Hello again.
Last night my roomate Rachel and I tried to go out with some friends, but it turned out to be a miserable failure. We were 15 minutes late to meet our friends in the plaza where we decided to meet, and they were not there so we went to a bar we passed on the way to hang out and get some drinks. I didnt know what anything was (except cerveza) so I ordered a Manzanilla, and it tasted like pee. Rachel´s cerveza didn´t taste much better either. So we downed as much as we could bear and then headed out in search of a more happening place where maybe there was some dancing or some people our age we could hang out with. I knew there were some places along the river, but somehow we never managed to find the river. Twice we ended up back where we started, and with the ominous stroke of midnight from the cathedral´s belltower signaled that it was time to accept failure and go back home, much to the disappointment of our host mom, who was really excited that we were going out. I also managed to get lost coming home from school yesterday afternoon, in addition to getting lost on the way there. What should have been a 15 minute walk lasted over 45, but I made it back by the grace of God, who has proven so so faithful on this crazy adventure.
I´ve been asked about my family and things like that...I don´t actually see much of my host family because I´m at the school or around town most of the day. My host mom´s name is Esmerelda, and she is truly as sweet as she can be. She is so excited for all the excursions we´re going on and she´s always making sure we like the food and that there´s plenty of it. One thing that is kind of strange is that we do not eat with the family. She prepares our food and we eat at a small table in the kitchen, and I think a little bit later the rest of the family eats their dinner - which is different food - in the other room. Maybe its just because there´s not enough space for all 5 of us to eat at the same time, or maybe because she´s being sensitive to the fact that we´re not used to eating so late. Anyhow...We haven´t had much interaction with our host dad. I think he has a weird work schedule, so our paths don´t cross very often. And when they do he´s the opposite of talkative. He´s really short too. Marta is our host sister, and she is the sweetest little ten-year-old i´ve ever seen. She has a bit of a cough right now, and i can hear her coughing in the other room throughout the night. We don´t see much of her either - she doesn´t usually come home until around 9 at night. I think she goes over to her cousin´s house after school. Our family has been hosting students with ISA for about ten years, so she´s literally grown up with international students in her home. She´s going to have a birthday party tomorrow - I don´t really know if we´re invited at all or not...hmm... They don´t have any pets, and Esmerelda is very much into have a clean home. She told me to make sure Rachel makes her bed every morning because it´s bad if she doesn´t.
Yesterday I did some people-watching in the Plaza Nueva, which is the main plaza in old Sevilla. There were tons of little kids, some middle school aged kids, old people, twenty-somethings, and every other type. I was absolutely entranced by watching these little kids run around and play together. Two little girls were playing hide-and-go-seek in gleeful oblivion to the world around them. Another little boy about their aged watched quietly through red-framed glasses. Two little boys played soccer until a little girl slightly taller than them came around to show them who was boss. Everyone in Spain lives outside - the general feeling is that Sevilla belongs to everyone that lives here. Homes are very private, intimate places, so if you want to hang out with a friend you meet them out somewhere. For this reason there are ALWAYS people in the plazas, bars, cafes, and on the streets hanging out, talking, laughing, or just enjoying the scenery. I love that everyone walks everywhere.
I´m managing to keep myself busy enough not to be homesick, although I think of everyone back home very often. It´s so strange to not be able to just pick up the phone and call my best friend or my parents to say hi. I think in a way it´s good that international calls are so expensive, because it´s better for me to be independent and forced to make friends here and live life where I am here and now, rather than where I was a week and a half ago.
I love hearing from you guys - keep the comments coming!!!
Until next time,
ciao!
May 29, 2008
May 28, 2008
un pequenito
just a quick update...i have to go back to class in 10 mintes. I just took a quiz and apparently I suddently now know all the rivers, mountain, provinces, capitals, climates, and languages of Spain. Well, at least I´m learning something! Today has been uneventful - except for my coffee this morning. My señora left it out for me to make, and it was instant coffee that didn´t tell how much coffee to add to how much liquid, so i proceeded to put the equivalent of what must have been like 3 cups of coffee into my little cup. Needless to say I was a bit jittery this morning, which may have contributed to our getting lost on the walk to school. Sometimes I feel like I´m in Harry Potter except that instead of moving staircases they are moving streets.
Other than that I´ve been stuying, reading, and in class today. I think I might go down to the river with some friends later to check it out. Friday is a holiday here (some saint?) so we don´t have classes, and a lot of people will be at the river or beach then. I think I might go to Italica, which is an old city right next to Sevilla with some pretty amazing Roman ruins, including an old colloseum.
p.s.- please ignore all the typos and misspellings and everything...as i read back i see tons of errors...and i blame it on being in a hurry and hot in this little computer lab.
ok i have to go back to class!!!
later!
Other than that I´ve been stuying, reading, and in class today. I think I might go down to the river with some friends later to check it out. Friday is a holiday here (some saint?) so we don´t have classes, and a lot of people will be at the river or beach then. I think I might go to Italica, which is an old city right next to Sevilla with some pretty amazing Roman ruins, including an old colloseum.
p.s.- please ignore all the typos and misspellings and everything...as i read back i see tons of errors...and i blame it on being in a hurry and hot in this little computer lab.
ok i have to go back to class!!!
later!
May 27, 2008
a rainy day in sevilla is still a beautiful one
It has been raining here a lot...and cold. When we were in El Escorial last week it was raining and so cold...I thought I was going to catch the death (by the way, if you walk ANYWHERE - even in your house- without shoes on, they say you´re going to catch the death). Today I thought it was going to start warming up, but it´s raining outside now. But still SO beautiful. Today was a little more relaxed. My first class isn´t until 1:30, so I was able to wake up late and walk into town at my leisure and take a tour of some Arab-inspired palaces and gardens that were spectacular to say the least. When I got up this morning my host mom was cleaning the kitchen when I woke up - all the furniture pulled out and scrubbing the oven...which is kind of awkward in an apartment that is already teeny tiny. But I grabbed some fresh bread with jam and headed out the door. We finally figured out how to get from our apartment to the school - once you get into the city of Old Sevilla the streets are like a labyrinth and people drive around on mopeds and cars and bikes like crazy. Sometimes the sidewalk is only about a foot wide, and the town is definetely not laid out on a grid system like we´re used to. The school is located in el Barrio Santa Cruz, which is a historic part of town where they Jews were forced to live when all the people of Sevilla decided that it was the Jews who were causing all the disease. So they built a wall and said ok, you can live here. It is truly beautiful, though. There are cathedrals and chapels and synagogues around every corner, and even more often are sweet little bars and cafes where people are always relaxing. One amazing thing I have noticed about Spaniards is that they are always moving but never in a hurry. For lunch today I took my bocadillo that my host mom made me and sat on some steps in a plaza near the school to people watch. I can´t even begin to explain the people here...but they are wonderful. I was an old couple walking down the street hand in hand, and then they stopped and he leaned down and they kissed like hormonal teenagers, and then kept on walking. Then later as I was tomando un cafe con leche two men playing an accordian and a viola stopped by to serenade us. The sound of Spain will always be to me a distant accordian and the ceaseless tap of well-worn shoes on cobblestone streets. And the smell...some mystical combination of fresh bread, beer, rain, and olive oil.
My classes have turned out very well - they are basically the same class but one in is English and the other in Spanish. The English one is the required one for St. Edward´s and covers the history, culture, and current situation in globalization of Spain. The other class is called Cultura y Civilization de España, and it is taught by an energetic professor from Madrid who talks incredibly fast, but by some miriacle I understand about 90% of what he says. I am in heaven here with all the history - it´s truly a 3D history book just walking down the streets. And people here just know so much more about history - they often know more about the history of my own country than I do. I was talking to a guy in a bar about how people in Spain are so proud of where they come from, and that I am usually not very proud of my country. He said that we should all be proud of where we come from, and every country has its good sides and its bad sides. I think the wisdom of thousands of years of inhabitants is suspended in the air of this country and its people know subconsciously something that our young country cannot yet understand. Another interesting point is that the bombing in Madrid two years ago was related to Spain´s close connection with the United States, so that´s also part of the reason why they don´t like Americans so much here. Anyhow, the school that I am attending is an international school, used only by international students because the universities in Spain kind of suck. So apparently many students will only take one class at their main university and then attend small universities for other stuff. And this one is small - a mere sliver in one of the many rows of buildings here. My classrooms are long and narrow - obviously not made to be a classroom. But it is still so beautiful. There is a patio on top of the building from which I can look out across the roofs of the city and see the peaks of cathedrals and mosques. Spain is so amazing (among other reasons) because of the combined influence of the Christians, Jews, and Muslims. At several different points the three religions lived together in harmony. In fact, Toledo was once called the City of Three Communities or something like that because of the presence of these three groups. Tonight I have to study - tomorrow I have a quiz over the provinces and capitals, the mountains, and the rivers of Spain. I don´t even know that much about my own country. At least they only have 17 provinces instead of 51.
My host family is wonderful. It´s still a little bit awkward, but not anything too bad. Our host mom is as sweet as she can be and she talks faster than...I don´t know...something really fast. But she is always checking to make sure we´re happy and asking if she needs to do something else for us, and giving us suggestions of things to do while we´re here. My host dad is not very socialable...I think he has a weird work schedule so maybe he´s just really tired when I see him. My room is really nice: small and pink with a window that looks out into some kind of courtyard. I wish I could upload pictures, but I don´t think I can from this computer. Maybe I can borrow someone´s laptop and put some up. I hope you´re all prepared for a painfully long slideshow when I get back...because I will have TONS of pictures.
que mas que mas....there is so much that I have seen and tasted and felt and thought, I can only scrape the surface with this blog. I hope these posts are not too long to be worth reading...and please send this link to anyone who might want it and doesn´t already have it (mom...could you send it to julie and terry and luci and carl and all the family?). I guess that´s it for now. I have to go buy a notebook and stamps. Stores are all closed from 1-5 for siesta and lunch. What a great idea!!!
much love,
Catie
My classes have turned out very well - they are basically the same class but one in is English and the other in Spanish. The English one is the required one for St. Edward´s and covers the history, culture, and current situation in globalization of Spain. The other class is called Cultura y Civilization de España, and it is taught by an energetic professor from Madrid who talks incredibly fast, but by some miriacle I understand about 90% of what he says. I am in heaven here with all the history - it´s truly a 3D history book just walking down the streets. And people here just know so much more about history - they often know more about the history of my own country than I do. I was talking to a guy in a bar about how people in Spain are so proud of where they come from, and that I am usually not very proud of my country. He said that we should all be proud of where we come from, and every country has its good sides and its bad sides. I think the wisdom of thousands of years of inhabitants is suspended in the air of this country and its people know subconsciously something that our young country cannot yet understand. Another interesting point is that the bombing in Madrid two years ago was related to Spain´s close connection with the United States, so that´s also part of the reason why they don´t like Americans so much here. Anyhow, the school that I am attending is an international school, used only by international students because the universities in Spain kind of suck. So apparently many students will only take one class at their main university and then attend small universities for other stuff. And this one is small - a mere sliver in one of the many rows of buildings here. My classrooms are long and narrow - obviously not made to be a classroom. But it is still so beautiful. There is a patio on top of the building from which I can look out across the roofs of the city and see the peaks of cathedrals and mosques. Spain is so amazing (among other reasons) because of the combined influence of the Christians, Jews, and Muslims. At several different points the three religions lived together in harmony. In fact, Toledo was once called the City of Three Communities or something like that because of the presence of these three groups. Tonight I have to study - tomorrow I have a quiz over the provinces and capitals, the mountains, and the rivers of Spain. I don´t even know that much about my own country. At least they only have 17 provinces instead of 51.
My host family is wonderful. It´s still a little bit awkward, but not anything too bad. Our host mom is as sweet as she can be and she talks faster than...I don´t know...something really fast. But she is always checking to make sure we´re happy and asking if she needs to do something else for us, and giving us suggestions of things to do while we´re here. My host dad is not very socialable...I think he has a weird work schedule so maybe he´s just really tired when I see him. My room is really nice: small and pink with a window that looks out into some kind of courtyard. I wish I could upload pictures, but I don´t think I can from this computer. Maybe I can borrow someone´s laptop and put some up. I hope you´re all prepared for a painfully long slideshow when I get back...because I will have TONS of pictures.
que mas que mas....there is so much that I have seen and tasted and felt and thought, I can only scrape the surface with this blog. I hope these posts are not too long to be worth reading...and please send this link to anyone who might want it and doesn´t already have it (mom...could you send it to julie and terry and luci and carl and all the family?). I guess that´s it for now. I have to go buy a notebook and stamps. Stores are all closed from 1-5 for siesta and lunch. What a great idea!!!
much love,
Catie
May 26, 2008
bienvenidos de sevilla
¡Hola todos!
i´m finally here...breathing Spanish air and savoring every moment of it. Our first several days were spent being tourists. And people here don´t really like Americans...especially American tourists. Probably because we´re stupid and don´t know anything about their country, and usually we don´t even know anything about our own. But that rant is for another day. We flew into Madrid -- the most uncomfortable 8 hours of my life -- where we stayed for two nights. The first day was uneventful, although i did have my first sangria (i dont know how to do accents on this keyboard...i promise its not because i dont know how to spell in spanish) in old madrid, where we were surrounded by 400 and 500 year old buildings, palaces, cobblestone streets, and screaming futbol fans in the pub next door. Everyone walks everywhere here -- and its wonderful. Anyhow, the next day (thursday) in Madrid we toured as a group el Museo Prado, where we focused on the works of Velasquez and Goya. Apparently i´ve seen two of the three most famous paintings in all of europe: Las Meninas by velasquez and some other one with a long spanish namy by Goya. (the third famous painting is the Mona Lisa) The museum was amazing - and overwhelming. i could write about the museum alone for the remainder of my 30 minutes at this computer. Anyhow.....then we had time to get lunch and walk around on our own, which was lovely. Food here is awesome and light. Bocadillos are the typical fare, at least for people like myself who dont like paying more than 5 euros for a meal (thats about equivalent to $7.75). It is a sandwhich of a simple meat or cheese on delicious bread. Simple, light, and wonderful. Americans eat so much and so heavy. Anyhow...then we toured the Royal Palace, which is where the kings lived from like the 1700´s on...but the king doesn´t live there now because it´s too big. It was so impressive. It´s amazing how much money is put in to lavishly furnishing and decorating this one building....who knows what kind of poverty the Spanish people lived in while their king spent his time adding on extravagant rooms for every occasion (including an opium room). Then i saw an egyptian tomb that was donated to spain....and other cool things. (wow...time is running out fast...) Um..Friday we went to el Valle do los caidos (valley of the fallen) named as such because of the thousands of people who died building it under Franco all because the church wouldnt let him be burried with all the other kings because he was a dictator and not a king. You should research it....i cant write more now. It was so eerie and huge and amazing. the view of the mountains took my breath....Then to el escorial, and then to Toldeo. Toledo is amazing. Old, beautiful...tons of history and buildings and everything. i went to a bar that was once a cathedral. it was strange but very fun. the place didnt close until 8am....people stay up so late here! i talked to some pretty attractive spanish guys, danced a lot, but by 3am the smoke and crowds was too much for me. Then yesterday we came to Sevilla and met our host families...mine is adorable. My host sister´s birthday was yesterday! it´s slightly awkward knowing what to do and say....and where to be....but i love it here.
i will write more when i can....now i must go! i love you all!!!!!!!!
i´m finally here...breathing Spanish air and savoring every moment of it. Our first several days were spent being tourists. And people here don´t really like Americans...especially American tourists. Probably because we´re stupid and don´t know anything about their country, and usually we don´t even know anything about our own. But that rant is for another day. We flew into Madrid -- the most uncomfortable 8 hours of my life -- where we stayed for two nights. The first day was uneventful, although i did have my first sangria (i dont know how to do accents on this keyboard...i promise its not because i dont know how to spell in spanish) in old madrid, where we were surrounded by 400 and 500 year old buildings, palaces, cobblestone streets, and screaming futbol fans in the pub next door. Everyone walks everywhere here -- and its wonderful. Anyhow, the next day (thursday) in Madrid we toured as a group el Museo Prado, where we focused on the works of Velasquez and Goya. Apparently i´ve seen two of the three most famous paintings in all of europe: Las Meninas by velasquez and some other one with a long spanish namy by Goya. (the third famous painting is the Mona Lisa) The museum was amazing - and overwhelming. i could write about the museum alone for the remainder of my 30 minutes at this computer. Anyhow.....then we had time to get lunch and walk around on our own, which was lovely. Food here is awesome and light. Bocadillos are the typical fare, at least for people like myself who dont like paying more than 5 euros for a meal (thats about equivalent to $7.75). It is a sandwhich of a simple meat or cheese on delicious bread. Simple, light, and wonderful. Americans eat so much and so heavy. Anyhow...then we toured the Royal Palace, which is where the kings lived from like the 1700´s on...but the king doesn´t live there now because it´s too big. It was so impressive. It´s amazing how much money is put in to lavishly furnishing and decorating this one building....who knows what kind of poverty the Spanish people lived in while their king spent his time adding on extravagant rooms for every occasion (including an opium room). Then i saw an egyptian tomb that was donated to spain....and other cool things. (wow...time is running out fast...) Um..Friday we went to el Valle do los caidos (valley of the fallen) named as such because of the thousands of people who died building it under Franco all because the church wouldnt let him be burried with all the other kings because he was a dictator and not a king. You should research it....i cant write more now. It was so eerie and huge and amazing. the view of the mountains took my breath....Then to el escorial, and then to Toldeo. Toledo is amazing. Old, beautiful...tons of history and buildings and everything. i went to a bar that was once a cathedral. it was strange but very fun. the place didnt close until 8am....people stay up so late here! i talked to some pretty attractive spanish guys, danced a lot, but by 3am the smoke and crowds was too much for me. Then yesterday we came to Sevilla and met our host families...mine is adorable. My host sister´s birthday was yesterday! it´s slightly awkward knowing what to do and say....and where to be....but i love it here.
i will write more when i can....now i must go! i love you all!!!!!!!!
May 18, 2008
About to leave...
So, officially I leave the country tomorrow. What an amazing mixture of bitter and sweet to serve as a send-off!!! An intended "small get-together" turned into all the gang over for the usual: individual pizza masterpieces accompanied by ringing laughter and the inevitable sing-along surrounding a certain music major. I was warding off irritation at the recurrence of such a monotonous and "been-there-done-that" event, until God stepped in and reminded me how amazing friends are and how wonderful it is when we all have the chance to be together. We shared communion and prayer time together, and it was amazing. It has been the highlight of all my time here at home, and to think that the frustrating monotony that plagued me for all my days back in small home town could have been cured in a moment if I did what all my upbringing and storehouse of "right answers" suggested: turn to God!!! I wish I could take all of them to Spain with me -- but at the same time I am excited to be on my own once again. It is like going into freshman year all over again - I don't have any friends on the trip and my family is far far away. But now I have survived a similar experience and grown from it!!! Now I can go into this trip with the knowledge that I can make it, and that I am not alone. As confused as I may remain about who God is and what Jesus means to my life and how I live it, I set forth with full faith that I am truly never alone. My life on earth will all be one great adventure, and I won't truly return home until my body dies. Leaving the country (again) is just one of the many pages in my chapter of the epic book that is life.
And now that I've gone all reflective and philosophical, I'm going to sign off for today. I still have to get a decent amount of sleep and finish packing.
And now that I've gone all reflective and philosophical, I'm going to sign off for today. I still have to get a decent amount of sleep and finish packing.
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