We arrived in Sevilla and our host families picked us up from the bus station. My mom, Pepí, came to pick me up. She is ABSOLUTELY perfect. I could not ask for a more wonderful woman to take care of me for three months. She is so freaking cute. She speaks no English, which is so good for me, because I literally can only use Spanish when I speak to her. Great practice, EH? She is the best cook in the whole world. She makes Steph and me yummy food for every meal. Do you think she would be weirded out if I asked her on a date or kissed her on the lips?
On Friday I had to meet everybody in La Plaza Nueva. It is about a thirty minute walk from my house, rather Pepí 's house, and we were running a little behind so we hopped on a bus and then took the trolley. Sevilla has these great trolley-ish vehicles that have the ability to move you around the city pretty quickly and without breaking the bank. Here is a picture:
At school, we had to take a placement test. For all the Spanish I have taken in my life (7 semesters), I have nothing to show for it. I suck so bad, but I will tell you with confidence, that it is getting better and easier. After the test, we took a walking tour of the central part of the city. Sevilla is so beautiful, I literally cannot even do it justice. I will, however, try. We saw Catedral de Santa Maria de la Seda. One word, BEAUTIFUL. It is the third largest Cathedral in the world, behind the Vatican and Notre Dame. OBSESSED. I haven't taken a picture that is good enough to post yet, stay tuned for that one.
My friends Annalise and Cece came to Sevilla over the weekend with their ISA program for an excursion. Which for elena and me, meant fiesta time in Tennessee (or I guess, Sevilla). In Sevilla everyone meets down by the river to pre-game. We met up with Annalise and Cece down there to have a few bottles of wine to start off the night. All of Elena and my friends that we have made came too! So, it was like a big wine party with our American friends. Here are some of my favorite pics:
Celebratory swig with Nick for his triumph over having no cork screw.
Me love my friends!
After hangin' with the hoodlums by the river, we all headed across the bridge to la Calle Betis. It is a road that has pretty much all the hopping bars and discotecas in Sevilla. The only downfall to it is that it is crawling with Americans. Not that I having anything against chillin' with my peeps. However, I am here to learn and be immersed into the spanish culture. Let's be real, that will never happen if I sit around and buy rounds of Bud Light with 9 million of my closest Americanos. So, as much as I loved it over on that side of town, I will need to find a new spot with a little more culture to offer. I got some great pics from the night though:
CHICAS LOCAS.
DA GROUP.
Jack Daniels? Weird.
Even aside from the awesome night life (I know, coming from me it is very hard to believe) this city is fantastic. I met all my friends at La Plaza de Espana the other day, and I finally came across what I had seen on the internet when I googled Sevilla. Enjoy this one:
Eat your heart out peeps...
While I am enjoying my time here, I have had a few rough days. Which, I suppose was more than expected. I had to say bye to Annalise and Cece and that just sent me into a whole new mix of emotions. I had a pity party last night, and did not even go out for the Super Bowl last night. I am sure disappointed in my non-American behavior.
However, today has been a much better day. I had class form 9am until 4pm. It kept me busy, and occupied my mind from how much I miss home. I enjoyed my 35ish minute walk home. Even though it is long, it gives me such good alone time with just my iPod and tunes to remind me of the people I love. Not to mention, I look like a total Span when I do it. Tonight I am meeting my friends in La Plaza Nueva, and we are discussing Spring Break options. It will be fun regardless of if we accomplish anything. They are pretty righteous people.
Oh, and if you are wondering about my Spanish... I happen to be skyping Kevin when Pepí got home this afternoon. We started talking about school, my lunches that she has been making me, and what my plans were for tonight. He told me that I was sounding great, and that he couldn't follow anything we were saying to each other. YAYAYA!! I can't toot my own horn too loudly though, he doesn't speak Spanish. hahaha.
I count my blessing everyday that I am here. It feels so good to know that there are so many people back home that have me in their thoughts. Also, I cannot complain about the self-discovery and adventures that lie ahead for me. I am the luckiest girl in the world. Life is so good.
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