Week 11: Getting Ready for Morocco

Monday, March 27^th:

Today was very rainy in Sevilla, which is not typical whatsoever, but I had great weather in London so I guess my luck could only last for so long. I’m feeling super overwhelmed with homework and life so I’m trying to play catch up on my responsibilities. Overall great day spent studying a lot and hanging with the host family. Getting so excited to see my fam in a week and a half!

Tuesday, March 28^th:

Just a typical day in Sevilla working on homework and studying for my Spanish exam tomorrow. Nothing too exciting.

Wednesday, March 29^th:

Took my test today, and I think it went well! Spent the afternoon packing and getting ready for my trip to Morocco. I also submitted an important application for a fellowship for next year at Gettysburg. I’m hoping it will all work out, I’ll know by the end of the month!

Thursday, March 30^th-April 2^nd: Morocco 

London

Where to start! I absolutely loved London! I would move there in a heartbeat not going to lie. It’s a cute and trendy city that is full of diversity and millennials. I loved the vibe of the city, the shops, parks, and London’s West End or Broadway section of the city.

My friend, Tian, and I arrived on Thursday night. We checked into a hostel in Camden a little bit north of central London. The next day we went to the British Museum. One plus about London is most museums are free! After we decided to eat lunch at a chipotle near by. It has been about eleven weeks since I have last had chipotle so we were pretty stoked to be in a city that had one. After we went and checked into the next hostel in Hammersmith and met up with our other friend who flew in from Sevilla Friday afternoon.

Once we all got settled in we headed to Buckingham Palace. After, we found a pub near the Apollo Victoria theater in London’s West End, because we were seeing Wicked! We had a typical fish and chips dinner and then headed down the block to the theater. The show was amazing! I only wish I could have seen more shows as well.

Buckingham Palace

Saturday morning we went to Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. This platform is from the Harry Potter movies, although it is not the actual spot that was used in filming. After waiting in line for over thirty minutes we got our tourist pictures. Following we went to brunch and then headed north to Abbey Road. We tried to get some pictures at Abbey Road but because it’s an actual road and there were a lot of tourists we weren’t really successful. Actually, it was an epic fail but the pictures turned out pretty funny. After we headed to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. When we got off the tube we saw a protest regarding Brexit. We also walked the bridge where the attacks had occurred three days prior. Besides the flowers and memorials on certain points of the bridge you would have had no idea something had happened. Everyone embraced the motto of “keep calm and carry on”.

Abbey Road

Westminster with Big Ben in the Background

After checking out the area of Westminster we headed to Covent Garden for some afternoon tea at this super cute shop. For dinner I was able to meet up with my sorority sister Nicole in Piccadilly Circus (London’s Time Square). 

Afternoon Tea

We headed back to Sevilla the next morning, on Sunday, in order to be back in time for classes on Monday. Overall I absolutely loved London! This may have been my favorite city I have visited so far. Can’t wait to go back again some day. 

Week 10: In denial that I’m more than half-way through…

Monday, March 20^th:

Normal school day but I also got to meet my intercambio! He is a student at the Universidad de Sevilla. He does not speak a lot of English so when we meet for coffee the entire one hour conversation was in Spanish! I was pretty proud of myself for holding a conversation in Spanish for that long.

Tuesday, March 21^st:

Today I had my mid-semester meeting with our program director. It’s crazy to think we are half-way through the semester! Only nine weeks left until I’ll be back in the states. This afternoon I had our last pre-departure Morocco meeting. Next Thursday I’ll be off to Morocco! I also found out today I received an interview for an internship for the summer. I’m nervous and excited for that.

Wednesday, March 22^nd:

Today I had my interview for my internship after my classes. I think it went well but I also don’t have a great gut feeling about it so I guess only time will tell. After my art history, and last class of the day, I got the notification on my phone about the Westminster attack. It was surreal to see that because tomorrow I am headed to London. My host mom and dad had me watch the news, they even turned on CNN and BBC for me so I could hear it in English, so I was informed before traveling there. They were concerned for me, but I think everything is going to work out.

Thursday-Sunday, March 23^rd-March 26^th:

London! Stay tuned for a post about this trip. 

Struggles in Sevilla

Hey world. Some of you might be wondering why I have not posted anything new in a few weeks. Unfortunately I spilled my new favorite Spanish drink (Cola Cow which is warm chocolate milk) all over my beautiful Apple MacBook Air laptop roughly four weeks ago. Lets just say that day really was not one of the highlights of this semester.

Anywhoo...I've been without a computer for a couple of weeks now, which I feel pretty accomplished being semi-off the grid. One of my wonderful friends here lent me an extra backup laptop she had brought to Spain. I am so grateful to her because now I can update my blog again!

So that's why I've been sadly off the grid. Get excited for many post to come over the next week or so updating you on all the time I've been away.

Hasta luego!

Week 5: Adventuring in Granada and Sevilla

Monday, February 6^th

Just another day back in Sevilla. The weather was awesome compared to Belgium, it was probably around 68 degrees. I had my three typical Monday classes. After school I went shopping with my host mom and then did homework. Nothing too exciting.

Tuesday, February 7^th

Another typical day in Spain! I had one class today, my Public International Law class. Today is technically my Wednesday, which makes tomorrow my Friday (since I only have three days of classes). I also booked travel to Berlin and Amsterdam for the last weekend in February because I don’t have classes Monday or Tuesday for a Spanish holiday. I’m pretty excited for that trip!

Wednesday, February 8^th

Just another day in Sevilla and my “Friday” as Wednesday is my last day of classes. My friend and I got churros con chocolate today. My life is pretty predictable in Spain. I’m usually with the host family, getting churros and chocolate, in class, traveling, or sleeping.

Thursday, February 9^th

Spent today hanging out with the host family before I leave for Granada tomorrow. Nothing too exciting or new to report. I’ll have a post on Granada soon.

Friday, February 10^th -- Saturday, February 11^th

Granada!

Sunday, February 12^th

Got back from Granada late Saturday night. I spent today doing lots of homework and hanging out with the host family. We made tortitas (creepes) with my host sister. Their Grandmother came to visit again which was really fun. She is really sweet and patient with my Spanish.

Week 4: Classes, Brussels, and Many Adventures

Monday, January 30^th

Just another day in the beautiful city of Sevilla. It was 68 degrees today, it was amazing! I had three classes today. All my classes are all going well so far! Today I was focused on planning for my Brussels trip at the end of the week. I also did homework and practiced my Spanish with my host family. Nothing too exciting, just an average day.

Tuesday, January 31^st

Another beautiful day in Sevilla! I had my international public law class, which I am really enjoying! I spent the majority of the day doing homework and studying.

Wednesday, February 1^st

Last day of classes for the week! I started packing for Brussels and preparing for the trip. Spent time with the host family and of course…did more homework. Haha, too excited to get on an airplane!

Thursday, February 2^nd

BRUSSELS BOUND! Today I am leaving for Brussels at 8pm! I’ll have a whole section on Brussels coming soon. All day I prepped for the trip. I packed, went with my friend Natalie to the bank, and went shopping. So ready for the next adventure!

Friday, February 3^rd – Sunday, February 5^th

From Thursday, February 2^nd until Sunday, February 5^th I was traveling in Brussels! I will put together a whole post regarding my trip as well as photos on Facebook. Look out for more on Brussels in the upcoming days.

Week 3: First week of classes and Booking Trips!

Monday, January 23^rd

Today was the first time I visited the UPO campus, where I will be having all my classes for the rest of the semester. I had to take a Spanish placement test to see what Spanish class I would test into. I tested into intermediate one, which might not seem like a super great accomplishment since that class is middle of the road, but I was feeling pretty excited and proud. This is the farthest I have ever come when trying to learn Spanish and while I’ll never be perfect I feel like I am doing pretty well. It’s the little things in life friends. With that being said, there is still a long way to go until I would say I am close to proficient but I feel like I’m finally on the right path towards reaching that goal.

Tuesday, January 24^th

Today was officially my first day of class but the rest of the CIEE student's didn’t actually start classes until Wednesday. The reason I had class today is because I am enrolled in what is called a direct enrollment class. This means that I am taking a class with Spanish students directly through the University. My other three classes are through the international center on campus and are only with international students. The class I had today was called Public International Law. The class is taught in English so it’s not too hard. It’s actually really interesting! This might be my favorite class this semester.

After I went to a make-up session regarding bystander intervention through CIEE since the original one I was going to attend was during my Public International Law class. After the presentation, I headed back to UPO (University de Pablo Olavide) for orientation where I received my classes.

So study abroad, I think most people will attest, is a mixture of really great and pretty stressful or horrible days. Tuesday was one of those stressful not so good days for me. If you know me pretty well you know that I am more type A, so when I saw my schedule, unfortunately, all my classes conflicted. Of course, it’s not that difficult to make changes but it’s time-consuming and there is always that small chance that I can’t get into another class. So after one of my longest days here where I had pretty much been out of my comfort zone all day (going to a class with no Americans and going to a training where I knew no one) I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with a crazy class schedule. But, as everything always does, I told myself things were going to work out. Oh, on top of all of that, my phone screen started to develop weird lines…you could say it was definitely just one of those days.

Wednesday, January 25^th

So today was the “official” first day, but really my second day, of classes. I had a total of three classes, but I had to go to other classes and try to switch my schedule. Luckily all the classes I went to where I had to either switch to a different section or add the class, I was able too. I’ve always been pretty lucky with schedule changes so I feel very grateful the process for me was easier than it was for some other people.

My schedule looks pretty good overall. Mondays and Wednesdays I have Spanish from 12-1:20pm, then an Economics/Political Science class called “The European Union” from 1:30-2:50pm, and lastly a History of Spanish Art class from 4-5:20pm. That probably sounds late, but Spaniards eat lunch at 3:00pm so it’s a pretty typical time to have class.

On Tuesday I have the Public International Law Class from 10:30-12:30pm then a discussion group for the class from 12:30-2:00pm. I have no Thursday or Friday classes. Yes Mom and Dad, I’ll be using those days for studying and not for traveling.

Overall I feel really lucky for all the classes I have and all the opportunities I have been awarded so far with this experience. Although there have been some bumps in the road overall I’ve been very lucky and my experience has been overall really great.

Oh and as a side note I am currently applying for summer internships, while this is not Sevilla related it is semi-exciting and has been keeping me occupied over the past couple of days. Wish me luck! More details to come if the outcome is positive.

Thursday, January 26^th

Today was the second day of classes. Things are starting to fall into place. I think I have my class schedule all figured out, which is exciting. I had one class today called the Global Economy but I will probably end up dropping it, unfortunately.

After classes today my friends and I went to go get coffee and discuss some travel plans. While I do love Sevilla I am really excited to get out and travel, especially now that I do not have Thursday or Friday classes.

Also, side note: the UPO cafeteria is seriously the best, which is where I am currently writing this. They have this large patio where you can sit out and do homework or just hang out. The food is so cheap and really good (you can’t beat a .90 euro coffee). Also, there is this cat, which we think is a stray, that hangs around the patio. He’s pretty cute.

Also another side note: I just have this feeling that I’m going to come back to the states and crave tapas (specifically croquetas and chocolate con churros) as well as continue my obsession with Spanish music. Shakira’s Bicicleta anyone?

Friday, January 27^th

So yesterday afternoon I went with friends to a café where we were planning on booking trips to Madrid and Granada. We ended up booking a trip to Brussels for next weekend and Granada for the weekend after that. I’m so excited!

Today was pretty relaxing. I didn’t have class so I woke up later and relaxed. My friends and booked hotel for both trips. It is my host sister’s birthday today, she is turning 12! We went and got chocolate con churros, went and saw La La Land at the movie theater, and then went to dinner to celebrate. 

Saturday, January 28^th

Another pretty relaxing day in Sevilla! We visited the Las Setas, a structure with a 360-degree view of Sevilla, again. Later that evening my host brother took me to the center to see a preview of Semana Santa. Semana Santa occurs in April. I'll probably be writing more about it then. 

Sunday, January 29^th

We finally booked our Airbnb for Brussels! Everything is starting to come together. Today I also went to see roman ruins about ten minutes outside of Sevilla. Seeing these ruins makes me so excited to visit Italy and see the ruins there!

Roman Ruins

Córdoba

Last Saturday I went with roughly thirty or forty students to Córdoba, which is a smaller city in Andalusia. We left Sevilla at 9:00am and arrived back around 6:00pm. It was roughly an hour and thirty-minute bus ride, which wasn’t too bad.

This was my first experience leaving Sevilla since I had arrived two Saturday’s prior. Looking out the window as we departed for Córdoba the landscape was what I had imagined by also completely different than I thought. It reminded me of the valley back home, flat lands with green grass everywhere. It also reminded me of visiting family in Illinois and the midwest.

Side note: I usually love looking out the window when I fly, especially when I’m flying from the East Coast back to California. I don’t know why but the few times I have flown internationally looking out the window is the absolute weirdest experience I have ever had. The land looks so different than anything I have ever seen in the United States and I think it is in those moments where it really hits me that I’m not even close to home.

Anyways, that same feeling I got on the airplane when I went to Finland last year or when I flew to Seville is the feeling I had driving to Córdoba. The land looks familiar but I knew it was land I had never seen before. Anyways, it was weird.

Moving on…so when we arrived we first went to the mosque-cathedral. I took my tour in Spanish so no promises that the information I am about to share is completely accurate but this is what I think my guide said. The mosque-cathedral was first a church for Christians until Muslims conquered Spain in the year 711. In the 13th century, Córdoba returned to Christian rule and the building was converted to a Roman-Catholic church. Throughout the cathedral, you can see how the building has changed hands numerous times. Instead of taking down the entire structure each time a new group occupied the city the group would build upon what was already there. 

  

Original Roman flooring                          One part of the Mosque

The Catholic section of the same building

After taking a tour of the mosque-cathedral we went to a Jewish synagogue. The one located in Córdoba is one of three left standing in Spain. It now only consists of one small room and a small patio/garden. After stopping at the synagogue we went to our last stop the Alcazar (or palace). We toured the building, the gardens, and climbed to the top of the tower. It was beautiful but I still think the Alcazar in Sevilla is better. 

The gardens at the Alcazar & the tower

 View of Córdoba from the top of the tower

After the tours were over my friends and I searched for tapas and gelato...lets be real, when am I not in search of either of those things. We found some awesome tiramisu and later gelato (I think I’m overly ready to go to Italy haha). I realized when I got home that basically my lunch was dessert and that I did this on accident (I promise it was on accident, I can see my mom and dad saying “sure it was” as they read this), but when in Spain right?

Overall, Córdoba was really interesting! It’s so much smaller than Sevilla but I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it, especially since it was a free excursion.

If you are looking for more information on Córdoba check out these links below:

http://www.catedraldecordoba.es/index.asp 

http://www.alcazardelosreyescristianos.cordoba.es/?id=3&lang=3

Week 2: More Intensive Spanish, Activities, and Exploring Córdaba

Monday, January 16^th

This is my last week of intensive Spanish. Besides having to wake up super early, I will truly miss this class and my professor. I have learned so much in two weeks! My professor makes the three hours of class enjoyable and is so helpful as well. After class, I went home and had lunch and then met up with friends for chocolate con churros, which are seriously so yummy and addicting. After we went across the street to the mall to do some shopping. Pretty easy and relaxing Monday!

Tuesday, January 17^th

Today was filled with a lot of different activities. I had class, as usual, from 9am-12pm. We had a session after class to set our goals for the semester. After I had lunch with friends on the patio on the top floor of the CIEE building. My host mom made me a bocadillo (packed lunch/sandwich) because during the normal Spanish lunch hour (around 3pm) I had a tour of the local palace Alcazar. 

Alcazar was built by Muslims who occupied Spain in the centuries prior to the Catholics conquering Spain in 1492. The palace is a mix of Arab and European architecture and style. The current king and royal family of Spain still use this palace when the visit Sevilla! The king’s sister-in-law (or something like that) had her wedding at the Caterdral (the one I visited last week) and then had the reception at the Alcazar right across the street. The Alcazar also has beautiful gardens with peacocks, which I now have a small fear of because as we were taking pictures of them they started to circle us. It was really freaky.

After the tour, I, as always, grabbed coffee with friends! I’ll probably need to start cutting back soon…but coffee’s a necessity so…probably won’t.

Peacocks in the garden at Alcazar

Wednesday, January 18^th

Today was pretty typical. I had class and then after my professor took us to get tapas to practice ordering food in Spanish! I think it went pretty well! I ordered a small plate of croquetas (one of my favorite Spanish tapas).

Later that evening my host sister and I (along with my host dad’s supervision and help) made torditas, which are crepes. I have never made them before but that’s going to change in the future because they were amazing and super easy to make.

Thursday, January 19^th

Second to last day of intensive session Spanish classes! I’m really going to miss this class and professor. We have our last exam tomorrow, which I think might be really hard…I’m hoping with enough studying tonight it will be fine. I’ve been doing really well in the class so I’m hoping everything will work out and I’ll receive a good grade! This afternoon I went with friends to get coffee and to study. It was super cloudy all day and it even rained (okay sprinkled) a little bit which is super unusual for Sevilla.

Friday, January 20^th

Today was my last day of intensive Spanish classes! I had my last test and I think it went pretty well! Later that evening my friends and I took a tapas cooking class where we learned to make two typical Spanish dishes: Salmorejo and Tortilla de Patatas. It was so much fun!

All four group's tapas, my group is closest to the bottom of the picture

Saturday, January 21^st

^{Today I participated in a trip to Cordoba with CIEE. We left Sevilla at 9am and spent the entire day in Cordoba leaving around 4pm and arriving back to Sevilla at 6pm. I'll do a whole post on Cordoba with pictures so look out for that later this week.}

Sunday, January 22^nd

My host family and I went hiking at a location about 20 miles outside of Sevilla. My host brother said we hiked about 13 kilometers which I think is equivalent to 7-8miles of so, but I could be totally off. Needless to say, it was a really really long and busy weekend so later that evening I took a well deserved two-hour siesta. 

Week 1: Arriving, Intensive Spanish Classes, and Exploring Sevilla

As I mentioned in the previous post I arrived in Sevilla two Saturday’s ago on January 8^th. I have officially completed over one week in Spain! Everything is going well and I’m loving it here! I decided I'll be posting an updated once a week on either Sunday or Monday. Here’s the breakdown of what happened this past week:

Monday, January 9^th:

Monday was the day of intensive language classes! I am one of the lucky student’s who class starts bright and early at 9:00am. It takes about thirty minutes to walk to the CIEE study center from my home stay so this means pretty early mornings for me.

Tuesday, January 10^th:

During class today we explored a market (el mercado) a couple of blocks from the CIEE study center. The market was really interesting! All the food looked so fresh compared to the United States.

Later that afternoon, after class, some friends and I explored the structure that was above the market called “Las Setas” which I believe means mushroom in Spanish. You can take an elevator to the top which has 360 degree views of the entire city. It’s seriously amazing. I would share a picture but my phone was still broken so I don’t have any, but if you’re curious here’s a link with more information:

http://setasdesevilla.com 

That evening we had another information session at a local hotel. We talked about academics, activities in Sevilla, and adjusting to the culture. On Monday I dropped my phone off at a repair shop and I was able to pick it up after the information session. It was such a relief to have my iPhone back!

Wednesday, January 11^th:

Class continued this morning from 9am-12pm. After class, we participated in a walking tour of Sevilla. We walked through the historic center and saw the Cathedral as well as the Royal Palace (El Alcázar). We weren’t able to receive a tour of both these locations during this afternoon but luckily my friends and I have tours scheduled next week through CIEE.

After the tour, a few friends and I went to go see the La Plaza de España which was only a few blocks away from where our tour ended. It was absolutely beautiful!

La Plaza de España

Later that evening the entire program of ninety-seven students met in the historic downtown for a tapas welcome dinner at La Gorda de las Setas. It was so much fun to have the group together in a relaxing setting and the food was sooo good.

Thursday, January 12^th:

Just another day of intensive language class, nothing too exciting happened. I was busy studying and preparing for my first test, which was the next day (Friday).

Friday, January 13^th:

Had my first test today! I went really well, at least I think and hope. After class, CIEE had scheduled a walking tour of the Catedral & Giralda. It is the third largest catholic church in the world, following the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. It took over one hundred years to complete and when it was finished in the 15^th century it surpassed the Hagia Sophia in size. The Giralda is the tower connected to the Catedral. We were able to climb to the top which has a 360 degree view of the entire city. Later that night I went out with some friends for tapas!

El Cathedral

Saturday, January 14^th:

So it’s official, I’ve made it through one week in Spain! I had a super relaxing day. I studied and hung out with my host family. Later that evening I met friends for tapas!

Sunday, January 15^th:

Another relaxing day, nothing too exciting happened. Part of my family went to the beach for the day while the son and I stayed home to study. We went and grabbed lunch at this really yummy Italian restaurant. I had a composition due for class the next day so I grabbed coffee with a friend and worked on it at the coffee shop. Nothing beats studying at a coffee shop in Spain!