Funny video we watched in conversation class the other day.
It teaches you how to make gazpacho! Haha. Ridiculous Spaniards :P
January 30, 2012
January 28, 2012
Homestay
One of the best things about studying abroad in Sevilla is that I get to live in a homestay. I already talked about how much I LOVE my host family. But seriously, coming home to such a homey environment and the sound of the girls playing is an awesome feeling...much better than entering an empty dorm.
Today I found out that our house has a spacious rooftop with an absolutely gorgeous view! Definitely gonna spend a lot of time up there especially as it gets warmer, to do homework and just bask in the sun. Today Diana and I spent some time up there with Teresa, braiding her hair :)
And they have a pool too! Can't wait til it gets warm enough so we can use it!
Also, we had the most amazing lunch today. Teresa (señora) bought some fresh salmon from the market this morning and grilled the pieces. We ate them along with some cauliflower.
Seriously the best salmon I've ever had. So fresh, never frozen, the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender. Plus some delicious oranges afterward. My host family loves fruit, which is perfect because I eat tons of fruit back at home as well. The kitchen is always stocked with oranges, apples, bananas, pears, kiwi...
After dinner today, the entire family had a dance party in the living room. It was the cutest thing ever...I just came upstairs from the festivities and I'm winded from dancing with the girls! They are so adorable and full of energy; I can hear them singing in the other room right now.
Well it's been a good weekend thus far! Tomorrow will be a relaxing day (spent on the roof, hopefully!). Thinking of renting a paddleboat on the Guadalquivir and strolling along the river.
Till next time!
Today I found out that our house has a spacious rooftop with an absolutely gorgeous view! Definitely gonna spend a lot of time up there especially as it gets warmer, to do homework and just bask in the sun. Today Diana and I spent some time up there with Teresa, braiding her hair :)
And they have a pool too! Can't wait til it gets warm enough so we can use it!
Also, we had the most amazing lunch today. Teresa (señora) bought some fresh salmon from the market this morning and grilled the pieces. We ate them along with some cauliflower.
Seriously the best salmon I've ever had. So fresh, never frozen, the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender. Plus some delicious oranges afterward. My host family loves fruit, which is perfect because I eat tons of fruit back at home as well. The kitchen is always stocked with oranges, apples, bananas, pears, kiwi...
After dinner today, the entire family had a dance party in the living room. It was the cutest thing ever...I just came upstairs from the festivities and I'm winded from dancing with the girls! They are so adorable and full of energy; I can hear them singing in the other room right now.
Well it's been a good weekend thus far! Tomorrow will be a relaxing day (spent on the roof, hopefully!). Thinking of renting a paddleboat on the Guadalquivir and strolling along the river.
Till next time!
January 23, 2012
A walk through el Parque de Maria Luisa...
...where sunlight seeps through the slits of the palm leaves, illuminating the misty air.
I felt as if I were walking through an enchanted forest. So peaceful and gorgeous.
There are actually palm trees growing side by side with evergreens and typical leafy trees like those in the Midwest. Really strange, but really cool.
This park is not only beautiful, but huge. It kind of reminds me of Central Park in New York, but more woody and tranquil. I really want to just bring a sketchbook here one day and draw. It's like a ten minute walk from the University, so I'm thinking it's certainly a possibility! I mean, just look at the roots of this tree:
Pretty neat, huh? I used to hate the idea of strolling through the park because I found it boring to look at trees and ponds and such. When my parents would take me and my sister to the botanical gardens or to some state park, we would complain like no other. But now I'm really starting to love being outside in nature, and I'm definitely coming back soon as spring approaches and flowers begin to bloom...
Fútbol!
Saturday night was the soccer game between Sevilla and Real Betís, the two teams in Sevilla. It started at 10pm, but people were gathering around the city streets as early as five in the afternoon, adorned in their favorite team's colors, to get pumped up!
A few of us decided to get a sense of the fútbol craze by going to see the game in a nearby bar. It was crowded with people gathered around the TV drinking beers and eating tapas. Lots of cheering and groaning from all the fans in the bar. Despite the fact that Sevilla is supposedly the better team, they ended up tying 1-1! Not sure which side I am for quite yet, but we'll see if I develop a partiality as time goes on :P
A few of us decided to get a sense of the fútbol craze by going to see the game in a nearby bar. It was crowded with people gathered around the TV drinking beers and eating tapas. Lots of cheering and groaning from all the fans in the bar. Despite the fact that Sevilla is supposedly the better team, they ended up tying 1-1! Not sure which side I am for quite yet, but we'll see if I develop a partiality as time goes on :P
Excursions Galore
Can't believe I have been here for eleven days. I don't know...on one hand it feels like I have been here forever, but on the other it feels as if I am still trying to orient myself. My host family's house is starting to feel like home, and I am starting to familiarize myself with the layout of Sevilla. But there is still so much to explore and many places to see! Ultimately, though, it is has been a lovely week-and-a-half of classes, excursions, and thinking in Spanish.
We started orientation last Monday, and it is going to be a total of three weeks long. Every day consists of 3 hours of Spanish class - conversation, grammar, and culture. We have a bit of homework every night, but it's really nothing like the workload at Columbia. This week we visited the cathedral, Metropol, and Itálica.
El Catedral de Santa María is crazy big and crazy beautiful.
We climbed all the way up la giralda, which is the tower of the cathedral. From there, we could see a beautiful view of the city.
The Metropol is a newer building in the center of Sevilla. It's really cool and modern-looking, but sticks out kind of like a sore thumb among all the traditional architecture surrounding it.
Believe it or not, we were able to go atop the building! There is actually a brand new tapas bar up there that has cheesecakes and flan and other fancy desserts.
But my favorite part was probably the market beneath the Metropol. I've never seen so many different types of meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables all in one place!
On Saturday, we had a trip to Itálica, which is an ancient Roman city. Or, rather, the remains of one. It was pretty neat to see all the ruins and old mosaics. The guide was telling us about how colorful and lively the place would have been during the height of the Roman era. I just think it's so weird to imagine it. For some reason, I always picture historical settings in a fuzzy black-and-white. But in reality, their city was probably much more vibrant and full of life than our cities today, especially with their intense gladiator competitions and and lavish royal gatherings.
And this week we have an excursion to Alcázar, an actual castle! Never seen a castle before, aside from the ones in Disneyland and Disneyworld. I'm really pumped, and there will be many more photos to come :)
We started orientation last Monday, and it is going to be a total of three weeks long. Every day consists of 3 hours of Spanish class - conversation, grammar, and culture. We have a bit of homework every night, but it's really nothing like the workload at Columbia. This week we visited the cathedral, Metropol, and Itálica.
El Catedral de Santa María is crazy big and crazy beautiful.
We climbed all the way up la giralda, which is the tower of the cathedral. From there, we could see a beautiful view of the city.
The Metropol is a newer building in the center of Sevilla. It's really cool and modern-looking, but sticks out kind of like a sore thumb among all the traditional architecture surrounding it.
Believe it or not, we were able to go atop the building! There is actually a brand new tapas bar up there that has cheesecakes and flan and other fancy desserts.
But my favorite part was probably the market beneath the Metropol. I've never seen so many different types of meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables all in one place!
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| just take a look at this beauty. haha. |
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| center of the huge anfiteatro |
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| our JYS group! |
January 19, 2012
Did you know...
...there's no word for "awkward" in Spain?
I guess awkward moments only exist in the United States...figures :P
I guess awkward moments only exist in the United States...figures :P
January 18, 2012
My host family
Meet my new home in Sevilla! I live on this little street with my host family.
We are in a neighborhood called Nervion, which is relatively far away from the city center and the University. It's a forty minute walk and about two and a half miles, but my roommate and I did it 4 times today! Since lunch, or almuerzo, is such an important part of the day here, pretty much everybody goes home from work for a few hours to eat with their families. Stores are even closed between 2 and 5 in the afternoons!
I feel so lucky to be living in a house, because many of the families in Seville live in small apartments. My family has been living here for 3 years, and have hosted students since they first moved in! They are such a cute and beautiful family.
My señora, Teresa, is so wonderful and hospitable.
Teresa (junior) and Paula are absolutely adorable. They are always singing or dancing, and love to play their Kirby video game on the Wii. Every night after dinner, they say to us in their best English: "Good night see you tomorrow!"
And I am so happy that I get to live in a traditional family like this - the kids are always so fun to talk to because they're not afraid to say whatever they want. Teresa and Juan are just so kind and engaging whenever we ask them questions about life in Sevilla. It's kind of ridiculous how patient they are, with us and our rugged Spanish. Oh, and Teresa's cooking! I seriously look forward to every one of our meals...and I think I'll do a post on it next time.
Tomorrow our group is headed to el cátedral for a mini excursion. So excited!
We are in a neighborhood called Nervion, which is relatively far away from the city center and the University. It's a forty minute walk and about two and a half miles, but my roommate and I did it 4 times today! Since lunch, or almuerzo, is such an important part of the day here, pretty much everybody goes home from work for a few hours to eat with their families. Stores are even closed between 2 and 5 in the afternoons!
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| the streets are lined with trees full of oranges! |
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| another picture of the house (my roommate, Diana, is over in the corner) |
I feel so lucky to be living in a house, because many of the families in Seville live in small apartments. My family has been living here for 3 years, and have hosted students since they first moved in! They are such a cute and beautiful family.
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| living room |
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| me and my roommate's bedroom! |
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| where we all sit down and eat :) |
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| Teresa, mi señora |
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| Paula and Teresa, 6 and 8 years old |
And I am so happy that I get to live in a traditional family like this - the kids are always so fun to talk to because they're not afraid to say whatever they want. Teresa and Juan are just so kind and engaging whenever we ask them questions about life in Sevilla. It's kind of ridiculous how patient they are, with us and our rugged Spanish. Oh, and Teresa's cooking! I seriously look forward to every one of our meals...and I think I'll do a post on it next time.
Tomorrow our group is headed to el cátedral for a mini excursion. So excited!
January 17, 2012
Churros con chocolate
Tried these for the first time yesterday at El Virgen de Reyes hotel in Nervion! Amazing...better than I had expected. I didn't have my camera but the delicious-ness looked something like this:
But the churros were much crispier and greasier. And dunked in a chocolate drink that was as thick as fondue! These kind of reminded me of you tiao, which are eaten for breakfast in China. Essentially deep fried dough. In China though, they are dipped in soymilk, but personally I think I prefer them in chocolate ;)
Today was the first day of classes! I took a lot of pictures of the neighborhood this morning as my roommate and I walked around Cruzcampo and Nervion. Hopefully I'll have them up by tomorrow!
But the churros were much crispier and greasier. And dunked in a chocolate drink that was as thick as fondue! These kind of reminded me of you tiao, which are eaten for breakfast in China. Essentially deep fried dough. In China though, they are dipped in soymilk, but personally I think I prefer them in chocolate ;)
Today was the first day of classes! I took a lot of pictures of the neighborhood this morning as my roommate and I walked around Cruzcampo and Nervion. Hopefully I'll have them up by tomorrow!
January 15, 2012
Rain rain go away
Day four in Seville and it's raining. So I am staying in for most of the afternoon before going out to get some churros con chocolate and possibly a trip to the movie theater. I was originally planning to go to el Museo de Bellas Artes in the city but walking in the rain would not be the best idea; rather save that for a sunny day. On the bright side, I finally got a restful night of sleep! 11 hours...definitely needed after all the walking I did yesterday. My roommate and I went shopping in Nervion for the entire day and were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back. But I got myself a nice pair of ankle boots, pants, necessary toiletries, and a power adapter.
Oh and it gets cold here. Even though it is usually sunny and a nice 70ish degrees in the middle of the day, the mornings and nights are kind of frigid. Last night I slept with 3 shirts, pajama pants, and 2 long socks. It sucks getting up in the morning because even while our room is heated, the rest of the house is so cold. Adjusting to the large jumps in temperature is something I need to get used to. Hopefully it will warm up soon, though!
Another aspect of Spanish life that is different is their meal times. Desayuno is whenever we wake up, sometime around 9am. Almuerzo is usually between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, and la cena is at either 9:30 or 10 at night! They eat big meals instead of having snacks thoughout the day, like the Americans often do. Oh, and breakfast = carb fest. It consists of bread (toasted with a George Foreman-esque grill) with olive oil or butter, muffins, cookies, and either juice or chocolate milk. Lunch so far has been pasta, meat salads, and lots of lentils and garbanzos, plus fruit for dessert. Dinner is typically light: a salad with some sort of tortilla made from potatoes or eggs, and yogurt.
This is my bed! I'm a fan of the colorful sheets.
The other night, the JYS group decided to check out the Carboneria. Usually during the night there are festivities with lots of flamenco and other musical festivities. When we went, there was a lady singing.
Didn't interest us for too long, so we went to the Alfalfa district instead. There were tons of young people out that nights, just standing outside the bars drinking on the streets. Everything was out in the open, which was weird to see. Kind of reminds me of the groups of college students gathered outside the bars around Columbia on weekends, but without the drinks and crazy ruckus. It was definitely exciting to see, but chaotic at the same time, especially with us 22 Americans trying to stay together. I'm looking forward to meeting some Spanish students when university classes start, so I can get a better sense of what the nightlife is like!
Oh and it gets cold here. Even though it is usually sunny and a nice 70ish degrees in the middle of the day, the mornings and nights are kind of frigid. Last night I slept with 3 shirts, pajama pants, and 2 long socks. It sucks getting up in the morning because even while our room is heated, the rest of the house is so cold. Adjusting to the large jumps in temperature is something I need to get used to. Hopefully it will warm up soon, though!
Another aspect of Spanish life that is different is their meal times. Desayuno is whenever we wake up, sometime around 9am. Almuerzo is usually between 2 and 3 in the afternoon, and la cena is at either 9:30 or 10 at night! They eat big meals instead of having snacks thoughout the day, like the Americans often do. Oh, and breakfast = carb fest. It consists of bread (toasted with a George Foreman-esque grill) with olive oil or butter, muffins, cookies, and either juice or chocolate milk. Lunch so far has been pasta, meat salads, and lots of lentils and garbanzos, plus fruit for dessert. Dinner is typically light: a salad with some sort of tortilla made from potatoes or eggs, and yogurt.
This is my bed! I'm a fan of the colorful sheets.
The other night, the JYS group decided to check out the Carboneria. Usually during the night there are festivities with lots of flamenco and other musical festivities. When we went, there was a lady singing.
Didn't interest us for too long, so we went to the Alfalfa district instead. There were tons of young people out that nights, just standing outside the bars drinking on the streets. Everything was out in the open, which was weird to see. Kind of reminds me of the groups of college students gathered outside the bars around Columbia on weekends, but without the drinks and crazy ruckus. It was definitely exciting to see, but chaotic at the same time, especially with us 22 Americans trying to stay together. I'm looking forward to meeting some Spanish students when university classes start, so I can get a better sense of what the nightlife is like!
January 14, 2012
first full day
Arrived in Sevilla yesterday! It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL here. Today was sunny, not a single cloud in the sky. It felt simply blissful walking through the cobblestone streets lined with palm trees, gazing at the colorful and exquisite architecture surrounding me.
My host family is the cutest family ever. Teresa Avila is "mi senora", and she has two little hijas named Teresa and Paula, who are 8 and 6 years old. Her husband, Juan, is a high school history teacher. They are a very talkative and welcoming family, and having meals with them is always a pleasant and laughter-filled experience. Both the girls are feisty and adorable. I feel so lucky to be placed in this family. My roommate and I share a room, and we have our own bathroom and plenty of storage space. Her name is Diana, which can get confusing sometimes, but being with Teresa and her family makes transitioning to life in Sevilla a smooth, enjoyable experience thus far!
Today we had JYS orientation. Though all of Celeste's (our director) stories were interesting, I could not help but doze off a couple times. Ugh jetlag. But afterward the group headed over to the Hotel Inglaterra for a "merienda". We had a cute snack of cookies, assorted mini-cakes, coffee, and apricot juice. The waiters even brought out a birthday cake for me and another girl, since we had just celebrated our birthdays within the last 2 days!
After dinner, the group decided to go out for a night "en la calle". Although it got kind of hectic, what with twenty college students from America who didn't have a clue where they were going, it was a fun experience. My feet are so tired from walking. I got back a few minutes ago, but for some reason I'm not feeling very tired, despite my constant nodding off during orientation today. (again, jetlag...bah) I should really be getting to sleep though, because tomorrow we are going to Triana in the morning to do some shopping (it's currently a big sale season in Seville!) and possibly go on a boat ride. So excited, and I'll try to get in some pictures next time! But for now, buena noche.
My host family is the cutest family ever. Teresa Avila is "mi senora", and she has two little hijas named Teresa and Paula, who are 8 and 6 years old. Her husband, Juan, is a high school history teacher. They are a very talkative and welcoming family, and having meals with them is always a pleasant and laughter-filled experience. Both the girls are feisty and adorable. I feel so lucky to be placed in this family. My roommate and I share a room, and we have our own bathroom and plenty of storage space. Her name is Diana, which can get confusing sometimes, but being with Teresa and her family makes transitioning to life in Sevilla a smooth, enjoyable experience thus far!
Today we had JYS orientation. Though all of Celeste's (our director) stories were interesting, I could not help but doze off a couple times. Ugh jetlag. But afterward the group headed over to the Hotel Inglaterra for a "merienda". We had a cute snack of cookies, assorted mini-cakes, coffee, and apricot juice. The waiters even brought out a birthday cake for me and another girl, since we had just celebrated our birthdays within the last 2 days!
After dinner, the group decided to go out for a night "en la calle". Although it got kind of hectic, what with twenty college students from America who didn't have a clue where they were going, it was a fun experience. My feet are so tired from walking. I got back a few minutes ago, but for some reason I'm not feeling very tired, despite my constant nodding off during orientation today. (again, jetlag...bah) I should really be getting to sleep though, because tomorrow we are going to Triana in the morning to do some shopping (it's currently a big sale season in Seville!) and possibly go on a boat ride. So excited, and I'll try to get in some pictures next time! But for now, buena noche.
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