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...