Hola from España! I have been in Sevilla for 5 days now and everything is going great! The program I am here with is called CIEE. So far we have been busy with activities introducing us to the city and also preparing us to start classes on Monday. Here are some highlights:
Monday/Tuesday = we stayed in a beautiful hotel (with an awesome balcony) and were put into groups that we would do most of our activities with. I was lucky enough to be in a group with a great guide – Nacho, a student at the University of Sevilla – and 8 other girls that are super fun and nice…we continue to hang out with each other even though the orientation activities are over. Most of the day was spent taking a walking tour of the city and learning about the history of Sevilla. That night we saw an impressive flamenco show. It was a professional show with a male and female flamenco dancer, a guitarist, and a singer. Afterwards, we had our first taste of Spanish tapas and sangria.
Wednesday = I moved into my homestay! My host family consists of a married couple, María Rosa and Óscar. I learned that my host mom is a flamenco instructor! She said I will be taking lessons with her and other students…haha, that should be pretty interesting, but I’m super excited for the experience. We live in the part of the city known as “el centro,” which is the center of the city and a great location. One thing I need to get used to is the new eating schedule – lunch is at 2:30pm and dinner at 10pm!
Thursday = a TON more exploring. This time I was with a different group and we competed in a scavenger hunt to find various places throughout the city. The clues were pretty challenging and definitely not close together (we probably walked a total of 10 miles, well maybe a little less), but it was good to find new places on our own….I know where a couple important places are and general directions, but I still have to whip out my map pretty frequently.
Friday (today) = we visited the ruins of the city Itálica. Itálica is a historic Roman city close to Sevilla that now consists of remains from a gladiator stadium and Roman houses. The foundations of the buildings are still standing strong and it is easy to imagine how the city was, even though it was built hundreds of years ago. My favorite part was seeing the mosaic floors that were in each of the houses with different patterns and significance.
Best news of all, my Spanish is improving already! That’s all for now. Remember to stay in touch and update me on your lives as well. Love you all and miss you.
Besos y abrazos,
Elizabeth
No comments:
Post a Comment