I finally have a moment to sit and record these last couple weeks and here’s my view while doing so! (Rock of Gibraltar in background)
What's Happening With...
School
Classes are up and running and I can confidently say this is one of the best learning environments I have ever had the pleasure of being in.
Yes, my professors bring pastries to class for us to try during Spanish Literature.
And yes, my professors make hand puppet shadows on the projector instead of pretending to teach International Business when I ask them to stand in my photo of my morning snack.
But whether it's help on a class project or paper, advice on where to find the best kebab restaurant, or travel destination suggestions, my professors and the entire ICS (International College of Seville) staff are there to help students and make their time in Spain and at ICS as valuable and enjoyable as possible.
I feel the class load I chose is perfect for Spain. Four classes allow me to take 12 credit hours that all go towards my graduation requirements in Hawaii while at the same time give me plenty of time to explore the city of Seville in the afternoons and other countries on the weekends.
So far I have done a couple oral presentations in Spanish Literature (spoken in Spanish) and a few take-home worksheets based on readings, so the homework load has been very manageable. The majority of the learning is based on interactive comprehension in class from having conversations about the subject material rather than loading up students with tons of homework. I LOVE being able to sit in class and enjoy talking about topics like barriers to international trade or Brexit and truly focus and absorb what's being taught since I don't have to stress about doing hours and hours of homework. Midterms are next week !! I am a little concerned mostly about the unknown of how they will be, but my professors said not to worry.
Home
It’s a strange feeling not making my meals, doing my laundry, or cleaning my room or bathroom while here. I feel spoiled. I told this to Aitana (My host mum) in Spanish and she repeated what she thought I was saying back to me in English: “Ok, you feel spoiled because I do everything for you, you are not learning how to do anything for yourself, and you feel trapped in life because you can’t do anything while you are here.” Thank goodness she speaks English so I can correct her really quickly and clarify that I feel spoiled because she does so much for me when I am so used to doing it for myself and that I really appreciate all she does when she has her own life, children, and career to also manage.
Another example of a language barrier is after lunch one day Aitana says, “You always say thank you for every meal so it will be hard to sneak in a crappy pizza once in awhile and get a break from cooking.” She thought I was always saying thank you because I only like to eat really good food and wouldn’t be happy with a store-bought oven pizza in ten minutes type of lunch. I very quickly explained that 1. I could never get tired of pizza if she fed it to me everyday, and 2. I say thank you because she takes the time out of her day to make me food everyday. It doesn’t matter what the food is.
It’s funny how we can both speak the same language together (English or Spanish) but still interpret very different messages from each other.
When we sit down for meals, Arturo (host brother) will practice his English with me and tell me about his day, school schedule, or happenings with the soccer team he plays on. My host sister, Aitana, can also speak English and is able to help me when I am struggling to say something in Spanish. Sometimes I wake up from siestas (afternoon naps) to Arturo's screaming at his computer where he is playing soccer video games or the TV where the Real Betis soccer game is playing. I think he's their most loyal fan.
When I arrived in Spain, half my luggage consisted of chocolate from Hawaii and San Francisco and other gifts for my family and school. One of the gifts was a pair of warm, fuzzy women's socks I got for my host sister. Except Arturo steals them all the time !!!!
Travel
Travel with School
ICS has taken us on three day trips. The first was to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, the Royal Palace in Seville converted from a mosque into Christian palace for King Peter of Castile. Second was the Roman ruins in the city of Itálica where scenes from the TV series Game of Thrones were filmed. And finally Spanish Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba. All three were incredibly beautiful and interesting to learn about.
Travel with Friends
During my first weekend in Spain, my childhood friend from California who is also studying abroad in Seville at a different university and I went to Cadíz with a couple friends. This beautiful city on the coast of Andalusía was the first time I saw the ocean on this trip.
Last weekend four friends and I went on our first international weekend trip to Belgium! We spent three nights in hostels in Brussels and Brugge. I have never eaten so many waffles in my life. When my mom asked how the weekend went and asked why I was so tired, I said because of all the late-night trains between cities that the best night of sleep I got that weekend was on a McDonalds bench in the Lisbon airport during our ten hour layover on the way home from Brussels to Seville. We all had a "We're only here for a short time, so let's sleep when we get back to Seville and wake up early to do as much as we can while we're here," type of attitude which was very tiring but so much fun.
Soon I will be creating a new page on this blog dedicated to where I travel. There will be a section for each place I visit, things I did, expenses such as transportation and hotels, and good places to stay and activities to do with many more details and photos!
This weekend I'm going skiing in Granada!