Week 7: Oct. 16th-22nd (Córdoba & Granada, Spain)

I have officially been in Sevilla for more than six weeks. This is week seven of classes and then I have seven more after this week. How crazy! I am counting down because I am excited to be at home, but then I also don’t want to leave. It’s a tough battle to fight. Rough life, I know. Well this week was more miserable than the past six weeks because I had to study A LOT. I had three midterms on one day--one right after the other--and then one the next day as well. Let’s just say by Thursday, I was ready for a break. A lot took place this week and weekend though and overall, I am happy about it.

This past Monday night, I got an email from ISA, my program, that I was accepted into the program for teaching English to kids. I was told that I had to be there at 9:45am the very next day and I needed to sign a contract at the ISA office beforehand. The ISA office was about an hour or more in the opposite direction and both places were very far from where I live. I almost bailed on doing the program, especially because I was stressed about having to study for midterms but my roommate convinced me to give it a try. So I got up at 7:30am (that is very early here) and made my way to the ISA office to sign the paper...ugh, that’s all they needed...and then grabbed my schedule and headed to the school. The school was located in the more suburban area of Sevilla and I was almost completely alone on the metro on the way there which felt so strange. Once I arrived, it was less than a five minute walk to the school. I had a very difficult time opening the door. You had to buzz in in order to get the door open but every time it unlocked, I could not figure out how to open it. I finally got it to open on the third try and then I walked up to the front door and couldn’t open that one either. It was rough… then I didn’t have any idea where to go or which classroom I was supposed to be in. It always adds an extra layer of fun when you aren’t fluent in the language, too. It was a bilingual school--or at least they teach classes in English--so I was hoping more people would know English but no such luck. I finally found my way to the classroom and FELL IN LOVE. There were about 30 kiddos or so and they were about 11 or 12 years old. They were all so curious and seriously so adorable. They had to introduce themselves in English and then they got to ask me questions in English. They were mostly yes or no questions but I cannot tell you how much fun it was and how adorable their accents were. Then the teacher, Sylvia, let me write on the chalkboard and lead some activities. A chalkboard, yes, that’s what I said...and I don’t know how they do it. My hand hurt so bad because the chalk is so tiny. And to have good handwriting with a piece of chalk is quite the challenge. It was so fun though. I thought about moving to Spain to teach English to students there. No joke. Still slightly considering it. I guess every other week I am with the students I was with on Tuesday to teach them English and then the other weeks, I am with 8-year-olds to teach them science. We shall see this week how that goes. Science might be quite trickier. Either way, I am thrilled at working with them and am so glad I didn’t bail.

So then Wednesday came and I had my three midterms. On the bright side!!! It rained for the first time and it smelled SOOO good. I had forgotten what rain smelled like. My roommate and I got our rain gear on--my rain boots and rain jacket--and took photos that night in the rain. But anyway, midterms. They went better than expected I would say, but my Sports Psychology test was ridiculous. I just don’t even understand the questions he writes. He had to blot out or give us the answers to three out of 30 of the questions because he didn’t proofread his work. I like that class and I like him as a person and coach, but as a teacher...he is very frustrating. Wednesday night, I spent a good deal of the night studying for my Communications and Media in the Digital Age class. That is when I realized I really enjoy that class and I also have a mini crush on my teacher. Not a lovey-dovey crush, but more of an admiring crush. I like who he is as a person. I really enjoy his class and I like the way he teaches and how passionate he is. He has also taught me so much in life and in material in the last six weeks. He is one of the younger professors there and is single, but that doesn’t matter. ;) So the reason I am telling you all this is because of what happened on Thursday. Because before this all took place, I didn’t realize how much I “admire” him. So I was supposed to have tutoring at 11am at my University to work on my Spanish. I was going to meet with a lady named Lola and she works in the international office called CUI. I don’t remember what that stands for, pero bueno. (<--a transition phrase in Spanish that means “but good” and it’s a perfect phrase for this scenario but doesn’t sound right in English so I am going to use some Spanglish.) So I was walking to this office and thinking about my teacher--his name is Rúben by the way--and as I walk up to the office, guess who is standing outside? Rúben. We are on a first name basis...cool right? Ha. Just kidding--every teacher goes by their first name. But anyway, he works in that office as well, but he was outside and he looked at me and goes “Hola, q tal?” It clicked. I realized why I appreciated him so much. He speaks to me in Spanish and treats me like a friend as well as a student. I like that he doesn’t just speak in English but also that he gives me the chance to be a Spaniard. I also realized how in class he always looks me straight in the eye, which I appreciate teachers than maintain such concentration. So I went in for my tutoring session but Lola ended up not being able to meet which gave me more time to study more for my midterm so it worked out. I took my midterm later that afternoon and I ended up being the last person in the classroom with Rúben. As I was walking up to leave I was thinking of all the ways to say bye in Spanish and have a good weekend and stuff and he totally beats me to it and says it so quickly that I just stumble over my words and go, “Gracias, hasta luego.” Ugh. The struggle.

Well Thursday night, I finally felt free and was able to facetime my mom for 3+ hours and it was glorious. It was like spending an afternoon with her. It was great. Then, that night, Carly and I had a wine night with cheese, aceitunas (olives), and potato chips. We watched the Switch, an American movie, but don’t worry it had Spanish subtitles.

Friday morning, we left early for Cordoba and Granada on one of our excursions as a group. We stopped in Cordoba first and it was an older city that was beautiful. There is a pretty mosque/cathedral there and our tour guide was very passionate and proud of his city. The tour seemed a little long though because there were a lot of people and we were starving by the end of it. But it was cool to think how at one point Muslims, Christians, and Jews all lived in harmony together. There were many cool little restaurants and there were lots of awesome narrow streets and cute tourist shops. It was slightly hilly but seemed like more work than we were used to because Sevilla is so plano (flat). Our host mom had packed us bocadillos (similar to sandwiches) and we sat outside and ate them after the tour. We then got ice cream, of course. I got mango...classic. I usually either get mango or fresa (strawberry) because the fruit tastes so good. Then, we went and got drinks and tapas at a restaurant after where we could just sit and chat. It was a short few hours in Cordoba and then we headed to Granada. Granada is a college-town and is very hilly compared to Sevilla. It is the only city in the south where you can ski in the winter time. We saw the snow on the Sierra Nevada which are the mountains there. It made me want to ski real bad. We arrived in the heart of the city and ended up staying at a beautiful hotel. I did not realize how cold Granada was at night so I very badly under-packed. I brought mostly shorts and tank tops. I had one jacket. I greatly regretted my packing decisions. That night, we climbed about 10 flights of stairs (or the equivalent) outside to get to this viewpoint. It was exhausting. We were sweating despite the freezing weather (in the 50’s and 60’s, which is cold compared to Sevilla). The view was incredible though. It was of the La Alhambra at night and then it overlooked the whole city, as well. So gorgeous. After that, we went to a flamenco show. We had the room just to ourselves. It was so much fun. They can sure move their feet fast. I hung out with a great group of girls this weekend. There wasn’t really a set group but I had a blast with all the different people I hung out with. That night, we went to dinner after and I biffed my spanish so bad when I was trying to order a drink. Yet, the camareros (waiters) had such a great time with us. I love when they can mess with us Americans instead of hate us. We even got a photo with one of the waiters, which I will post below. After, we found a dessert place that was FANTASTIC and even had gluten free options! There was chocolate cake, a date cake, and carrot cake. I got carrot cake and it was so moist and fresh and yum! I was a happy camper. After that, my friend Mary Jo and I decided to go get a glass of wine at one of the places near our hotel. Our hotel was literally smack dab in the middle of everything. Then, we decided we wanted to check out one of the clubs. There were big men/security guard type people out front and we were really intimidated. One of my friends from Santander, Elena, who lived in Spain for a few years and just knows Spain really well was messaging me and telling me how they were just bouncers, like the US has. We felt silly we had thought they were something else but that made a lot more sense. So we went there--and got IDed--which was funny because they have no idea how to make sense of our American driver’s license. Also, fun fact. My license expired at the beginning of this month since I turned 21 in September but I didn’t want to get a new license before I left because I would have to get another new one when I get back so I am using it despite it being expired. I never usually get IDed so it works. Anyway, MJ and I had a good time. It was literally all locals which was cool but we tried to blend as much as possible. We decided they are so cool and we are so not. They have such little dance moves, but they’re good. MJ and I like to go crazy. We like our space. But we didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. We stayed out til about 4am and I had 10,000 steps before going to bed. That’s always fun. The next day, we had to wake up early for the all-inclusive breakfast before meeting for our tour of the La Alhambra. They had gluten-free options at breakfast which was exciting. So then, we saw La Alhambra. It was a palace and fortress that was built a long time ago. There were a lot of historical facts that went in one ear and out the other because it is too much for my brain to retain, but one thing I remember is that Isabella and Fernando lived there at one point and they honored Christopher Columbus in one of the rooms we stood in. The design was so intricate and most of it was so well preserved. It was so impressive. The views were incredible and the gardens...lovely. I told myself I was going to just enjoy the tour and only take a few photos. I think I took over 200 photos not going to lie. It was incredible. I highly recommend it. After, we went out for tapas and drinks. So in Granada, when you buy a drink, you get a free tapa. By the way, a tapa is a small portion of something. Like a small bocadillo or a tortilla de patata which is like an omelet. So we went to this restaurant and I spent eight euros and got two alcoholic beverages (I’m legal and it was only soda and wine, don’t worry friends.), a omelet thing, and an assortment of meats and potatoes. We stuffed ourselves. Our waiter was so nice about my celiac disease as well. It was a grand experience. After, we all hit a wall and went back to the hotel and I napped for three hours. Then, we got up and went to go get ice cream and found a frozen yogurt place. Eat, drink, be merry--right? After, we walked around the city. It was incredible how many people were out but there were SO many cute restaurants. We got dinner at this one restaurant and it had stuffed potatoes with a sauce over it that had mushrooms and beans or something. I enjoyed it very much. Dinner was also fun just because of the people I was with. After dinner, I convinced them to go back to the dessert place from the night before because I wanted the chocolate cake this time. I’m such a bad influence, I know. Unfortunately this time, I was disappointed because they only had the dates cake. I decided to get it but it was not very good. It was dry and it was sugar free, lactose free, and gluten free. I can’t imagine anything like that could taste very good. After dessert, MJ and I decided to go to a bar and get drinks and talk. We had such a great time. It was a cute bar but we realized that it was only old people in their 50’s that were there. That was great for us because we could be left alone to talk. She’s a really good friend and gives me good advice. She also has a relationship with Jesus so we relate in that way. Well, after that we decided to try out this famous discoteca that a friend of hers had recommended. Let me just say--it was crazy! There were four bars inside this place. It was kind of inside of a mall. All of the bars were playing different music. We had fun for the first two hours, but then afterwards it got so crowded, we couldn’t even dance. There was a lot of shoving and I don’t like that. Also, a ton of Americans and people from our program were there and we don’t like that, either. We prefer to be with the locals and to have our space to dance. We left around 3:30am, before we got our 10,000 steps but we figured it wasn’t worth it. Besides, we needed some sleep. We had 9,400 steps so it was close enough. The next morning, we went to the cathedral where Isabella and Fernando are buried. It was a cool tour and we didn’t have a tour guide this time. We had one of those devices that you hold up to your ear and it tells you all the details. I chose for mine to be in Spanish because I thought it’d help me focus more but I gave up shortly after. I preferred to just look around. You could actually go underground sort of and see the tombs. It was cool. Then, we went outside and there were the statue people who dress up like statues and stand still unless you give them money. Then they will take a picture with you and move. One of them looked like a statue and he kept scaring people, even a little girl. After that, we went back to the hotel and sat and had coffee and just talked and enjoyed each other’s company. An hour before we were supposed to head back to Sevilla, we decided to get a quick lunch. We ended up back at the place we went to dinner the night before because it was so good. There were so many solicitors out at this time which is annoying that they can just come up to your table. One lady walked by, just a tourist, and she saw the stuffed potato and was like “¿Qué es? ¡¿Qué es?! ¡Yo quiero!” It was great. She was so nice. I love people like that! Then, we ended up heading back for Sevilla and got home around 8pm. Now it is back to reality. I am not sure I am ready to face the week. At least I don’t have midterms this week. Just a paper for my class with good old Rúben. :)

Well, sorry for the long post! A lot happened this week I suppose and with the trip to Cordoba and Granada, I just had a lot to record. I hope you guys enjoy the pictures! It’s almost November (already?!) so I will be posting a group of photos on Facebook soon...after this weekend probably. Hope all is well with you guys and that you are enjoying your fall weather. Sevilla is supposed to be between 85 and 90 degrees this week...ahh. Longest summer ever. Pues, adiós mis amigos!

This is my friend Maddie--such a sweetheart

This is the statue man that scared everyone

Beautiful view of the city!

MJ and me

Seeing the gardens finally made me feel like it was fall!

Gorgeous gardens 

Id like to point out that this was taken in the bathroom--that's how nice this place was.

Fun fact. If you look at this photo up side down, you can see the exact same picture because of the reflection.

This is the same reflection view as the photo above, just from the other side..

So much detail

My friend Juanita! 

Our fun waiter that took a pic with us!

The night view of the La Alhambra

Night view of the city...worth the sweaty hike

This is in Cordoba!

Cool pic in Cordoba where the cathedral spire lines up right in between the narrow street

The mosque/cathedral in Cordoba

Cordoba!!

IT RAINED FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

"singing in the rain"
also, you can see the name of the street we live on behind me so it's a great pic for when my memory fails me a year from now