Every day is an adventure

Ok, so the previous post was written a few days ago, but my internet was acting up so I just posted it now. (So don't get confused lol) Friday night was erev Yom Kippur so I really wanted to try to make it to services at the single synagogue in Sevilla. Sarah, Jonathan, and I met up with Aaron and with our map tried to find the synagogue on La Calle Bustos Tavera. By the time we finally found it, we were 15 minutes late. It was on the bottom floor of what looked like a residential building in a small room. We went inside and were separated by gender--Sarah and I sat in the women's section. The whole service was in Hebrew because it was an orthodox service. I think there were more Americans there than there were Spaniards. Everyone was whispering in English to each other. The Rabbi is a part-time rabbi since there is a really small community here but he is extremely friendly and he also speaks English. After the two hour service, I met a guy named Eitan from Canada who was just backpacking through Europe on his own, a girl who was born in France but grew up in England who is also studying at la universidad de sevilla, and a guy from New York who is teaching English in Sevilla. The rabbi invited us all to the Sukkah on his roof on Wednesday for Sukkot. I hope to go to that.

Saturday, a group of us took the bus to Cadiz which is a beach town south of Sevilla. The bus dropped us off in the middle of town and we just kept asking storekeepers and locals where the beach was until we finally found it. Every day here is such an adventure, nothing is planned, everything is spontaneous. And we always manage to have a great time. I guess that's what traveling Europe is all about. The town was absolutely beautiful! It was really hard fasting--I ended up drinking water so I wouldn't get dehydrated but other than that, I did pretty well. The ocean was cold but swimmable and we tried to teach my friend Jonathan to swim although I would say we were pretty unsuccessful. He doesn't know how to swim nor had he ever been to a beach before, so it was quite an experience for him. We all got really sunburnt but we had a fabulous time.

Then we went out again last night to Alfalfa Street. It's really interesting because it is known for the street where people hang out outside with their drinks and socialize. Apparently, however, about a year ago, botellon, drinking in the streets, was outlawed in Spain. So after awhile, the police showed up and everyone ducked into the bar and restaurants. It was crazy. Some people in our group ended up ordering a pizza (which everyone was craving).

Today, after sleeping for a loong time, we wandered to meet Josie and Lauren at a nearby park. The park was so beautiful and full of little kids and picnickers. I could totally see myself going there to study once classes start. We took some pictures on the see-saw and walked around and then went to a local cafe for a coca cola. Every day, I explore a new part of town. It's so neat that I'm starting to feel less like a tourist, although I can't say that I don't sound like one with my Spanish-speaking abilities. Oh well, I'm working on it.

Failed Flamenco Show

Last night, our group really wanted to go to a Flamenco show at a bar called La Carboneria. What we didn’t know, however, was that the show began at 9 pm. We were supposed to meet up with Sonja at the church on San Jacinto so she didn’t have to walk by herself. So Jonathan, Sarah, and I were waiting forever by the church and Sonja was about 30 min late. Jonathan ended up going ahead to let the group know we were going to be extremely late and as soon as Sonja and Katie arrived, the skies started to let a rip. We decided it would be best just to get a taxi so we wouldn’t get wet and so we wouldn’t be as late. So anyway, our taxi got stuck behind a dump truck and the price was soo steep but there was nothing we could do. We ended up paying 11 Euros to get to a place we could have walked to. But whatever, so we finally met up with the group.

We went into Carboneria to find out the Flamenco show was over so we decided to go to Alfalfa Street which is well-known as the street where people to go bars and then hang out outside like a big block party. At the bar we were at, we met 5 musicians from Sevilla who teach at the music conservatory here. They had all studied in England so they all spoke English extremely well and we hung out with them for a while—a really interesting bunch. Once it was about 2 am, the bartenders kicked us out and we ran to a place close by because it was pouring at that point. So anyway, we had quite an adventure last night. And tonight, I’m going to services at the synagogue so again, it should be quite an adventure.

My senora is such a good cook and I'm really full right now

Yesterday we went to the Alcazar (in Sevilla). It is a royal palace that is still used by the royal family in Spain as something of a summer home. It had beautiful tropical gardens and I was blown away by the complexity of the tile mosaics on the walls and ceilings. It was a moorish building with a lot of Christian religious paintings and actually, the kingdom of heaven movie was filmed there. We had our grammar class in the afternoon which was a little more helpful than the first day.

The night before, we were sitting at a Tapas bar and a guy in a University of Florida shirt walked by and we started chomping and asking him where he was from. Anyway, he's from Sevilla but he visited UF and said he went to Ginnie Springs and had the best time in Gainesville. He was handing out fliers for a beer pong tournament which was happening at a local bar near la calle betis. So last night, only because he had a florida gators shirt ;) we decided to check out the tournament. Sarah, Jon, and I walked to the bar, Fundicion, but we didn't see anyone so we wandered a little further down the street. Some guy handed us a flier that said sangria gratis para las mujeres y un chupito gratis para todos (free sangria for ladies and one free shot for everyone) so we followed the labyrinth of side streets to find the bar. It was 11:30 at this point which is ridiculously early in Spain. People here don't go out until much later. So anyway, we had some free sangria, and Sarah was talking with this Spanish guy and we were practicing our Spanish with the bartenders. Eventually we met up with the group at the Fundicion bar, which was a lot of fun. We danced and I talked to a bunch of people in Spanish--I probably sound like a 2 year old trying to learn how to talk but nobody can say i didn't try. A lot of them also like to practice their English so we go back and forth.

Today, I booked a flight to Rome for 80 Euros, which was a really good deal. Sarah, Sam, Jonathan, and I are going Nov. 23-25. Sarah and I are looking into other travels around Spain and Europe. This weekend, we're going either to Tarifa or Cadiz which are in the south and are known for their beaches.

Waffles with Chocolate Syrup

Okay, so Saturday night, we went out to la calle betis again to meet up with our group at Big Ben (we're definitely becoming regulars there). We did some socializing and dancing at the bar, I met a guy from North Carolina, and then we left in search of waffles because apparently that's the thing to do in the middle of the night. We found a waffle stand on the other side of the bridge...they serve them with a load of chocolate syrup on top. My feet were blistering from my heels so I ended up wearing my friend Brian's shoes across the bridge so I looked pretty ridiculous (they were like boat shoes). As everyone was eating the waffles, chocolate syrup was dripping all over everyone's faces. So Sam decided it would be funny to smear chocolate syrup across someone's cheeks to make them look like they were ready for a football game. Of course, I was the victim of those shenanigans. We didn't get home till 6 am! And when I got home, I got to speak on AIM to some friends because it was of course midnight back in the States.





Yesterday, we slept in really late and relaxed most of the day, although I did meet Aaron and Will at Starbucks between lunch and dinner. My computer also froze last night but it seems to working alright today...so if I was talking to any of you and just stopped, that's why. Today, we met up with the group at 10:00 for our bike tour of Sevilla. It was crazy trying to maneuver around all the crazy bikers and other pedestrians, but we did see the famous Plaza de Espana and El parque de Maria Luisa (I think that's what it's called). Afterwards, we came back home for our lunch which was lentil stew and then left again for our grammar review class which we have this week before our classes start at the university. Tomorrow, we're going to see the Alcazar so more exciting escapades for my next post.

Explorando la ciudad

Yesterday, we met up with the group at La Universidad de Sevilla to take a tour of the university where we will be studying and the rest of the city center. Jonathan, Sarah, and I walked from our apartment across the river to the city center and it took about 15-20 minutes--not bad at all. I'm so glad the city is so compact, it makes it so easy to get around. The architecture of the university is beautiful and it's right next to the biggest cathedral in Spain, right in the center of Sevilla. It used to be a tobacco factory of all things.

After our walking tour of the city with Juan and Lola, we all exchanged phone numbers and went off to our host homes for lunch. Of course, here lunch is the biggest meal of the day. After lunch, we relaxed for a little bit and then Jon, Sarah, and I met up with Aaron at the university. We sat at a cafe and ordered some drinks and then got some ice cream. We wandered around and found this really cool plaza with a huge bull statue and lots of kids roller blading around so we took lots of pictures. (Oh, and people make out in public here hardcore, there's nothing subtle about it. There will be little kids playing in the plaza and a few feet away on a bench a couple will literally be down each other's throats.) We spoke only in Spanish for the first hour and then after that, we regressed to Spanglish. After walking back to our apartment, it was time for our next meal (it was about 9:30 pm). Believe me, I'm definitely not starving here, and our host mom Carmen happens to be an excellent cook.

I decided to go out last night--I figured since this is the week before classes start, I might as well take advantage of all the free time. So for the third time that day, we walked across the bridge to the university area to find the night life.

Apparently, our classes are going to be with other American students because there are about 15 or so other groups studying in Seville. Speaking of which, last night, we went out to la calle betis, a famous street where all the Americans flock to. We went to a bar/club called Big Ben and randomly ran into the rest of our group and a lot of other Americans and English speakers. It was so much fun although I was speaking English the whole time. At least when I'm in the apartment, I'm always speaking and listening to Spanish. We actually switched and went to another bar after Big Ben and played darts (just like Market Street in Gainesville) and then walked back to the apartment around 3 am.

I woke up really late today!! And then Sarah and I walked the other way on our street so we could do some exploring of the neighborhood. We ended up in a huge field of dirt and when we got back, Carmen told us that's where the gypsies and vagabonds live. Great, haha. No wonder like 5 people asked us if we were lost along the way. We did find a fun playground and a few outdoor cafes and markets though so I would say it was a successful walk. I'm gonna post pictures soon!

Vale

I just arrived in Sevilla today and met my host family, a senora named Carmen and her son and daughter. She has been hosting American students since 1995 and is extremely friendly and surprisingly, has cable and internet, both of which they informed us we were unlikely to have access to. I successfully got through customs and found my way to the API group at the Madrid-Barajas airport and then after some introductions, we got on our bus to head to our hotel which was right in the center of Madrid. Madrid is a bustling city like New York so we wandered around during the day and sat outside in the plaza mayor at night and drank some beer. We saw the royal palace in Madrid and the monastery of El Escorial, which were absolutely incredible. Oh, and I thought I was so prepared in terms of electronics because I brought 2 adapters with me. Little did I realize, my computer cord has three prongs which of course didn't fit the adapter I had with me. So...my friend Jonathan and I set out on a mission to find an adapter for my computer. It was really hard to ask about it in Spanish but we did it and I found one, and I feel so accomplished. Also in Madrid, we visited El Prado, the famous art museum. As incredible as all these places were, we were always really rushed for time, so we really got to see only a tiny portion of everything (plus, our tour guides spoke in Spanish so I had to really focus to grasp what was going on).

Okay, onto our next city Toledo. Toledo was breathtaking, very medieval and quaint. We visited the Cathedral which is Spain's second largest cathedral. Unfortunately, my camera died while we were inside, but hopefully I'll get back there before I leave. We also visited an old synagogue, which looked more like a mosque than a synagogue and now is empty and the guide informed us that there are no Jews left in Toledo which is true of many cities in Spain. Last night, our group went out to an Irish bar in downtown Toledo and we were shocked to find that everyone in the place spoke English including the bartender. I met a professional golfer from Mancester, England and a lot of Americans from Notre Dame and University of Ohio. It was actually a really good time and we could hear the most notorious American pop music emanating from the speakers. Afterwards, Jonathan, Sarah, and I decided to wander around and explore Toledo, granted it was about 3 am. We were taking pictures of the city and drunk roomate invited a couple passing by to take pictures with us. They didn't speak any English but we spoke with them and practiced our Spanish for a long time. I'm amazed how friendly people are here--a big difference from Madrid where everyone was kind of in their own world.

Today, we left Toledo to head to our hometown for the next 3 months, Sevilla, the capital of Andalucia (the southern region of Spain). It was a 6 hour bus ride from Toledo so most of us slept the whole way. Once we arrived in Sevilla, Lola and Juan (our directors) sent us off with our host families. Our mom is Carmen and her son and daughter come in and out of the house. We live in a beautiful apartment and my friend Jonathan happens to live right downstairs. We spent a lot of the night speaking with Carmen which was a little frustrating because she speaks really fast and no English, but we seem to be communicating. Anyway, we're going to tour the university tomorrow which I'm really excited about because it looks beautiful and it's right in the center of the city so we'll probably be able to explore a little bit. Oh, and they always use "vale" here which kind of means okay, hence the name of this post. Buenas noches!