Week 2

Hola!  Sorry it has been long time since I’ve posted last…this week has been a lot more stressful and busy than I would have thought…check it out!

Lunes, el 24 de enero

First day of class was today.  We are now entering into our two-week intensive Spanish session.  Class is from 09:00 – 12:00 every day, with a good amount of homework every night.  We were assigned a 600 word paper due on Wednesday, and homework due the next day, too.  So right off the bat we got rolling.  After lunch, everyone who was applying for an internship here had a meeting, followed by some drinks to relax.  That night, CIEE was hosting a meeting for any non-Catholic student to learn more about what opportunities are available for them.  Sevilla is majority Catholic, in case you are unaware.  So Adi and I went and there were only two other girls there.  It turns out they are both Jewish, too!  SO EXCITED FOR MORE JEWS!  The four of us decided to go out to tapas afterward, and we played Jewish geography and just got to know each other for about an hour.  It was really nice.  People don’t really realize it, but we Jews are close.  Just knowing that we were both Jewish (and somewhat active, too) was the only icebreaker we need.  Miriam Ross-Hirsch and Naomi Gamoran are the two ladies.  At the meeting, we learned that last semester, in the fall, many Jews from Cordoba came down to hold services and a Shabbat dinner for those who wanted.  Sevilla has one tiny synagogue, made up of just a few families.  I plan to go at some point this semester.  So, at the meeting we were asked if we wanted to possibly go to Cordoba for a weekend for services…OF COURSE!  So our program coordinators are going to look into us staying in Cordoba with some Jews and they will pay for us to take a train there, too.  Wonderful, right?

Martes, el 25 de enero

Class wasn’t too exciting, once again…three hours of class at nine in the morning won’t usually be too much fun.  Oh well.  After class we went to the CIEE office in el Centro to register for classes.  I have class Monday and Wednesday from 09:00 – 12:30, and then one more around 3:30, I think.  I tried talking to the program director, Jaime, again about switching language classes to a higher level, but once again I had no luck. 

Tuesday afternoon we got a tour of our barrio (neighborhood), and checked out a gym where we can get a decently priced membership, 43€ per month.  The gym is too far of a walk though for me, so I’m going to pass on the gym; however, if I lived near there, I absolutely would.  It has nine floors, all glass windows, and the view is absolutely breathtaking.  There is an outdoor area, too, to workout in.  Imagine lifting weights four floors about the ground, or in a spin class six floors up?  Amazing.  Afterwards, we went out for drinks, but I passed and went back home to write my paper. 

Miércoles, el 26 de enero

The university doesn’t have printers to use for free, so I had to go to class early and go to the book store and print my paper (0.05€ per page).  After class, a friend and I walked to a travel office for students (“We Love Spain”) and bought a trip to Portugal at the end of March.  Most of my group has already been making travel plans, and I haven’t had the time to start looking, so I wanted to at least get one trip so far, so I paid 99€ for a three day trip, which includes an apartment and travel and shows, so I thought it was a good deal!  Every time I walk home, I try to walk down different streets, and this time I found a little shop  “Super Barato Bazar,” super-cheap bazar.  So I went in and found a scarf for only 1€, so I thought, why not!  Now I look more European!   After that, I came home and did homework, had lunch, and suited up for our internship interviews!  The interviews were at a hotel, and there were about twenty or so companies there.  I interviewed with four of them, I believe, and had more I wanted to interview with, but my fourth interview, with Finca81, I got an offer on the spot!  This is the first time it has ever happened to me, so I needed time to think about it.  Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that I would learn more from this internship than I would from others, which I would be doing similar stuff that I have done in the past (i.e. working at a hotel or elsewhere as a receptionist).  The interviewer, José, was really nice and really liked me, and I would be using skills that I have already (database management especially), so I accepted on the spot.  But I couldn’t tell anyone until we all knew…that was tough.  I was so excited!

Afterwards, I came back and changed, and went out for some tapas with some friends.  We went to Cien Mandiditos, I think that’s what it’s called….whatever.  Every Wednesday, everything on the menu (except for a few things) is only 1€!  That is the new Wednesday hang out spot…sandwiches and drinks (big ones, too) all for only 1€.  We then walked to el Centro for our Intercambio party.  An intercambio is a student exchange, so we get a Spanish “buddy” to get to know; however, not all of us have gotten our buddies yet, including me.  So I just had fun with my friends at the bar.  We also were watching the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona game (yes, same teams as last week, just at a different stadium).  They tied.  We left around 00:30, and got home and in bed by 02:00.  The next day in class, everyone was so tired.  Felt bad for our professor…

Jueves, el 27 de enero

After straining to stay awake in class, I went on a tour of the Iglesia de Sevilla, the third largest church in the world.  My friends and I had some time to kill beforehand, so we got some coffee.  I’m not a coffee drinker, but it’s actually good here!  Granted I make sure to get a café con leche (coffee with milk, so like half and half) and add sugar, but I still enjoy it!

The church was absolutely amazing….definitely a place I’m going to take Mom and Dad when they come to visit.  The church is the resting place of Christopher Columbus, too.  It took about fifty years to build it, and it looks like it…the intricate designs all over the place were absolutely mind blowing.  If you don’t have a Facebook, I recommend checking out my Photobucket account to see pictures.  Similar to the Alcázcar I saw last week, this was also built by Muslims, so there were a lot of similar designs.  Part of the church used to be a mosque, so the Catholics built on top of it to show that they are better than the Muslims, and thus had a single, ginormous torre (tower), called La Giralda.  There is no elevator here my friends…just thirty-four floors of ramps, followed by seventeen stairs, and an amazing view!  Sort of like climbing Masada in Israel…but much smaller.  The view was breathtaking – very few clouds, and you could walk around the tower and see all of Sevilla – check out my pictures!

I came back for lunch, then did some homework and went to meet a friend at Tea and Coffee to study, but it was too loud so I left for the library, where I began to fall asleep….so I just left.  I walked around more side streets, bought some picos, which are similar to breadsticks, but smaller.  After coming back, I studied some more and went to bed early – by midnight.

Viernes, el 28 de enero

Test day.  First warm shower of the homestay so far…so that was nice.  I have had cold showers every day, so I have been super quick.  Really stinks, actually.  I’ve asked why it’s not warming up, and finally they tried something else, and it worked finally!  I walked to class with some friends who live down the block.  Luckily, once we finished the test, we could leave, so we finished about an hour early today.  I walked back to the historic district (el Centro) to sign something at the CIEE office, and came back, bought an apple and walked around with a friend who I ran into on the street.  And…here I am now!  Blogging is tough stuff…finding time is hard.  I hope to post sooner than a five days next time….

http://s1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh542/HoosierinSpain/