It's a small world, after all

Last day of intensive session, woooo!

I woke up this morning early to study and then went to class to take the exam! IT WAS SO DIFFICULT! It's hilarious because our teacher thinks the exams are so easy but they are ridiculously hard to everyone in the class. It was13 PAGES. We had 2 listening sections, to write a cover letter in spanish, read a spanish article and answer questions, lots of random vocab and more, I was brain dead by the end of that exam!

So, a bunch of people from class went to a mexican restaurant to celebrate finishing the class. I was again disappointed by the poor customer service by our waiter. Also, a few of us got our meal before our drinks...I think they have things a little mixed up here!

After that I roamed around La Plaza Nueva with some friends. One of my friends from Madison now lives in a city about an hour from Sevilla and she told me she was coming to Sevilla this weekend. We were able to reunite in the plaza and chat for a little bit! While I was talking to her I heard some one else say my name, I turned and initially didn't recognize this girl, but then realized it was a girl from my hometown! I had gone to school with her from kindergarten to the end of high school and I couldn't believe that she recognized me and that she is studying abroad in Sevilla also! SMALL WORLD.

Anyway, I went home and had dinner with Virginia, which was fabulous. Then I did a little exploring of Spanish nightlife but headed home pretty early because I was so exhausted from my lack of sleep and lots of studying this past week!

Sending Smiles From Sevilla,

Rebecca

My friend Laura from UW-Madison! Planned reunion in Sevilla!

Shannon from my elementary/middle school/ high school days! Representing MG in Spain!

My post final treat! It was like cold stone except with froyo, I got Ferrero Rochet as my mixing!

Dinner: Fried peppers and zuchini, pasta and a beautiful fruit salad!

Hit the books... and the cafes...

It's been a crazy week of studying filled with all this:

-an essay on internet sales and marketing
-an essay on The Spanish Brand 
-a presentation on Spain's vs. the United State's healthcare system
-an exam on everything we learned this week! 
   
I guess they don't call it intensive for nothing!

Something I forgot to mention (mainly directed towards my co-workers back at the advising office) -- one day in class we discussed resumes and cover letters and it was fun to learn how to say everything in Spanish! However, they do resumes a little, actually a lot, different here in Spain. So, when I volunteered to answer questions (that I definitely knew the answer to after an entire semester of training and advising), she told me I was wrong. So, now I understand the differences between the Spanish and American resumes!  For example, they don't use reverse chronological order. Shout out to all my fellow career advisors back at the advising office in Grainger hall! I'm having a great time being diverse in Spain and look forward to coming back and being able to review Spanish resumes...even though that will probably never happen. Miss you all!

They still haven't given us a wi-fi code at the business school, so I'm unable to study there...that would be a serious #GraingerProblem back in Wisco (Not sure how we would solve that one Mel)! My apartment has wi-fi but it's also freezing and if I try to study in my bed, I will most definitely fall asleep! Therefore, the only place I can get wi-fi is at cafes, however, you can't go to a cafe and just use the wifi, you have to buy something... check out the pictures to see what I treated myself to today!

Sending Smiles From Sevilla,

Rebecca

On my way from class at the business school to El Centro to study-- I stopped and sat on a bench by this lovely fountain so I could eat my PB&BANANA sandwich!

My Very-Mini-Mocha to accompany my essay writing this morning before class

Sangria to accompany my post-class study session

(Just trying to live the Spanish life)

Dinner: Rice Soup, Pasta, Red Peppers

Inefficiency

I'll warn you up front, this post will be a rant. I recently read a traveler's blog post that talked about not having to love everything about your host country and that it's ok to be angry with some aspects of life abroad..so here it goes..

First, I love Sevilla, Spain, Europe, it's a beautiful and wonderful place. 

Second, everything here is so inefficient it drives me insane. As someone who had her days planned out by the hour, it's really frustrating when things take longer than they should.

I have numerous examples of these inefficient experiences and I'll share some of them with you in this post.

1. Customer Service in stores. There is usually one person working at the counter, even though there are at least three cash registers. There is barely anyone willing to help you in the store and it takes forever to check out.

2. My tours with CIEE. We went the most round about ways when getting showed around the city. It was not helpful at all and most definitely a waste of time. Additionally, the day we toured the business school we had to sit around for hours while other people had their Spanish interview. They didn't know what to do with us so we literally just sat in a hallway. We could have slept in an extra 2 hours or done something more productive.

3. Class time. There is no structure to the classes and some days I couldn't even tell you what we accomplished in the three hour time period. Today, my group gave our presentation. It was supposed to be 40 minutes but it lasted over 90 minutes because she kept asking us and the rest of the class questions. The other group that had to present barely had enough time.

4. Restaurants. It takes forever for them to bring you the bill. You usually have to ask them a few times.

5. Tonight. CIEE organized an event for us the American students to meet Spanish students. We were supposed to go to find an "Intercambio" or spanish friend that you meet up with once a week to work on your spanish with. It was at 10:00 PM and when we got to the hotel that the event was at, we had to wait in line for over 90 minutes. We were literally standing outside waiting for that long. Once we got inside they wouldn't let us into the room where everyone was mingling until more people left. Once they finally let us in it was basically all American students and very few Spanish students. It was nearing midnight and we were so frustrated that we left the hotel and headed back home.

If you can't tell, I'm a little on edge right now. There is nothing that frustrates me more than wasting time, especially when I have an essay due Friday along with an exam on Friday.

Positive things that happened today: I caved again. This time I caved by going to TGIFs and getting guacamole and chips. Someone told me I sounded fluent, I don't believe it, but I'll take the complement. My brother Paco came over for dinner and we discussed American music!

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

TGIF. I missed guacamole so much.

Dinner: Chicken, pasta, a cold potato salad type thing (not bad, but not amazing)

Even though the night was a bust, a least we got a selfie with La Giralda

Ba Ba Americano

I caved. and by caved, I mean, I wore yoga pants. I was trying so hard to be more fashionable and not wear sweats and a t-shit like I would most days in Madison, but that time had to come soon enough. And yeah, I was probably the only person in Sevilla wearing yoga pants, or even leggings for that matter, but boy, was it comfortable. I didn't really care how "American" I looked today.

Anyways, I think I compensated for the American outfit today by finally purchasing a jacket! I found a nice one that was very reasonably priced! Only around 30 American Dollars for this gem. I'm not sure if I look more European wearing it, but I definitely look less American than when I wore my North Face.

I tried something new for dinner tonight. It was a flauta, basically a tortilla with cheese and ham in the middle. I did not like the ham part of it! There was also the soup that I love, so I ate all of that!

After dinner I talked to Virginia for a while, we became official friends on Facebook, and I introduced her to the world of Pinterest. We played the google picture game: I say a word and if it doesn't have a spanish translation, I google a picture of it and show her. It's usually a picture of food...She is going to understand America so well by the time I head back home! We also had a thorough conversation about what Smores are and I explained how they are a staple to American culture.  I plan on making some for her sometime in the near future, she needs to experience the wonderfullness! (along with Rice Krispie treats and a million other American desserts!)

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

My new European-ish (fake) leather jacket!

Dinner: Flauta with ham and cheese, red peppers, soup with croutons, bread and cheese. and peaches for dessert!

The Food of Spain

I anticipated a huge struggle to find food that I would enjoy in Spain, but the struggle hasn't been that bad! Virginia is constantly preparing me delicious (usually vegetarian :) ) dishes that although are probably drenched in olive oil, are absolutely delicious.

I won't tell you about the plain, simple meals that I've been eating (because I mention them in every post), but rather what normal Spaniards eat!

HAM = LIFE. Walk down the street and sneak a peak into any restaurant or cafe and you'll see ham hanging on the walls, above the counters, everywhere. It really grossed me out at the beginning of the trip, but now I'm starting to get used to it...just kidding, it's still gross.

Seafood: another thing I'm not a fan of. They love it here, considering they live not too far from the ocean! Paella (a rice dish with seafood) is a staple food for Spaniards. When I was in Cadiz and we went to the market there was an abundance of fresh fish just laying on the tables! I struggled to deal with the sight of the fish just sitting there and the smell of the entire market! I am such a baby when it comes to fish markets, I really can't stand them!

Olive Oil: This is one of the few things I'm a huge fan of here. These Spaniards love their olive oil. They put it on just about everything! I'm a huge fan of just putting it on toast in the morning for breakfast. Since they don't have bagels and cream cheese here, I've decided toast and olive oil will be my substitute breakfast for the next few months! Other than on bread, Virginia likes to cook all vegetables, meat, and more in olive oil, she also puts it on salad! I'm not complaining, this stuff is great.

Wine: It's fabulous here. Need I say more?

Coffee: STRONG. Also, in my post yesterday I mentioned getting a chai tea latte and it coming with a piece of chocolate. Well, today I went to a different cafe, ordered a latte and it also came with a piece of chocolate. Then I read the packaging of the chocolate and it said that I should put let the chocolate melt inside my drink! I guess that's a thing here, and I'm a fan of it. 

Bread: Considering bread is one of my main food groups, along side fruit and chocolate. I'll have to say that I love their obsession with bread! Virginia always has bread accompanying every meal and it's always around the house throughout the day. This is slightly dangerous considering I'm obsessed with bread. It's a problem.

Oranges: Yes, they're on all the trees around but I can't eat those! However, we always eat oranges here! They are THE BEST oranges I have had in my entire life. We eat them after every meal for dessert, I think it's tradition. A funny thing is that they don't peel them with their hands, they use a knife to cut off the rind! Francisco was teaching me the correct way to eat an orange yesterday, he was very insistent that I do it a certain way! 

FOOD FOOD FOOD. YUM. 

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

So of course, I'll leave you with some food pictures from the day.

Cafe con leche with a little piece of chocolate to mix in!

Dinner: Sautéed broccoli with olive oil and garlic, more spaghetti, some soup, bread and cheese! 

Las Ruinas de Italica

I was about to take a shower this morning and when I slid open the door it completely fell off the track. So, I'm attempting to lift of this huge pane of glass and get it back on the tracks but I could not figure it out for the life of me. Thankfully, Francisco came to the rescue and was able to fix it!

Virginia made an awesome breakfast (photo and description below) and then I left for a field trip to the Italian Ruins. It was super neat! First, we went to a museum where there were recreations of what the palaces used to look like and then we went to the actual site of where they were located. The arena was my favorite thing to wander around but the ruins of the palace were really interesting as well. Something cool that I learned today was that the days of the week (in Spanish) were named after different gods and goddesses. The palaces were huge and I learned a lot more about the ruins but I don't want to bore you too much with a bunch of nerdy facts!

I arrived back home in time for lunch with Virginia and Francisco. Virginia killed it again with an awesome lunch, photos below! I took a nice sunday siesta and then went to a cafe to work on my essay!

I love chai tea lattes and I found a great place to get them today! The chai was amazing and they serve all drinks with a piece of chocolate! This place already has my loyalty. For my essay I had to interview random people about E-commerce so I talked to a student at the cafe and then started writing my paper!

I had a wonderful dinner with Virginia and now we are watching a TV show! Their TV shows here are a lot longer than they are in the states, this one lasts around 90 minutes!!

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

I promised some quotes in this whole blog thing but I haven't quite kept up with that. My friend Becca sent me a list of quotes from this Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and I really liked this one! 

“Maybe happiness didn’t have to be about the big, sweeping circumstances, about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures… Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks—the traffic signal that said “Walk” the second you got there—and downticks—the itchy tag at the back of your collar—that happened to every person in the course of a day. Maybe everybody had the same allotted measure of happiness within each day.” 

― Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Arena/ stadium!

Some columns in the ruins!

Breakfast: Pan frita and cola cao for breakfast with Virginia and Francisco!

Lunch: My first paella (rice with peppers, onions and chicken). I didn't really like the chicken part but the rice was delicious! The peppers were also great!

Dinner: Spaghetti with olive oil and garlic, mini pizzas with ham (I actually kind of liked the ham..but there was only a little bit on it!) and a beautiful fruit salad for dessert!

Cadiz!

Welp, all I have to say is I'm glad I have the best host mom ever.

I must have turned my alarm clock off in my sleep, which never happens because I usually wake up before my alarm goes off! Anyways, I hear a knock on my door and my name at 8:30 am. I was supposed to meet a group from my program at the university at 9:00 am. If Virginia didn't wake me up, I definitely would have missed the bus! She even had a bocadillo (sandwich with tortilla Espanola), fruit, a juice box, and a treat all packed up for me. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my bagged lunch, thanked Virginia a million times, and ran over to the university. 

I made it in time and took a nice nap on the bus ride there. Cadiz is about 90 minutes south of Sevilla on the coast! We took a tour of the city and I learned lots of historical information about Cadiz! It's actually the oldest city in Europe (if I understood the tour guide correctly). It's kind of difficult to go on tours in Spanish because it's so easy to zone out and miss something completely! However, I know it's helping me learn the language!

After our tour we had some free time to roam around. We went back to the market, looked around, and grabbed some snacks! Then we went over by the beach and walked out on this large piece of land that went into the ocean. Sorry, that was a terrible description, but the pictures should help you understand! We soaked up the warm sun for the rest of our time in Cadiz. It was wonderful to finally get some color on my skin...even if it is a little red. I've got to remember my SPF 80 next time! 

I got back to Sevilla in time for dinner and I met my brother's girlfriend! Unfortunately, I could not understand her when she told me her name.. whoops. Daddy Francisco is back for the weekend so it was wonderful chatting with him! I learned that many years ago the transformed their living room into a discoteca (club); there are colored lights along the sides of the ceiling and a hook for a disco ball in the middle of the room. Apparently, this was the place to party! He said he's going to put the party room together and show me what it's like with all the lights and the disco ball. This man is hilarious. 

Dinner was great, as always, and I had some wonderful spanish conversations this evening! 

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

A beautiful church in Cadiz!

Fresh fruit at the market in Cadiz!

The beautiful ocean!

The boardwalk type structure! 

Dinner: Chicken with red peppers, chicken croquetas, salad and bread.

Dessert: FABULOUS. Cut up strawberries and kiwis soaked in fresh squeezed orange juice! One of my favorite things so far! :)

Los Examenes

My first Exam!

I don't think I would have done well on that test if it was in English...so the fact that it was in Spanish made it even more difficult. Talking about taxes, the Spanish economy, and the unemployment crisis isn't easy in any language. I struggled  in Econ at UW-Madison, so I figured this wouldn't go so well. My friends also thought the exam was difficult, so hopefully there will be a generous curve to help us all.

To celebrate finishing the exam, I went to get lunch with two of my friends. We went to a little chain restaurant around here called Cien Monteditos, which means 100 little sandwiches. They have 100 combinations of different sandwiches, most of them involve meat, but I was able to find some veggie ones! And they are all ONE EURO! So I had two little sandwiches and some gelato to celebrate being half-way done with this Spanish class.

Virginia made an amazing dinner tonight. She made me artichoke hearts sauteed in olive oil and garlic with pasta. It was one of the best meals I've had here.

I spent the rest of my night exploring the Sevillan nightlife and becoming more acquainted with the bar scene. I still cannot believe how late people stay out here. They are up wayyyyyy past my bedtime. I cannot keep up with these crazy spaniards! 

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

Eating at Cien Monteditos-- look at how cute and tiny the sandwiches are!

The most wonderful dinner from Virginia!

La Plaza Nueva, where I enjoyed some gelato and some sun!

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

My house is your house:

The Spanish saying is true here. When I walked into this home, Virginia told me this and that I should treat this place as if it were my own home.

Since today wasn't too exciting, just finished my essay and studied for my exam that's tomorrow, I thought I'd do an entry on my home.

I live in an apartment in a part of Sevilla called Nervion. My section of the city is basically known for the shopping center. There is a big mall/ plaza about a 10 minute walk from my apartment with many clothing stores and restaurants. There is also a Corte Ingles (basically a Macy's) pretty near by.

Just me and Virginia are living here, but it's a pretty big place for just the two of us! There is a kitchen, living/ dining room, three bedrooms, an office, and two bathrooms.

I really like my bedroom; I've got TWO twin beds and a wonderful closet!

Also, side-note about today: I am finally starting to understand the city! I was so proud of myself for being able to navigate through the tiny streets in el centro without getting lost!

Sorry for this quick post, gotta get to studying! but I've attached some pictures below to give you a better idea of where I'm staying!

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

The Apartment!

The beautiful living room. The table with the blue tablecloth is where we eat. We sit on the couch and sofa chairs and put the blue cloth over our laps because there is a heater under the table. The apartment is generally pretty chilly!

The kitchen! This is where I eat breakfast and prepare my PB&J sandwiches! Also, this is where Virginia does the laundry! There is a clothes washing machine right between the oven and dish washer. No dryer though-- ALL clothes are dried the old fashioned way...hanging on the balcony! Not sure if I want everyone seeing my underwear...but that's how they do it here!

My warm and cozy bed!

And another bed in case I decide to switch it up!

The most amazing closet ever. I'm in love.

STUDY abroad

The time has come..I knew it would eventually...studying.

It's easy to forget that I actually have to do this whole "School" thing while staying in this amazing city. Well, they don't call it an intensive session for nothing. I have an essay due this Friday along with an exam. The essay is about the unemployment crisis in Spain and we have to interview random people and ask their opinions about the situation. I went up to some students in the university, a mom and her daughter at a cafe, and two other students at a cafe. It was super interesting to listen to everyone's opinions on the situation. I also felt a little smart having such deep conversations in Spanish, I can tell my Spanish is improving! I approached the last "interviewees" with a friend and the students we talked to were studying law and had such strong opinions about the crisis and government problems. They were really excited to share their thoughts so we talked to them for probably over 30 minutes! I feel like such a nerd but it was so cool to learn about their ideas for how to grow Spain's economy.

After talking to them for a while, I met one of my friends at a cafe in el centro and started writing my essay. I had a glass of wine while studying and the cafe played Jack Johnson music. I have never enjoyed studying so much. Speaking of American music, they play it everywhere! In all the stores, restaurants, cafes... American music is always playing! Makes me feel a little more at home.

I got home for dinner and Virginia had prepared something new for me to try. It was called Tortilla de Queso, basically an egg with cheese in it. I tried it and while it wasn't the most fabulous thing ever, I ate most of it and would probably eat it agin.

Also, side-note: I went on a run this morning and did NOT get lost. SUCCESS.

Sending Smiles from Sevilla,

Rebecca

This is the Business School at the University of Sevilla. This is where I have my intensive session and I'll have my business classes here as well! Apparently, it used to be a women's prison! Also, those stairs are quite the exercise... three big flights to get to my class. It almost rivals Bascom hill!

Dinner! Tortilla de Queso, pasta, and of course break! With an orange for dessert (as always).

My study materials at the cafe. Not too exciting of a picture..but this is life.

Thinking In Spainish

One week here and I'm already thinking in Spanish! It's crazy how my brain is adapting so quickly!

This morning was full of a few funny mishaps. I started my day off with a run to try to discover a little more of Sevilla. I ran through the Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa. Everything was so beautiful; I struggled to run through the park because I kept stopping to take pictures! I decided to try out a new route home, which of course led to me getting lost. This time I even had to stop people on the street and ask them which way I needed to go to get to the street I live near. The few people I asked were very nice but they looked at me like I was crazy and said "Es muy muy lejos!" (It's very very far!) Somehow, I came across the university and was able to find my way back from there!

Once arriving back at the apartment, I put my key in the door but it would not open! I made sure I was at the right place, which I was, and kept fidgeting with the key but it would not work! I then realized there were doorbells outside the apartment, I remembered which floor I lived on but I couldn't remember if I lived in A or B. I took a guess and went with A... wrong. So then I tried B and Virginia rang me up. She said that the door must be broken, hopefully that gets fixed soon!

I took a quick shower before class, but after getting out of the shower I realized there was no towel in the bathroom. Virginia did the laundry yesterday and must have forgotten to replace my towel. So, I took the small hand towel and attempted to cover myself as much as possible to get back to my bedroom. I thought the coast was clear but once I opened the bathroom door, Virginia came over to ask me something and then started laughing because she realized that she forgot to give me a towel. She quickly ran and grabbed me one and we both chuckled.

Class today was fine, my teacher Ana is pretty funny. She is from Sevilla and speaks Spanish and German, not too much English. She is always asking us about how things work in America. We talked about Sales Tax today and I learned that they include sales tax on everything in Spain. Also, if you're visiting Sevilla, at some stores you can get your sales tax refunded, but this process sounded like a lot of work! Ana was so confused when we explained to her that they add sales tax at the cash register in America, but in some states there is no sales tax. She also thought it was weird that even though she would only visit the states, she still had to pay the tax! We told her to go to the Mall of America for a sales tax free experience!

We also learned about the Spanish Economic Crisis and I packed a PB&J for lunch which was fabulous. I honestly don't know what I would do without the jar of peanut butter that I packed.

After class, I explored more of the city with some friends. We found this restaurant and ordered a margarita pizza which although looked just like a regular cheese pizza, it was surprisingly, really good! We also stopped in a grocery store where I found what seems to be the European version of a Wonderball. It was fabulous and made me all nostalgic!

For dinner Virginia made me some noodle soup with croutons (delicious), mixed veggies (so-so), and chicken. She also bought tons of fresh fruit which makes me so happy :)

Sending Smiles From Sevilla,

Rebecca

Dinner from Virginia!

European Wonderball!

A view from an exploration-- across the river! 

A few pictures from my run in the park! 

This one reminded me of secret garden!

First Day of School!

Well, kind of school. These next two weeks I'm in an intensive spanish class for three hours a day. My class is from 12:30-3:30, which is prime lunch and siesta time, but I can't complain because I am finally able to sleep in a little. I'm going to attempt to designate a portion of my mornings to going on runs around the city. This morning I went on a run through the small, winding, cobblestone streets of el centro. Of course, I got lost. The worst part of getting lost is thinking that you know where you're going, but when I found myself passing the exact same cafe three times I knew something was wrong. Eventually, I found my way out of the corn maze and made it home for breakfast.

Class was not too bad; there are 15 of us and we spent most of the three hours getting to know each other. It is a long time though! I can barely sit through a 50 minute class at Madison so this is going to be a challenge.

After class I stopped by the mall to find a jacket. My North Face coat screams "American,"so I'm trying to find something a little more fashionable. Originally, I thought that Sevillans would be able to spot me out right away as an American, due to my pale skin, but the city is very diverse. I've seen many people that are tan, pale, blonde, brunette, and even some gingers! Hopefully, once I become a little more fashionable, I can blend in as a Sevillan as well! Sadly, I didn't find a jacket that I loved, but the quest will continue!

This evening I had pasta, salad, and bread and relaxed with Virginia. I also had some homework- yuck! The days are going to start becoming more routine, which makes me happy, as I really like being on a schedule! 

Sending Smiles From Sevilla,

Rebecca

At attempt to display the very confusing street in "El Centro" in Sevilla.
Yes, cars drive down these streets. No, the don't stop for anyone.

Sunday Funday

Francisco and Virginia took me out for churros and cola cao (hot chocolate) this morning. They gave me a little tour of the neighborhood and Virginia showed me where she used to live. We also stopped in the church, which was absolutely beautiful. Virginia said there are synagogues around as well. 

This afternoon I took a tour of Alcazar, a large, gorgeous palace that was built many many years ago by Christians and Muslims. It was breathtaking and had so much history to go with it. After the tour and taking many pictures, I went to get tapas with a few friends. At the tapas restaurant, we didn't realize that the water and bread both cost money! I guess that's a difference from the states!

This evening I took it easy and relaxed with Virginia. She made a frozen pizza (so clutch) and sautéed green peppers! We then watched a spanish comedy TV show, they talk very fast so it was hard for me to understand most of it! I have my first class tomorrow so hopefully I'm prepared!

Sending Smiles From Sevilla,

Rebecca

There were beautiful peacocks roaming around in Alcazar. Those birds are awesome.

Virginia and the wonderful dinner she made for this evening. I missed frozen pizza so much.

Breakfast! These are two different types of churros, both delicious. 

The church we stopped in! 

 My tapas lunch: fried goat cheese with tomato sauce on toast with olive oil.

A selfie in Alcazar