I don't want to leaveee!

Feria de Abril:


Translation:

I don't know if anyone is still reading my blog, never the less... this morning i woke up really early and decided to write about my feelings right now. I am leaving leaving in 2 days. It's unreal. My experience here has gone too quick. Since my last entry many things have been going on. My friends from Vanderbilt came to Sevilla for Feria (a big fair in Sevilla that is world-renown - I have some crazy pictures). My mom and Linsday visited Sevilla and we went to Barcelona and Madrid. And for these final weeks, i have been in Sevilla which i really enjoyed.

Yesterday I had my final oral exam in Spanish. My professor asked - What has been your favorite experience in Sevilla? I needed to think about this question because in 4 months there have been many experiences - not including travel to other countries. I responded: A normal day in Sevilla. When I wake up, eat breakfast, walk to school (where i see the same people on my walks), return home for lunch. And then I have a free day- some days I do work by the river, take a walk to explore a new part of the city, gym, ect. I explained that I know my favorite experience isn't very interested but in reality, in 10 years, I will remember these days.

But when I was walking after the exam, i was thinking about the question again and I have two more experience that i never want to forget.

I bought a ticket for the bus to Madrid (i think it was February) through the internet. I went to the bus station to pick up my ticket but when i asked at the ticket window the saleswoman h didn't have my name or any record of my purchase. I needed to call customer service, where i found out, no one speaks English. for the first time, it was very important to use my Spanish.
at the end of the call, i fixed the problem and i felt very proud.

The second experience is similiar to my response in the exam but more specific. I don't want to forget the feeling of walking through the narrow streets near my house in the barrio Macarena, a little before dusk. I love the light through the buildings, the fresh air found in the shade of the buildings, and the amazing feeling that i have no one i need to be - and don't worry, i took manyyy pictures from my favorite time of day.

For now, goodbye.

I will see you in a few days...

Calle Marco Sancho...

No quieroooo dejar!

No sé que si alguien ha leído mi blog todavía... Sin embargo, este mañana me levanto muy temprano y decido escribir de mi sentimiento actual. Voy a salir Sevilla en 2 días. Es increíble. Mi experiencia en Sevilla fue demasiado rápido. Desde mi ultima entrada que ha habido muchas cosas ocurriendo. Mis amigas de Vanderbilt vinieron a Sevilla para Feria de Abril (un grade feria que es mas famosa en Sevilla – tengo fotos muy extraño). Mi madre y Lindsay visitaron Sevilla, fuimos a Barcelona y Madrid también. Y para estas ultimas semanas, he estado en Sevilla, me divertía.

Ayer, tuve mi examen oral de mi clase de Español. Mi profesor me preguntó, <> Necesitaba pensar sobre la pregunta porque durante 4 meses, hay muchas experiencias (no incluyendo viajar en otras países). Respondí: un día normal. Cuando me levanto, desayuno, camino a la escuela (donde veo las mismas personas cada día). Después de la clase, vuelvo a mi casa para almuerzo. Y luego, tengo el día libre, algunos veces voy al rió y leer, o tomo un paseo por un nuevo parte de la cuidad, ect. Expliqué que yo sé, mis experiencias no están muy interesante, pero el la actualidad- en 10 anos, recordaré los días normales en Sevilla.

Pero cuando andaba después de mi examen, estaba pensaba sobre la pregunta del examen. Y tengo dos mas experiencias o sentimientos que no quiero olvidar.

Compré mi billete de autobús a Madrid (creo que en febrero) por el Internet. Fui al estación de Plaza de Armas a coger mi billete pero cuando pregunté a la taquilla, la vendedora no tenía mi nombre o registro de mi compra. Necesitaba llamar el numero de servicio de atención al cliente, donde nadie hablaba ingles. Para la primera vez, era muy importante usar mi español. Al fin de la llamada, arreglé la problema. Me sentía muy orgulloso.

La segunda experiencia es similar a la repuesta de mi exam. No quiero olvidar nunca el sentimiento de andar por los calles estrechos cerca de mi casa en Macarena, poco antes de DUSK. Me encanta la luz por los edificios, el aire fresco en la sombra, y el sentimiento que no hay un lugar donde necesitaba ser. *no se preocupe- tengo muchos fotos de este tiempo de la día*

Ok, necesito estudiar para mi exam final de civilización de espana Voy a escribir un traducción por la tarde.

Ahora, adiós.

I must apologize!

I'm sorry. I can't finish that last entry. I have TONS of work to do and getting stuff together for next semesters classes. I don't want to leave you all hanging without Venice but here is the link to my pictures from the trip. Enjoy until next time.

http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.hana/Italy

When In Rome Will Never Be Cliche.

I am back from my Italian adventure- almost one week exploring Rome, Florence, and Venice. The trip began, or almost didn't begin, due to my small case of food poisneing. On Wednesday afternoon I returned from class with terrible stomach cramps. I threw up a few times but figured it was just some bug and to try to sleep it off. But I had never felt so ill in my entire life, and beccause I was more scared than anything else I took my roommate and mother's advice and went to the doctor. I could barely walk and was in so much pain I was going in and out of conscience on othe cab ride there. One of the assistant directors from CEA met me there and the doctor told me I probably had food poisening. His solution was a shot in my butt to stop me from feeling so nauseaus, pills to stop the pain, and no eating for 24 hours. After the shot I had to take a cab home, this is when I felt the worst. I got home, vomited a few more times, and then slept for 8 hours. Sorry for all the details but I don't want to leave anything from my life in Spain out.

Anyways, I was weak but I made it to the flight to Rome. I just was very careful with what I ate. Anyways, we got into Rome, found our hostel. It was a very cute, "studenty" place called Roma Inn. We made the most of our early arrival and walked to see the Colosseum. It was very cool and we got so lucky with the weather. I ran into a kid form Vanderbilt while walking through the ruins, it was really funny! The Colosseum was massive and very interesting but I think the gardens of ruins behind the Colosseum were even cooler. Here's a picture of me in the gardens (mind the fact that I was still not feeling so great):

Then we decided we would go back and take a nap because our flight left Sevilla at 6:30am. I defintely needed a nap after walking around all day. I had my first meal in a few days in the hostel, for free. They cooked us lasagna and it was delicious! The students who ran the hostel were taking everyone out for the night and I felt bad that I couldn't go but it was also nice that I could fall asleep early in a quiet hostel.

The next day we got an early start and headed over to Vatican City. We saw St. Peter's Basilica- which kind of blew the Cathedral of Sevilla out of the water. We then waited in line for 35 minutes to see the Sistene Chapel. It really was not what I was expecting at all. We walk through all these rooms with beautiful ceilings and tapestries and maps and finally, at the end, we come upon the room of the Sistene chapel. I imagined it as being one continuous image but it is really many different paintings all on one ceiling. It was still overwhelmingly beautiful but just different. Next we walked around Rome looking at all different things. We went to the Spanish steps and then the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain was beautiful, see picture below: Then we hit up the Pantheon. It was also very interesting to learn about how the dome was erected and I still don't really understand what happens when it rains due to the fact that there is a huge hole (the only source of light for the entire church). That was our last visit in Rome because we left the next morning for Florence!

We got into Florence mid-afternoon and found our hotel. It was a cute little hotel run by two brothers. It was very nice and clean for the price, plus the location was great. We got some lunch when we got in and explored the city by just walking around. We had some great meals the first day but held off on the real tourist stuff until the next day. But because the next day was a Monday, lots of things weren't going to be open so we went to the Uffitzi gallery and saw lots of Botticelli and other religious works of art. From there we explored the Pont d'Vecchio. Grandma had told me a lot about the bridge- known for it's gold and shopping. We enjoyed a great meal for dinner, delicious Italian. The next morning we got an early start and we went to all the places we needed to go- started at the Duomo, then did some shopping (where I picked up some great presents for people at home). Later in the day, we hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo, which is supposed to have the best view of Florence. It did live up to the name, check out this picture:
Florence is a beautiful city and it really reminded me of Sevilla. Small, narrow streets, lots of plazas/piazzas, a river, ect... haha- well it really did feel similar. That night I met up with some Vanderbilt people that are studying in Florence. I still wasn't up to a night of drinking but it was definitely fun to see them. It's cool that they all are studying together but at the same time, they don't't have a great opportunity to meet other students. Either way, it was cool to visit. The next morning we were off to Venice.

Okay, so I have to go meet my friends that are visiting me for Feria. I will continue to write more about Venice later, I just wanted to get something written. Goodbye for now!

A New Experience

I realized that very few of my entries have been about Sevilla but mostly about my travels. How neglectful of me to so infrequently mention my home city: Sevilla. Now is a perfect time to capture my time here. The weather is warming up by the day. The trees that were full of oranges when I first arrived in January are now emitting a wonderful smell of orange blossom (a very different smell than an orange). People are out and about as much as possible- the daylight lingers into the night (around 8pm). I love it.

This past weekend I stayed in Sevilla. I was very excited abou this weekend, enough of this constant traveling- I could not wait to spend some free time with Sevilla. The weekends begin on Thursday night and my friend and I went out to Plaza del Salvidor.

On Friday I slept until noon! That’s the latest I’ve slept since I’ve been here. I sat by the river and browsed some street markets. It was a wonderful day of doing absolutely nothing. I headed home for a siesta before embarking on my journey to find the lone synagogue in Sevilla. In the previous week, I had found an article online written by an American study abroad student a few years back. She provided me with the address: Bustos Taverna 8 but when I went to this street, number 8 was just an office building and no emblems or markings of a synagogue. But I wouldn’t expect a large sign due to this small population. When I left my house at 7:15 I wasn’t very confident that I would find practicing Jews in this almost entirely Catholic city.

I found number 8 once again, and the street door was propped open. I walked inside .to find a staircase leading to a doctors office, a courtyard, and one large, wooden door. Behind the heavy door I saw light and heard men’s voices. I didn’t know what to do- I could knock and ask them “este está la synagogua? – if I was right they would welcome me in, but if I was wrong, well that would be a very awkward situation.

I paced back and forth, I walked outside and decided to wait- someone was bound to enter or walk out of the building and then I could ask. After a few minutes the door opens. A older man walks out to get the mail – I look at him from the street, he looks back at me; almost as though we were both waiting for the other to say something. Finally, he motions for me to walk into the doorway. I ask him “estoy buscando para la synagogua, ¿está aqui?” He looks at me and says “No, this is the mosque, the shul is down the street.” I pause for a second and then laugh, and he laughs and welcomes me inside the one-roomed temple.

It was a great experience and I am very glad I went. I was worried that they wouldn’t be welcoming of an American student here for a one time thing but I was wrong, everyone was really nice and warm to me. The rabbi, a small Israeli man, starts to talk to me in English. He asked me where I am from- outside of New York city. Where?- New Jersey. What town?- You’re not gonna know it… Livingston. He laughs for a minute and then between laughs he says, “I lived in Livingston for two years.” – Such a small, small world. Anyways, the service was short. There was a guy around my age who has bene teaching English in Sevilla for two years. We couldn't sit together because men and women are seperate but he was very nice. The rabbi invited me to a pesach sedar which would be great but my mom and Lindsay will be visiting- maybe I'll drag them along? We'll see.

So the rest of my weekend was great. The weather was beautiful, and I had little work to worry me. On Sunday, my friend called and woke me up to go the beach. For a minute I thought that sleeping late would be a better option but then I decided to shut up and get my butt up and get to the bus. I'm so glad I made myself go- I had such a great time and the beach was really nice and only 1 hour away! '

So all and all, I love Sevilla. The more I travel the more I appreciate this city. Next stop is Italy which I have heard tons and tons of information on, so I am very excited. But I highly doubt it will compare to Sevilla.

Back from My Andalucian Road Trip

Hello Everyone.

It's been a while since my last entry. Partly because I have been sick for the last two weeks (don't worry, I went to the medico today) and also due to the fact that I've been traveling around the South of Spain, enjoying Semana Santa (Easter Week). So let me begin with the beginning of my week-long break from school. Instead of being outside, enjoying the spring weather and amazing feeling that comes from knowing school is out for the whole week, I was in my bed terribly sick, sleeping in hopes that I would feel better in time for Gabe and Lexie's arrivals. I didn't feel 100% when they arrived on Sunday Morning but I felt better because they were also feeling sick. Anyways, I showed them around the area I live, we got some breakfast, and then I dropped some off to take a nap. That night we got our first taste of SEMANA SANTA. (Warning: Tis picture isn't what you think, although I was aware of this tradition, it didn't take away from the tinge of fright when I saw the procession walking towards me).After we were caught in about 5 different processions (they are going on all over the city all night for one week), we met Joana and Felipe, my Brazilian cousin and her husband who are currently living in London as students. It's very cool to be able to meet family that have grown up in a another part of the world. We had some tapas in the plaza and then went home cause everyone was pretty tired from their travels. The next day we woke up to the do the tourist bit Santa Cruz, Cathedral, ice-cream, ect. They got right into the Spanish eating habits- we didn't eat lunch until 4pm and dinner at around 11pm. That night I took them to see a Flamenco show that night and I think they enjoyed it. The next morning we headed out for Cordoba. Joana and Felipe rented a car so we got to take some backroads and visit some small towns on the way. We stopped in one town, I can't even remember the name- it was very small, I think it was Ejica. It seemed dead. Then we headed off to Cordoba- we found this really cute hotel in a perfect location to la mezquita. I had been to Cordoba with CEA and I didn't get the best impression of it. It seemed very touristy and plain. But we had only seem the small square that surrounded the mosque- we explored rather than that and had some really great food. As normal, the food on this trip was delicious. We followed Joana's Michellein guide, which gave us the best suggestions. We enjoyed cafe con leche and tostada in the morning, and tapas for dinner and lunch.

So Cordoba proved to be so much better than I thought and I'm very glad no one listened to me when I said it would be a place we could skip on the road trip. We spent one night in Cordoba and set out for Granada. On the way to Granada we made some stops along beautiful high ways in the mountains. We stopped in a small university town Baeza. It was wonderful. A small Renasiisance city known for it's production of olive oil. Of course, we arrived at 2:00pm and EVERYTHING in the city was closed. We took a walk around the city and saw some great views:
After our walking worked us up an appetite, we stopped at the supermarket to buy goods for a picnic. We couldn't find any parks around so we pulled over on the high way and ate lunch right in the middle of a olive field! it was so spontaneous and so delicious! We finally made it to Granada after some traffic and trouble finding a hotel. I really loved Granada the first time I was there so I was super excited to go back. I really enjoyed it again... we stayed pretty close to where I was the first time so I knew the ropes. We went to the Arab section, had some great teas, got caught in the rain and were stranded in the teteria for 2 hours. We finally ran the 10 minutes home and were cold and soaking wet. We slept for 4 hours during the rain! It was so uncharacteristic of me but I guess I really needed it since I had been so sick. We woke up and found this great little Italian restaurant (everyone was in need for a change form the tapas menus- if they were tired of it after 4 days just IMAGINEEEE how I feel). The Italian place was GREAT! Afterwards on our walk home we came across some little Irish pub, we went in and ended up staying for hours- they had karoeke!!!!! It was a great night.

The next day we attempted to go to the Alhambra but it was sold out! Everyone was disappointed, and I was disappointed for them- but I was okay with it, cause I had already done the two hour walking tour of the place...haha sorry, that may have been too honest. We took the time we lost to take some longer routes on our way to Malaga. We took a tip from the Michelein guide and found the most beautiful, windy roads. They were sooo windy that I almost got sick. Me and my weak stomach. We were so high up int he mountains we were actually driving through the clouds. Check it out:

After the mountains we somehow arrived at the coast-- to see the Mediterranean SEAAA!! It was great, i realized the last time I had seen a large body of water since last summer. We stopped in Nerja, a small beach town a little less touristy than Malaga and went down to the beach. We got a soccer ball, played around, relaxed and grabbed some great fish tapas for lunch. We drove to Malaga, where we found a hotel and said goodbye to Joana, Felipe and our car, Capucha (Capucha means hood in Spanish- as in the hoods that the Semana Santa men wear). Gabe, Lexie, and I were on our own in Malaga- we found some cool places to go. The city was CRAZY. I loved it but it was especially crazy because Friday night is the most intense night of Semana Santa. Everyone was out until all hours of the morning, the streets were packed with people and food vendors. Malaga was a little more touristy- very big beach town among the fair-haired Brits but it was still very cool, with ltos of different restaurants. They even had a Dunkin Donuts! Why can't Sevilla have a dunkin donuts?! Picasso comes from Malaga so there is a very cool Picasso museum there. Across the street is a great little tea house where we had lunch and I bought some tea to take back to Sevilla- even though I won't be able to make it in my house... haha

We got a train back to Sevilla on Saturday afternoon. On the ride back I was sitting next to this young guy reading a magazine in English. I began to rudely read over his shoulder and he asked me in a great British accent, "Would you like to read it? It's actually rubbish." We laughed and started talking. HE told me he is moving to Sevilla to take a class to teach his how to teach English. I asked him where and he said a school named CLIC. CLIC just happens to be where my senora, Carmen teaches. He is only one year older than me, graduated university last year and isn't really sure what he wants to do with hsi life and figured teaching English is a good place to start. When we continue talking we look at a map to see where he is living, it turns out he is living around the corner from me. WHAT A SMALL WORLDDD! I love little coincidences like this. It was great for him too because he doesn't know a soul in the city. Anyways, it's nice to be back in Sevilla. I went to the doctor this morning because I still have a pretty bad cold so he just gave me some heavy duty decongestants. Hopefully it will knock it all out of my body. I hope you've all enjoyed thsi super long entry. Until next time...

Emily

Yes- I go to class.

For all those who doubt my academic credibility while in Sevilla- I go to school four days a week. Monday and Wednesday I even get up by 8am! hahaha... while I'm writing this blog I should be studying for my Art History Midterm- so I guess things dont' really change here in Spain. I wanted to write about my trip to Prague before it gets blurry.

Prague was fantastic- I am so luck y that I got to experience Prague while in Europe. And as you will see, there were a lot of mishaps and problems that occurred on the trip- so for me to RAVE bout it, it must have been pretty darn amazing.

So, we went through a travel company indirectly because we were having a really hard time finding flights and we got a good deal on a flight+hotel. I went with my roommate Stephanie. We had to take the train to Madrid on Thursday morning to catch our flight to Prague at 3:30. We made it- but our flight was delayed. We get to Prague on the later side, and we ere told transportation would be provided to our hotel. We weren't on their list when we got there but they said we could pay for the bus or we could take public transportation. The airport was pretty dead and it was late so we opted to pay for the bus. It took about double the time they said (1.4 hours) and we were the last hotel to be dropped off. I was getting pissed because it looked like we were so far from the city and we hadn't had dinner. Anyways- we are on this tour bus with all these Spanish people- even the guide is Spanish. We went to Prague but still couldn't get away from the Spanish. Sorry- so we got off the bus at our hotel in the middle of no where and Stephanie's bag isn't there. It was just gone. And she is freaking out, rightfully so, but everyone speaks Spanish (except the bus driver who handled the bags, because he ONLY speaks Czech). Anyways, she is dealing with that- and ended up not ever getting her bag. Someone probably moved it to get theres, forgot to put it back on , and it was left in the parking lot- probably stolen. And when we tired to find some food to eat- nothing was open that far from the city past 10pm. SUCKED.

The next day was better- we persevered past the bad hotel and lost luggage. We got up, hand a pretty good breakfast included in our stay at the hotel, and went on a 2-hour walking tour of Prague, also included. I met with my camp friend Marissa who I hadn't seen in a while- it was really nice. She showed us her school (also on CEA) and showed Stephanie where should could get some cheap clothes to hold her over. Oh, and what entry wouldn't be completed without details about food! We ate lunch at this placed called Bohemia Bagel which is basically trying to be a NY deli- it was delicious- exactly what I was craving! Marissa had plans before so we left her and had dinner at Cafe Louvre- a cafe famous for having Albert Einstein and his crew hang out. I got chicken noodle soup- also something missing from Spanish cuisine!

The next day we woke up early and went to the museum of Communism. Kind of cool, definitely interesting because Prague has such a unique history. We hung around Old Town square- a big plaza that usually has performers and young people but because it was the weekend before Easter week they had all these stands set up- it was like a big carnival with music and food and dancing. it was great! we tried to go to the Jewish museum but due to my poor memory of Jewish tradition- it was closed on Saturdays- go figure. So we decided to check out a small gallery which was showing Goya and Mucha exhibits. Mucha's work was fantastic! I am a big, big fan of his! We sat at a cafe for some tea because we were cold and were completely ripped off for a cup of tea, so we decided to enjoy the fair festivities and get a hot dog for dinner. It was really fun- and they are great beer in Prague! (someone told me that beer is actually cheaper than bottled water!) despite the mishaps- the day was great. we concluded by going to a bar that a friend recommended and we ending up meeting a lot of cool people.

Our flight on Sunday was later in the afternoon. I really, really wanted to see the Jewish Museum so we got up early, took our huge backpacks and went to the museum. It was cool because there wasn't really a museum- it was all different exhibits housed in 5 old temples. It was really interesting- I had no idea Prague/Czech Republic had such a large Jewish population. It was really well-done and got me emotional, of course. But it was a great way to conclude a great trip.

I think Prague may be my favorite city I've seen. I mean Paris was great, Sevilla is great (i haven't really seen that many others) but Prague is a city with so much history all around it and yet has a really modern, hip, young feel. It's beautiful. I wasn't such a big fan o f the people- especially the women who worked at the concierge of our hotel. It wasn't even a concierge- they basically just checked people in- when we asked them about how much the metro costs and if was better to buy a multi-pass or one by one they couldn't answer- they didn't know. And everywhere we ate the waiters were rude and gave us dirty looks. And it wasn't because we were being rude, loud Americans. Bizarre.

I must go learn more about Gothic architecture but I will post pictures from Prague tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoyed this entry even though it was a bit rushed!

SUISA

I'm sorry, I have been the worst blogger ever. This has been a busy few weeks. But I am here to update, don't worry. So this past weekend I was in Switzerland (or Suisa for those of you who speak Spanish). This was supposed to be an easy, no-nonsese trip but it turned out to be anything but that. We waited to buy our bus tickets to Madrid because we had heard it 's very easy to do, but we waited and found out all the buses back on Sunday were booked (our flight to Geneva was out of Madrid) because it was a holiday in Spain. We, somewhat un-unanimously decided to switch our plane tickets so we would return on Saturday instead of spending 20 hours bumming around Madrid waiting for the bus early Monday morning. It was quite the ordeal but once we were seated on the overnight bus to Madrid, I knew, mostly, it would all work out. After the short flight to Geneva, we took a train to Interlaken. It was a beautiful train ride despite the rain. Here's a picture: We stayed at the cutest hostel I've ever seen- it was like a little ski lodge and it felt like camp because everyone there was our age and American and from Univ. of Wisconsin. haha
On our first day there we explored Interlaken and loved it so much we decided to extend our stay in Interlaken and not go to Geneva (perhaps it was the anti-French sentiment of the German side of Switzerland?) We went for cheese fondue and it was delicious but SO expensive. The whole town was pretty pricey but because the Swiss Franc is weaker than the dollar it wasn't very of a difference from the Euro.
The second day some of the girls I was with went paragliding- which is kind of like skydiving but you just jump off fa mountain and you don't get any free-fall at all because you're attached to a parachute. It looked cool but I don't really regret not doing it- it was pretty expensive. After that we grabbed some sandwiches and hiked a bit. and by hiking I mean we spent 2 hours trying to find the hike. By the time we found it, we were really close to our hostel so we decided to go home and watch a movie. We watched "Chocolat" in the hostel tv room, which was very approrpiate considering we had been eating lots of Swiss chocolate. We went for a cheap dinner at a local pub where we could get more American type food. It seems that recently, a lot of my friends, including myself have been really missing and craving American food! It's not that the food in Spain isn't good, it's just that after 2 months (almost) of eating the same tapas and meals it gets a little repetitve. Spanish food does not have a large selection of meals. Anyways, we came back from dinner in time for happy hour. The hostel had it's own bar and club- it was very cool.
The next day we woke up early to go to the mountain. To get there we had to take a train, then a gondola, and then another train! But it was worth it because the journey was just as spectacular as the view from the Murren.After lunch on the top of the mountain we made our decent. And did some gift-shopping, and chocolate shopping for the remained of the afternoon. For dinner we went for Italian- it was really ,REALLY good!! Our last night in Interlaken was fun- I actually ran into an old friend from elementary school- Syd. It was so funny and really nice to see a familiar face! We had a successful trip home. We had planned to stop in Bern for a few hours before Geneva because we had heard it was the city to see in Switzerland but it was raining and everyone was tired so we didn't get off. But the trip was great, it was relaxing and really nice to be in the "country." THey had fantastic tasting water in Interlaken! The best tap water I've had! I'm sorry this entry is slacking- I have to pack for PRAGUE! I am really so excited about Prague- probably the most excited I've been about a trip thus far- probably because I'm see my old campfriend Marissa PLUS I hear the city is awesome. AHHHH i can hardly wait- don't worry, expect a long and VERY emotional blog after this one. Here is one last picture for the road:

Granada!

I'm sitting in the plaza by my house on a Sunday afternoon enjoying what should have been a rainy, miserable day. So much for the whole "it doesn't rain in sevilla" business cause I have learned that it does rain, and somewhat often in February. (i'm hoping March will be more dry). I'm lucky though, we missed most of the rain because our program took us to Granada for two days, one night. Granada is an amazing city. I somewhat wish I had researched Granada as well as Sevilla- I could have definitely seen myself studying there. It is similar to Sevilla, in the sence that it has a strong Arab, Mediterranean feeling to the city- small winding streets, moorish/mudejar architecture, ect. Granada was much smaller than Sevilla. It had this very unique university feeling- lots of young, cool students. We stayed a very nice hotel with all of our meals at a buffet (you can't beat free, buffet-style eating). The first day we arrived we took a tour around the Arab quarter. The area is called Albacin. It is all small winding streets filled with "Carmens," which are very nice, large houses from the Muslim kingdom of Granada. Apparently now-a-days, these Carmens are very expensive and a huge status symbol. After our tour we were given free time to explore the city. We walked around the streets, sat in cafes, and of course, enjoyed some delicious helado (ice cream). We went into a leather good store and a woman asked if we needed help and when we told her no she responded "OK, let me know" in perfect American English. We sat in her store with her for 30 minutes talking. Now 32, she was a student in Granada while in college. She went home to finish up college, sold all her possessions (or what couldn't fit in her allowed two suitcases) and moved to Granada. She has been there for 8 years and can't imagine moving home. She comes home to Chicago for 1 or 2 months a year. It was really interesting talking to her and learning about her move. She gave us some good advice- learn as much about our city as possible, most importantly the language- she said, don't hang around with too many Americans; be daring and approach other Spanish students and make friends. It will help our Spanish more than anything else. Pretty cool girl.

Anyways, we returned to the hotel for our siesta, enjoyed another large buffet dinner, and went out on the town. It was a fun night, but the bet part was the end. We found a pizza place, right next to a falafel restaurant- it was pretty perfect. The next day we were given free time in the morning. We walked to the Arab quarter to a street known for it's authentic Moroccan feel. There are lots of teterias (tea houses) and street vendors. we sat down for some arab tea and then realized we had to rush back in order to make the bus to take us to el alhambra. this was the best part of the trip- El Alhambra is amazing- it's a huge compound that ws originally used as the Muslim palace during the reign of the Muslim kingdom. Then after the reconquest- it was used for the Christian Kingdom and the personal palace of Charles V. It is immense and beautiful. I think (not sure) that it is one of the 7 man-made wonders of the world. After the tour we got back on the bus to head home to Sevilla. I was exhausted but couldn't sleep so I finished my book "Water for Elephants"- it was so good, I couldn't put it down.

Today has been pretty boring. Stephanie's parents are in town, I'm without a book, and soon my computer will die so I won't even be able to write you all. I think it's time for a new battery, or one that lasts me more than 30 minutes.

Just now many Sevillano men have begun practicing for Semana Santa. Semana Santa is a week-long festival in Sevilla (or really all over Spain). It's the week of Good Friday- Gabe will be here for the first weekend. Anyway, these men dress up and carry these huge metal structures on their shoulders. It's pretty strange but I'm very excited for the real thing. Apparently it is a religious week but here it is more of just a huge party all over the city. Bars and restaurants are open all day and night and everyone is in the streets partying. It's gonna be cool and it's gonna be here soon than I can imagine. Here's the line up:

On Tuesday night I am taking the overnight bus to Madrid to catch our flight to Geneva. From geneva we are going to Interlaken for two nights, back to Geneva for two nights and then back to Madrid early Sunday morning.

The following Thursday I am going to Prague for the weekend. I am very excited- this is one of those places on my list that I had to get to- I really wanted to go when I had a long weekend so that I could take the train to Poland but flights to Prague are really expensive and we found a great rate for hotel/flights/transportation for the same price as a one-way plane ticket! Crazy, huh?

The following weekend Gabe and Lexi are coming to Sevilla. I have school off the whole week and I'm thinking about taking the bus to Madrid for the next weekend. I'm going to be EXHAUSTED!

After all of that it will be March 23 and half way through with the trip! How insane?? Ok, well my computer is dying and I want to make sure this gets posted. I'll post some pictures later.

A Week in Sevilla.

Just wanted to update and say hello.  I have my first composition due tomorrow so this is of course another form of procrastination.  (FYI: I wrote my last post and put up pictures from Paris as a procrastination from studying for my first exam).  I think the exam went well but I haven't received the grade so I'm not exactly positive. 

So Sevilla is really starting to feel like home.  I noticed it when I was really anxious to return after Paris.  I was waiting for the bus from the airport and all I could think about was getting home and unpacking.  I finally arrived home and I was walking through la plaza de Alameda de Hercules (a very cute plaza right next to my street)- it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  It was so warm and sunny and everyone was outside, eating tapas with their friends and family- it was just like "wow, I'm so glad to be home." It felt really nice to be home.  

I made Stephanie (my roommate) go get some food with me and we went to get tapas at this great little place in the plaza called Las Columnas.  We couldn't decide what to get so we asked the people next to us what they ordered cause it looked good.  We ordered la ensalada con mariscos y menudo.  We ate them both but could not decide what was in menudo- so we asked.  The couple next to us laughs and asks us if we REALLY want to know.  Apparently, we had just had "estómago de vaca" translated into cow stomach.  hhahaha- I mean, it was good. Actually scratch that, the sauce it was in was very, very good but I could have done with out the meat.  At least now I can say I tried it!  Look at me,  becoming a adventurous eater. Next up, oranges. haha yeahhhh right.  

Okay, well I'm gonna go edit this paper- I had to interview Carmen (my señora) about her life and her views on Americans.  It came out pretty well.  Well goodbye for now. 

 peculiarities 

Photos to SHAREEEE

Being funny at the Eiffel Tower.

Emily, Andrea, Me at the underground club.

Funny faces.

This is us on the steps of the Louvre.

Me as a red head!!  Aka the outfit I wore to Carnivale last week.  I stole these photos from my housemate Denis because I erased my memory card.  I won't show the rest because well, some of you my worry!

Paris Holds The Key to Her Heart.

For those of you not attuned to the lyrics of quasi-Disney animated musicals- the title of this entry refers to the line from a song from Anastasia entitled "Paris Holds the Key to Her Heart" (obviously). So I have just returned from my first weekend trip to Paris. It was just as great as I imagined it would be, and them some.  Let me tell you all about it! Get ready for a long entry.

 So Andrea and I arrived in Paris around 5:30pm. We were traveling with two other girls from our program, Brooke and Carly. We are all going to Geneva together. Luckily, we found a British student studying in Sevilla who was very familiar with Orly Airport and helped us find the train to the metro. If we had not found this girl we would have been completely LOST- it was very confusing and dark. So we find our way to the line 4 of the Metro and get off at Gard de L'est. It's a pretty large train station which includes a mini-mall.  We have to find our hostel on Rue du Nancy, which we can't really find on the map.  To spare you the long story, we walked around for two hours trying to find Rue du Nancy.  I speak minimal French, as does Andrea- so we ask "Ou est Rue du Nancy?" to anyone walking by - in total about 8 people, each with their own set of wrong directions to our hostel.  I think they were just rude and giving us the wrong directions due to our American accents. Eventually we find a police officer who brings us to the street and we arrive at our hostel.  The young people behind the reception are very nice and speak English.  We have to drag our bags up the three longgg flights of stairs and we arrive in our small double room (which is very uncommon for hostels).  There is a sink and a bidet in the corner of the room, a water closet down the hall, and one shower located on the first floor. But overall it was very clean.

We venture out into the 10th arrang. of Paris and find a really nice tavern to order mushroom omelettes and share a salad. It was perfect. Spanish  food has been good so far but it was nice to eat more familiar, tasty food. On the way home we pass by a creperia and we share my first nutella crepe. End of our first night in Paris.

Day 1:

Wake up early and meet Andrea's friend Emily at the Notre Dame station. We walked in the cathedral and around the grounds- it was all very pretty but I've been seeing lots of cathedrals in Spain, so I wasn't overly excited.  Then we walked to the Louvre- we didn't go in but we walked around the building- it's hugeeee and so beautiful. We did go into Musee D'Orsey- it's a really cool museum built in an old train station. It must have been recently renovated because it all looked very new.  We stayed there until we got bored and took the metro to the Eiffel Tower.  We didn't go up, we were lazy tourists but hung around there and tried to find some lunch.  We couldn't find anything we wanted so we went on a seearch for a nutella and peanut butter crepe.  Blocks and blocks later we found one and it was definitely worth the wait.  After lunch we walked around St. Germains area and got coffee in some really nice, Parisian cafes.  Andrea and I had a light dinner at Les Deux Magots (which according to Pedro is a very famous, well known French restaurant).  On our walk home we got some macaroons for later.  We went out that night with Andrea's friend Emily and her friends.  They took us to this cool club located under a bridge.  There was a live French band playing and it was a really cool venue.  There weren't many tourists either- just lots of French kids. End of day 1.

Day 2:

Slept a little later after our night out in Paris.  We met Emily on Rue Cler- which is a pedestrian street that was recommended to me by... I don't know.  There are lots of little markets and speciality food stores and open cafes. We bought cheese, grapes, bread, and coffee for a picnic on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. After our early lunch we walked/took the metro to a new little area in the middle of the city- it's like Paris's Soho.  Lots of little boutiques and restaurants.  I can't remember the name o fit but it is known for it's Jewish and Gay population.  It was definitely filled with religious jews, the falafel place, jewish deli, and kosher pizza place was closed because it was Saturday.  that night we went for sushi- something we've all been missing in Sevilla. it wasn't the best but it was definitely goodd!!!  the night ended with another shared nutella crepe of course.

We left Paris this morning and I returned home to sunny, warm Sevilla this afternoon.  Paris was great but I was definitely ready to return home to Sevilla. It's funny how that happened... this has become my home- or at least some sort of interim home.  Okay well I'm going to upload some photos and start some work that I've put off.  Enjoy this long entry- there will be more soon.

Explanation of the title

I realize I didn't explain really why the title of this blog is "I Love Oranges!!"  Many of you may be wondering why I wrote such a blatantly false statement.  I hate oranges.  But somehow I am surrounded by them, EVERYWHEREEE...

First of all, Sevilla might as well me coined the city of oranges.  Almost every single calle is lined with orange trees.  Maybe it is just the time of year, but there are oranges on every tree and on the ground.  Oranges that have been crushed by cars and pedestrians.  Oranges that leak their orange juices all over the cobblestone streets. I can't get away from it.  There is probably orange guts stuck to the bottom of my sneakers.

Secondly, the first day I moved into my homestay my señora, Carmen NARRANJO (very similiar to the Spanish word for orange: narranja) asks me what I like and what I don't like to eat.  The first thing that comes out of my mouth is "narranjas y zuma de narranja (orange juice)."  At almost every meal there is some sort of joke- offering me an orange is usually how it goes. So my point is that I should love oranges... but don't get too excited. I still hate them.

Oh yeah, one more thing.  So I'm going to Paris on Thursday and I was looking for some suggestions, besides the typical tourist things, to do.  I will take anything- you can comment or send me an email.  Okay, time for bed because I'm a bum.  Goodnight!

It actually rains in Sevilla.

Exactly what the title says... last night I feel asleep to the sound of rain hitting the cobblestone streets outside my window. 

I am currently in class on Monday morning as I write this entry.  This was quite the interesting weekend.  Cadiz and Carnival were definitely almost exactly what I imagined- it was fun for the first few hours but at around 3am I was ready to go home and get into my bed.   But our train didn't leave the Cadiz train station until 5:10am. Worst of all, we couldn't wait inside the train station because they didn't open up until 4:10. It sucked!  But on a more positive note- I am glad I went.  It was crazy and there were thousands of people in the plazas, streets, and cafes (and really anywhere else they could fit).  But let me start from the beginning.

It was really fun getting ready- we were all dressed pretty crazily.  I wore a red wig and fake eyelashes and a crazy dress. I would show you pictures but I'll explain that part when I get to it.  We were running late because we're a house of five women. Someone said it would be really quick to walk to the train station from our house- only about 20 minutes.  It took about 35 minutes to walk, quickly, and we had people whistling at us on the way.  We finally get there and the station is crowded.  We were told by everyone (including our professors) that the train is free if you are dressed up... they were wrong.  On the line to the tracks they begin checking bags for alcohol.  Me, the most sly of us all, had a bottle of alcohol in my bag.  The second they check my bag and ask me to hand over my bottle.  I try to be quick and show them my water bottle.  Then they ask for more and  I say, "OK, I have some- Here take it!" - I was scared of these Spanish speaking police officers! I felt bad but my roommates said it was okay- the situation sucked but apparently I could have just put it back under my jacket and they would have let me go.  Oh well, probably not worth it to get in trouble in SPAIN!

So we finally make it onto the train and find seats.  About five minutes after I sit down, a cracked-out man (literally) starts asking me for hash.  Whenever I don't want to speak to someone, I just say "no comprendo" and look away.  He stops bothering me for a while.  The train is insane, everyone is screaming and making loud noises with strange instruments, laughing, smoking, smoking pot, and eventually smoking crack under jackets- on the train!  It was disgusting and nauseating and we were not very excited for this new adventure called Carnivale.   

So we get into the train station after 2.5 hours on the train and make our way to the exit.  From what I could tell Cadiz looks like a beautiful city.  It is on the water, has a port full of cruise ships, and architecture that resembles Sevilla.  All the restaurants and cafes are opened with outdoor bars where they have bocadillos, beers, and hard liqueur.  It isn't very crowded when we first arrive but with each hour, new hundreds of people make their ways into the plaza.  The main plaza is very similar to the big plaza in Sevilla- with the cathedral and shops, and even the same sandwich place: 100 mondaditos.  

We met Spaniards, Americans, French, Irish- people from all over.  It was fun until it wasn't and we wanted to get home.  I would love to post pictures from this crazy excursion but on the trip home I accidently deleted my memory card.  I freaked out but I only lost the pictures from this night and my birthday night.  It's not the end of the world.  I'll try to find someone else with pictures.   We got back to our house, after struggling to find a cab, at around 8am.  I was not a happy camper at this point and I was probably miserable to be around. My conclusion after this experience- I'm glad I went but I would NEVER do it again. 

The end.

Italica... quite the let down.

I've just returned from an extremely long and drawn out trip to Italica.  Italica was a Roman city in Spain that is only about 20 minutes from Sevilla (which was known as Hispolis to the Romans).  It was also Julius Caesar's favorite city... but not mine.  There was not much to see, a few cool mosaics, a lot of ruins, and some outlines of what used to be mansions. Anyways, the tour lasted two hours and then we were supposed to get a 2:00pm bus back to Sevilla but the bus was an hour late!!! Or maybe our professor just messed up. Either way, there were 25 students who were hungry and upset about the bus situation. I was hungry and cranky. This may have impacted my enjoyment of the ruins, but I doubt it.  Hence, there are no pictures to show from this trip.

Tomorrow I am going to Cadiz for the infamous Carnival.  We are leaving tomorrow afternoon to explore the city of Cadiz and then I believe the festivities begin around midnight. I hope to get on a train by 5 am.  This is very crazy of me- but you know, when in Spain.  I am debating whether to bring my camera or not- so there may or may not be pictures from this excursion. But I am hoping it will be a fun time. All of my housemates are going and we were thinking of dressing up as the Spice Girls- you know, they are quite the international craze.  

Oh yeah, I went out to celebrate my birthday the next night on wednesday. We went to this Cuban place that a friend of mine recommended and it turned out to be great!  And Andrea brought me a cake from el Corte Ingles which was delicious.  Seven girls finished it all!  It was a nice birthday celebration and it definitely made up for the less than exciting actual birthday.  Anyways, we are about to go shopping for costumes for tomorrow- I want to buy a red wig!  I've always wanted to be a red head (hahaha)! Okay adios for now.

Cordoba.

                                                       Cordoba!

The Gardens at Cordoba- very beautiful.  Upon seeing this greenery one of the sixteen boys on the trip said, "WOW! This would be a wonderful place to be married!"

More of the gardens and view of the cathedral.

Inside the majestic mosque aka "mezquito"

In the gardens... full of orange trees.

 

this is la plaza de espana (apparently george lucas used this building and plaza for part of a new Star Wars movies- I wouldn't know, just what I've heard... - Taken our first night in sevilla while on a horse and carriage ride around the city!

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This one is me and Andrea on top of la giralda- which is this really old, cool mosque from medievil times that was converted to a cathedral when the christians came back into power.

The view from the ground of La Giralda.

First REAL Entry

I started this blog before I left and I kind of forgot about it- go figure... anyways I had been sending out mass emails letting all of you know how I was doing, what I was doing, ect but I think writing a blog will be more efficient and somewhat fun for me! (plus I can post pictures on here as well).  You all kind of know what I've been up to due to my emails. Yesterday was my birthday- it was obviously an anti-climatic 21st birthday, and yeah, it was a little lonely too.  Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time here- it's just that it's still new, and friends are new so it wasn't really that big of  a deal.  But that may also be my fault because I don't make a big deal of it anyway.  Either way, I'm 21! 

I'm writing this and I'm stressed! We have been planning trips all day and it's hard work.  You not only have to find cheap, or the cheapest, flights but you have to worry about where you are going to stay, get train tickets to places, getting to Madrid, ect - the list goes on.  One trip has been made!  Andrea and I are going to Paris the next weekend (Feb 8th)!  I'm really excited, I've always wanted to see Paris.  The next trip in the makings is Geneva and Interlocken, Switzerland.  We found really, really cheap flights (i mean, 30 euros round trip!).  And then Stephanie and I are going to make a trip to Italy. I don't need to go to all these crazy places - I just want to hit up the countries that are necessary.  I'll keep you updated.

I'm about to go for a run along the river. It's so beautiful down there.  But before I leave I want to post some pictures from around Sevilla and our trip to Cordoba.  

AHH, having difficulties posting pictures- i will try again later

FIRST BLOG EVER

So I've just joined the ranks of losers everywhere: I've started my own blog.  Okay, but I'm not going to talk about my emotions and inner secrets and be all emo- I just want to report about what I'm doing in Spain, how I'm adjusting, and well, really instead of sending a mass email to al my loved ones. So I am not going to start writing with this entry because I still have a week at home to be bored so I'm sure I'll start during this week. Alright, peace.