No class on Fridays :)

I love that school is so much more laid-back. I only have class from Monday to Thursday. So today became a lazy day, which was so nice. I went with my friend Cat from Villanova to find a place for her to exchange money. This seems like an easy task especially since there are about 10 banks on the main strip with different names and a couple duplicates, but most do not exchange money. We did finally find one that did, but we arrived at 138 and for some reason they stop exchanging at 130. When we looked around a little more we found a shop that exchanges money and she did it there. After they we went to the Plaza de Espana, which was built in 1929. Along the wall there are 48 tiled alcoves to depict all of the provinces in Spain at the time. One of the pictures about is of the alcove of Sevilla. There are 50 provinces now. It's kinda funny because I live right next to this monument and I had not visited it yet. After the plaza we went to Maria Luisa Park and swung on swings in a playground. The grounds for the park were given to the city in 1893 by the person of the same name. It is a great park and I plan on walking in it during my free time a lot in the future.

Second day of class!

It was nice having class a little later today, but I was really hoping that I wouldn't have such a break between my classes. I start with History of Spanish Art, which should be a really interesting class and we get to go on a couple of field trips to museums, so that will be good. Then I have an hour and a half break before I have European Union. I tried to go to the EU class at noon, but I went to the wrong building and ended up being the fourth person on the waiting list. So 4 people would have to change or drop the class before I would be able to switch. They really screwed up the way they did this. There are so many people that want to change classes but are unable because there are people still in the class that want to change to another class. What the university should have done is leave like a spot or two open in all of the classes and the first person that gets there gets the class so that people can get into classes and people will drop the class they do not want earlier, but I am not running the university so what do I know. I hope somehow I can get into the class but I doubt it. The hour and a half break is not bad, but I would not be done with class until 250, which doesn't let me eat lunch until 330. The EU class will be interesting, but I heard that it is a pretty hard econ class and the other econ class is a joke, so I picked the wrong one of course. But overall I am not too upset about the classes there are a lot of people that are worse off with me because I did get all of the classes that I need.

That night was the Intercambio party at San Malander. it was a pretty cool place and I was able to meet my intercambio, Javi, but we couldn't really hear each other because there was a live band that was way too loud. We decided that we will meet soon in a different place where we can actually talk, which was kind of disappointing because I really would like to practice my Spanish. The night was not a fail, though because we found a place that makes churros with hot chocolate and they were delicious!

First day of Class!

So, today was my first day of class. I found out that Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be my hard days now lol. My Spanish Composition teacher said that the class will be hard and there will be a lot of work, which is never a good sign on the first day. We will be writing an essay each week. I am thinking about switching into Spanish conversation, but I think that it is already full we will see. My class on Don Quijote will be tough, but I think it will be interesting and I read a section of it in high school and I know the basic idea of what goes on from when I saw Man of La Mancha, the musical about it. I do love being done with class at noon though, that is worth the work in itself.
So there is a program where we get all get a Spanish student to talk to to better our Spanish with. Mine's name is Javi Pons Mata. I just got done talking to him online for awhile and he is hilarious and should be pretty cool to hang out with. I will get to meet him on Thursday, because there is a party for all of the intercambios (Spanish students). Hopefully my second day of classes go well too!

Orientation for Universidad Pablo de Olavide

I just found out what my classes were at the orientation for the university for international students. This year there is the highest number of international students that they have had, which was around 400 students. I am taking 4 classes this semester. On Mondays and Wednesdays I will have Lectura y Redaccion en Espanol from 9 to 1020 and Literatura Espanola: el Siglo de Oro. El Quijote at 1030 to 1150. Lectura y Redaccion is a Spanish composition class for advanced students and El Quijote is a literature class in Spanish all about the book of the same title. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will have History of Spanish Art from 1030 to 1150 and European Union from 130 to 250. I also found out at the orientation which level of Spanish that I tested into and I tested into advanced Spanish, so I am pumped about that. The orientation was the normal info about where to go and the FAQ's, but one thing that I thought was funny was that there was free beer and wine after the orientation in the cafeteria. This is just a little different from school back home, I would say, and you gotta love Spanish culture.

Alhambra!

This time while going to the Alhambra, we took the shorter path, so that we did not have to hike up a mountain again to get there. The full Arabic name for Ahambra was Calat Alhambra which means the red fortress. Aparently they weren't very creative in names in the 14th century, when it was built. It was taken by King Ferdinand II in 1492, but was abandoned until the 19th century. This place was massive, which numerous palaces and fortresses on top of the hill. The view was beautiful and I can see why someone would want to build a palace there. This was definitely the highlight of my trip to Granada.

At the hostel we met an older lady from Canada that is traveling all over Europe. She was going to travel when she was younger but joined the Peace Corps and went to Africa to help people there instead. Then, she started a career and had a family and never got the opportunity go on this trip. Someone finally told her that she can take money out of her house and go. So she did and had already been all over and was going to be in Europe for a while. We even ran into her at Alhambra and she took her picture. It just shows that if you are determined enough to do something you can make it happen.

After we went to Alhambra, a few of us went to a Cartuja monastery, which ended up being a lot further away than we thought. We had to climb up another massive hill to get there as we walked the length of Granada. The reason why I walked up so many hills that weekend is because Granada is next to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which are the highest mountains in Spain and a popular skiing location. Overall the Granada trip was great and I am so glad that I am getting this change to explore cities in Spain.

Watching some american football in Granada

Even thought we were in Granada, we had to be the typical Americans and watch the NFL playoff game between the Saints and Vikings. We found an Irish pub near our hostel that was playing the game, but there is a law in Granada that no bar is allowed to be open past 3AM and the game started at 1AM here. We did find another pub called Paddy's where the owner let us watch the game outside while he played the game on the big-screen TV inside the bar. He was on the lookout for cops and when a cop car came down the road, he whistled and we all ran across the road and acted like we were in line for a kebab place. Of course the cops came when the saints were about to attempt a field goal in overtime! We did get to see it and when the Saints won it was about 430AM, so not too much sleep that night before Alhambra the next day.

La Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación de Granada

After we saw the amazing views, some of us decided to stay to watch the sunset and chill with the gypsies, but the rest of us went to the Cathedral of Granada, or the really long name in the title. They were not able to see the sunset because of the clouds, and could not go to the Cathedral the next day, so I made a great decision. I actually prefer the cathedral in Granada to the one in Sevilla because the cathedral in Sevilla was very somber, however the one in Granada had a lot of artwork and was beautiful.

Hiking in Granada

After going to the park, we decided to go to the Alhambra, which I will make a post about soon, to buy tickets. We had to hike up a mountain to get there because we ended up going up the back side of the mountain, which is very rough. When we finally got there, we found out that we could just come back the next day to buy our tickets when we come. After that great news, we decided to get some food, so we wandered towards our next destination Puerto de Nueva. We found some food, but when we asked for directions everyone kept telling us how to get to Plaza Nueva, which was not where we wanted to be. We never made it to Puerto de Nueva, but went to Sacromonte instead. Sacromonte is located on the hill, or mountain or whatever you would call it opposite the Alhambra and many gypsies live there in caves. The best part of finally making it up this hike was the view. It really wasthe most amazing view that I have ever seen.

Parque Federico Garcia Lorca en Granada

When we got up the second day in Granada, we planned out where we would like to go. The first place was the Park Fererico Garcia Lorca en Granada. We decided to go there first because it was not really near the other things that we wanted to go to, so we wanted to get it out of the way. It was a beautiful park named after a Spanish writer and I think the best part for us college students was when we played in the playground. The zipline was soooo much fun!

First Night in Granada

Our bus left Sevilla at 4 and we arrived at the Granada bus station at about 7. Our bus from Carmona did not get back until about 230, so the majority of my group had to run to get on the Metro to get home to eat and get ready. I didn’t because the bus station is attached to the building that I live in. On the way there we saw some beautiful mountains. I absolutely love the landscape of Spain. When we got to Granada, we attempted to take a city bus to the Cathedral, but we did not see it and went too far. We then had to navigate our way through Granada to find out hostel, but there was a sign that said that it was closed until next week. Our hostel, Posada de Colon, ended up being next door and the bar that had the same name was closed. I stayed in a ten bedroom place with my friends and it was surprisingly nice for how cheap that it was. After that we went out and found an awesome pastry shop that sold everything for a Euro, and the food was great. Later we went to the Bohemian Jazz Club, which was a cool place where there was someone playing a piano and I got a delicious milkshake.

Carmona: un pueblo cerca de Sevilla

I went to Carmona as a part of a program in the morning before our big trip to Granada. It rained all day in Sevilla, but we just missed it in Carmona, so we lucked out pretty good. Carmona is a little town about a half hour drive northeast of Sevilla. It was a nice little trip and we were back in time for lunch. We went to an old Roman necropolis and saw where a coliseum used to be. Also we went to the citadel of Carmona, which was the strongest fortress in Western Spain during the time of Julius Caesar. It was an impressive building with a lot of history. We also went to a nunnery where the women cannot go outside of the building and no one can see their faces. The only way of communication is a system where they put something on a tray that turns around in a circle. It was interesting to see that some people still do that type of thing. We got back a little late, so the other people that were taking the same bus to Granada had to run to catch the metro home, but I live in the same building as where the buses leave from, which is quite convenient.

El Fin de la clase de espanol! (done with spanish class lol)

I just took my final for my advanced Spanish class today and I am so glad that I am done with that class and I do not have anything to do until Tuesday night, so a bunch of people in my program are going to Granada this weekend. I will be going to Carmona a little town outside of Sevilla on Saturday morning, returning for lunch, then taking a bus to Granada. Then, we are going to stay for a couple of days and come back monday night. I am so excited!

Oh the places we will go!

Today in class we talked about the different regions in Spain and about what places there are to visit in the country. I figured that I could include a map of Spain on this post for those of you that do not know geography very well. Some of the places that I plan on traveling to in Spain are Granada (this weekend), Cadiz (South of Sevilla for Carnaval), Valencia (Eastern Spain), Madrid, and Barcelona. Hopefully, I can go on more trips, but these are the main ones that I have to go on. Outside of Spain, I plan on going to Lagos, which has some of the greates beaches and is located in southern Portugal. Also, my program incloudes a 4 day trip to Morocco (I will be able to ride a camel!). I hope to be able to go to Dublin, Ireland, where Greg and some other people on the floor are going for their spring break. Also, the two places I want to see most in Europe are Athens and Rome, which I may be able to go for our spring break. I never thought even a year ago that I would be able to experience so much of the world, but here it is and I am going to experience as much as I can while I am here

Reales Alcazares (Royal Palace)

I went with the other CIEE students to Reales Alcazares or the Royal palace. It is built on what was originally a Muslim palace, so when the Christians took back Sevilla, the king at the time wanted to keep that look for the palace, so he had it built in a mudejar style, which is architecture that is built like Muslim work, but built by Christians. The upper section of the palace is still used today when members of the royal family come to Sevilla. It was a beautiful place. There was a Royal Palace, which is now a public park because it is so large, was breathtaking and even had a labyrinth.

Second Week of Class

Started my second week of class today. This last week went by so fast and I just got back my midterm already. I got an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, which is not the same as the letter scale used in the United States. 5-6 would be a C, 7 is a b- to B and 8 is a b plus. I am pretty happy with that grade because the test was a lot harder than the professor said that it would be and I only need to get a C in order to get the credit to count, the grades do not transfer back to Pitt. Outside of school, everything is going very well. I met two of my senora's granddoughters, Marta(6) and Carmen(8). I have decided that Spanish children are the cutest in the world.

Hike to Santa Ana la Real

We went on a hike in the national park in Santa Ana la Real in Huelva. The guide's name was Ivan (the terrible) and he was hilarious. If I am even half as funny in Spanish by the end of this trip it would be a complete success. It was a beautiful landscape even though the fog brought it down a bit. We walked for about 8 miles, which doesn't sound like much, but we had to climb some legit hills and cross some creeks lol. We walked on a road that was built by the Romans when they occupied Spain centuries ago, saw a beautiful waterfal, and saw some wild boar. I have never really went hiking before, but this was a lot of fun. My foot is pretty sore, but I am definitely glad I went.

FC Sevilla vs FC Barcelona

One of my goals for my stay in Spain was to attend a European soccer game, and I got the opportunity in my first week. FC Barcelona came to town to play FC Sevilla in La Copa del Rey, or the king's tournament. The main reason why I wanted to go to a game was to see the fans because they are nuts, and they didn't disapoint, I just wish I would have known some of their songs. Barcelona won the match 1-0, but Sevilla went on in the tournament because they won 2-1 in Barcelona. How that works, I have no idea. At the end of the game, everyone started to celebrate, which was odd since they lost. So, I was a little clueless, but I definitely plan on going to another game.

La Catedral de Sevilla

As a part of our program, we were able to go on a tour of the Cathedral of Sevilla, which is the third largest cathedral in the world. It was amazing that it was originally build in the 16Th century. When the people decided to build the cathedral they said, "Let it be a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad." I think they had it about right because they really had to be crazy to build a building this big back then. It really was to show off how prosperous Spain was at the time because they were bringing so much gold back from the new world. Any ship from the new world had to come through Sevilla because to access the rest of the country they had to take the river here. Also, I was able to see the burial site of Christopher Columbus. There had been some speculation as to where his remains were and there are 4 burials for him around the world, but they compared the DNA of his remains to those of his sons and verified that they are truly his remains. It was a very interesting tour, I loved it.

El Primer Dia de Clase

Today was my first day of class. I placed into the advanced class for the intensive spanish session. We will have class for 4 hours per day for 2 weeks. I have a midterm this friday and a final next friday. It will be tough but I hope that I will learn more to be able to talk with Consuelo better. It is difficult because she does not know any English, but I am doing a lot better than I thought I would. One thing that I know I will get used to is the siesta. Most people in Spain take off from work from 2 to 4 or 5 to go home to have a large lunch and take a nap. I never used to take naps but I have been now and it is great! The bad news today is that Alex moved out because they want less students in each family. It was tough to take because I need the companionship, but I will just have to work on my spanish more.