Well, it has been yet another grand week here in Sevilla.
Cordoba and Gibraltar were both pretty good. But both were a little disappointing, I guess. I think I enjoyed Cordoba more last time I went, and I'm not sure why. What drew me in the last time was the small streets and the Spanish-y feel that I got.. but I guess now I am surrounded by that here in Sevilla. I mean, don't get me wrong.. I still loved it. But not as much as I remember loving it last time.
And Gibraltar.. I am really glad that I went. But I have to say that the advertisements and itineraries that we got were borderline false advertising. Okay, maybe not false advertising, but they definitely made it sound like it was going to be more interesting. In the end, yes.. it was a good time, and I am still glad that I went. But I would never go again. There was just nothing there really. ... I guess we did have some pretty good fish and chips though.
Aside from those trips, I haven't been doing anything huge. Just hanging out, walking around, going out.. you know how it is. It's been good though. Oh! We did see Hairspray though.. that was great. I had seen it in English, and loved it. And I loved it just as much in Spanish. So good. (But I have to confess that the songs were still in English...) That was a good time.
Last night, there was a big event called "La noche larga de los museos". Basically, a bunch of museums in the city were open for free, and they had special events that you could go see. A bunch of us went to el museo del baile flamenco, where we stood in line for 2.5 hours.... only to see a 15 minute performance of a guy singing flamenco. It was good.. but I at least wanted to see some dancing! Since it took so long, we only got to go to one museum. It was crazy to wait in line for so long, but it was still fun to just hang out.
Everyone has been making all of their travel plans this last week. I bought tickets to Barcelona for this next weekend coming up. I am so excited. We have a 3 day weekend, so we're leaving on Thursday night and coming home Sunday morning. I can't wait. We don't actually have an "itinerary" planned yet, but we have a book, and we're working on it. It'll be a good time I'm sure.
Aside from Barcelona, I haven't booked anything yet. But I have a somewhat tentative schedule of where/when I'd like to go. I would definitely love to go to Portugal.. I think it would almost be wrong not to go, being so close. I want to go to Italy, if I can find a cheap flight. I want to go to San Sebastian and Pamplona, and take a weekend trip to Madrid. There is a possibility of maybe throwing in a trip to Dublin, but we'll see. Flights suddenly got more expensive in the last 2 days. And then, of course, for the week long break, I'm going to England to visit Ashley! I'm so excited for that. We don't really have anything planned yet, we're still trying to figure out logistics, but I'm sure that no matter what we do or where we go it will be awesome.
Tomorrow I am going to be able to watch the Steeler game! I am so excited for that! Last week the Steelers weren't on the list of games, but this week they are! I'm sure that will be a good time also. Everybody has big tests on Monday that they need to study for, but the Steeler game is going to be our little break time. Ahhhhh.. And I hope we win!
I am definitely not "homesick" yet, but I am starting to crave (if that's the right word) American things. For instance, I could go for a really good hamburger. And some Mountain Dew. And I would almost give anything for a "real" shower.. one where I don't have to turn the water off and on, and hold the shower head in my hand. And of course I am missing everyone at home, but thanks to facebook and the telephone, I don't feel totally disconnected. So while I miss certain things and certain people, I am still loving this city to death!
Well, I guess should get going. I only have one chapter left in my 4th book (yes! fourth and last book that I brought!), so I am going to finish it now. And then I am going to get to bed! I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.. lots of studying to do before the Steeler game!!
Send me an email and let me know how things are going with you! I'd love to hear!
-Raquel Inglés
(as I am known in the Spanish world)
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Things are good.. yes, still.
You can probably get used to me saying this.
This week has been good. It was a short week for us. Today was the last day of class for the week, because tomorrow we are taking a trip to Cordoba. That should be exciting. I remember feeling fondly of that city, so I'm sure it will be a good time. I'm excited to go back.
This week I took my first test. And I did pretty well. I got an A-, which I am absolutely okay with! The things I missed were things I knew but made careless mistakes with. For instance, conjugating a verb for the wrong person. Not cool. But.... yes, I really cannot complain. It's been a while since I've gotten an A on a Spanish test. ;)
I am just really loving our class right now. It's so laid back. There are only about 10 or 11 people in it. The professor is really nice, and she's so funny. She doesn't speak English, which I am actually loving. I love getting definitions in Spanish, instead of just knowing the English equivalents. It involves more creativity on figuring out how to explain what you want ask. And it definitely forces us to speak in Spanish ALL the time. If we don't understand something at first, we just get another Spanish explanation. But so far, so good!
On Wednesday next week, our class and another are going to a Chinese restaurant. Apparently they give you heaps of food and it only costs 5 Euro. (I have no idea how to make a Euro symbol on my computer.) That should be a fun time. This whole idea came about by a random conversation about Chinese food in our class the other day. Yet another reason I love that class. We talk about anything... as long as it's in Spanish.
This Saturday, I am hopefully going to take a trip to Gibraltar. What's in Gibraltar, you ask? Well, that's a good question. And I'm not really sure. But it sounds like a fun trip. The thing I'm most excited about is a monkey reserve! Where apparently the monkeys roam freely. So... we'll see about that! I have to go back to the travel agency and register for it tonight.
As a totally random side note, I am pretty sure that we have found a tex-mex bar that will show American football games! I can't tell you how excited I am for that! I want to go check their list and see if they're playing the steelers game this sunday!
I don't really have much else to add right now, at least nothing I can think of.
But things are good!
Tonight I'm going to go play bingo with some old men in a hospital, go register for the trip to Gibraltar, and go out for tapas with my group from the walking tour.
And then tomorrow is Cordoba!
So I have some exciting stuff coming up!
Talk to you all soon!
Hope you're doing well!
You can probably get used to me saying this.
This week has been good. It was a short week for us. Today was the last day of class for the week, because tomorrow we are taking a trip to Cordoba. That should be exciting. I remember feeling fondly of that city, so I'm sure it will be a good time. I'm excited to go back.
This week I took my first test. And I did pretty well. I got an A-, which I am absolutely okay with! The things I missed were things I knew but made careless mistakes with. For instance, conjugating a verb for the wrong person. Not cool. But.... yes, I really cannot complain. It's been a while since I've gotten an A on a Spanish test. ;)
I am just really loving our class right now. It's so laid back. There are only about 10 or 11 people in it. The professor is really nice, and she's so funny. She doesn't speak English, which I am actually loving. I love getting definitions in Spanish, instead of just knowing the English equivalents. It involves more creativity on figuring out how to explain what you want ask. And it definitely forces us to speak in Spanish ALL the time. If we don't understand something at first, we just get another Spanish explanation. But so far, so good!
On Wednesday next week, our class and another are going to a Chinese restaurant. Apparently they give you heaps of food and it only costs 5 Euro. (I have no idea how to make a Euro symbol on my computer.) That should be a fun time. This whole idea came about by a random conversation about Chinese food in our class the other day. Yet another reason I love that class. We talk about anything... as long as it's in Spanish.
This Saturday, I am hopefully going to take a trip to Gibraltar. What's in Gibraltar, you ask? Well, that's a good question. And I'm not really sure. But it sounds like a fun trip. The thing I'm most excited about is a monkey reserve! Where apparently the monkeys roam freely. So... we'll see about that! I have to go back to the travel agency and register for it tonight.
As a totally random side note, I am pretty sure that we have found a tex-mex bar that will show American football games! I can't tell you how excited I am for that! I want to go check their list and see if they're playing the steelers game this sunday!
I don't really have much else to add right now, at least nothing I can think of.
But things are good!
Tonight I'm going to go play bingo with some old men in a hospital, go register for the trip to Gibraltar, and go out for tapas with my group from the walking tour.
And then tomorrow is Cordoba!
So I have some exciting stuff coming up!
Talk to you all soon!
Hope you're doing well!
Monday, September 10, 2007
más fotos, más cuentos
So things are still pretty great here. I feel like I could sit here for an hour and write about all kinds of crazy things, but I won't... for your sake and mine.
Anywhere, here are some highlights.
School started last week and has been pretty good.
The best part? I have 3 hours of class, and the rest of the day is mine. That is amazing.
One day after class last week, Becca and I went to Real Alcazar, which is a huge palace with beautiful gardens. It is free for students to get in. It was beautiful! And, I just kept thinking "this is what I do after school... tour old palaces and hang out in the gardens." Everyone keeps telling me that around November, it's a perfect place to go and read in the garden. And I believe them. I really love the random parks and gardens here. The idea of reading in a park sounds way better than reading in my bedroom.
Here is a picture of me in Real Alcazar. I took it myself. And it's my "OH MY GOSH, I'M IN SPAIN AND THIS IS WHAT I DO AFTER SCHOOL" face.
and here are pictures of the gardens.
Also, about reading. I love the fact that I have so much chill time. I have read 2 books already, and I'm well into the 3rd. I never have time to read in America, so I am loving this. Unfortunately, I only brought 4 books, so I'll have to find some other stuff to read. But it's been good!
Aside from reading, there's lots of awesome stuff to do. Just going for a walk is awesome, because there are so many cool buildings and fun stores around. If there's nothing to do, wandering aimlessly seems to suit us just fine.
One night we went paddle boating on the Guadalquivir. It was awesome, and so relaxing.
We went to a movie theater on Saturday, thinking they were going to show movies in English with Spanish subtitles (our professor told us about a theater that does that, but this was obviously not it). Instead, we watched in Spanish. It was still pretty sweet though. We saw "El ultimátum de Bourne". Luckily, one of us had already seen it, so whatever we missed due to the language barrier, we were still able to understand for the most part. And, the fact that it was an action movie was better, because there was less dialog and more blowing things up. I think that what I didn't understand was also due to the fact that I can't remember the last 2 movies. Anyway, it was a good time, and I felt good when I actually understood what they were saying.
We also went to a bullfight last night. It was crazy. Some of it was horrible, some of it was awesome. Oddly enough, I think that one torero was responsible for the worst fight and the best. The good one was good.. the bad one was so disturbing to watch. I am somewhat intrigued by bullfights. I wouldn't say that I "like" them, but the whole idea is kind of fascinating. I have a few pictures, but my camera battery died during the second fight. Besides, these pictures get repetitive after a while.
angry bull, scared torero.
these guys have guts.
the best/worst torero. this taken during the worst fight.
This is a female bullfighter. I didn't know such a thing existed.
Hmm.. other random things that I think you should know.....
I had to call Angeles on the phone the other day to tell her that I wouldn't be home for dinner. This required me talking in Spanish on the phone. Since I had never done it, I was quite nervous. It's easy to understand Spanish face to face, when you can make gestures and get your point across. But either way, I had to call. I planned out in my head what I had to say, but after I said it, I had no idea what she was saying back to me. I hung up feeling really awkward. Later that night, however, she told me that my Spanish on the phone was "buenisimo" and that she understood me perfectly. So that was good. At least, I got excited about it.
Also, last night, Angeles came in to our room with a newspaper. On the front page was an article about the "high class" neighborhood. It was about our neighborhood, Los Remedios. And the picture on the cover was taken of the corner right outside of our apartment. So, you can all rest easy knowing that I am living a high class life here. And, have I mentioned that I have a cleaning lady? Yeah, she makes my bed every day while I'm at school and puts my shoes in order. I think I could get used to this.
So, things are good with me. I really can't complain!
And yeah, I feel like this blog tells you approximately 1/10th of the experiences that I'm actually having, and it's all so random, but there's no way for me to describe everything that's going on. Just know that it's awesome, and I'm having a great time!
And I might use the word awesome too much. I'll work on that.
¡Que tengáis un buen día!
Anywhere, here are some highlights.
School started last week and has been pretty good.
The best part? I have 3 hours of class, and the rest of the day is mine. That is amazing.
One day after class last week, Becca and I went to Real Alcazar, which is a huge palace with beautiful gardens. It is free for students to get in. It was beautiful! And, I just kept thinking "this is what I do after school... tour old palaces and hang out in the gardens." Everyone keeps telling me that around November, it's a perfect place to go and read in the garden. And I believe them. I really love the random parks and gardens here. The idea of reading in a park sounds way better than reading in my bedroom.
Here is a picture of me in Real Alcazar. I took it myself. And it's my "OH MY GOSH, I'M IN SPAIN AND THIS IS WHAT I DO AFTER SCHOOL" face.
and here are pictures of the gardens.
Also, about reading. I love the fact that I have so much chill time. I have read 2 books already, and I'm well into the 3rd. I never have time to read in America, so I am loving this. Unfortunately, I only brought 4 books, so I'll have to find some other stuff to read. But it's been good!
Aside from reading, there's lots of awesome stuff to do. Just going for a walk is awesome, because there are so many cool buildings and fun stores around. If there's nothing to do, wandering aimlessly seems to suit us just fine.
One night we went paddle boating on the Guadalquivir. It was awesome, and so relaxing.
We went to a movie theater on Saturday, thinking they were going to show movies in English with Spanish subtitles (our professor told us about a theater that does that, but this was obviously not it). Instead, we watched in Spanish. It was still pretty sweet though. We saw "El ultimátum de Bourne". Luckily, one of us had already seen it, so whatever we missed due to the language barrier, we were still able to understand for the most part. And, the fact that it was an action movie was better, because there was less dialog and more blowing things up. I think that what I didn't understand was also due to the fact that I can't remember the last 2 movies. Anyway, it was a good time, and I felt good when I actually understood what they were saying.
We also went to a bullfight last night. It was crazy. Some of it was horrible, some of it was awesome. Oddly enough, I think that one torero was responsible for the worst fight and the best. The good one was good.. the bad one was so disturbing to watch. I am somewhat intrigued by bullfights. I wouldn't say that I "like" them, but the whole idea is kind of fascinating. I have a few pictures, but my camera battery died during the second fight. Besides, these pictures get repetitive after a while.
angry bull, scared torero.
these guys have guts.
the best/worst torero. this taken during the worst fight.
This is a female bullfighter. I didn't know such a thing existed.
Hmm.. other random things that I think you should know.....
I had to call Angeles on the phone the other day to tell her that I wouldn't be home for dinner. This required me talking in Spanish on the phone. Since I had never done it, I was quite nervous. It's easy to understand Spanish face to face, when you can make gestures and get your point across. But either way, I had to call. I planned out in my head what I had to say, but after I said it, I had no idea what she was saying back to me. I hung up feeling really awkward. Later that night, however, she told me that my Spanish on the phone was "buenisimo" and that she understood me perfectly. So that was good. At least, I got excited about it.
Also, last night, Angeles came in to our room with a newspaper. On the front page was an article about the "high class" neighborhood. It was about our neighborhood, Los Remedios. And the picture on the cover was taken of the corner right outside of our apartment. So, you can all rest easy knowing that I am living a high class life here. And, have I mentioned that I have a cleaning lady? Yeah, she makes my bed every day while I'm at school and puts my shoes in order. I think I could get used to this.
So, things are good with me. I really can't complain!
And yeah, I feel like this blog tells you approximately 1/10th of the experiences that I'm actually having, and it's all so random, but there's no way for me to describe everything that's going on. Just know that it's awesome, and I'm having a great time!
And I might use the word awesome too much. I'll work on that.
¡Que tengáis un buen día!
Monday, September 3, 2007
The one you've been waiting for...
I finally have time to write a real blog!
We just got our internet working here in the house.. which is really nice, because I wasn't expecting to have it at all. What a pleasant surprise!
I live in the neighborhood of Los Remedios, a short 5-10 minute walk away from school. I walk a few blocks and cross a bridge, and the school is right there. This house, or apartment, is pretty big. There are about 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, 2 bathrooms, etc. It's pretty nice here! I have a few pictures, you can see them below. They are only of my room though.
My Señora's name is Angeles. She's so nice, and so funny. I like her a lot. There are also a lot of other students here. When we came, there were 3 others, one from Germany, one from Switzerland, one from England, and then Rebecca and I are both from the States. The two girls from Germany and Switzerland just left, and now there is another girl from Seattle, named Asia. We also have a dog, but I am not sure how to spell his name. I think it's Bogui, but I'm not sure. Either way, he provides a great deal of entertainment.
Classes started today. They went really well. We are only taking one class at a time, which is really cool. I think it will be so much less stressful. We have this first class until Sept. 24. We have class every day from 9-12:30, with a half hour break in between. That is pretty manageable, if you ask me.
I was a little nervous before classes started because I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, but now I am more excited than anything. The professor is really nice, and she speaks slowly and clearly, and I was able to understand everything she was saying today. So this is all good news.
I don't really know what else to say. I am really enjoying this city. I think I have about 10 "OH MY GOSH, I'M IN SPAIN" moments each day. It's so hard to believe.
Anyway.. here are some pictures that I know you're just dying to see:
I know it's cliche, but I had to take a few pictures from the airplane. The mountains were so beautiful.
I was admiring the architecture in the Madrid airport. Those poles started out red, and by the end of the building were violet. No 2 poles were the same color. It was awesome.
This is the University of Sevilla. If only Geneva looked like this. And no, this is not my school.
Marissa, this might be my new favorite tree!
And Palm trees... what a strange sight for me.
The Plaza de España. Strangely familiar. Yes, I have been here before! (And we have a group photo in front of this fountain!)
I love the details on the walkway.
And on the bridge.
The Plaza has an area for each province of Spain.. here is the Province of Sevilla.
Check out this high relief bust. Humanities 203 made me appreciate this. But I do not know why this man is important.
So I took another picture of El Greco's bust, because I know why he's important.
This is just beautiful.
It was really sunny.
El barrio de Santa Cruz. This might be my favorite place to go. It is so beautiful. ... and it's what I imagine when I think of "Spain".
This picture is from the Patio de Naranjas. And that is the Giralda tower in the background.
La Giralda.
Those are some sweet flying buttresses. Thank you again, Humanities 203.
The Cathedral
Here are a few pictures of my room. My bed is the single bed. There are only 2 of us in this room, even though there are 3 beds and 3 desks.
Sarah.. My desk is on the left, and the desk in the middle is empty. Guess whose stuff is on it.
This is the view from the balcony. at night. And it's blurry.
Jessi, this is for you!
A random street in Triana. I don't live here. But Joanna does. This was pretty much the most gorgeous street I've ever seen.
The beach!!
I have no idea what this thing was... but it's interesting. It looks like an old tower or something that fell over.
Okay.. so that's all I have. But that was a ton of pictures. And it took forever to put them here. Now I am going to go take my SIESTA! (Yes, they are real.. and yes, they are amazing!) After that.. who knows!
Talk to you all soon!
Rachael
We just got our internet working here in the house.. which is really nice, because I wasn't expecting to have it at all. What a pleasant surprise!
I live in the neighborhood of Los Remedios, a short 5-10 minute walk away from school. I walk a few blocks and cross a bridge, and the school is right there. This house, or apartment, is pretty big. There are about 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, 2 bathrooms, etc. It's pretty nice here! I have a few pictures, you can see them below. They are only of my room though.
My Señora's name is Angeles. She's so nice, and so funny. I like her a lot. There are also a lot of other students here. When we came, there were 3 others, one from Germany, one from Switzerland, one from England, and then Rebecca and I are both from the States. The two girls from Germany and Switzerland just left, and now there is another girl from Seattle, named Asia. We also have a dog, but I am not sure how to spell his name. I think it's Bogui, but I'm not sure. Either way, he provides a great deal of entertainment.
Classes started today. They went really well. We are only taking one class at a time, which is really cool. I think it will be so much less stressful. We have this first class until Sept. 24. We have class every day from 9-12:30, with a half hour break in between. That is pretty manageable, if you ask me.
I was a little nervous before classes started because I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, but now I am more excited than anything. The professor is really nice, and she speaks slowly and clearly, and I was able to understand everything she was saying today. So this is all good news.
I don't really know what else to say. I am really enjoying this city. I think I have about 10 "OH MY GOSH, I'M IN SPAIN" moments each day. It's so hard to believe.
Anyway.. here are some pictures that I know you're just dying to see:
I know it's cliche, but I had to take a few pictures from the airplane. The mountains were so beautiful.
I was admiring the architecture in the Madrid airport. Those poles started out red, and by the end of the building were violet. No 2 poles were the same color. It was awesome.
This is the University of Sevilla. If only Geneva looked like this. And no, this is not my school.
Marissa, this might be my new favorite tree!
And Palm trees... what a strange sight for me.
The Plaza de España. Strangely familiar. Yes, I have been here before! (And we have a group photo in front of this fountain!)
I love the details on the walkway.
And on the bridge.
The Plaza has an area for each province of Spain.. here is the Province of Sevilla.
Check out this high relief bust. Humanities 203 made me appreciate this. But I do not know why this man is important.
So I took another picture of El Greco's bust, because I know why he's important.
This is just beautiful.
It was really sunny.
El barrio de Santa Cruz. This might be my favorite place to go. It is so beautiful. ... and it's what I imagine when I think of "Spain".
This picture is from the Patio de Naranjas. And that is the Giralda tower in the background.
La Giralda.
Those are some sweet flying buttresses. Thank you again, Humanities 203.
The Cathedral
Here are a few pictures of my room. My bed is the single bed. There are only 2 of us in this room, even though there are 3 beds and 3 desks.
Sarah.. My desk is on the left, and the desk in the middle is empty. Guess whose stuff is on it.
This is the view from the balcony. at night. And it's blurry.
Jessi, this is for you!
A random street in Triana. I don't live here. But Joanna does. This was pretty much the most gorgeous street I've ever seen.
The beach!!
I have no idea what this thing was... but it's interesting. It looks like an old tower or something that fell over.
Okay.. so that's all I have. But that was a ton of pictures. And it took forever to put them here. Now I am going to go take my SIESTA! (Yes, they are real.. and yes, they are amazing!) After that.. who knows!
Talk to you all soon!
Rachael
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