around the city

These are some pictures from our exploration of the city. After the pictures, the next post is full of reasons why I love Seville, so keep reading!

i love seville.

So... I've been here for four full days. I am feeling more and more comfortable with the language, the routine, and the lifestyle every day. We got a chance to just walk around the city yesterday, and I realized that I just LOVE Seville! Here are some of my top favorite things...

1. The lifestyle and pace of life.

People here are never in a rush. They don't hesitate to sit down and take two hours eating a meal together. Which, by the way, are at very different times from meals in America. We usually eat a pretty small breakfast before school (around 9:00), lunch is after school (sometime between 2:30 and 3:00) and is the big meal of the day, and dinner is something lighter between 9:00 and 10:00. I love that there's rarely a schedule to keep and I never feel like I should be somewhere else. It is so refreshing. Even when we're walking places, I've noticed that the people walk slower! No one is in a hurry; they simply take life as it comes and enjoy the present.

2. Walking.

We walk pretty much everywhere we go. I love it because we really get to see the city that way. Our walk to school in the morning has become one of my favorite things because the air feels crisp and clean, and it is a perfect way to start the day. It also wakes me up a little for class! We took some time to walk through the neighborhood where I was when I came with my family a few years ago, and it was so much fun. Surprisingly, I remembered how to navigate through the maze of little streets. I was amazed by the beauty of the the buildings, the streets, and the people... I think it was during our exploration that I realized how much I love Seville. 

3. Siesta!

I look forward to my siesta (or NAP for people who don't know what siesta means) every day. Using Spanish all the time is exhausting, so taking a nap really helps me recharge during the middle of the day. Siesta is from after lunch (so about 3:30) until about 5:00 or 6:00. Everything closes during this time because everyone goes home, and then things start to open again around 6:00 or 7:00.

4. Ana Franco Conde.

I grow to love my senora more and more every day. She is SO sweet and does everything for us. We offer to help, but she always declines. Sometimes I don't follow what she's saying, but just watching her blabber on makes me happy. She has so much energy and love for the simple life she lives! I think I want to be like her when I'm old. 

5. Simplicity.

The people here have just what they need. Our apartment is small, but it is comfortable and works perfectly for us. Our room simply has two beds, a closet, and a small dresser. Only the necessities. It makes life seem less complicated to have less unnecessary STUFF. I almost liked it when we didn't have our luggage because we didn't have to deal with "Hmm, what should I wear today?" or having clothes all over the place. Don't get me wrong... I'm very glad that our luggage came! But the idea of only having the essentials has been very good for me.

6. My professor.

I was a little nervous to see who my professor would be since I will be spending a lot of time with him or her over the next four months. I got so lucky! His name is Salvador Gallego de la Rosa, and he is a great guy. He speaks very little English, so once again I am forced to use Spanish to communicate with him. He is very animated, so he makes class really engaging.

7. Working on my Spanish.

Even though it has been frustrating at times, I really have enjoyed working on my Spanish. It is really fun when I understand things that I know I learned like four years ago! Somehow they got tucked in the back of my brain and they are all coming back again. It is very rewarding to feel like I'm improving a little every day. 

8. Cacao.

Every morning, we drink Cacao. It is like hot chocolate mix that we stir into really thick milk. (the milk almost tastes like cream!) In Spain, "hot chocolate" is really thick and rich; sort of like a melted candy bar. Cacao is more like what we call "hot chocolate" in the U.S. It is muy delicioso!

9. Spanish children.

For some reason, kids here are SO cute! It is so fun to hear little kids speaking in Spanish. Ana's grandsons came over one night (they are 6 and 3) and they were just adorable. They were definitely bundles of energy! Hopefully we are going to get together with them again jugar futbol en el parque! (translation: to play soccer in the park!)

10. Mi amiga Kayla. :)

I love being here with Kayla. She has been pretty much a lifesaver when it comes to communicating. She has been very patient with me, which I appreciate so much. We are having tons of fun together and I can't wait to have more adventures with her! Te amo, Kayla!

WE'RE HERE!

I am finally in Seville! Me and Kayla left Minneapolis this morning (or yesterday morning?), and after some long flights, layovers, and lost luggage, we are starting to feel a little bit at home in our new apartment. Overall, traveling went really well. There were no problems on the U.S. side. Once we got to Portugal, however, we started to feel slightly out of place. We are definitely the minority as blondes, which makes us stick out. It also didn't help that we know NO portugese! We only had an hour long layover, so it was touch and go to get to our plane on time. The customs line was EXTREMELY long, and we knew we would never make our flight if we waited in it. Somehow we pulled some strings and ended up in the "fast lane" and made it onto the plane. The flight to Seville was only 35 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise since we thought it was going to be 2 hours. Once we got to Seville, we realized that two of our suitcases didn't make it onto the same flight that we did... And unfortunately, those suitcases contain about 99% of our clothes! We fumbled through a conversation with a Spanish airport worker, and figured out a way for our bags to be sent to our apartment when they come in. Hopefully we will have them by tomorrow night. In the Seville airport, I felt more out of place than I think I ever have before. It seemed like EVERYONE was staring at us! I'm sure we looked ridiculous dragging our suitcases around, speaking English, and trying to locate the taxis. It was pretty funny trying to figure out what all those people must have been thinking about us. :) The taxi ride was fine besides the fact that the driver realized we were two obviously American teenagers who didn't know anything, and charged us about twice what he should have. After roaming around in the streets for awhile, still feeling ridiculous and like everyone was staring at us, we found our apartment. Ana Franco is so, so sweet and today has been great with her! I'm really excited to get to know her more. She LOVES to talk, so being with her will help our Spanish skills very much. I am very tired and I think my body is pretty confused... But besides that, I feel wonderful about everything so far. I'm looking forward to classes starting on Monday so I can keep working on my Spanish. For now, I will rely on Kayla, my Spanish to English dictionary, and hand motions. :)

Host mom!

Today I got information in the mail about who I will staying with. Her name is Ana Franco Conde, and she is a single, 63 year old woman. She lives in the same area of the city where Lindsay lived (Los Remedios) so that will be fun! Maybe I will recognize some things. I'm really excited to meet her and get to know her. If you would like my address while I'm there to send me mail (HINT... please send me mail!) just send me an email at kmork25@mac.com and I will get it to you!

Two weeks out...

Well, I leave in two weeks! I can't believe how fast it snuck up on me. This trip has been in the planning stages for a very long time, and has seemed like a fantasy until now. I have my plane tickets and my visa, and I'm even starting to pack. I am very excited and also very nervous. Sometimes questions start to flood my mind and I freak out a little... What if my limited Spanish is not nearly sufficient? What if I don't like my host family? How am I going to stand being away from my friends and family for that long? etc... I know things will be great once I get there, but until I leave I think I will have a large amount of nervousness accompanying my excitement. I can't wait to experience the people, language, and culture. You can pray that this will be a challenging experience that helps me to grow. My goal in studying abroad is to be challenged and to LEARN. I want to learn about people, Spanish, myself, God, and the world as a whole.