Saturday, February 4, 2012

First few days in Sevilla

I have been incredibly tired and just completely worn out these past few days, and that's why I haven't updated since Wednesday.  Here are some highlights in no particular order:

We had a brief tour of the University of Seville, where I will be starting classes on Monday.  Once I post some more pictures, you'll be able to see how different it is from a typical university in the U.S.  It is a massive, old building that has hidden staircases left and right and hallways that curve around; and two different types of numbers on the classrooms: normal numbers and Roman numerals.  As if that isn't confusing enough, the ones with Roman numerals aren't arranged in an organized fashion - like the 200's might be on the first floor.  Let's just say it will be a fun first day, as I'll probably get lost quite a few times.  Awesome.

Then there was the bike tour.  It sounds fun, right?  Yea, I thought so too.  You know, a casual ride along the river for maybe an hour or so.  False.  (1) we rode for almost three hours; (2) we rode for probably 15 or so miles; (3) we rode at a very brisk speed; (4) the bikes were small and the seats even smaller; (5) my ass hurt the entire time; and (6) I was sweating like a pig and fighting to keep pace the entire time :(
And when I say my butt hurt, I don't mean that it was a little numb or a little sore.  No, no it was this piercing, agonizing pain; I was waddling afterward.  Yes, it was a beautiful ride, but I was praying to Jesus that it would end the whole time.  I think the saddest part of this was that before the bike ride we climbed the tower of the cathedral - 34 ramps (comparable to flights of stairs) to the top.  So there was that, then the bike ride, and then I had to walk 30 minutes back to our house.  Holy shit.  Fat people are not meant for so much exercise in one day haha.

It doesn't seem like my Spanish speaking skills have improved much, if at all, but I realize that I have only been here for about a week.  Our host mother, Carmen, hardly knows any English at all, but this is actually a good thing, although at times it really is difficult to understand what she is telling us.  I don't mind the food here, but I wish it had a bit more flavor.  She has made me several vegetable soups, and they are so healthy because they literally consist of pure, fresh vegetables and water.  I wish I could add a little bit of sal (salt), but I don't want to offend her!  Last night for dinner she made small omelets with a type of creamy, white cheese (brie maybe?) in the middle, and that was really good.

I signed up for a bike service because I decided that I can't stand walking 20-30 minutes every time I need to get to class.  I could act like a commuter and just stay at school the entire day, but we are supposed to come home for lunch.  That is a minimum of two hours of walking per day, and that will get really old.  What happens if I forget a paper or something?  I'll be screwed.  So, they have this service that costs 25 euros for the entire time that I am here.  There are a bunch of these bike stations all over the city, and you can use a bike (swipe a card and enter a pin number) for 30 minutes at a time.  There is a bike station right down the street from my house, and there are several right next to the university, so that is perfect!

Later today I am going to take the map of Seville and explore a little - I might go with my roommate Nicole or my friend Laura (but Laura lives pretty far away from me - she is on the other side of the university).  Or I might go by myself - I have to get used to being by myself; this hasn't been easy for me.

Oh, mom: I gave the heart table runner/wall hanging to Carmen, and she loves it :)  She kept going on and on about how it is so professional looking, and the stitches are so straight.  She put it on her side table in the dining/living room right after I gave it to her.  I thought I'd share this with you.

Emmy said that I need more pictures of me next to all of these cool places, but i hate pictures of myself. Emmy, I will try to add more captions to the pictures, ok?

Gracias por leer mi blog ;)


8 comments:

  1. I want more pics too...say, Emmalee said you might need us to send your printer...do you?
    Hope you have a wonderful day...skype later?

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    1. No, I don't need you to send it - we can print stuff at the API office, I found out.
      Thanks, though.
      However, I might need you to send my my Spanish linguistics book - I'll let you know.

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  2. Glad your computer was fixed...what was wrong?
    Dad also mentioned that your music class might be cancelled...sad! Love you loads.

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    1. It wouldn't start and just stayed on the start up white screen. Once I found the second computer store (the first one was out of commission because it was under construction) the guys that helped me were great. They got it running and didn't charge me anything. I tried to give him a tip, but he wouldn't accept it :)
      And yea, my music class only have five people in it, and I found out from some girl that the University will cancel the class if there are less than ten people - stupid (of course no one tells you this until the class is actually cancelled, so I am glad that I found out - now I have to take another class - phonetics and conversation)

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  3. Hope you had a good day! I messaged with Katie tonight...I gave her your blog address and email address. She'll probably try to send you a message. Talk to you soon. MOM

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  4. Have fun, remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder, xo Auntie Sue.

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    1. thanks :) that's exactly what I am trying very hard to remember <3

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