Hola!
Finalmente estoy en Espana. We arrived in Seville on Thursday afternoon and met our group from Union at Hotel Bequer, named after a famous Spanish poet. The city is beautiful, with orange trees everywhere. Our group consists of 18 girls and 1 boy. We had a three course lunch at the hotel. Every meal is served with bread (yahoo!). I didn't know that we were being served 3 courses, so I ate my two pieces of bread after just one course. The first course was a piece of ham, a vegetable cole slaw in a tortilla and pasta salad. Next, we were served chicken in gravy and french fries. Lastly we received an ice cream sundae with hot fudge and a really interesting version of whipped cream which was very thick - almost like a cross between whipped cream and white mousse. We received our school-issued phones, went through a brief orientation session. For dinner we had a fancy lasagna which was a little too different for my taste, and a tiramisu for dessert, which was great.
That night we went out to a "chillout/bar/discoteca" (one name for each floor) called Kudeta, which means Buddha in English. It was a very cool atmosphere, with cozy seating and cool decorations. Unfortunately, I'm sure we drew plenty of attention to ourselves as a group of ten speaking in English. I hope to go out to places with fewer Americans and other tourists in the future, but the evening was fun. We arrived at 12:30 and left at 2:30, because everyone was exhausted from the day. But the place was just starting to fill up as we left. The bar tender told us that it generally doesn't start filling up until 3 AM! Most clubs and bars don't even open until midnight, and close at 7 or 8 in the morning, at which point everyone goes out for breakfast before going to sleep. I am having serious doubts about my ability to do that.
Yesterday we had a tour of our school. The school is called Centro Norteamericano. The school hosts international students learning Spanish and Sevillanos who are studying English. We have class Monday through Thursday, from 8AM-7Pm with a break for siesta between 2-5 PM. We took a placement exam to see which level classes we would be placed in. My hope is that placing "chaleco" which means "vest" in English, in the "furniture" column of the vocabulary section won't land me in the lower section. Other than that, I think I'll be OK.
We then went to see our host families! Our house is within walking distance from school, which is great (most people have to take the bus) and it is located in the heart of Seville, with tons of zapaterias (shoes stores), clothing stores, jewelery stores and fresh produce located right around the corner. The apartment is unbelievable. I expected to be crammed into the corner of a three room flat with an old widow, but instead we are living on our own floor of a 4-story apartment with a husband and wife, 3 daughters (ages 18, 23 and 3) and a chihuahua named Neco. They call the youngest, "hija sorpresa" which means surprise daughter. Another exchange student will be joining us in the house from another university next week.
Lunch is served during "la siesta" and is the largest meal of the day. It is eaten as a family, and consists of bread, a soup, and another course. Generally in Spain la Senora of the house cooks the meal, but in this household, the housekeeper cooks (I am 75% sure that this is what they were saying). We had bread, beef and potato soup in tomato broth, and salad of ham and corn and iceberg lettuce with olive oil. It was delicious. For dessert we had bananas. The 18 year old daughter speaks English, so it was good to have a translator when we didn't understand the word "firewood" and to tell us that the breakfast cereals here are the same.
After lunch everyone gathers around the coffee table in the living room, which is draped over with a heavy blanket. Everyone sits on the couches around the table and pulls the blanket onto their lap. There is a heater under the table, where everyone heats their feet. It is very different. The rest of the house is extremely cold, because there is no central heating. Rachel and I have a space heater which we are allowed to use when we are in the room (awake) but it is still extremely cold. Apparently, this is the coldest Seville has been in years (it's in the 40s), but it is still generally colder in these houses than in those of the United States. They are predicting snow for tomorrow. If it snows, it will be the first time any of the children have seen snow, as it has not snowed in seville in over 60 years. I can't believe that the one time I try to escape a new England winter, they are predicting the first snow in over half a century.
We went on a tour with our group and returned to our house for dinner. Dinner is generally not eaten together. We had a vegetable medley and bread. It was delicious. I am so excited that I have enjoyed the food thusfar because I was very worried after our meals at the hotel.
We spent the rest of the evening with the family. The youngest daughter is adorable. It was funny to see Dora la Exploradora, teaching children how to count to 10 in English. She also loves Hanna Montana and "globos" (balloons).
In the morning we had the Spanish equivalent of Cocoa Puffs. This family seems to be a little less traditional. In most households, breakfast is a piece of toast served with olive oil. Afterwards, we went for a run along the river. We anticipated a 2 mile run, but ended up running between 5 and 6 since we got lost in a park of orange trees.
We had a late lunch of fried egg, chicken and frenchfries. For dessert we had a candy made of egg yolk and sugar. It was tasty and very interesting.
Overall, I am thrilled with the host family and with everything. My only concern is the heat ( I slept in ski socks, 2 pairs of pants, a longsleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and a fleece last night under my covers. But I was comfortable, so I guess that's what I have to do). Rachel and I are planning on buying some boots (all the rebajas (sales) are going on now, since it's after Christmas) and making some plans for this evening. Classes start on Monday bright and early at 8AM.
Adios!
Finalmente estoy en Espana. We arrived in Seville on Thursday afternoon and met our group from Union at Hotel Bequer, named after a famous Spanish poet. The city is beautiful, with orange trees everywhere. Our group consists of 18 girls and 1 boy. We had a three course lunch at the hotel. Every meal is served with bread (yahoo!). I didn't know that we were being served 3 courses, so I ate my two pieces of bread after just one course. The first course was a piece of ham, a vegetable cole slaw in a tortilla and pasta salad. Next, we were served chicken in gravy and french fries. Lastly we received an ice cream sundae with hot fudge and a really interesting version of whipped cream which was very thick - almost like a cross between whipped cream and white mousse. We received our school-issued phones, went through a brief orientation session. For dinner we had a fancy lasagna which was a little too different for my taste, and a tiramisu for dessert, which was great.
That night we went out to a "chillout/bar/discoteca" (one name for each floor) called Kudeta, which means Buddha in English. It was a very cool atmosphere, with cozy seating and cool decorations. Unfortunately, I'm sure we drew plenty of attention to ourselves as a group of ten speaking in English. I hope to go out to places with fewer Americans and other tourists in the future, but the evening was fun. We arrived at 12:30 and left at 2:30, because everyone was exhausted from the day. But the place was just starting to fill up as we left. The bar tender told us that it generally doesn't start filling up until 3 AM! Most clubs and bars don't even open until midnight, and close at 7 or 8 in the morning, at which point everyone goes out for breakfast before going to sleep. I am having serious doubts about my ability to do that.
Yesterday we had a tour of our school. The school is called Centro Norteamericano. The school hosts international students learning Spanish and Sevillanos who are studying English. We have class Monday through Thursday, from 8AM-7Pm with a break for siesta between 2-5 PM. We took a placement exam to see which level classes we would be placed in. My hope is that placing "chaleco" which means "vest" in English, in the "furniture" column of the vocabulary section won't land me in the lower section. Other than that, I think I'll be OK.
We then went to see our host families! Our house is within walking distance from school, which is great (most people have to take the bus) and it is located in the heart of Seville, with tons of zapaterias (shoes stores), clothing stores, jewelery stores and fresh produce located right around the corner. The apartment is unbelievable. I expected to be crammed into the corner of a three room flat with an old widow, but instead we are living on our own floor of a 4-story apartment with a husband and wife, 3 daughters (ages 18, 23 and 3) and a chihuahua named Neco. They call the youngest, "hija sorpresa" which means surprise daughter. Another exchange student will be joining us in the house from another university next week.
Lunch is served during "la siesta" and is the largest meal of the day. It is eaten as a family, and consists of bread, a soup, and another course. Generally in Spain la Senora of the house cooks the meal, but in this household, the housekeeper cooks (I am 75% sure that this is what they were saying). We had bread, beef and potato soup in tomato broth, and salad of ham and corn and iceberg lettuce with olive oil. It was delicious. For dessert we had bananas. The 18 year old daughter speaks English, so it was good to have a translator when we didn't understand the word "firewood" and to tell us that the breakfast cereals here are the same.
After lunch everyone gathers around the coffee table in the living room, which is draped over with a heavy blanket. Everyone sits on the couches around the table and pulls the blanket onto their lap. There is a heater under the table, where everyone heats their feet. It is very different. The rest of the house is extremely cold, because there is no central heating. Rachel and I have a space heater which we are allowed to use when we are in the room (awake) but it is still extremely cold. Apparently, this is the coldest Seville has been in years (it's in the 40s), but it is still generally colder in these houses than in those of the United States. They are predicting snow for tomorrow. If it snows, it will be the first time any of the children have seen snow, as it has not snowed in seville in over 60 years. I can't believe that the one time I try to escape a new England winter, they are predicting the first snow in over half a century.
We went on a tour with our group and returned to our house for dinner. Dinner is generally not eaten together. We had a vegetable medley and bread. It was delicious. I am so excited that I have enjoyed the food thusfar because I was very worried after our meals at the hotel.
We spent the rest of the evening with the family. The youngest daughter is adorable. It was funny to see Dora la Exploradora, teaching children how to count to 10 in English. She also loves Hanna Montana and "globos" (balloons).
In the morning we had the Spanish equivalent of Cocoa Puffs. This family seems to be a little less traditional. In most households, breakfast is a piece of toast served with olive oil. Afterwards, we went for a run along the river. We anticipated a 2 mile run, but ended up running between 5 and 6 since we got lost in a park of orange trees.
We had a late lunch of fried egg, chicken and frenchfries. For dessert we had a candy made of egg yolk and sugar. It was tasty and very interesting.
Overall, I am thrilled with the host family and with everything. My only concern is the heat ( I slept in ski socks, 2 pairs of pants, a longsleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and a fleece last night under my covers. But I was comfortable, so I guess that's what I have to do). Rachel and I are planning on buying some boots (all the rebajas (sales) are going on now, since it's after Christmas) and making some plans for this evening. Classes start on Monday bright and early at 8AM.
Adios!
llamame
ReplyDeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteYour familia sounds amazing! So good to hear that there are children your age to hang out with maybe! AND "hija sopresa" - hilarious!
The Spanish traditions sound so cool! What a great experience so far!
Buena suerte en tus classes manana!
Adios!