Boring blog post, but weekends are starting to become the main entertainment for the blog. Darn school is really starting to become school. Well anyway still have classes. That's about that on that end... Sorry for the disappointment. If you want to know about any of my classes please post a question and ask away. I am here for your benefit. The classes I am taking are Contemporary Literature, Linguistics, Novel and Cinema, a history class on the three religions of Spain: Christianity; Judaism and Islam, and a class called "Arte y Fiesta" about Andalusian history.
My interest group had another meeting this week. We learned how to make lentil soup!! This is probably the most commonly made thing in my home stay. Our teacher was our group leader's mother! She let us into her kitchen and showed us how to make the soup and also a form of deviled eggs if you will. They had tuna in them. I am definitely benefiting from my interest group! I will definitely bring home as many recipes as possible. Please tell me if you want any!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Granada
So this weekend CIEE, my program, arranged for a trip to Granada! I can honestly say that Granada has and will continue to be my favorite place that I've visited!
Right when we got there we checked into our hotel and where was it located? Across the street from La Alhambra, no big deal or anything. Anyway after we inhaled food from a buffet for lunch, we went to La Alhambra. Luckily my group was led by my favorite guide, Alejandro, he has such a passion for history and a bunch of stories about every little thing and it makes our tours so interesting. Now you know how people are always saying how great something was and then you go there and it's a let down? Well this is most definitely not the case for La Alhambra. People rave about it and there is a reason. It's ginormous! I am still in shock at how something this large was ever constructed and how it has lasted the hundreds of years it has lasted and still is amazing and decorated and in full bloom. I would describe it, but I feel that a bunch of pictures would do it much more justice so here they are.
Now La Alhambra wasn't the only thing we did in Granada. Saturday night we went out for tapas and I love the way Granada does them. When you order a drink you get a free tapa. Sometimes you get to choose what it is and other times it is a surprise, but whatever you eat, it's amazing. I definitely enjoyed myself during dinner. Then after dinner we went to a club that was in a cave! It was an amazing view and a much different experience.
Sunday we toured the other half of the city and saw the oldest neighborhood in Granada. There was such a cool mix of Muslim houses with patios on the inside and Christian houses with beautiful windows. Then we trucked back to Sevilla and I just about crashed like there was no tomorrow.
Right when we got there we checked into our hotel and where was it located? Across the street from La Alhambra, no big deal or anything. Anyway after we inhaled food from a buffet for lunch, we went to La Alhambra. Luckily my group was led by my favorite guide, Alejandro, he has such a passion for history and a bunch of stories about every little thing and it makes our tours so interesting. Now you know how people are always saying how great something was and then you go there and it's a let down? Well this is most definitely not the case for La Alhambra. People rave about it and there is a reason. It's ginormous! I am still in shock at how something this large was ever constructed and how it has lasted the hundreds of years it has lasted and still is amazing and decorated and in full bloom. I would describe it, but I feel that a bunch of pictures would do it much more justice so here they are.
 |
Sunday we toured the other half of the city and saw the oldest neighborhood in Granada. There was such a cool mix of Muslim houses with patios on the inside and Christian houses with beautiful windows. Then we trucked back to Sevilla and I just about crashed like there was no tomorrow.
Week 5
So this week was pretty normal. Classes are starting to really get me into gear. I am in a linguistics class and it is just about the hardest thing I have ever taken. I like the challenge and the class is really interesting. Hopefully I can make it through.
Thursday my friend Ray show me and a bunch of other people the best tapas restaurant I have ever eaten at. Not just best tapas either but best food ever. Ox tenderloin, quail with ratatouille, grilled tuna, wild boar, and chocolate souffle. So amazing!!! Anywho amazing food with amazing people
My interest group went to a convent where the nuns make sweets with the same recipes as they used when the convent opened. So yummy and my Spanish family really liked them too.
Thursday my friend Ray show me and a bunch of other people the best tapas restaurant I have ever eaten at. Not just best tapas either but best food ever. Ox tenderloin, quail with ratatouille, grilled tuna, wild boar, and chocolate souffle. So amazing!!! Anywho amazing food with amazing people
My interest group went to a convent where the nuns make sweets with the same recipes as they used when the convent opened. So yummy and my Spanish family really liked them too.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Week 4
Actual classes started this week, which means actual work begins. Some of my classes are really great and I love some of my professors. Overall I am really excited for this semester. I am realizing that reading in Spanish is way more difficult than I expected and I am really in for a butt whooping this semester. Luckily though I am getting way better at understanding and speaking and writing in Spanish so everything is heading in the direction of me becoming fluent in Spanish! I will be sure to only keep you all updated on the fun stuff in class and not all of the work I have to do.
This week we had our second Interest Group meeting! We got to eat jamón and drink different types of wine. The ham we had was absolutely delicious. I really don't think I am going to be able to go back to plain white bread, packaged deli meat, and everything else here that is so delicious.
So since I am trying to be fluent CIEE has a program that allows American students to meet with Spanish students and talk with each other. I am going to talk with my intercambio Sara for about 2 hours every week and luckily for me she is majoring in Spanish which is a great benefit for me because she will be able to tell me when my spanish is awful! She also wants to learn to speak English so luckily I get to be the one to help her do that! She is great and even though I only got to talk to her for 2 hours this week I know this semester is going to be a great experience for me and I hope Sara and I can be friends!
Wednesday there was a party for one of our tour guides that left for the United States! We started off the night by going to El Torre del Oro and fiesta-ing right on the river. Then we went to our favorite club which was empty, like there was the 20 of our group and about 5 other people there... But we probably had on of the most fun nights we've had so far because we all just got to let loose and have a good time, even though we were saying goodbye to a very close friend of ours. Even though the place was empty we got to dance to our favorite Spanish music and just not care what anyone thought of us.
On Friday we don't have class so CIEE plans trips and Friday there were two planned that I signed up for. The first was to Carmona and even though it was raining the whole time it was a great experience. Carmona is a city that the Romans used for defense. We got to go into a palace that has existed for hundreds and even thousands of years. There was a part of the palace that has existed since before Christ walked the earth. Everything was amazing to see and experience this magnificent place. Between visiting one palace and being in the Cathedral of Carmona we stopped to get some churros con chocolate. I don't think my life would be as complete as it is now if I had never experienced this little taste of heaven. Then later in the day we went to Itálica which is about 15 minutes outside of Sevilla. It is a city of Romans ruins that has been excavated. It has the biggest amphitheater in Spain. We got to step in actual ancient homes with mosaic floors that are still intact! I could not even begin to describe what it felt like to be there. I don't know what order to put these in but here are about 100 pictures of Carmona and Itálica!
This week we had our second Interest Group meeting! We got to eat jamón and drink different types of wine. The ham we had was absolutely delicious. I really don't think I am going to be able to go back to plain white bread, packaged deli meat, and everything else here that is so delicious.
So since I am trying to be fluent CIEE has a program that allows American students to meet with Spanish students and talk with each other. I am going to talk with my intercambio Sara for about 2 hours every week and luckily for me she is majoring in Spanish which is a great benefit for me because she will be able to tell me when my spanish is awful! She also wants to learn to speak English so luckily I get to be the one to help her do that! She is great and even though I only got to talk to her for 2 hours this week I know this semester is going to be a great experience for me and I hope Sara and I can be friends!
Wednesday there was a party for one of our tour guides that left for the United States! We started off the night by going to El Torre del Oro and fiesta-ing right on the river. Then we went to our favorite club which was empty, like there was the 20 of our group and about 5 other people there... But we probably had on of the most fun nights we've had so far because we all just got to let loose and have a good time, even though we were saying goodbye to a very close friend of ours. Even though the place was empty we got to dance to our favorite Spanish music and just not care what anyone thought of us.
On Friday we don't have class so CIEE plans trips and Friday there were two planned that I signed up for. The first was to Carmona and even though it was raining the whole time it was a great experience. Carmona is a city that the Romans used for defense. We got to go into a palace that has existed for hundreds and even thousands of years. There was a part of the palace that has existed since before Christ walked the earth. Everything was amazing to see and experience this magnificent place. Between visiting one palace and being in the Cathedral of Carmona we stopped to get some churros con chocolate. I don't think my life would be as complete as it is now if I had never experienced this little taste of heaven. Then later in the day we went to Itálica which is about 15 minutes outside of Sevilla. It is a city of Romans ruins that has been excavated. It has the biggest amphitheater in Spain. We got to step in actual ancient homes with mosaic floors that are still intact! I could not even begin to describe what it felt like to be there. I don't know what order to put these in but here are about 100 pictures of Carmona and Itálica!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)