Granada!

Oh my gosh I just got back from the greatest one night trip to Granada. I'm in love with Granada and can't wait to go back someday. We took a 3 hour bus ride at 8:30 in the morning to get there. Started touring the neighborhoods of Granada at 2:00 ish. The neighborhoods were so cute and all the houses had little gardens and were on top of this massive hill overlooking the city and Sierra Nevada (huge mountain range). It was SO cool. It was really cloudy the first day so the pictures don't look so great but it was amazing. Then we toured the cathedral where Ferdnand and Isabel were burried. We couldn't take pictures but oh my god it was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I had ever seen. Soo much detail put into everything. The tombstones of Ferdnand and Isabel were HUGE, but then you could walk underground for a second and see their actual coffins. It was awesome. Then the guides took us to get some tea and treats at this really cool little tea shop. I felt like I was in a whole other country. It's very moorish influenced. I've never been to Morocco but from what I know of it, and the guide said this, it's very similar to Morocco. All down these little alley ways there were little shops that sold random little trinkets. My friends here are all pretty catholic so when they saw a random church they wanted to go in, and there was like a prayer in process or something and it was all in Spanish and they were kind of singing. It was so so cool. After free time we had to head back to the hotel to get dinner, and then we were ready to experience the nightlife of Granada. Went to a few bars around the center, and then went to a discoteca until 5:30 in the morning! After that, grabbed a falafel on the way home, we had to be up by 9:30 sooo didn't get very much sleep. Then at 11 today (Sunday) we went to tour the Alhambra!! It was sunny today so it was literally the coolest and most beautiful place I had ever seen. The tour was about 3 hours long and we walked through all the gardens and buildings and saw the palacio, etc. The tour was all in Spanish so I'm still a little confused as to what La Alhambra is, but I know that it's from the Moorish/Arabic people I think.

La Catedral

I actually finally toured something today! Me friends, Cate, Alicia, Paige, and I went to the cathedral. It was huge and beautiful. And the tower Giralda was awesome and we climbed to the very top and could see all of Sevilla, it was so cool. The weather totally sucked so I definitely want to go back when it's sunny. Because we are students we got in for free which was a nice surprise. Today was my third day of intensive spanish class, showed up a little late accidently, but my friend showed up 2 hours late to his! Haha. We went out last night and didn't get home until 4 in the morning. Oops. So far for homework we've just had to read articles and do a couple worksheets so it's not bad. Then I have a composition due Friday. I didn't get to make it home for lunch today so I had to miss it and I was really sad because it was probably delicious. Dinner was the potato tortilla that Maica always makes, I love it, and then some really great vegetable soup. Finally saw one of my best friends from home, Ali Sakai, last night! It was so great to see a familiar face and hang out with her.

CIEE

This is from the rooftop of the palacio, which is the CIEE  study center and where some of my classes are. Today I had my first class of the 2 week intensive spanish session. I loved it! My professor was so fun and nice and one of my good friends here is in the class with me which makes it much better. It's basically 3 hours a day for 2 weeks, (10 classes) of spanish grammar. I love how a lot of the buildings don't have roofs here, it's really cool, and when it gets sunny it will be so nice to sit up there and do homework. Today we had to sign up for interest groups at CIEE. I'm doing the one called deportes (sports) and we get to go to a soccer game! And we go to Madrid and tour the Real Madrid stadium, and I think we go on a hike as well and a bike ride around the city. Then after that my 2 friends and I went and got coffee at Cafe de Indias, I think it's like their Starbucks because I've seen them everywhere around the city. I got a cafe con leche and it was so good. I tried to figure out my class schedule for the regular session that starts Feb. 7th, hopefully I get all the ones I want. For lunch I just had pasta with a fried egg....it was really good though, and then an orange for dessert, the oranges here are SO good.

Seville...

Today I didn't wake up until 2:00 in the afternoon. I feel like my señor y señor think I'm so lazy because so far everyday we've ate lunch at 3:00 and then I take a siesta until I go out...but I will have class soon so I will have more to do! It's so cold so I haven't explored the city as much as I've wanted to, but as soon as it gets warmer I will. Tonight we went to this bar to watch the packers game but it was kind of dumb because it was all Americans...I prefer the more local scene. It's more fun. The past 2 nights I haven't gotten home until  5 in the morning so  tonight is great because it is 1 in the morning and I'm about to go to sleep! All the stores are closed today so it's kind of weird to see the city so silent and there aren't many pedestrians on the street like normal. Today, my señora made me paella!! It was SO GOOD. Usually I think meat goes in it but mine just has veggies. I want to go to a restaurant and get paella with shrimp. And yesterday for lunch she made me the best soup. It had garbanzo beans and spinach and it was soo yummy. She cooks so well, at least I think so. For dinner last night I had pizza with eggplant maybe? I'm not sure, she showed me the vegetable because I didn't understand.The language barrier is still pretty tough, and she gets a little mad because I kept my heater on when I was napping...but it is SO freezing, but for the most part I think they like me, and I love the. Yesterday they talked on the phone for like an hour with one of their past students they had stay with them. Everything is so great here except for the cold! The picture is me and my friends at a bar last night.

Roman Ruins

This is me, this guy Ari, Alicia, and Cate.

This is the outside of my señor y señora's apartment, it's nice inside.

Today we went on our first little excursion to los ruinas romanes. (roman ruins) They were pretty cool but I was freezing. The problem is that when I wear my pea coat I get too hot, and when I don't I am freezing, and it was so windy. I can't wait for it to get warmer. That was from 10:00 until 12:00. Then me and my friends Cate and Alicia did a little shopping. We went to El Corte Ingles, the big department store and got some toiletries and a blow dryer, and I needed to get some tights, so we stopped at Zara for that. I'm so happy I made the decision to go to bed at 10:30 last night because I feel so much better today and tonight will be a long night. Just got home and my señora is cooking lunch. This is always the biggest meal, yesterday I had soup and salad, and then they have fruit for dessert. Breakfast is quite strange here, for the past 2 days she has put out 2 galletas on a plate for me, (crackers) and 2 TINY pieces of some bread that has a weird taste, and then coffee too which is good. For dinner last night I had a grilled cheese, but there was some weird mayonnaise on it and the cheese was like kind of hard. It's going to take some getting used to and I feel like I am always hungry! Oh well. I've been making a new friend or two everyday, and I'm going to meet up with a girl from Oregon tonight who I'm so excited to see.

First Few Days

Seville has been so great so far but I'm so exhausted  I can't even make it out tonight and it's only the second night. The other night we went to a flamenco show which was really cool. Today we finally went to the CIEE center where my classes will probably be. It's only like a 12 minute walk from my house so that is nice. Then I just walked around Seville with 3 other people that are in my neighborhood so I have gotten to know them. The problem is that my neighborhood is far from the main bar area and from the river so I guess I will kind of only be able to go out with people from my neighborhood. The picture of the four of us is at the cathedral in a big plaza. And finally I saw the river last night when I went out, it's so beautiful and fun. Went to a bar last night which was great, they don't go out until midnight here though and we were there until 4 in the morning! I'll definitely have to get used to that. It will be fine if  I can take a siesta everyday. We went to this street that had all thee fun shops on it like an H&M and a few other stores that we have in the states. And then we walked back home, I can't move I am so sore from walking.

Finally in Seville!

Today is my first full day in Seville!! I got in at 1 a.m. last night with like 30 other students from CIEE that were also stuck in the Madrid airport for about 12 hours. Our flight was cancelled due to fog and we couldn't get another one until 10:00 p.m. So finally I got to sleep at like 2 in the morning and woke up at 8 for breakfast at the hotel and orientation at 9. Breakfast was great with lot's of yummy fruit. But usually they don't even eat breakfast here I guess. Then we took a little walk around the city with our groups and got lunch. Lunch was so gross. Like nasty mashed up fish and gross fried cheese on icky bread. It was all ordered for us because CIEE payed for it, to say the least I am starving now and we aren't going to dinner until 8. There were some meat items, chicken and jamón but obviously I don't eat that. My group leader was super nice about me being a vegetarian and already knew I was one the second I met her, so she made sure I stayed away from it. Anyways, I'm super excited for tonight because we are going to get tapas and go to a flamenco show. I'm so exhausted though I don't know if I'm going to make it out afterwards. The buildings here are so cool looking I love it, and some of the streets are so tiny. The plazas are my favorite and it looks like there is going to be some great shopping. Looks like I'm going to be taking a lot of public transportation too...which if anyone knows me I HATE public transportation..but we took it today and it was actually really nice, nicer than the max in Portland. Usually my posts won't be this long I hope. I just had my oral interview with a teacher from CIEE and it was a little difficult, I had to ask her to slow down. And our guide and our whole orientation is completely in Spanish so it's a little confusing. Tomorrow we meet our host family, I'm with a married couple. The internet is bad here so I couldn't post any pictures unfortunately.