By Maribel Lopez on 9/29/2008 9:59 AM

Today we started our new classes and my first class doesn’t start until 5 on Mondays and 4 Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays (no class Fridays), so I have the majority of the day to do as I please.
Ashley doesn’t have much for early classes either so we went for a jog through the city. It was really interesting for several reasons. The first being how many stares we got from the people in the streets…probably because these people hardly ever run in the streets. I think I’ve seen maybe 10 since I’ve been here, half were foreigners, the other half men, but I’m sure after a while we’ll get used to it. It was also pretty crazy running through the streets because there are so many people and cars that we were dodging things and people left an right…and the people don’t move! So half our energy is spent trying to get out of the way…again, with time we’ll become accustomed.

We jogged down to Maria Luisa park which is probably a good 2 miles or so from our place then continued to d ... Read More »

By Maribel Lopez on 9/28/2008 9:58 AM

I can’t believe September is almost over already!! We’ve been here over three weeks and it’s gone by so quickly!

Today I didn’t do much…naturally…except for homework and such. Tomorrow we start our new classes for the rest of the semester. Should be interesting.

Luego,

Maribel

By Maribel Lopez on 9/27/2008 7:00 AM

After some recuperation today, we went out again…minus the booze. We weren’t feeling like walking too much so we headed to Bandalai which isn’t as far as Calle Betis. We were just chilled most of the time until we got approached by this man and his friend. He asked us why we weren’t dancing…annoyed, I just said that we were having fine time just chilling. He then asked me to dance with him…and I said I was fine….then he offered to buy us drink, and to not be rude, we said yes. We ended up getting to know him…his name is Oscar, he is from Cadiz. 30 years old. Single. Works selling ham in un Mercado. Former stripper…wait?! What?! Haha he was pretty tipsy but was fun to talk to…I love meeting new people. We danced for a while and then Ashley and I decided to call it a night at approximately 5am. So good.

Tomorrow = Sabbath

Peace.

Maribel

By Maribel Lopez on 9/26/2008 9:52 AM

I’m so glad that test is over…I feel it went well…better in some parts than others…but it’s over now so no reason to dwell. After the test, Ashley and I walked around on some of the main streets checking out the shops. We didn’t buy much but it was fun to look around and not have much too worry about as far as class goes. It’s Friday!

We headed home for lunch and then met up again to go to the school and look up tickets for our long weekends/breaks. We shopped around on ryanair.com and vueling.com and a bunch of other sites to find some deals for the long weekend we have in a couple weeks as well as for our fall break which is at the end of October. After about 4 hours, we booked flights from Seville to Milan and Rome back to Seville for our long weekend. We are going to miss a couple classes, but it’ll totally be worth it. We are going to fly into Milan and then head south over a course of five days, stopping in Florence along the way and ending in Rome. We still need to look for host ... Read More »

By Maribel Lopez on 9/25/2008 9:30 PM

Today was our last day of intensive conversation class so tomorrow we have our final exam. I’m not too concerned, but I’ll do some studying tonight.

After class today, I finally got the chance to visit the cathedral of Seville. This cathedral is the third largest cathedral in the world following St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London and is considered the largest gothic cathedral in the world. I’ve seen St. Paul’s in London but I didn’t not enter and I hope to see St. Peter’s when I visit Italy, and I’ve seen many cathedrals through my travels but this was amazing. The main mosque and minaret were built between 1184-1198 and the courtyard as well as the lower two thirds of the minaret, known as La Giralda, are entirely original because the main Mosque was consecrated as a cathedral in 1248. In 1434 the gothic construction began and took more than 80 years to finish and the minaret was finished 1568 with a height of 98 meters. The minaret is the tallest structure in Seville and it ... Read More »

By Maribel Lopez on 9/24/2008 9:27 PM

We got out tests back and I did better than last time so that’s good news! I finished my composition last night so I don’t really have much for homework today but I do have a final on Friday that I should be studying for. After class, I just came home and ate then went back to school for my cultural realities class and dance class. Today we watched a movie on Flamenco during Semana Santa and La Feria, both of which are huge celebrations in Seville during the spring and it really got me excited to stay here second semester. April just is a huge celebration in this city. Semana Santa en Sevilla (Holy Week) is one of the most recognized in the world. And after that week, there is a week off before La Feria (fair) de Sevilla, which is pretty much just a huge excuse to party for a whole week. (Not that these people need an excuse because they never stop partying.)

After class I then headed back home for dinner and really wanted to go out, but I was exhausted for some reason so it looks like ... Read More »

By Maribel Lopez on 9/23/2008 5:27 PM

So I think I might have done pretty decent on this test today. I’m really glad it’s over and I have the rest of the day to just hang out…maybe do some homework so I don’t have to worry about it later on in the week and maaaaaybe I’ll be able to go out tomorrow or something. We’ll see.

Paz y amor,

Maribel

By Maribel Lopez on 9/22/2008 5:25 PM

Class. Home. Lunch. Siesta. Dance. Home. Dinner. Study.

By Maribel Lopez on 9/21/2008 7:00 AM

We got up around 10 or so and walked down farther into Nervion to check out the Sunday market where they have fresh fruits and vegetables as well as really cheap accessories and clothes. It was full of people from all walks of life and was really annoying but boy do they have bargains. I only got a pair of earrings but the other girls got some clothes and scarves and we’re going to make it a point to come back whenever possible.

After the market the rest of the day was pretty uneventful…the Seville vs. Betis soccer game was on tonight but I didn’t see too much of it, but the streets were pretty crazy. I walked to the Internet café after the game and the game had just finished…people were going nuts! It was neat to see.

Tomorrow begins our last week of the intensive period…it’s crazy that we’re on week 3! I have a test Tuesday and then our final is Friday and our final composition is due Thursday…so I’ve got a busy week ahead of me.

Lue ... Read More »

By Maribel Lopez on 9/20/2008 7:00 AM

I had a little trouble getting up today…but we were on time for the bus to Cordoba which is good news! I slept the hour and half there and when we arrived, we began our tour of the city at the Alcazar.
The interesting thing about most of Andalusia, which is the “state” or comunidad autonoma that is considered southern Spain, is that it has an extremely rich history. The cities of this area have influence from many different peoples: Romans, Jews, Christians and Muslims and Cordoba specifically still houses a lot of this in it’s ancient buildings and streets.

The Alcazar is a fortified palace that has beautiful gardens and houses history of the Romans from back in the 1300s as well as some Christian roots.

Following the Alcazar, we visited one of the three original synagogs left in Spain, constructed hundreds of years ago. It still has faint inscriptions on the walls as well as an original mural. It was interesting to see that the seating upstairs was f ... Read More »