March 13, 2006

Hola!

My seventh week in Spain started off on a fun note. Some of my new friends and I found a great little flamenco bar on one of the “calles estrechas” (a very narrow, cobblestone street) in Seville. It was kind of a “hole-in –the-wall,” which made it really fun. The singing and flamenco dancing and the agua de Seville (a mixed drink), blended well together.

Tuesday and Thursday I helped at the elementary school, which is always one of the highlights of my week. I am beginning to be able to explain to the students different English words and phrases better. We learned the different parts of the body on Thursday and, of course, we taught them the song “Head, Knees, and Shoulders”! After class, I stayed to play with them at recess and, believe it or not, pogs are just as popular in Spain as they are (or were-I don’t know, are pogs still the cool thing to have and play these days in elementary school?!) in the United States. The little kids play tag and soccer, just like the kids in the United States. And, all of them have packed lunches with juice boxes, pudding, chips and ham sandwiches, just like the United States. I guess some things don’t change from country to country.

Early Friday morning, Chelsey, Jennie and I took a bus to Malaga, which is a community on the Costa del Sur. Malaga was sunny, but its was very windy. It reminded me of home! We walked around the city and saw some of its most famous monuments. We visited its main cathedral and we also took a tour through Picasso’s house. Picasso grew up in Malaga and his house is now a foundation that holds a collection of his works.

And then there was our climb to visit the castle…High up on a mountain (OK, may be it wasn’t a mountain, but it was definitely a very large hill) lays a castle in Malaga. We all thought that it would be fun to visit the castle since none of us had ever been to one. So we started on our hike up (Note: we were carrying very large packs since we were going to stay for the weekend). And we went up. And up. And up. And up. Finally, we reached the top and decided that we definitely deserved some ice cream. J The castle provided us with some great picture-taking opportunities and we could the Mediterranean Sea, the whole city, and its many ports.

After touring Malaga, we took a train to a nearby town called Torremolinos for the night. We found a great hotel that was located right on the beach, so we dropped off our bags and went to a little tapas bar out front for pina coladas. The town was very busy, mostly with tourists, but we had a good time. We spent the rest of the day walking and shopping in the town. That night, we decided to pick up some groceries and make dinner in the hotel since we never get the chance to cook anymore! We aren’t complaining about that, but it is nice to be able to make our own food when we have the chance. J

We spent most of Saturday on the beach. It was very windy, but it actually felt really good since the sun was so bright and hot. I think that the weather is finally changing here. I am ready for the warm weather that I have been hearing about all of this time!

On Saturday, we took the train and the bus home in the early evening so we could have dinner with our families and then go out that night. Jen and I met our friends at the bar across the street for a little “Intercambio.” I consider the time I hang out with those guys at their bar, talking in Espanol, time that I have spent studying. So, even though I haven’t actually sat down and read a textbook in the past couple months, I have been very busy studying! Just in a different, and I think more effective and efficient, way. J I have learned so many words and phrases during the time I have spent just hanging out with them. They explain to us even more about the culture and life in Spain. It’s wonderful. They, however, cannot pronounce, “Stephanie,” so I am, “Steefie,” to them. It is pretty funny listening to them try to pronounce different words in English. It makes me wonder how I sound to them.

Even though Saturday was kind of a late night (well, may be it was still early according to them!) I met Chels in the morning to attend mass at the main Cathedral in Seville. It was beautiful. I have only attended mass once when I was very young, so this was definitely a new experience for me. The whole setting and structure is so beautiful and formal. (I controlled my desire to take pictures for once!) Chels and I were excited because even though the message was, of course, given in Spanish we were able to understand it!

After mass, Chels and I sat in the sun drank fresh orange juice and ate fresh bread. “Todo del mundo” was out because of the sun. (Todo del mundo is a phrase ALL the time for EVERYTHING! It means everyone. For instance, if someone is telling you about a party or an event, they will describe it and tell you that todo del mundo is going to be there and so you have to go to!) After our morning, I decided to go try and buy tickets for the soccer game that night, which turned into a not-so-great idea. I was definitely very, very lost in a part of Seville that I have never been to before. My map did not extend to the area that I was in, so finding my way home was interesting. I stopped and asked many people for some direction, but no one knew exactly where they were! So, after nearly two hours of walking around, a local Sevillano suggested that I just find bus 32 and go to a place that I recognize. Good idea. It was actually a very good experience for me, it just didn’t seem like it at the time. I was able to see a different part of Seville than I had ever seen before. J

And, completing my seventh week in Seville, a few of my girlfriends and I visited to Plaza de Espana. This is another historical monument in Seville. Nowadays, it is used for many events and concerts. We brought our notebooks to study, but that didn’t end up happening. There is just too much to do and to see!

This week was very busy, and next week is not going to be any less eventful. We are leaving on Thursday to go to Portugal!

Loves y besos,

Steph