First Days of Orientation

Most of Friday was spent in a meeting with our whole group of 21 people, talking about safety and security, classes for the semester, contact information for internships and volunteer work and lots of other little details. We underestimated how long it would take us to walk to the University and were a little late. Oops. But it turned out ok, because we were eating breakfast at a little cafe before a short tour of the area around the University. At 2, we went back to our house for lunch/siesta, and back down to the University around 4:30 for the rest of the meeting. Then it was back to la casa to eat dinner and then out with the group to a bar for the remainder of the evening. Of course, we ended up on the complete other side of the city when we left the bar and it took a while to get back home, but we made it. I'm so happy to have a roommate living all the way up here, I'm really not sure what I would do without her. Our Senora was actually waiting up for us when we got back, to our surprise! But only because she is the sweetest person, not because she was concerned. It has been really fun to get to know her so far. She has been hosting American students for the past couple of years and is very accustomed to how to communicate with us and what things we might need. She is incredibly generous (she even gave us her bus pass this morning) and knows pretty much everything about the city. She's pretty funny too - she tells us little stories about her past students (her 'ninos'), and she mentioned that one of them had her 21st birthday while she was here, went out all night, and didn't come back until the next day! She really seems like she wants us to have a great time and enjoy the city - she always tells us that when she was young, she used to go out just like we will. It is great to have someone who is experienced in hosting students because it makes it so much easier to communicate with her and she is very comfortable with us being there and wants to have a close relationship with us. Basically on the first day, she told us that her house is our house and she is so happy to have us here. That's pretty much all I could ask for.

Today we went on a bus tour of the city of Seville. My roommate and I experimented with the bus, which went well until we accidentally turned the wrong way when we got off the stop. Oh well, can't win them all, and we got there on time after all. I learned so much about maps this past summer, I can't even imagine how bad it would have been if I hadn't gone on Bike and Build. We're doing ok though, our confusion is mostly because there are plazas everywhere that make the streets wind around. Seville is nothing like an American city, and it definitely does not have a grid. Oh well, we'll learn eventually. And I already feel much better than 2 days ago. So we took a bus tour of the city and then we on to a small city outside Seville called Italica, where Hadrian and Trajan had built a city when they were ruling Rome. It was pretty interesting, but I forgot my camera. When we got back, we came back for lunch with our Senora (the best vegetable soup I've had in a long time, and she makes absolutely everything from scratch) and then rested/caught up on email, etc. for most of the afternoon. Tonight is still a question mark.

Things most different about Spain:

the food. they eat mostly legumes and fish and lots of olive oil. my senora cooks very healthy food - lentil soup, vegetables, salad, etc. because she says she doesn't want to get fat! and they barely eat any dessert, which is probably a good thing. for dessert, we usually have a piece of fruit, a yogurt, or a small piece of chocolate. the meal times are also very different. they have a very small breakfast (usually toast/tostada and tea), a large meal around 2 or 3, and then a small dinner around 9. i think it will probably take some time to get used to it, because i still get hungry at 12 and 6.

the houses. like i said, the apartment is very small. the shower is small, the beds are small, the wardrobe is small, and the kitchen is small. but surprisingly, it's really all we need. one of the program director's said that everything in america is much bigger than in spain. even the shampoo bottles. our senora parks underneath her building and her already very small car barely fit. not to mention the elevator, which barely held 2 people and my 2 bags. there are also 4 different keys to get into the apartment. 1 for the gate. 1 for the building, and 2 for the apartment door. they have couches and comfortable chairs around their dining room tables (which have a whole set of tablecloth 'clothing') and since they don't have heat in their homes, they have a space heater underneath. you sit there with your feet and legs under the table and the tablecloth (which goes down to the floor) over your legs so that the heat doesn't escape. if you get cold then, you put your hands under it too. our senora also has to turn on the water heater when we want to shower, otherwise it is ice cold. and i mean colder than any bike and build shower, which is saying a lot, since we showered outside a hose on occasion.

the schedule. this is very different, since the day often starts at 9 or 10 (most stores open at 9) and goes until 2. then we go back to our houses for lunch/siesta until 5. at 5, the stores re-open until around 8:30, and life resumes. it will take some getting used to, but i really like the way that the day is divided.

the language. when i first got off the plane and into my senora's car, i barely understood a word she said so i was a little concerned. but now i am understanding most things, and like i said, she really knows how to communicate with us. meal times are a very good opportunity for us to practice spanish and get to know our senora, because we often spend about 45 minutes for breakfast, about 1 1/2 hours for lunch, and maybe 1 hour for dinner, talking with her. it's strange for me though, because the tv is always on in the background. also, my roommate and i are trying to speak as much spanish to each other as we can so that we can practice. everyone in our program seems really into speaking spanish with each other, which is great. i guess it's one of the advantages of having such a small program and being able to get to know everyone. i'm really glad i came to seville as opposed to madrid because it is really true that almost no one here speaks much english (at least that's what i've encountered so far). it is for the best to be completely immersed in the language and the culture.

the clothing. i need new clothes. europeans are too fashionable for me. someone said today that you can tell an american by the shoes we wear and it is so true.

that's all i can really think of for now, but i'm sure the are about 100 more things to add to this list. i made a list of things to do while i am in spain that i will post here at some point. going to morocco is up there.