a wonderful winter

Ok, I have truly failed as a blogger, clearly this is not my calling. It would be entirely impossible to completely update you on everything that has happened since my last entry, ahem....November, but I will do my best and give you a whirlwind update.

December was a crazy month packed with holidays, saying goodbye to semester friends and welcoming my family to Seville. At the beginning of December I went to Madrid with my friend Kassie and fulfilled a lifelong dream of seeing some of the world's best foortball (soccer) players play no more than 20ft in front of me. It was en epic struggle to get the tickets but in the end we suceeded, truly an experience I will never forget.

 For Christmas I was fortunate enough to have most of my family come visit, Greg, Kevin and my mom made the trek across the water only for their first visit to be the Madrid hospital. Kevin had a bad tonsel infection and a first hand expereience with Spanish public hospitals, while my mom translated for the doctor. But after that minor glitch we were off, touring Sevilla, Granada and Madrid which couldn't have been any better. Greg and Kevin were pretty excited about the nightlife and the discotecas, and mom took full advantage of siesta. All in all it was a perfect vacation and I couldn't have been more grateful to have had them here with me.

 January was definitely a month of travel and final exams...Luckily, my dad had some vacation time so he came to visit me at the end of January.  We toured Sevilla, Madrid, Toledo and Segovia, but before leaving Seville, Steve managed to make more friends in 3 days than I have in nearly four months (sin español), no surprise there. At one point during our stay in Sevilla, I had to go teach an english class, leaving Steve to his own devices, when I returned to find he was not taking his usual siesta I called him only to hear him say, "I'm looking for chorizo con chocolate!".....chorizo is a typical type of sausage here in Spain, very rich, but definitely not for chocolate. In a valiant effort to improve his Spanish, he unknowingly confused chorizo (meat) with churro, (delicious donut type dessert, perfect for chocolate). Needless to say, he did not in fact find chorizo con chocolate.

After saying goodbye to my dad, and frantically scrambling to study for exams, I made it through the final week. I had 3 days of rest and now I'm back to a new semester with a whole new smattering of classes. Now that I have been through the chaos that is the University of Sevilla, I feel a little more comfortable having jumped these hurtles once before. Classes are still just as confusing, the Spanish is almost effortless and life could not possibly be better. 

we no speak americano

Tonight, while out for tapas, my friend Cristina told me the most wonderful thing I have heard since arriving here in Spain, 'Megan, tu estás perdiendo tu acento!' she told me I am losing my American accent, I could have died right then and there and been absolutely content! Never, did I think I would ever shake this harsh accent; the fluidity still needs some work, but after such a long week it was such a relief to hear this. The last few weeks I have really been separating myself from my American friends in an effort to spend more time with my Spanish friends, which has definitely been difficult and seemingly counter intuitive, but it is really starting to pay off!

Despite my recent improvements, I don't think I will ever be ready for my upcoming project. In my Cultural Anthropology class I'm told I have to give a 1 hour group presentation, yikes!! When the teacher began to read the names of the groups aloud, she obviously stumbled through my name, and I reluctantly raised my hand to confirm my presence when I noticed 90 pairs of eyeballs curiously staring at me. While I expected this, I had not anticipated what it would really feel like. I too have been the one to stare, and their curiosity is expected, but wow, so much for trying to blend! Anyone who knows me well, knows that attracting the attention of more than 2 people is not preferable and certaintly not 90; and now that I am literally the only foreigner in all of my classes, (my French friend had to switch classes), standing out doesn't even begin to describe the awareness of my presence in the classroom. On the plus side, being the only foreigner does wonders for my Spanish, it's amazing how quick you learn when there is truly no other option!

Although, every day brings new challenges. I can finally understand someone even when they manage to squeeze two sentences of information into what seems to be two words, I still have not mastered the difference between ser and estar, two very common verbs with the same definition but VERY different meanings. For example, during a meeting with my program advisor, José Luis, I accidentally told him that I thought my Human Geography professor was very attractive, when really, I meant to tell him I thought he was a good professor. You have to understand that José Luis is always very composed, as he is used to working with Americans who constantly butcher the Spanish language, so when he began laughing uncontrollably at my response, I knew I must have made a pretty hilarious mistake.

Overall, I have nothing but good sentiments, I have an amazing host family with whom I have decided to stay with for the entire year. I live in a great area of town where the people who work at the café down the street know me by name, and my Ducks are #1 in the country, what more could I ask for?

Photos from Morocco!

To see the whole album go to www.lavidasevillana2010.shutterfly.com

Morocco

I promise I have not abandoned my blog! October has been a busy month, between classes, work and travel it has been hard to squeeze in some time to recap. And yes, I did say work,  I was lucky enough to have found a job teaching private English classes through a business here in Seville! So far I teach one private class per week, I get to create my own curriculum and essentially teach whatever the student wants to learn. My current student is working on improving her converstional English, which is a blast, because one of the best ways to learn conversation skills is through games. I'm hoping to get some more classes to teach once my own class schedule calms down a bit.
This past weekend I visited Morocco with a student tour group, we made it to Chefchaouen, Tetuan and Tangier, it was without a doubt  an amazing experience! Chefchaouen was ruled by Spain up until 1956 so almost everyone speaks Spanish and Arabic; our tour guide, Tojo, spoke 9 languages! Tojo is barely five feet tall and wore traditional Moroccan robes with a Fez, (small hat with a tassel on top) and sounded exactly like yoda when he spoke. When we asked him how old he was, he told us he had no idea, and felt it was best to not know your age, that way you can be whatever age you want. In Chefchaouen, everything is painted blue and white as a cooling and heating system, they also believe it brings them closer to God. Since the city was founded in 1471 the streets are only made for walking, or riding your donkey so small tunnels and archways are very common and often difficult to navigate with 80 toursits! In the city center, the streets are full of merchants selling anything from fish and live chickens, to jewelry and shoes.
In Tetuan we visited a natural pharmacy where we learned about all the spices and herbs used to cure common ailments. I got my very own neck massage with Eucalyptus oils and purchased some amazing curry and Moroccan mint tea! In Morocco, whenever you arrive at an event or someone's house, they typically offer you a sweet mint tea and after tasting some that the hotel gave us I had to get some! Unfotuntately venturing around in Tetuan without a guide was not an option, so immediately after the pharmacy presentation we were wisked away to our next destination in Tangier.
Tangier was beautiful, we rode camels, and enjoyed a typical Moroccan dinner with several different persormances! The dinner was held in this beautiful tent and we watched traditional Moroccan dance, which included belly dancing and acrobatics, as well as a balancing act with a tray full of lit candles! The next day we went to the markets of Tangier to get a taste of the city. Unfortunately, I managed to get separated from our group, right at the time that we were suposed to leave. Panic stricken, I started running to where I thought the group was, but I couldn't find anyone. As I rounded a corner, a local man stopped me and very nicely said, 'don't worry, they are right up that way, and don't run or you will hurt yourself!' I was so relieved, sometimes sticking out like a tourist has its benefits! I kept walking quickly fearing I was about to spend the next month in Morocco, when three more people assured me that my group was very close, and once again 'don't run! They will wait for you!' Grateful for the reassurace, I finally found the group and made it back to Sevilla safe and sound.
This week I will be catching up on homework and studying in preparation for a long Halloween weekend in Paris! So many adventures and so little time!

ewdo

This past week I have learned so much, including the fact that a bottle of wine for .70 euro (about $1) is definitely not worth it, certainly drinkable but not enjoyable! My host mom, Sarah, told me after the fact that you should spend at least 2 euro, definitely a learning experience. I also learned that Spaniards LOVE the band ewdo, everyone has been talking about the ewdo concert and how exciting it that ewdo is in Sevilla. I just assumed they were talking about a popular European band until I learned that ewdo translates to U2, or in Spanish “oo dos“ but in Andalusia, no one pronounces the final syllable so it sounds like ewdo, and here I was sure I had learned about a great new band! The good news is that my Spanish is improving, unfortunately that means that my Spanish friends talk to me much faster and with more slang. Now that I have finally grasped Spanish I have a whole new dialect to learn! I am so thankful for my friends here in Spain because I have learned the most just talking with them. It can be very intimidating be the only non native in a group of friends, but it is so helpful. All of my friends here have been so patient and understanding, most of them don't speak any english which makes me feel better when they don't quite understand me! To add to my language learning, I began classes at the University of Seville this week! I am taking two education classes, cultural anthropology and a grammar class. The education classes are my favorite so far because they are small classes of about 20 students, and everyone but me is Spanish so I get a lot of conversation practice. My other two classes are a mix of European students and Spanish students.

This afternoon my hermanita, Talía, who is just barely 3 years old, insisted that I paint her toe nails because she is going to a birthday party after siesta. It was quite a process, but I was so proud of myself for painting all her nails without any major disaster until she decided to stick her entire foot in her mouth, wet nail polish and all! I guess it's the bonding that counts :)

Vino

I just returned from the store where I bought a bottle of red wine for $1! I haven't tried it yet but I am told that even the cheapest wine in Spain is generally very good. In Spain it is not customary to have guests over, consequently, the only way to hang out with friends is at a café or a bar where you are expected to purchase a drink or a tapa. I am quickly learning that it is much more cost effective to enjoy a glass of wine before going out rather than purchasing several drinks at a bar!
I am finding that things such as wine, olives and even tomatoes are so much better here in Spain, much cheaper too! In the U.S I never cared for olives or tomatoes, but here, I could eat both all day every day! Most of the food tastes so much fresher because in Spain, almost everything is small business and very few foods are frozen, processed or contain preservatives, however, there aren't many options for 5 minute meals. Lucky for me, my host mom and dad definitely know how to cook!
In between meals I have made some great Spanish friends, at first it takes a bit to break the ice and get comfortable because there is still a bit of a language barrier, but it's worth the effort. Making new friends in Spain is quite an experience, just when I thought I had a handle on the Andalusian accent I realized there was a whole new dialect of slang I had to learn. Slowly but surely I am learning, and there is no shortage of teachers, my Spanish friends LOVE teaching me new words and phrases. They are also very curious about english and American culture as well so it has been fun to compare.
Next Monday I begin regular university classes! I am so glad I have already met some students at the university because a campus of 60,000 students is very intimidating, I'll keep you posted!

Aracena and Cádiz

Well, I made it through my first week of grammar class without too much difficulty; the class is a long three hour class at the program study center from 12-3 each day aimed to help us improve some basic Spanish grammar before we begin regular classes at the University of Seville. The class has been a helpful review but it has also allowed us to get to know the city a little better. One assignment was to interview 4 different University of Seville students about their experience as a Spanish university student and their views concerning the current Bolonia plan, which standardizes and completely changes the university education process in Europe. Another assignment is to select a typical Spanish recipe, purchase the ingredients at the grocery store, and cook the chosen recipe, (of course with some guidance from my host family). I am quickly learning that the names for particular foods in Spain are very region specific and difficult to remember! My favorite food so far here in Seville has been the jamón ibérico, which translates to iberian ham, and is considered to be the best ham in the world, (self proclaimed I think), however there is some merit to this claim. I compare it to a more tender, thinner and smokey flavored bacon, so delicious! You can order it by itself as a tapa or eat it on tostada con tomate y aceite, (toast and tomato with olive oil).  The theme in Spain seems to be smaller portions of very rich food, hence the necessity for a siesta following lunch, which is the largest meal of the day!
This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the town of Aracena, where some of the best jamón ibérico comes from. Aracena is a small town in the "mountains" near Portugal about an hour or so northwest of Seville. Our group of 20 took a bus with 10 Spanish university students for a weekend of language immersion where only Spanish was spoken. We stayed at a beautiful little hotel where we did language activities and conversation circles. I got to talk with all of the Spanish students who were very nice and excited to teach us the Sevillano slang and proceed to laugh hysterically when we attempted to repeat these new phrases. We had our shot at revenge when we switched it up and helped them with their english phrases. Describing the appropriate use of the phrase "party foul" was hilarious and quite a challenge! We also had the opportunity to eat some jamón ibérico and walk by the pastures where the pigs are raised. Not all of the jamón ibérico comes from this area, however many believe that the jamón from this region is so much better because the pigs feed on acorns.
The weekend before, I took a day trip to Cádiz with my friend Kassie to check out the beaches. Cádiz is on the Atlantic coast just about an hour south of Seville and it is also the oldest inhabited city in western Europe. We took a three hour walking tour from a guide book and finished the day on the beach. We started at the huge cathedral in the heart of the city and made our way through the local market and through various plazas. By the time we made it to the beach we were both exhausted and slept on the beach, in the shade, for about 2 hours. In Cádiz you are practically in Morocco and the sun is extremely intense so 55 SPF sunscreen and shade was all that my pale skin could handle!
This week will be my final week of grammar class, and then real classes begin on the 27th. Figuring out which classes to take and where the classes are held has proved to be about as simple as solving a rubix cube. Apparently organization is not a strong point for Spain, on the bright side there is no such thing as a class being full because there simply aren't enough students in the university to cause a class to be at capacity. For this reason, instead of frantically registering at a designated time the way I do in Oregon, I simply attend several classes I am interested in and then after the first week eliminate the ones I don't like. The flexibility will be nice just as long as I can figure out where the classes are held! Unlike the United States, there is no designated "campus", instead there are university buildings throughout the entire city, which means taking a city bus from one class to the next is often necessary if you don't plan ahead.
The next travel destination on the list is Morocco! I should be going with a tour group sometime in October as long as my classes don't take up too much time, I will keep updating shutterfly with pictures as often as I can :)