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!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
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 :)
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 :)
Friday, September 10, 2010
Seville
I have finally moved in to my new home in Seville :) I live with a very nice young couple with a three year old daughter! Her name is Talía and she is almost completely bilingual and working towards becoming trilingual! My host mom is actually from Nebraska but has not yet spoken a word of English to me, she is very adamant that I speak only in Spanish because she understands what it is like to acclimate to a different language and culture. My host father is native to Seville and is working towards becoming a police officer because in Spain, if you work for the government, (police, social work, sanitary services etc), you are guaranteed your job for life! The apartment they have is very small but comfortable, I have my own room with a small patio outside where clothes are hung to dry, (it is so hot in Spain that owning a dryer is a waste of energy and money).
The city of Seville is beautiful and very historic, I walk about 15 minutes to the University and every day I walk by La Giralda and La Catedral, two incredible monuments that have stood for hundreds of years. I feel as though I am in a movie walking down cobblestone streets lined with brightly colored buildings and impossibly small cars. Everywhere I go I still look like a tourist because I can't help it but to gawk at the beautiful scenery; I am trying to blend but pelo rubio (blonde hair) and freckles don't help much.
Assimilating to the language has been a bit of a challenge since the Andalusian accent is so strange, it sounds as though they speak with with a lisp because "c" and "z" are typically not pronounced. To top it off, Sevillanos like to speak direct and to the point, so it is common for people to drop letter and sometimes even entire syllables in order to communicate faster. My house father told me that if you can understand Andalusian Spanish, you can understand any type of Spanish simply because it is so fast and so fluid. I hope he is right because in this past week, I feel like someone hit the reset button on my Spanish skills!
Next week I start my intensive session, which is basically a grammar class condensed into two weeks before the regular semester begins. I am so thankful for the chance to really get used to the language before taking 4-5 classes this semester! Tonight I go to a meeting about extracurricular activities within the university like Flamenco dancing, fútbol and volunteer work; I need all the opportunities I can get to practice my Spanish!
The city of Seville is beautiful and very historic, I walk about 15 minutes to the University and every day I walk by La Giralda and La Catedral, two incredible monuments that have stood for hundreds of years. I feel as though I am in a movie walking down cobblestone streets lined with brightly colored buildings and impossibly small cars. Everywhere I go I still look like a tourist because I can't help it but to gawk at the beautiful scenery; I am trying to blend but pelo rubio (blonde hair) and freckles don't help much.
Assimilating to the language has been a bit of a challenge since the Andalusian accent is so strange, it sounds as though they speak with with a lisp because "c" and "z" are typically not pronounced. To top it off, Sevillanos like to speak direct and to the point, so it is common for people to drop letter and sometimes even entire syllables in order to communicate faster. My house father told me that if you can understand Andalusian Spanish, you can understand any type of Spanish simply because it is so fast and so fluid. I hope he is right because in this past week, I feel like someone hit the reset button on my Spanish skills!
Next week I start my intensive session, which is basically a grammar class condensed into two weeks before the regular semester begins. I am so thankful for the chance to really get used to the language before taking 4-5 classes this semester! Tonight I go to a meeting about extracurricular activities within the university like Flamenco dancing, fútbol and volunteer work; I need all the opportunities I can get to practice my Spanish!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Madrid
Madrid es fantastico! I have been in Madrid for just two days and I don't want to leave! I am staying in a nice youth hostel close to the Plaza del Sol which is considered to be the heart of Madrid. The architecture is literally unreal, and the people are very friendly and helpful.
The hostel here provided a free 3 hour walking tour around Madrid which I attended and learned so much. It is really incredible to see the result of Moorish, (Arabic) influence in one half of the city and the contrasting European/Christian influence in the other half. I am learning that Spanish culture is essentially a hybrid Arabic and English influences.
The food here is so rich and delicious. In the afternoon and into the evening we go out for tapas, which are basically small appetizer type dishes that you can get for a very discounted price when you buy a drink at the bar. Most people go out for Tapas during siesta, (a 3-4 hour break in the day between 2 and 6 where most small businesses close down), and into the evening. Tapas began as a slice of bread placed on the top of a drink in order to prevent the dust from polluting your drink; slowly, many bars and restaurants went one step further and added meat and cheese to the bread in order to attract customers! Now it is a widespread, sometimes daily social event.
I have met so many nice people from all over the world in my hostel, and tonight a group of us plan to cruise the streets as the night transforms the city into one big fiesta. Madrid feels like a different place when the sun goes down. Tall white buildings are lit with florescent purple, green and red lights, and tapas bars begin to appear out of nowhere. With literally hundreds of bars, people everywhere and such beautiful lighting, I thought that I had managed to come to Madrid during a special celebration; but I quickly learned that this is how the Madrileños celebrate every weekend!
Tomorrow I will board the AVE train to Seville where my program will begin. AVE stands for Alta Velocidad Española which is essentially a high speed train, up to 180 mph! I regret leaving Madrid so soon but I can't wait to see what Seville has in store for me.
The hostel here provided a free 3 hour walking tour around Madrid which I attended and learned so much. It is really incredible to see the result of Moorish, (Arabic) influence in one half of the city and the contrasting European/Christian influence in the other half. I am learning that Spanish culture is essentially a hybrid Arabic and English influences.
The food here is so rich and delicious. In the afternoon and into the evening we go out for tapas, which are basically small appetizer type dishes that you can get for a very discounted price when you buy a drink at the bar. Most people go out for Tapas during siesta, (a 3-4 hour break in the day between 2 and 6 where most small businesses close down), and into the evening. Tapas began as a slice of bread placed on the top of a drink in order to prevent the dust from polluting your drink; slowly, many bars and restaurants went one step further and added meat and cheese to the bread in order to attract customers! Now it is a widespread, sometimes daily social event.
I have met so many nice people from all over the world in my hostel, and tonight a group of us plan to cruise the streets as the night transforms the city into one big fiesta. Madrid feels like a different place when the sun goes down. Tall white buildings are lit with florescent purple, green and red lights, and tapas bars begin to appear out of nowhere. With literally hundreds of bars, people everywhere and such beautiful lighting, I thought that I had managed to come to Madrid during a special celebration; but I quickly learned that this is how the Madrileños celebrate every weekend!
Tomorrow I will board the AVE train to Seville where my program will begin. AVE stands for Alta Velocidad Española which is essentially a high speed train, up to 180 mph! I regret leaving Madrid so soon but I can't wait to see what Seville has in store for me.
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