First Week of Classes

I cannot believe that it has already been a full week since I have arrived in Spain. On Tuesday, we had orientation where we received our schedules and the results of the placement exam. I was hoping to take the Intensive Beginner Spanish course but I tested into Intermediate so the school won’t let me! On the plus side, there are no classes on Fridays for the semester with this program. So as of right now, my schedule is:

Intermediate Spanish (Mondays & Wednesdays) – I was not very excited to be placed in this class but maybe it will challenge me to improve my Spanish at a higher level.

The European Union (Mondays & Wednesdays) – I am really excited to learn more about the European Union. It has been such an important aspect for Europe yet I do not much about it. My professor is a but difficult to understand but hopefully as the semester goes on I will get used to his accent.

The History of Spanish Art (Mondays & Wednesdays) – The professor who teaches this course seems like a lot of fun. I wanted to take at least one class that had to do with the culture of Spain while I was here.

The History of Spanish Politics (Tuesdays & Thursdays) – I am also very excited for this course. People all around the world are so knowledgable about the political systems of other countries so I believe that it is important for myself to be informed as well.

And that is my schedule. Even though classes have started and the “vacation” is over I can not wait to see what these next few months will bring. In February I am traveling to Lisbon, Portugal with the ISA group. In March, two other girls and myself booked a trip to Morocco for a few days. Also, my mom and aunt are hopefully coming over to visit and travel to other places as well. Hopefully more trips and visits will be planned in the upcoming weeks!

Sevilla, Spain (1/24/2015 – 1/26/2014)

On Saturday, we started our five hour bus ride to Sevilla. Although I was very excited to meet my host mom, I was extremely nervous because my roommate is very comfortable with Spanish unlike me. My host mom, Encarni (We call her Nani), and her son, Sergio, were there to pick us up and bring us to our new home for the next four months. We live in an apartment building located in Centro, which is the downtown area of Sevilla. My host family does not speak any English so hopefully I start learning fast! After a delicious supper of Tortilla Espanola, we pretty much went to bed.

On Sunday, everyone from the group was to meet at the Plaza Nueva for a walking tour of Sevilla. Our host brother escorted us there. Unfortunately, I was not paying attention and he lead us through several small alleyways and twisting streets in order to get us to our destination. I may be bias but I believe that Sevilla is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the chance to see. The final stop on our tour was the ISA office, where we can print, study, hang out, or get help from the staff. After that we were on our own to make it back to our house for lunch. Steph (my roommate), and I got lost for two hours even though we are only about a 25 minute walk from where we were. After eating lunch and resting for a bit, we went to the Plaza de España with a few other girls from the program. I think this place in general is going to be one of my favorite places in Spain.

On Monday, we had the option of meeting at the metro with some of the ISA staff so they could show us how to get to the university. The metro stop happened to be the one closest to my house so I jumped on the opportunity to familiarize myself with the area. At the school, we were required to take a placement exam in order to categorize us into different levels of Spanish classes. Although I probably failed the test, I was aiming to be put into the intensive beginner Spanish so I was not too concerned. After the test, we arrived back home for lunch and took a siesta (a nap). At 7pm we went back to the ISA office to have another meeting and then the staff took the whole group out for dinner. We had tomatoes with tuna, these little balls of ham and cheese coated and fried, cod, and paella with some sort of meat in it. After, we split up and went on a search for some bars. Me and four others went to three bars before calling it quits. One of the bars was an Irish Pub and our waiter was from Ireland and spoke English! Everyone else from my group was from Triano (another neighborhood from Spain) so I was on my own for getting back to my house (Sorry Mom and Dad). Even though it was one in the morning, I felt completely safe and I actually knew were I was going. I can’t wait to see what these next few months are going to bring!

Toledo, Spain (1/23/2015-1/24/2015)

Toledo was much more different than Madrid. There was more of a historical atmosphere to the city unlike the very urban setting of Madrid. We completed a 3 hour walking tour of the city starting in the Plaza de Zocodover, which seemed to be the center of the city. We went to the Toledo Cathedral, the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, and the Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz. Each of these religious buildings were beautiful and had amazing architecture to them.

Madrid, Spain (1/21/15 – 1/23/15)

It wasn’t until I landed that I officially realized that I was in a new country all by myself. The five years of Spanish classes from high school did not physically or mentally prepare me for the overwhelming experience. By some miracle, I navigated the railway to get my luggage and then the bus system to get to the terminal where my group was meeting.

Besides my mini crisis at the airport, my visit in Madrid was wonderful. My first meal in Spain consisted of a tortilla de espana, which in an omelette with potatoes and onion between two slices of bread. The next day we did a walking tour and then were able to go off on our own to have free time. A group of us headed to the Royal Palace of Madrid to take the tour. It is free admission the final two hours it is open. However, the discount is only offered to citizens of Europe. The 5€ admission fee was well worth the amazing tour of the rooms within the palace.

That night, we went to a club called Kapital. The admission was a bit steep (15€) but it included a free drink and a night of guaranteed fun. This particular club consisted of 7 floors that all had a different theme to them. Before we knew it, it was almost 5 in the morning and wake up call for us would be at 7:45 am.