The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, not the beach. Good thing.

Thursday I walked out of class to find it was raining inside the CIEE center. (Note in previous post that the center room of our building has no roof.) It rarely rains in Sevilla so I guess they wanted to make sure we knew before we left the building... Luckily I had my umbrella in my backpack for occasions such as this. I'm sorry to say Jackie, we don't have umbrella men in Spain. Probably because the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

The rain was short lived so by the time I went to my class at the Seville Dance Center it was completely dry. Which was perfect for my leisurely bike ride across town. Since I didn't know how long it would take me and I still had to finish some stuff for registration, I got there early. This allowed me some time beforehand to chat it up with the other students before class. Slash that. Other student. Yes, there are only two people in the advanced jazz class. (I think because this class started two weeks ahead of all the other ones and the tardy Spainards are taking their time getting stuff together. Vamos a ver.) Anyway, Nadia is super friendly and she attends la Universidad de Sevilla (the school at which I'm going to take my clases para extranjeros) to study German. She spent her last year in Germany so she understood that I was eager to practice my Spanish with her. Prospects of a real Spanish friend! The studios at SDC are in no way fantastic and their idea of jazz is a little behind the times. BUT it feels good not only to move but to be part of something that is just normal. I get to build relationships with the locals not because CIEE set up some sort of intercambio for me but because I am part of their lives and they genuinely want to talk to me. Qué guay! (How cool!)

When I got back from my dance class I ended up watching this movie about the beheading of a Queen of England with my Señora. It was actually really good and by the time I finished watching it I was overwhelmed by the fact that this stuff actually happened. I walk past these historic landmarks of that era every single day and I think the reality of history has finally struck me. Its then interesting to see how that history can become all consuming and in some ways hinder the entrance of modern ideas. Example: The flourish of flamenco dance while modern dance forms lack the interest that is so common in the United States. I guess since the U.S. doesn't have the same deeply historical roots, we are able to progress farther and faster. So what is the connotation of historical roots of Spain - positive or negative? Pride in the maintenance of the same rich culture, or willingness to transform to something new or unconventional? No sé, just a thought to throw out there.

Back to my regular life. On Friday I had a short quiz in my grammar class. Jajaja... Short quiz is actually a 45 minute midterm but whatevs. It was pretty easy and I appreciate the review before we start real classes. It makes me feel more comfortable using the more complex grammar structures at home as well. I've begun to think very critically about structure and vocabulary when I'm speaking. As Molly and Grace know, I like a good grammar discussion now and again ;) Nerdy, I know... permission to laugh.

Now enough about my exam, what you really want to know is what I did on Friday night. Well lets just say I have to come up with another goal for the semester because I have achieved my late night outing goal. It all started when we went to the bus station at 8 PM to pick up our bus tickets for the beach (more on this later). Then we went for tapas, and after that, postre (dessert). Then we met up with a couple other people from the program at the Torro del Oro. Slash that. Practically our entire program was there. Sweeeeet because I came all the way to Spain to talk to other Americans in English. Falso. Luckily, Grace took it upon herself to practice speaking with some Spainards that were near the group and after a while I joined in (at this point they were quizzing us on Ricky Martian and a bunch of Spanish singers we've never heard of). That entertained us until two in the morning when a few of us decided we might as well check out a discoteca. However, after dancing with a Spainard who tried to kiss me multiple times (after like 2 minutes), I was done for the evening with the Spanish men. Don't worry parents, grandparents, and brothers - tried infers not successful :) So instead Molly and I enjoyed breaking it down while strategically moving in circles so the creepers could never get close enough to us to ask us "dance." Anyway, we've got moves they can't keep up with. Ja. (Now would be an appropriate time to note that since I didn't plan on doing any of these things I was dressed in my flowery J.Crew smock, belted of course Natalie. Looking fine but not exactly outing attire. But please I'm Amber Rogers, what did we expect?)

After the discoteca adventure I finally returned to my apartment at 4:45 AM. I had to wake up at 6:30 AM to catch the bus. Oops. By the time I got all my stuff organized I was able to take an hour nap before waking up for today. (Oddly enough there were more people hanging out and more businesses open at 4:45 AM than 7:15 AM. Huh.) HOWEVER. It was totally worth it because today Molly, Grace, and I took a bus to Matalascañas (about an hour southwest of Sevilla) to go the beach for the day. After a bit of a scare when we woke up to the fog of the mountains, it ended up being a gorgeous day. Check out the photos:

Remains of an erroded Roman watch tower

Almuerzo - pretty sure they took it out of the ocean and put it on our plates


Grace, Molly, and me* at the end of the day
*Note my lobster status... I may or may not have forgotten my sunscreen.

Now I really must go to bed because we have another early morning tomorrow for our CIEE trip to Cádiz. But first I must go apply my AfterSun cream before my señora reminds me again to wear sunblock tomorrow :)

Don't tell my señora but I'm hiding nutella in a shoebox

Three days of grammar intensive down, seven to go. Yes, intensive is bold for a reason. Every day we start and finish a grammar unit, after we have read multiple chapters and done over a dozen exercise on the unit. I'm in the advanced class so its review for all of us but its still intimidating to know you are going to be tested on the irregulars of every grammar unit on Friday. Yes, this Friday.

I am very thankful that CIEE is dedicated to our immersion in the Spanish culture. They have gone so far as to hire Spanish students to serve as language police for us. There are people that actually get paid to walk around and scold people who are speaking English. They aren't that serious though, they mostly just set up word games to play when we're waiting for the classes before us to end. Because we are Americans and, of course, arrive wayyy to early for class.

CIEE is also dedicated to getting us out into discussion with Spaniards. Which means yesterday I was strolling the streets of Asunción, creeping on Spaniards between the ages of 18 and 29 to interview them. Sweeeeet. Actually, it was pretty interesting to see the contrast in point of view of the young Spaniards with a typical young American point of view. We haven't fully gone over the interviews in class to see what everyone got but when we do I'll let you know :)
One interesting tidbit of information out of the 8 Spaniards I interviewed:
- 1 said he leaves his house to go out between 12 and 2
- 3 said they leave their houses between 2 and 4
- 4 said they leave their houses after 4
My friends, that is when they leave their house to go out for the night. One of my goals for the semester is to stay out until 6 in the morning. Buena suerte self. Thank goodness for the siesta.

After my last experience running, I've switched to running in the mornings. Much cooler and since the sun hasn't risen quite high enough, there is lots of shade in between the buildings. Here are some views that I run past daily...

Apartment buildings on my street

Sculptures in Parque Maria Luisa

Guadalquivir, looking opposite the city from my bridge

Disclaimer: I did not actually lug my SLR around with me while I ran. These are pictures I took beforehand when I was walking. I cheat.

On the opposite note of running, I think I'm going to have to develop some sort of schedule to account for my intake of chocolate croissants and gelato. I'm thinking croissants MWF, gelato TR? Kidding. Kind of. I'm going to begin my hunt for Sevilla's best ______ (fill in the blank). Which means I should stop going to the same bakery. Also I don't want the lady to start recognizing me so early on in the semester :) Yesterday I went to the grocery store to buy some nutella (mmmmm) but I'm pretty sure the señoras take offense to you buying food for the house. So you know what I did if you read the title of this entry: I hid it in a shoebox in my room and I eat it when she leaves the house. I feel like a little kid trying to hide cookies but I don't know what else to do! If anybody's got any ideas, let me know because if I buy anything much larger than a jar of nutella it may not fit in my shoebox.

That's pretty much it for now, tomorrow I start jazz class at the Dance Center of Sevilla! Can't wait!

Orientation slows to a crawl

I never thought I would say this, but I cannot wait for classes to start. We started the week with days packed full of activities and have slowed to only one activity per day. So what have I been doing with all my free time? Relaxing like never before :)

Friday afternoon I registered for classes. They haven't officially placed us in the classes yet but this is what I signed up for:
- Women Writers in 20th Century Spain
- Flamenco in Andalusia: Culture, Language, Music, and Dance
- Introduction to Spanish Literature: The Middle Ages
- The Art of Islamic Spain
The first two are classes directly through CIEE, which I will be taking with other CIEE students in our academic building. The second two are clases para extranjeros (classes for foreigners) at the University of Seville. These classes will be in the University but will be taken with students from different study abroad programs. I ended up deciding not to direct enroll in any University classes with Spainards because the registration process is much more complicated and I wasn't able to get the information to Hope before I signed up. Also, I would have to stay until December 23rd (at the earliest), which is calling it a little too close for returning to JFK airport by Christmas. I love Spain but I think by then I will be ready to see my wonderful family.

Friday night we went to the CIEE center and checked out all the local opportunities to get involved. I picked up some information about taking flamenco classes. But tomorrow I'm going over the Academica de Danza de Sevilla (which is, of course, at the complete opposite end of the city) to enroll in a jazz class. It will be an hour and a half twice a week and hopefully I'll meet Spainards there! I'll have to see how my schedule works out and I might do a month of flamenco at some point but I will have to do it at a different studio. Anyway, Friday night I went for leisurely tapas and churros con chocolate with some friends that are living in the Residencias (dorms that they share with Spanish students). It was delicioussss and way better than their mystery vegetables and mystery pizza with hot dog looking meat on it.

Saturday morning we went for a scavenger hunt around Sevilla with our orientation group. This is where my "asking" personality comes in handy. Yes, Jackie and Rachel, some people appreciate it! When presented with these extremely obscure facts about locations to take pictures at, I quickly found a cute old man to help us while other people asked the policeman. When I was leaving he goes, "Adios guapa! (Bye beautiful!)." I love cute old people :)
The sites were at the extreme ends of Sevilla so we didn't get many of them but it was fun to walk around with other students and see some different parts of the city. At the end of the scavenger hunt they ended up using my camera to take a group picture of our program. Yay for my SLR.

Our group at Parque Maria Luisa. This park is right across the bridge from my house.

CIEE Liberal Arts, Fall 2010

This morning we went to Itálica, which are the Roman ruins right outside of Sevilla. It was really interesting to learn about the direct connection Sevilla had to Rome while the Italians were living there. Itálica had a theater for 25,000 people because many Romans lived around the city and would come in for the events.

Teatro

Most of the ruins were reduced to a foot or two of walls, but some of the floors had been preserved extremely well. This floor had the icons of different Gods, each representing a different day of the week. The traits of the God then transferred to the characteristics of each day of the week.

Floor of one of the houses.

Itálica was only about 15 minutes away from Sevilla so we were able to make the trip this morning and still be back for the rest of the day. After lunch with my señora (tortilla española with peppers) I took a nap and woke up around 4:45. By 5:30 I had worked up the courage to go for a run, at which point I realized it was still 95 degrees out. But I endured the heat and ventured deeper into Los Remedios (my neighborhood) and ran through the Parque de Maria Luisa, which was beautiful. Unfortunately, I sweated for the next two hours. Oh well, it was definitely worth it.

I start my grammar intensive course tomorrow. We have it from 12-3 everyday for the next two weeks and our final is next Saturday. I'm excited to start some sort of structured living again since I don't quite know enough about the city to occupy all this free time. You know I need something to do when I am watching High School Musical en Español.

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

I am so thankful for everyday of this experience, but it comes with the sacrifice of friends and family whom I hold near and dear. I'm having the time of my life but not without wishing I could share it with the people who mean so much to me. Much love from Spain.

Siesta y fiesta

I have officially spent my first night in my homestay. No more hotel with Spanish guides, we have been released - for better or for worse. So far, so good.

On Tuesday we attended sessions about cell phones, classes, etc. at la Universidad de Sevilla after having breakfast at the hotel. Later we went for tapas with our group and our group leader, Miguel. BTW, Miguel es muy guapo. We definitely got the best looking guide. After tapas, Sam and I went and checked out our rooftop pool to read and nap. That evening we had to go through a short interview process to verify correct placement in our Spanish intensive classes. I ended up being interviewed by the most non-responsive woman who asked me about the economic crisis of the world. Sweet, because I can answer that in English. Almost everyone else just got asked where they were from and if they liked Spain. I'm a little nervous because I think that might be my teacher for the next two weeks. Vamos a ver (We will see). After tapas in the evening and a flamenco show we went to the Discover Seville travel center for a little fiesta with the CIEE students. On our way back to the hotel, a few of us stopped for some gelato. Mmmmmm. I started off the semester with chocolate with orange, it was interesting but delicious.

The pool on top of the roof. La Giralda in the background.

Tapas restaurant

CIEE center. The center is uncovered since it rarely rains in Sevilla.

Wednesday morning I got picked up by Marguerite at the hotel and we went to her apartment en Los Remedios, one of the major neighborhoods in Seville. I spent the day unpacking, shopping for a cell phone, and eating my first real almuerzo (lunch) in Spain! Then comes my favorite custom of Spain: la siesta. Yes, that is correct, it is socially acceptable to nap every single day. No wonder I love Spain. Later we met with other people from our neighborhood to walk to the CIEE center. After another informational meeting we went to a pizzeria, where we found out Miguel has a twin. Yes, an identical twin, Guillermo. No es un chiste. Gemelos guapos. AND I ended up sitting next to Guillermo and his friend at dinner, where I managed to maintain (for the most part) a conversation in Spanish. Phew. Then we all went to Plaza Alfalfa for some agua fuego and to hang out with our Spanish guides for the last night. And, the most important accomplishment, we all got back to our apartments with walking buddies and without getting lost! Don't worry parentals, I'm being very safe :)

Marguerite in our living room

My bedroom

This morning we met at the Universidad de Sevilla again for another couple orientation seminars. Then Samm, Jen, and I bought some pastries to eat on the steps of La Giralda. We people watched for a while and I walked back to la Residencia de Santa Ana (the student dorms for Spanish students) where they are living for the semester. Before leaving, I checked out a map, only to find I was at the complete other end of Sevilla. Luckily, they have a fantastic biking system where you can take a bike from any station and return it to any other station within 30 minutes. Me encantan los bicicletas!
After lunch and a siesta, I went to the main street in my barrio (neighborhood) to buy a hairdryer. Unlike the USA, however, stores are extremely specialized here and I ended up having to go to an electronics store instead of the beauty store. Go figure.

Las bicicletas

Main shopping street in my neighborhood

Tomorrow I register for classes - hopefully I get the ones I want! Hasta luego amigos :)

Here's my address for those who wanted it:
Amber Rogers
CIEE Study Center in Seville
c/ Muñoz y Pabón 9
41004 Seville
SPAIN

At laaaaaaast.

I left my house yesterday with both parents in tow (or perhaps my parents left with me in tow) at 9:30 AM. We made it to Starbucks when I realized I didn't have my plane ticket. Luckily, this was because I never had my plane ticket. We then continued on our journey towards JFK (after I checked to make sure I had my passport and license, AGAIN). Thanks to 9:30 AM departure for my 6 PM flight, we were not late. Instead, we were three hours early. So we had a farewell lunch at the South Street Seaport in NYC before going to the airport.

This is where I must admit, my minimalist attempt did not entirely succeed. I did manage to take one suitcase, one carry-on bag, and one backpack. I didn't manage to keep it within the weight restrictions. Yes, my suitcase barely passed the weight limit for overweight luggage at 69.5 lbs. Lets just say I must lift with my legs to get it up and down the stairs. It seems as if space bags make things smaller, but not lighter. Go figure.

This is where I must shout out to all my wonderful family and friends who made my departure special: Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me a nice farewell parting and Mom for (of course) hiding a homemade Hershey Kiss pillowcase in my backpack while I wasn't looking. Thank you to my wonderful friends at Hope College who sent me farewell messages (and Miss Jackie who managed to send me not only a farewell message for yesterday, but a hello message for every week I am gone). Thank you all for the texts, facebook messages, and well wishes from everyone over the few days; the excitement you have for me has helped to mask my anxieties and focus on the adventures to come. And most of all, thank you to everyone who kept me in their prayers as a traveled across the big "pond" for an unforgettable semester. So far, so good.

Brief synopsis of the travels:
- Bought The Art of Racing in the Rain in the airport. Light read but good so far.
- Left from JFK on time. Six hour flight included the movies 'Just Wright' and 'Devil Wears Prada'. Queen Latifa - not your finest moment.
- Longest layover of my life in Madrid. It was only four hours but it spanned my biological clock of 1 AM to 5 AM and with no gate assigned, there was nowhere to sleep or veg.
- Quick 45 minute flight from Madrid to Sevilla allowed for a quick nap. I sat next to a girl who wants to learn Flamenco too! We exchanged e-mails so we can take classes together.
- Got to the hotel about an hour ago after waiting for the bus to drop off the first load and come back for those of us who didn't fit. I met my orientation leader, Miguel, who went over a ton of information with me (en español, of course), to which I responded to every, "Vale?" with a nod and "Sí!" All Spanish, all the time. So it begins :)

Well now I am off for a shower because I feel disgusting. A quick meeting tonight and dinner at 8. Orientation until Thursday and then I move into my homestay!

'To do' becomes 'MUST do': 9 days

For those of you who know me well, you know that I like lists. Not only do I like lists but I love to check things of lists. I will go so far as to write things on a list after I have finished them just so I can cross it off my list.

That being said, here's my current 'must do' list:

- Pack. I'm making a conscious effort to be a minimalist. No yellow chinos for me this semester.

- Pictures of Hershey. Time to take my SLR out on the town. I want to make a mini photo album of the hershey kiss street lights, the chocolate factory, and other snapshots of home to share with my señora and other friends in España.

- Attend online orientation. Monday is my last chance to meet with program directors and ask any packing, traveling, studying questions I have. Only thing is, I don't really feel like I have many questions. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

- Make sure my electronics will work in Spain. Get a hair cut. Work. Buy khakis. Load travel VISA. Finish Dogs of God. Return library books.

Today I had the day off, which would normally be used to to check things off my list. Instead, it was spent installing a door with my 83 year old grandpa for my new "brother", Bum Yong Song. BY is a 16 year old foreign exchange student from Korea that arrived yesterday and will be living with us for the academic year. He will become part of our family, from attending little A-Rog's soccer games to my brother's wedding in December. And though I didn't accomplish what I expected today, I was productive in a different way. I realized I have been blessed with the opportunity to live the life of the host family for one week. I'm experiencing what its like to have someone adapt to my family before I have to adapt to my señora's family. I have already learned that is more important to be open than to worry about my grammatical correctness. I must be gracious but honest; lying about my preferences won't make it easier for anyone. I hope I can implement the insight I have gained - I think I am being given the sparknotes on what it takes to build a relationship from Day 1.

Today was wonderful to spend with my grandparents as well, since they are one of my main concerns going abroad. They have always been a major part of my life and I'm worried that something will happen to one of them while I am abroad and I will be unable to come home. But I must remember Matthew 6:27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" I'm beginning to feel like the semester is out of my hands and I was able to just enjoy the normality of spending a day with Nanny and Poppy.

24 days and butterflies

Nerves and butterflies are fine - they're a physical sign that you're mentally ready and eager. You have to get the butterflies to fly in formation, that's the trick. ~Steve Bull

Four weeks from today I will have already been through orientation and had my first overnight at my señora's home. How am I dealing with this? Oddly enough, I'm trying not to think about it.

On Tuesday I went to the public library and checked out The Spanish Civil War and Dogs of God: Colombus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors. I'm hoping to be educated so that I am more prepared. Problem: in the back of my mind I'm still in summer mode and this isn't technically required reading. If anyone has any other ideas on how to get ready for this grand adventure, please let me know :)

This semester is going to be a true challenge for me. I never, ever, ever expected myself to be a Spanish major. I did well enough in the past, but I never felt like I could really embody the language. And now here I go, shipping myself across the big pond to a program that I prohibits the use of English except for an absolute emergency. I will not lie, I am nervous. I am scared I won't be able to communicate, I will struggle in my classes, I will get homesick, I will miss something important while I am out of the States. I guess what's why I haven't been thinking about it. Because when I really think about the next four months, I am scared shitless. Maybe not shitless, but a lot of caterpillars that were living in my stomach just underwent metamorphosis.

Thankfully, this summer has been extremely helpful in changing my attitude and general personality for studying abroad. Some mini lessons I learned from my microbiology research internship this summer:
- Have a plan, but if it doesn't work be prepared to change everything and try again. Sometimes its not about keeping everything controlled and monitoring the change. Sometimes its better to just switch everything and pray for it to work. Don't get hung up on the details and miss out on the overall process.
- If you don't have anything to do, make something up. I've done everything from alphabetizing the enzyme buffers to dusting the entire work and bench area. I don't plan on spending all of my time sitting on facebook or my blog or e-mail while I am in Spain. I hope to search out activities and involve myself in the local culture. Currently I am trying to figure out class schedules for Sevilla, Academia de Danza and Doble Giro, Escuela de Baile. Yep, I am going to be doing hip hop and flamenco. Watch out.
- Enjoy conversation, even if it is not always easy. I worked with a wonderful woman whose first language was Chinese all summer. I practiced my ESL teaching skills on her to help her improve her pronunciation and expand her vocabulary. She took my corrections with such ease and graciousness that I realized her attitude is something to aspire to. I want to be open to speaking with natives and not feel intimidated by correction. I really want to improve my Spanish and this is honestly the best opportunity for me to do so.
- Last but not least, don't stress about time. I never knew coming into work if I would be efficiently working for 10 hours or trying to stretch a half hour of work into 6. I learned to adapt and shoot from the hip. Lets just hope my type A personality doesn't return to me over the next 4 weeks :)

To sum it all up, I do not feel ready in the slightest. But each day I make an effort to become a little more free-spirited, a little more knowledgeable, and earn a little more money to spend.

Thanks to an old friend for reminding me of the ultimate support system...
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62: 5-8