Saturday, January 31, 2009
Meeting new people
I finally met some new people! Being in such a tiny program (of only 5 students), meeting people is hard to do. I owe a big thanks to my college friend Karen for remembering that she has a cousin studying in Sevilla this semester. She got us in contact and we hung out today. It's wonderful meeting a fellow choir/music nerd over here. I met some of her friends after we hung out for awhile, and they are also very nice people. We're probably going out later tonight, and then tomorrow I have rainy day plans with someone who I hung out with last weekend. It's nice to finally have company and to fill up my schedule with social plans. Now that I have people to explore the city with, I think this semester is going to get a lot better.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Jews and Buttered blankets
I feel like the only Jew in Spain. I haven't met a single Jewish person since I've been here. All of the American students in my program are Christian. Most of the Spanish people are Catholic. Every store and almost every restaurant is closed on Sunday. Where have all the Jews gone? On the bright side, it's interesting to share a Jewish perspective with my class of goyem. I may not know a whole lot about Jewish history, but my professors seem very surprised and interested in what information I have been able to bring to the class.
All of the American exchange students I've met so far have said that their host moms feed them too much. The complain that we don't eat enough, but the food here is so rich (and plentiful!). I think I've mentioned the abundance of food already. Ironically, I've noticed recently that the moms don't seem to eat or sleep. They serve us food and will often watch us eat, but they don't eat with us. One of my Spanish teachers says it's because they snack during the day and don't eat as much food as they serve us, because it would make them very large very quickly. My host mom goes to bed after I've gone to sleep, and wakes up before I've gotten out of bed. I think a lot of the other host moms do the same. It must be the siesta (mid-day nap) that keeps them standing.
One very noticeable aspect of Spanish culture is the acceptance of alcohol. If you go to a cafe at noon, you will see lots of people drinking beers and smoking. The other day in class we learned about "botellonas," great big bottles of alcohol that people drink in the street, in parks, or in other public places. Some days I see groups of people standing around drinking while I'm walking home for lunch.
Sevilla is gorgeous most months out of the year, but since we're still getting out of the winter months, it's been very cold and sometimes rainy. Most of the homes don't have central heating, they have radiators and space heaters. The first few days and nights, my room would get VERY cold. My host mom gave me some extra blankets, which helped, but didn't quite help enough. She just got a new space heater for my room, and that has been working very nicely. I'll definitely survive until the weather warms up. She's also lending me a coat, jacket, turtleneck, scarf, and pair of gloves to wear outside. Hurray for fabulous host moms.
Being a grateful guest, I tried to thank her the other day for the extra blankets. I said at the dinner table, "Gracias por las mantequillas extras." Everyone started laughing. The word I had wanted was "mantas." Instead of thanking her for the extra blankets, I had accidentally thanked her for the extra butter. Oops!
All of the American exchange students I've met so far have said that their host moms feed them too much. The complain that we don't eat enough, but the food here is so rich (and plentiful!). I think I've mentioned the abundance of food already. Ironically, I've noticed recently that the moms don't seem to eat or sleep. They serve us food and will often watch us eat, but they don't eat with us. One of my Spanish teachers says it's because they snack during the day and don't eat as much food as they serve us, because it would make them very large very quickly. My host mom goes to bed after I've gone to sleep, and wakes up before I've gotten out of bed. I think a lot of the other host moms do the same. It must be the siesta (mid-day nap) that keeps them standing.
One very noticeable aspect of Spanish culture is the acceptance of alcohol. If you go to a cafe at noon, you will see lots of people drinking beers and smoking. The other day in class we learned about "botellonas," great big bottles of alcohol that people drink in the street, in parks, or in other public places. Some days I see groups of people standing around drinking while I'm walking home for lunch.
Sevilla is gorgeous most months out of the year, but since we're still getting out of the winter months, it's been very cold and sometimes rainy. Most of the homes don't have central heating, they have radiators and space heaters. The first few days and nights, my room would get VERY cold. My host mom gave me some extra blankets, which helped, but didn't quite help enough. She just got a new space heater for my room, and that has been working very nicely. I'll definitely survive until the weather warms up. She's also lending me a coat, jacket, turtleneck, scarf, and pair of gloves to wear outside. Hurray for fabulous host moms.
Being a grateful guest, I tried to thank her the other day for the extra blankets. I said at the dinner table, "Gracias por las mantequillas extras." Everyone started laughing. The word I had wanted was "mantas." Instead of thanking her for the extra blankets, I had accidentally thanked her for the extra butter. Oops!
Monday, January 26, 2009
American, Cathedral, and Chocolate
I had an interesting encounter this morning. I was walking to the train station, and a young blonde woman approached me and asked (in Spanish) me how to get to a location circled on her map. I noticed her accent right away. I asked her, "De donde eres?" (Where are you from?) She looked down guiltily and replied, "Los Estados Unidos." "Oh, me too!" She seemed very relieved, and we continued our conversation in English. I pointed her in the right direction, and I hope it helped. So this means that not only can I now recognize non-Spaniards, but I also sort of know my area well enough to not get lost in it. Hurray!
Today we visited the Cathedral next to the university. It's the largest cathedral I've ever seen. It has eight pipe organs. We toured through it, and every time I thought we were done, we'd enter some new, hidden room. I think I took a hundred photos today. We climbed up 33 ramps and a couple of steps to the top of Giralda Tower, where we had a perfect view of the entire city. I wish I knew how to put pictures in this blog, I can't really describe how spectacular the view was without using visual aids.
After the Cathedral tour, we stopped in at a little bakery on the street. The pastries and chocolates here look absolutely amazing. I'm trying not to spend too much at once (or eat too much at once), so I didn't buy anything today, but I'll definitely have to try some of the chocolatey options at some point while I'm here. I had my first Spanish ice cream cone yesterday, and it was heavenly. Not only is the ice cream delicious, but the cone was better than most cones I've had. Mmmm.
Today we visited the Cathedral next to the university. It's the largest cathedral I've ever seen. It has eight pipe organs. We toured through it, and every time I thought we were done, we'd enter some new, hidden room. I think I took a hundred photos today. We climbed up 33 ramps and a couple of steps to the top of Giralda Tower, where we had a perfect view of the entire city. I wish I knew how to put pictures in this blog, I can't really describe how spectacular the view was without using visual aids.
After the Cathedral tour, we stopped in at a little bakery on the street. The pastries and chocolates here look absolutely amazing. I'm trying not to spend too much at once (or eat too much at once), so I didn't buy anything today, but I'll definitely have to try some of the chocolatey options at some point while I'm here. I had my first Spanish ice cream cone yesterday, and it was heavenly. Not only is the ice cream delicious, but the cone was better than most cones I've had. Mmmm.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A couple of observations
I watched some Simpsons and Family Guy with Alex today. Seeing familiar cartoons in Spanish is very strange. I was able to follow the plot lines and pick out familiar words, but there is still such a big part of the language I don't understand. Now that I have a seminar almost every day, maybe I'll start picking up more of the language.
So the part of Sevilla I live in is very commercial. It feels like New York City, except all the buildings are shorter. There doesn't seem to be much understanding between the drivers and the pedestrians. I've seen cars come dangerously close to people crossing the street. Motorcyclists (and even some cars!) will drive right up onto the sidewalk for shortcuts. I've also seen several cars fit down tiny alleyways that I thought could only fit pedestrians.
Men and women in Spain seem quite different that those I see back home. Every woman I've seen so far is very fashionable, with very trendy clothes and very expensive shoes. The men here do things that would be seen as very feminine back home. I've seen two men riding on motorcycles. I saw one man wearing a jacket with a faux fur trimmed hood. I saw one man pushing his baby around in a stroller. He was also smoking a cigarette, ironically.
I got my first homework assignment today, so I've got to run. Keep me posted with what's happening at home!
So the part of Sevilla I live in is very commercial. It feels like New York City, except all the buildings are shorter. There doesn't seem to be much understanding between the drivers and the pedestrians. I've seen cars come dangerously close to people crossing the street. Motorcyclists (and even some cars!) will drive right up onto the sidewalk for shortcuts. I've also seen several cars fit down tiny alleyways that I thought could only fit pedestrians.
Men and women in Spain seem quite different that those I see back home. Every woman I've seen so far is very fashionable, with very trendy clothes and very expensive shoes. The men here do things that would be seen as very feminine back home. I've seen two men riding on motorcycles. I saw one man wearing a jacket with a faux fur trimmed hood. I saw one man pushing his baby around in a stroller. He was also smoking a cigarette, ironically.
I got my first homework assignment today, so I've got to run. Keep me posted with what's happening at home!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Getting used to Spain
Hello everyone! I finally got my wireless internet set up. Lucky for me, I have my own personal engineer to consult (thanks Marc!).
So my schedule in Spain is very different than my schedule back home. During regular days when I have seminar, I wake up around 7:30am and have breakfast with my host family. Breakfast is not a big deal in Spain. I usually have a piece of toast with jam and a glass of juice or hot milk with cocao (hot cocoa). Then I go to the train and meet the other Geranios students. There are 5 of us: 2 from Pitzer, 2 from University of Miami, and 1 from Coe.
After our orientation seminars, I come home for lunch with the family. Lunch is usually some time between 2 and 3. It's the big meal of the day here in Spain. My family serves the food in courses. It usually starts with some sort of thick soup, then some sort of dish that includes meat. And there's always bread. They're big on carbs here. I miss all the healthy fruits and vegetables back home. I sometimes get to eat some fruit, but I haven't seen many green vegetables yet. Dinner is pretty similar to lunch. My host family gives me way too much food. They say I don't eat very much, and that I am like a "pajarito" (little bird).
Spain is big on night life. There are lots of restaurants and bars open until very late. The other night, I went with the Geranios group and the mom of one of the Geranios people to a tapas place in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old Jewish neighborhood. After dinner, we went to a little bar tucked away in a maze of alleys for a flamenco show. It was quite amazing, but I had to step out because so many people were smoking and it was like sitting in a cloud of cigarette smoke. I tried to avoid breathing it, but it's 2 days later and I can still feel the scratchiness in my throat. The other Geranios students really enjoy the whole smokey bar scene, which is unfortunate. I want to experience all Sevilla has to offer, but I don't want to compromise my health. I'll either have to stay home or take anti-smoking breaks during these night outings.
For the next 3 weeks, we have seminars almost every week day. We'll be learning Spanish culture, literature, grammar, and conversation. Then we start classes at the Universidad de Sevilla. Class registration here is interesting. You pick 7 classes to try out, go to all of them for 2 weeks, then select 4 to take for the rest of the semester. My potential choices are the following:
* Flamenco: An Expression of the Culture of Andalucia
Culinary Habits and Diet in the Mediterranean of Ancient Times
Spanish Grammar
Spanish Semantics
* Corrective Phonetics and Conversation
* Contemporary Spanish Cinema
Flamenco as a Process of Communication
* = classes I'm pretty sure I want to keep
I think I've spent the most time talking with my host brother, Alex (Alejandro). He turns 19 at the end of this month and is in his first year of university. He is very patient with my Spanish and does not hesitate to correct my grammar. His mom, my host mom Mercedes, is fabulous. I've been quite cold since getting here, it's been 40 degrees most days. She lent me a coat, jacket, turtleneck, scarf, and gloves. She takes very good care of me. She obviously loves hosting students, and considers herself our mother while we're in Spain. We're also hosting 2 Italian girls for the next 2 weeks. They are studying in my Geranios language program, but will be going back to Italy at the end instead of taking classes in Sevilla. They're both nice, I enjoy talking to them during family meals.
So that is most of what I've been up to. I really miss people back home, but I'm also really looking forward to all the things I'm going to see and all the Spanish I'm going to learn. I can't wait for May when Marc comes out, we have a lot of planning to do before we'll be ready for 2 weeks loose in Europe. Hope all is well back home!
So my schedule in Spain is very different than my schedule back home. During regular days when I have seminar, I wake up around 7:30am and have breakfast with my host family. Breakfast is not a big deal in Spain. I usually have a piece of toast with jam and a glass of juice or hot milk with cocao (hot cocoa). Then I go to the train and meet the other Geranios students. There are 5 of us: 2 from Pitzer, 2 from University of Miami, and 1 from Coe.
After our orientation seminars, I come home for lunch with the family. Lunch is usually some time between 2 and 3. It's the big meal of the day here in Spain. My family serves the food in courses. It usually starts with some sort of thick soup, then some sort of dish that includes meat. And there's always bread. They're big on carbs here. I miss all the healthy fruits and vegetables back home. I sometimes get to eat some fruit, but I haven't seen many green vegetables yet. Dinner is pretty similar to lunch. My host family gives me way too much food. They say I don't eat very much, and that I am like a "pajarito" (little bird).
Spain is big on night life. There are lots of restaurants and bars open until very late. The other night, I went with the Geranios group and the mom of one of the Geranios people to a tapas place in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old Jewish neighborhood. After dinner, we went to a little bar tucked away in a maze of alleys for a flamenco show. It was quite amazing, but I had to step out because so many people were smoking and it was like sitting in a cloud of cigarette smoke. I tried to avoid breathing it, but it's 2 days later and I can still feel the scratchiness in my throat. The other Geranios students really enjoy the whole smokey bar scene, which is unfortunate. I want to experience all Sevilla has to offer, but I don't want to compromise my health. I'll either have to stay home or take anti-smoking breaks during these night outings.
For the next 3 weeks, we have seminars almost every week day. We'll be learning Spanish culture, literature, grammar, and conversation. Then we start classes at the Universidad de Sevilla. Class registration here is interesting. You pick 7 classes to try out, go to all of them for 2 weeks, then select 4 to take for the rest of the semester. My potential choices are the following:
* Flamenco: An Expression of the Culture of Andalucia
Culinary Habits and Diet in the Mediterranean of Ancient Times
Spanish Grammar
Spanish Semantics
* Corrective Phonetics and Conversation
* Contemporary Spanish Cinema
Flamenco as a Process of Communication
* = classes I'm pretty sure I want to keep
I think I've spent the most time talking with my host brother, Alex (Alejandro). He turns 19 at the end of this month and is in his first year of university. He is very patient with my Spanish and does not hesitate to correct my grammar. His mom, my host mom Mercedes, is fabulous. I've been quite cold since getting here, it's been 40 degrees most days. She lent me a coat, jacket, turtleneck, scarf, and gloves. She takes very good care of me. She obviously loves hosting students, and considers herself our mother while we're in Spain. We're also hosting 2 Italian girls for the next 2 weeks. They are studying in my Geranios language program, but will be going back to Italy at the end instead of taking classes in Sevilla. They're both nice, I enjoy talking to them during family meals.
So that is most of what I've been up to. I really miss people back home, but I'm also really looking forward to all the things I'm going to see and all the Spanish I'm going to learn. I can't wait for May when Marc comes out, we have a lot of planning to do before we'll be ready for 2 weeks loose in Europe. Hope all is well back home!
Friday, January 16, 2009
In Spain!
After more than 24 hours flying planes and waiting in airports, I made it! The first flight I took, from SF to London, had little individual tv screens with 40 or so movies to choose from, along with a bunch of tv shows and music.
My host family is great. I can understand Mercedes´s (my host mom´s) Spanish more than that of anyone else I´ve met so far. Spaniards speak very quickly! Mercedes is very affectionate and mom-like. She has a husband, Angel, and 2 sons. Alvaro is 21 and Alejandro is 19 at the end of this month. They have 2 dogs, Iago and Lisa. They are big golden labs who love sniffing everywhere and need a big push before they´ll leave a room.
We had our first day of orientation today. In 3 weeks we sign up for classes. And since I haven´t bought a router yet and am using my host´s computer, I´ll have to explain more later.
I miss you all!
My host family is great. I can understand Mercedes´s (my host mom´s) Spanish more than that of anyone else I´ve met so far. Spaniards speak very quickly! Mercedes is very affectionate and mom-like. She has a husband, Angel, and 2 sons. Alvaro is 21 and Alejandro is 19 at the end of this month. They have 2 dogs, Iago and Lisa. They are big golden labs who love sniffing everywhere and need a big push before they´ll leave a room.
We had our first day of orientation today. In 3 weeks we sign up for classes. And since I haven´t bought a router yet and am using my host´s computer, I´ll have to explain more later.
I miss you all!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Getting ready for Spain
Hello everyone! I'm still here in California, about a week away from departure. If you'd like to contact me overseas, your best bet is to email me or use Skype. My Skype username is a_friedman and my name is listed as "Ariana."
Since this is my first blog and I haven't actually left for Spain yet, I have little to say. Check back later for more updates!
Since this is my first blog and I haven't actually left for Spain yet, I have little to say. Check back later for more updates!
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