Saturday, February 2, 2013

Por Fin Estoy Aquí! I Am Finally Here!

Where do I start? I'm here in Sevilla! It is my third day. Saturday!

The flight here was rough for me. I probably slept for a good hour. I traveled from about 11am on Wednesday until about 7am (my time) Thursday. When I arrived, it was about 1pm (Spain time) Thursday, and I just wanted to sleep! My first few hours in the country were spent searching the city for a calling card or phonebooth because our phones weren't working. Finally, I found a phone booth but it would have cost $25 for just 5 minutes. I also found out that calling cards can't be used from a pay phone. I finally got my internet to work on my cell phone and that was when I let everyone know I made it safely.

Above and left: My first time seeing Spain.




The first thing I noticed after stepping off the plane: Palm trees and sunshine!

There are probably 50 students in my program.We had orientation and ate a good meal. Then I got my second wind and I hardly slept on Friday night. My luggage got lost on the way here, but finally showed up to the hotel around midnight. I was laying in bed and was thirsty so without thinking, I drank some water from the faucet.. Mistake. The water in Spain is not contaminated by any means, but the instructors suggest that we don't drink it for the first few weeks. It often makes students sick.





 My hotel room was much like a hotel in America.  I quickly learned that the lights shut off after a few seconds of opening the door if you don't put your key in the little slot! Brilliant!


















Friday, we had to get up early and take a placement test. Let me tell you, the result of a few nights of no sleep + homesickness + emotions + drinking water from another country is definitely not a clear mind. I couldn't focus on my test at all. My head was spinning and I just wanted to sleep! We got to meet our host families around lunchtime, which is about 3pm in Spain. My family is better than I could have imagined. They are kind people. At first, I was shy and nervous. My mind was overloaded and I couldn't understand or communicate at all. It is getting better though.


Later, we had a meeting at our school. After the information session, I was heading back to my house and I got lost. Let me tell you, the streets in Seville are NOT parallel. It is extremely hard to follow a map here. Most of the streets are called "Calle ____," "Avienda____" or "Virgen de_______." This makes it hard to remember which ones you have seen, and which ones you are looking for. Plus, there are no street signs. All names are on the buildings. You have to scan each corner to find the sign. I was lost for four hours.. alone (SORRY!). I was around people though, and I didn't feel threatened as long as
I wasn't secluded from people.
(The street sign is on the building. Look at the picture!)



Everything is different here. The streets are so different. Right now, there is una huelga (a strike) going on in the city, so there is trash everywhere.
 Check it out (I love this interview): http://vimeo.com/groups/travelhd/videos/58700770






My fellow Americans, you know nada about a foreign car until you've been to a foreign country!

You tell me what these street signs mean! 



La Plaza de España
                                                          This place is so beautiful!



In closing, the people here are very different from what I have seen so far. They all dress very nice. You wouldn't catch a spainard out in sweat pants, like you would most Americans. Lots of women wear heels. Almost all of them do, actually. They walk down cobblestone and brick roads like that all day and night. I don't understand how they do it! No one wears sandals or bright colors. There are hardly any blondes and the majority of people are slender.. You can imagine how hard it is for me to blend in here.

Anyways, I need to go explore and learn the language of love! I'll keep posting!

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing cousin! It is good to hear you are ok. Glad to hear you are adjusting kind of quickly after your first few bumps in the road. I'm also really glad to hear you are with a nice family. Enjoy it as much as possible.... it's not everyday you get an opportunity like this! Have fun and be safe!
    Love ya!
    Michelle

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  2. Catrina, first I am so jealous of you right now! You are going to experience what most people hope and dream of doing one day! You are a beautiful and smart girl! I'm sure after just a week everyone there will love you just as much as we all do here! I'm so proud of you! I live seeing the pictures oh and good luck on trying to figure out what the street sings mean because I'd be lost too! Can't wait to hear and see more of your adventure! Love you lots and be safe as we are all worried but happy for you!

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  3. I am super proud of you! Love you! Stay Safe!

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  4. I went to your school in Spring 1992. CCCS posted a link to your blog on Facebook. Reading your experience the first few days of being there really brings back memories.
    By the way, it won't stay cold very long. By March we were swimming in the ocean. By April it was hot, and I had a pretty long walk (I lived across the street from the train station Sevilla Santa Justa).
    You have a lot if awesome things ahead of you in Seville: Semana Santa and Feria. I didn't really get into Feria, but I loved Semana Santa.
    Also, you should definitely take the bus to Santiponce and visit Italica at least once during your stay. It's only a 15 minute ride.
    I've been back to the school on calle Harinas several times over the years. It's double the size now. The building to the right that is now part of the center wasn't part of the school when I went there. Only the building with the courtyard on the left.

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  5. One more thing, try to make friends with at least one spaniard. I did and that's how you learn the most Spanish. It's been over 20 years and we are still super close friends. I've been back to Sevilla 5 times and she's come to the United States twice.

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