Way Back When Two Weeks Ago = MESS!
My intensive class became even more intense. (I didn't think it was possible... but it was.) The combination of more surveys, at least one 100-word summary based on an article we read that day, two 600-word essays, and a group project made the week seem insufferable. Luckily the final wasn't as horrible as I feared it would be so my hours of studying on Thursday night ended up being worth it. And, the feeling of walking down the stairs of FCEYE (la Faculitad de Ciencias Economias y Empresariales) and into the warm sunshine of Sevilla was beyond joyful! All in all it wasn't an awful experience though - I loved my professor, and learned a ton of ridiculous phrases and grammatical errors that really will serve me no purpose in life other than for my own entertainment/amusement.
The rest of the week wasn't horrible though - on Monday I had a meeting with my program director about the class that I'll be taking through direct-enrollment with Spanish students and I received some really good news :) Originally I was supposed to stay in Sevilla until the final scheduled for July 23rd. Then I heard I could probably get the professor to let me take the exam in mid June at the start of their finals session instead of on their scheduled date. But on my meeting on Monday Virginia told me that if I pass all of their weekly quizzes I don't have to take to final and will be done with the class at the end of May. On Thursday I toured la Catedral:
When we were standing outside waiting for our tour guide I was harrassed by a gypsy. Luckily, I still look/seem/am American and was able to play the "No Hablo Español" card that Samantha pulls out whenever I try to tell her I love her in Spanish, and that made her leave. Our tour guide gave the tour in Spanish and I have to admit, I felt sort of cool walking around the site and being able to understand the entire tour as well as I understood the British guy giving the tour for a group behind us. The Cathedral in Sevilla is the third largest in the world and was truly beautiful. Christopher Columbus is buried there and it's main altar is made of gold. The coolest part of the tour was la Giralda-
(Yes. I climbed up that. Be impressed!)
La Giralda is an old Moorish tower that is the highest point in the Cathedral - it had 34 levels of sloped inclines that we walked/trudged up and then an absolutely beautiful view of the entire city! (Not going to lie... my calves just about died at the end of it though...) On Friday I had my final for my intensive class - finally, and spent the afternoon napping, and the evening walking through the city enjoying ice cream... it was great way to end a rather stressful week!
I'm in NO WAY a Hippie but I <3 NATURE
My plans for the weekend (as of Friday afternoon) involved adventuring with Calli and Elysha to the cities of Ronda and Marbella. Little did we know, our group grew from 3 to 15, and there were an additional 10+ Americans who I knew (c/o my roommate Kendra and her friends) who were headed towards Ronda but not as hard core as we were to adventure all the way to Marbella. Ronda is a city about a hour and a half outside of Sevilla in the mountains - it was absolutely beautiful! There were horses walking on the streets, and goats in fields off in the distance - I really couldn't have been happier :) We toured everything in a mad rush so we could catch our 6 o'clock bus into Marbella. We saw the Arab baths, a museum of the history of Ronda (complete with cavemen!), and a Moorish Kings museum thing that included a mine tour which really just meant we climbed down hundreds of really steep stairs that we're wet from the condensation and water dripping from the ceiling of the cave/cliff/rock we were walking inside down to the base of the gorge. We walked through a ton of beautiful plazas that were on cliffs/overhangs that let us see the entire countryside. After the first round of running around we stopped for lunch. Half the group went into a plaza to eat and the rest of us found a little restaurant down a semi-dark alley. The 8 of us had a great time and ended up taking nearly 2 hours to eat... Oops! It was a good thing we rushed through everything earlier in the morning or we wouldn't have been able to follow the directions of fellow group member who forgot where we were and said "Relax... You're in Sevilla!... or wherever we are!" After lunch we went to the FIRST BULL RING ever to be in Spain! It was really cool - they let you walk out into the ring and run around like you're a bull. There was a group of Spaniards out in the ring with us who were hilarious and kept running at us and taking group photos with us. (PS: Spaniards in NON-TOURISTY places are a LOT nicer/friendlier/more helpful) than Spaniards that have to deal with stupid tourists (read Americans) on a daily basis)
The bus ride to Marbella from Ronda started out with more action than we could hardly stand. From what Josh (and the rest of us trying to listen in from the back) was able to figure out (he didn't know what bus we were on and got stuck waiting to get on the bus during this fight) there was a woman sitting in one of the front seats who was on the route from Sevilla to Marbella (the bus stops in Ronda to get more people/drop people off) and another woman sat in her seat and wasn't planning on moving... Well, Spaniards appear to be exceptionally particular about their bus seats and wonderful yelling in rapid-fast-venemously-accented-Spanish commenced complete with the required hand gestures :) At one point Armando decided he needed to go run and try to Save Josh from the madness and ended up getting frozen mid-rescue by all the commotion and started yelling, "¡Por Favor!" ... While a valid effort it really didn't phase them at all. Anyways, we left the bus station with the yelling still going strong and ended up stopping about 4 blocks away and the police joined us for the fun aka to get their names. The ride itself was quite fun too though - we were driving down the mountains with super crazy curvy-spiraling roads. Thank God for Jesus (aka Life after Death) and Dramamine! Once we got into Marbella the 15 of us lined up like little ducklings and followed the Mama Ducks (Calli and Elysha) to our hostal. So I stayed in a hostal and didn't die! The owner of the hostal was a Scottish man and there were two Australians, a Russian, and an American (a writer who has actually been publish - I found his book on Amazon.com) and it was surprisingly cleaner than I expected.
The next morning we spent a good hour and half eating breakfast - fresh OJ, delicious cafe con leche, and wonderful toast with marmalade. Afterward we walked down to the beach and watched a little girl throw the squids that her father was snorkeling/diving for on the rocks to knock them out and then shove her fingers in their suction-y mouth things so they would suffocate. Seriously - this girl was insane. Rambo style. There is NO WAY I would have ever done that. In fact the guys in are group were even a bit skiddish of the whole thing. I think the best part of it though was that the family had their pet Yorkie with and it was wearing a sweater and just barking whenever the girl threw a squid down and would try to catch it in it's mouth. Strange sight to see. From there we took a taxi (well 4 taxis because there were 15 of us) down to the marina which was about 6 miles away. Now I would like to say all went well but sadly this was the worst part of my trip. The taxis dropped us of in a round-about type of intersection and naturally our four cars held up traffic and the honking ensued. In the process of paying and getting everyone out of the car I more or less dumped my bag out in the car... and I thought I grabbed everything and ran across the street out of traffic, and a second later I realized I didn't have my camera - at that point my taxi already left and I managed to stop one of our other taxis and got the business card for the company and have called at least every other day asking for news about my camera - so far no luck. Luckily everyone with me had more or less taken the same pictures as me and a few people we're willing and able to give me a much needed hug! The marina was beautiful and the boardwalk-esque area was surrounded by beautiful quartz rocks that had wild-house-cats living in them. A few of the brave cats could be found sunning themselves on the roofs of different yachts (which were huge by the way).
Eventually we managed to pull ourselves away from the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and made it back to the bus station (after making a few more attempts to track down my camera by harassing every taxi we saw) and we were on our way to Sevilla. Of course our departure was dramatic with the bus driver who was determined to get a head start on the long and terrifying drive decided he wanted to leave when his watch said 4:35 rather than when the clock in the station said 4:35 and we pulled out of the station without 4 of our 15 compradres. Luckily, (read: By the Grace of God) the bus driver was distracted by all of the "Americans" yelling, "¡Espere! !Espere! !Hay más vienen!" and nearly hit them as they were running across the street out of the station to chase the bus, and he rather reluctantly let them on. The bus ride wasn't awful. I sat night to a nice Spanish man who spent most of the time sleeping and I was able to read my Bible and just listen to music on my iPod and napped a bit.
Sunday Nights in Sevilla and the ¿Superbowl?
Then I made it back into Sevilla just in time for dinner (9-ish) and while eating I discovered that my Señora and mi hermanita falsa (fake little sister) were going to go to the movie theater to see "Tiana y Sapo" aka the Disney movie "Princess and the Frog." It was a ton of fun. I got to eat popcorn, and they have candy stores outside of the theater where you fill up a bag with gummy candy and you can bring it in with you :) The whole movie-watching experience was a bit exhausting but entirely entertaining. Naturally, the movie was in Spanish and while I understood the gist of everything (I mean seeing that it's a Disney movie based on a Fairy-tale I've definitely read I sort of had a headstart) however I know I missed a lot of the comedy - mi hermanita falsa would turn over to me every 10 to 15 minutes after laughing hysterically and ask me if I thought it was funny, or if I was afraid (when the weird voo-doo spirit things came out), or if I wanted to share my popcorn/candy or if I wanted some of her popcorn/candy. After the movie we went to a restaurant called VIPS where I watched my hermanita falsa turn into my favorite cousin Katie as she completely demolished/polished off an adult sized portion of ribs. After the meal we went back home and I more or less grabbed my keys and left to go watch the Superbowl (at this point it was already 12:30 and well into the first quarter).
I made it to the Irish pub called O'Neills which is right next to my school at the end of the 1st quarter. I was warmly welcomed by pretty much everyone who had been on the Ronda-Marbella trip with me and nearly 80% of the students in my program, along with another million Americans. The game wasn’t all that exciting in the beginning as most of you should know. At half time we all got free hot dogs… which most people were excited about (not me, since hot dogs = gross!) until they found out that the hot dogs came with ketchup, mustard, and MAYO… Even grosser. I stayed until the end of the 3rd quarter (approximately 3:30 am) and crawled into bed for some much needed sleep.
¡…and the REAL(?) classes begin!
On Monday I had my first “real” class at 9 am- International Marketing. It went pretty well, the prof just read through the syllabus and since I had it right in front of me and could read along as he spoke rapid-speed Spanish. After class on Monday I called the taxi company a few times until the woman finally just started hanging up on me, and then I took a siesta and went to Starbucks to read for a little bit. That night I met a nice Portugese woman who trusted me enough to watch her stuff things while she used the restroom. I was a bit disappointed though when she asked me since she asked me in English - I mean do I REALLY seem that out of place/look THAT American? Then I realized the book I was reading was written in English and I was by myself at a Starbucks which really only foreigners do. Oh well.
On Tuesday I had my next set of “real” classes – International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and International Finance. I loved my INCR professor – a really beautiful Spanish woman who is beyond nice and likes to laugh at us silly Americans when we try to answer her questions. Then I went on a grand adventure during my three hour break (since my REAL REAL class that I’m taking with real Spanish students doesn’t start until Feb 16th) with my crippled friend Nikki to find a present for her Mom for when she flew back to the US this past weekend to get her cast off! Then I went to my next class where my IF professor was MIA so the man that teaches the same class in the Fall semester came and presented the syllabus – nothing too exciting there. After I went to buy my textbooks and oh boy does the US have a lot to learn. I mean sure paying 18€ for a three ring binder with colored tabs is a bit outrageous, but seeing as the professor prints off all of the material we need (ie: lecture notes, articles, readings, etc) I think I actually got a pretty good deal. AND my Marketing book was a steal too! Only 8€ for the entire book with includes all the of reading materials, powerpoints of all the lectures and any/all case studies we'll be doing. Seriously Iowa.... get with the program. After classes on Tuesday I met up with Nikki again to continue our shopping spree. We went into pretty much every store on Calle Sierpes and Calle Tetuan that appeared to sell either watches or necklace and when that appeared to be fruitless we began checking all the touristy stores on Avenida de la Constitucion. Sadly we ended the night sans presents... and I was not feeling well.
When I got home I got really sick and skipped dinner (since I didn't think I'd be able to keep in down) and slept. I forced myself out of bed the next morning for class (which was a dumb idea) only to come racing home as soon as the professor starting closing his powerpoint. I spent the rest of Wednesday in bed. My Señora made me grilled cheese and a cup of warm milk with sugar. On Thursday things still weren't looking great but I made it through my first class. Napped during my break. And made it through my finance class (with my awesome and new favorite professor!!!). I was MUCH more excited about things and felt a bit better after IF. We talked about the EU (and for ONCE didn't talk about the depressing Spanish economy) and the different international markets and all things that made me happy. It was a similar feeling to when I visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and was on the floor when the market opened and got SO excited I needed to run off to the bathroom... only this was WAY cooler because it was all happening in Spanish! I went back home, slept some more and by dinner I was feeling much better.
Best Friend = Bad Weather
On Friday morning I woke up and went to a Subjunctive Workshop that my much beloved and missed intensive class professor.... I'm not sure if I learned much but it was great to hang out with Miguel again. I was treated to NOT only a showdown of "Miguel vs. Technology" (the man can't use a computer to save his life) but the patented sweater removal, his Paris Hilton imitation and Brad Pitt comparison. After the workshop I ran out into the pouring rain to find my best friend Laura Hauser who had arrived to come visit for the weekend with her study abroad program in Barcelona. Although she brought the awful cold and rainy weather with her it was wonderful to see her - she had left for Barcelona in the end of December and considering I see her at the very least every other day while at Iowa (and about as frequently back in Orono) there was some hardcore separation anxiety I had to recover from. Luckily her hotel was only a block away from my home-stay. We braved a Noah-esque flood trying to find somewhere to eat lunch, and then she had a tour of la Catedral and I took a nap (still trying to recover from previous illness and make up for the fact that I spent the last 2 hours in 37F rain! GROSS WEATHER SEVILLA!). We meet up with my roommate Kendra and a few of her friends for dinner at a sushi place in Triana (the neighborhood across the river). Once again we braved the rain and the cold but we made it and had a great meal complete with Toblerone and KitKat McFlurrys from McDonalds for dessert.
Saturday I was solo since Laura ditched me for Cordoba and Kendra ditched me for Grenada. I spent a ton of time half-napping/recovering and doing some homework and booking a hotel for my Aunt's visit in April. That night we had planned on getting tapas for dinner but all of the tapas places were full so we ended up getting sushi at a Japanese restaurant by the cathedral. It was DELICIOUS... and much more fun than the night before. There were 5 of us (at a table for 8) and we naturally wanted a group picture. So we asked the two Spanish men waiting for a table since we were sitting right by the door/hostess stand. They obliged (and even took one on more than one camera) as long as they could sit at our table with us. We said sure. The rest of dinner involved English lessons, and all of us pretending to speak Spanish. By the time we had finished and were paying our bill 3 of their friends had come to meet them which meant we made 3 new friends. Once they finished their dinner we left and went on our own merry way - speaking English of course. Laura and I walked through Sevilla for another hour or so before retreating to my house/her hotel for warmth and sleep. On Sunday morning we went to Starbucks for Valentine's Day muffins and coffee and began planning our trip for Semana Santa (sadly the location is still unknown!) and then braved more cold drizzle as we walked through the market of Plaza Nueva and had gross tapas for lunch. Shortly after she headed back to Barcelona and I headed home to warm up. Kendra came back from Grenada later that day and we spent Valentine's Day evening eating Oreos and watching The Holiday!
On Monday I had my Marketing class which was a bit boring, and then spent a couple hours braving the FLOODS with Kendra to try to find notebooks and a cord for her iPod. Instead we found a cute little tea cafe and saved the notebook adventure for today (Tuesday). Later I went to McDonalds with Calli to use their wifi and began planning our trip to Barcelona for the weekend of the 25th. I am officially in love with the Cono con KitKat :) It's only 1€. After doing some quick Google and Wikipedia-style research (PS: I hate that the Financial Times only lets you read ONE article for free a day!!!!) for my classes I watched Practical Magic with Kendra and went to bed... and now onto Today...
martes, el 16 del febrero, 2010. Well, today wasn't exactly great. Mother Nature is hardcore PMS-ing. Seriously, I walked to my first class this morning and was greeted by sunshine... only to find myself walking into a wall of pouring rain a block later (yay for having my handy-umbrella!). My first class was INCR, great professor... enjoyable class. (However I'm beginning to learn that the way to resolve conflict isn't by force? Boy are things different in Spain!) My next class wasn't as great... It was my first session of my class with TRUE SPANISH STUDENTS! Things didn't go so well. Of course I couldn't find the correct classroom and for a minute was about to walk into a HR class until I got up the nerve to ask the girl standing next to me. Then I found my class and walked in just as the professor began to talk. Being the ONLY American in the class everyone stared at me... NOT COOL. And I TRIED really hard to follow everything she said but honestly I don't think I succeeded. I stayed after she finished to ask a few questions (which she didn't exactly answer) and then of course I felt beyond overwhelmed by all of it and felt like crying. Luckily I had a hour before my next class and was able to sit on a bench and write in my journal (in ENGLISH) but OH BOY was it a rough one. Then I had my finance class which made me a LOT happier and I came home, met up with Kendra for our adventure to the Chinese Super Market (read: ultra sketch convenience/grocery/hardware store) and we had some delicious ice cream at a Heladeria. I had the Philadelphia Cream Cheese kind and she had "Crema Cataluna" aka more or less like Creme Brulee. Her's was better.
... AND NOW I'm finally caught up on my blog!
Coming SOON (promise much sooner than the last update!): Ash Wednesday at La Catedral, Round 2 of trying to NOT fail in my Spanish class aka trying not to feel like the New Kid all over again, AND kicking the KitKat McFlurry habit!
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