.   For breakfast we has tea, toast, yogurt, and chocolate granola cereal. 

Front of the university of Sevilla

Inside a courtyard at the university

The weather is absoultely fantastic. It was a little chilly walking this morning, but not it is 65 and sunny. Way better than the negative/zero temperatures in Chicago and Ames. The only thing so far that hasn't been that great is that currently the garbage service is on strike. So there has been lots of garbage piled up on the streets, and some of it smells really bad. It has been 4 days, and our mom told us it was only supposed to last for 3 days. The ISA people said that if they didn't come to an agreement soon, then it would come down to when it became a public health hazard. Most of the city is still fine, but hopefully it ends soon!

beautiful sunny day