Intensive Spanish Session

So our first week of class is officially over. When they called it an 'intensive' session, they weren't kidding around. Not only do we have class for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week but we also have 3-4 hours of homework each night. Sometimes more. It's a lot more than I was expecting to have, but I've been assured that regular classes won't be this stressful. 


The good thing is that I am learning A LOT. We're reviewing a lot of basic concepts quickly using new business, economic, and accounting vocabulary that we're learning to prepare us for our business classes during the regular session. I'm also trying to forget a lot of vocabulary and concepts that I've learned throughout the years. In the States, we're taught Mexican/Latin American Spanish. Spain Spanish is different in a lot of regards, just as American and British English differ in certain areas. So a lot of what I already know is wrong. 


Our Professor, Miguel, is great. He is nearly fluent in English, which helps when we're confused about certain things. He also speaks English with a British accent, and he uses a lot of British terminology. They are taught British English in Spain, so it's fun to hear him talk. He has also tried to keep the class fun by teaching us a lot of cultural and colloquial phrases such as:


Hacer zapping = channel surfing
Estrenído = constipated
Tener un punto = to have a buzz (from alcohol)
Los chupitos = shots
Un guiri = slang term for a foreigner (I've gotten called this a lot...)
Un trepa = brown-noser or suck-up
Echar una meada viva = to have to piss like a racehorse


Surprisingly, none of these were completely random, they all came up in class one way or another. We've also learned the best Spanish wines to drink, which also just happened to come up during class. I certainly plan to try them all out to add to my cultural experience here in Sevilla. Also, they average 3-4 euros per bottle...which is ridiculously cheap. They include:


Rioja (red)
Ribera (red)
Fragata (white)
Barbadillo (white)
Señorio de Heliche (white)
Pedro Ximénez (dessert wine)


The worst part about the class has been the surveys...we have to approach random Spaniards and ask them about their jobs, political affiliations, opinions on the economy, opinions on the government, etc. Not only is it intimidating but it seems rather intrusive. But at least there's only a week left. Then I get to start my regular classes that I'm actually super excited about!

Map of Sevilla

For your reference, here is a map of Sevilla. I've encircled the different neighborhoods in different colors for your convenience. Black is the Historic Center of Sevilla with winding streets and the most important historical sites of the city. Red is Triana, a rather wealthy, young, fun neighborhood with lots of bars and discotecas. Blue is Los Remedios, green is Porvenir, purple is Nervion (where I live), and yellow is Puerta Osario. I'm not sure of the names and break-down the northern part of the city. The orange dot marks my apartment, the brown dot marks the business school (where I have class), and the navy blue dot marks the CIEE Study Center (where I also have class). I do not live at the outskirts of the city- the map cuts off a lot of the outer part of Sevilla, but it was one of the best I could find!

Getting Settled

So, I officially moved into my homestay on Friday and it has been going great so far. Dolores, my señora, doesn't speak any English but she is very sweet and a fantastic cook. Her son, Carlos, is also very nice but isn't around much. He works at an American school and doesn't seem to have much free time. They also have an adorable dog, Rufo who is always excited to see me. My room is small, but comfortable and I'm already starting to feel at home. I have toast, fruit, yogurt and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast each morning. We eat lunch between 2 and 3 which consists of a simple salad, some sort of Spanish main dish, more fruit and water. Dinner usually isn't until 9, and is a much smaller meal than lunch- more of a late night snack. I don't know what I'm eating half of the time, but it has all been delicious so far and I am starting to settle into the routine. 

Saturday we had a walking tour of Sevilla, which made me feel much for comfortable in the city. It's not a very tall city, but it is spread out and there are lots of winding street in the historic center to get  lost in. Trust me, I already have gotten lost several times. Of course it didn't help that there was a massive protest against the government in the streets during our tour, but it was exciting to see. Saturday night I met up with Paige and we went to a bar across the river in Triana with one of her friends from the Liberal Arts program. I have quickly learned that Spaniards are generally a very friendly group of people- they really enjoy talking to Americans and talking about Spain, and this bar was no exception. 

On Sunday, our group had a tour of the Alcazar, or the royal palace of Sevilla. The Royal family still lives in the top floors of the palace when they are in town, but the gardens and bottom floors are open for visitors. It was a very strange mix of Arab and Spanish, Muslim and Christian influences in the architecture and the decorations but it was gorgeous. And the gardens were magnificent- as everywhere in Sevilla, there were rows upon rows of orange trees which smell fantastic. Later on, a group of us went to an Irish pub to watch the Bears game. It was fun to eat American food and drink American beer while watching American football, I just wish the Bears had made it more worthwhile losing sleep over before the first day of class.

Monday marked the start of our two week intensive Spanish class. It entailed three hours of new vocabulary and Spanish concepts that I haven't studied in years and was slightly overwhelming. But I have heard that this is the most difficult class of the semester, so I just need to push through for a few more days. Today we had class again, and afterwards I went on my first Spanish shopping trip. Spanish retail stores only have sales twice a year- end of January/early February and end of July/early August. So basically I am here at the perfect time to get lots of deals on clothing and shoes. I didn't buy too much today, but I definitely have plans to go back to the mall...

Orientation

Yesterday, I arrived in Sevilla. Finally, after countless forms, applications, requirements, and months of waiting, I’m here! There were around twenty students in my program in the same flight from Chicago. When we arrived in Madrid at eight in the morning, I was excited to see the city but it will still dark out- the sun didn’t rise until after 8:30 am. It was a short flight to Sevilla, and I arrived at the hotel around eleven in the morning. We will be here for the first two days of orientation. The hotel is in Nervión, a neighborhood in the southwest part of the city. For lunch we ate salmorejo, a cold soup made of tomatoes and peppers with ham and hard-boiled eggs on top. It is similar to gazpacho, but slightly thicker. Tomatoes are not my favorite, and neither was this dish. There were also bacon-wrapped medallions and a cake for dessert. It was not a great meal to start the trip...

After lunch a group of us decided to explore the city by going on a mini bar-crawl at places with outside seating. It was a great decision- we soon discovered that drinks are cheaper than water. I tried some sangria in the bar in Nervión and el tinto de verano at the bar en the Centro. Tinto de verano is a mix of red wine and lemon juice with fruit, similar to sangria but not as strong. Then we returned to the hotel for a session about housing and to find out our specific assignments. I am going to live in Nervión on the same street as Irene, my orientation guide. My host-mother is Dolores Gamero Barroso and her twenty-five year old son, Carlos, lives with her. She also has a dog! After another slightly disappointing dinner, I passed out around 10 pm from exhaustion. 

Today is the second day in Sevilla and the second in the hotel as well. This morning I discovered that I love Spanish-style breakfast. They serve a variety of bread, cheese, and deli meat to make sandwiches. They also had a variety of juices, fruits, and cereals. After breakfast, we all went to the Business School for more information on our classes. After a tour of the Business buildings, our group went out to tapas for lunch at a bar in Nervión, one of the neighborhoods in the city. In Spain, lunch is not served until 2 pm and is the largest meal of the day. My favorite dish was Roquefort cheese with raspberry jam. We also had cheese and ham croquettes, a plate of chicken and potatoes, and a skillet dish with vegetables, eggs, and a tomato-based sauce. It was all delicious- my first great meal in Spain!

After a quick coffee with Irene, we had to go back to the hotel for our Spanish interviews. The interview went OK…we’ll see tomorrow when I find out which level of Spanish I placed into. My interviewer, Miguel, was very nice and we had a pretty good conversation. Then, I went on a mission to buy a cell phone. We went to Vodafone and we bought some old-school phones that were very cheap. It was only nineteen Euros for the phone, which included twelve Euros worth of minutes and texting. It will work perfectly for the next few months.

Tonight, we went out for tapas again as a group with Irene. We ate fried chicken, more croquettes, Spanish omelets, sandwiches with ham and white cheese, and a plate of codfish. I enjoyed it all again. After our individual dinners, all of the students went to a traditional Flamenco show. There was a guitar player, a singer, and two dancers as well. It was in a rather small room, almost an interior courtyard, of a hotel. It was not what I was expecting. It was very similar to tap-dancing with a little ballet mixed in. The dance told a story that was quite evident, even though I couldn’t understand most of the lyrics. I just got back from a restaurant for a glass of sangria after the show. And now, it is time for bed.