Adventures Abroad

As you can tell, I’ve just been having too much fun to find time to sit down and write a blog! Right now, we are traveling through Italy during our week of Easter vacations!! I can’t believe that the semester is already half way over. It really is crazy how time flies over here! Following are some the most notable activities that I have done in the past month…

One month ago was the huge marathon in Seville. It was awesome to see so many people participating and the huge crowd that it brought created such an energizing environment! Natalie and I rented bikes for the day so that it would be easier to go longer distances and support Sam in the race. It turned out to be a lot of fun and we explored areas that we had not been to before, like many cute little plazas and parks! We cheered on Sam from a few points within the marathon and it was a great time. p.s. go sam for finishing strong in the marathon!

Next up: MARGARITA MONDAY on National margarita day… How fitting! I mean, how can you pass up a margarita on national margarita day? That would be against the rules there…We decided to go to this cute little bar, called The Secondroom and the margaritas were so good. We had great conversation and relaxed a bit. The bar was very close to the cathedral and was located on a little cobblestone street. It was a super cute atmosphere with even better company :).

Each week, Natalie and I like to meet up with our intercambios, who are two local Spanish girls that we talk to. It give us a chance to better our Spanish and it allows them to better their English. The girls that we meet with are Carmen and Ángela and they are really fun to talk to. When we meet, they walk us to common “hang out” places, so it also lets us get to know Seville a little bit better. One time we bought liters of cerveza and tinto de verano, and took them over to the river. It is common for locals my age to hang out by the river on warm afternoons. We were able to experience a little more of the culture, while having great conversation with Carmen and Ángela! Another day, we went to the rooftop terrace of El Corte Inglés. We grabbed a cup of coffee and chatted for a couple of hours…

Next, we played some pick up soccer with some people from our group, where I got to show off my skills, or lack thereof… Even though I am the most uncoordinated person when it comes to soccer, I managed to have a lot of fun! The Spanish people sure do take their soccer seriously!

Three weekends ago, there was a food festival in Seville!! One Sunday, there were a bunch of food trucks lined up by the river, so we decided to check it out. I got some nachos and a Japanese mojito, and both were pretty tasty! It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we enjoyed the warm weather! We walked through the plazas and the parks and saw lots of people sitting out playing music and dancing on the streets. We stopped to watch these two guys dance and they were so entertaining and funny. Two little boys came up to them and they taught the little kids some moves. It was the most adorable thing ever!

We also went to a Betis soccer game, which was so fun. Going to sporting events has always been one of my favorite pastimes. The environment was wild. Soccer here in Spain is almost like life to them. It is somewhat like football back home in the states. Spaniards go crazy over it! A really cool things is that Betis is said to have the largest and best fan base! It was awesome to experience a professional soccer game in Spain.

On Monday, we had off school because it was El Día de Andalucia. So, of course we went to Jerez for a wine tasting!! The winery in Jerez was called Tio Pepe and they are very well known for their sherry wine. We saw where they stored all of the wine and we also learned about how they make it and the history behind the vineyard. At the end of the tour, we had a wine tasting with tapas, which were delicious! The wine was a lot different than I have had before because it was a sherry wine, but it was still very good. The whole experience was a lot fun!

The following week, we went to a paella and sangria cooking class. Ever since Fina coked paella for Natalie and I, I have wanted to learn how to cook it. I can’t wait to cook paella when I go back home to the states! It is literally so delicious and pretty simple in concept. The base is rice and there are a bunch of different meats and seafoods in it. SO YUMMY! We all took turns making different things and then sat around a big dining room table to enjoy our masterpiece! This same night, I went to a spinning class at Cuesta Sport and I absolutely loved it! Now, I try to go to spinning as often as I can.

On the weekend of the 5th, Natalie, Molly, Bryttnie, and I took a trip to Paris! I had been there once before, but it was about six years ago, so it was a whole different experience this time around. We had a lot of fun exploring the city and meeting people. When we arrived, we went on a free tour of the city and our tour guide was very outgoing and funny. We walked around the city and got a better understanding of where everything was. A new experience for some of us was the metro system…one of my friends ended up getting stuck in the door and not making it on the train, but no worries, we waited for them at the next stop. Over the entire weekend, we visited the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was so much fun because we went all the way to the top and it was such a beautiful view. We ended up meeting a couple from Texas who photobombed our picture, lol. It was quite windy up there! We also watched the light show on the Eiffel Tower, which was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! It was so beauuuuutiful, as my Grandma Peachey would always say…Despite losing 50 euros on the street, it was a fantastic weekend with my friends!

Last weekend, we went to Huelva, Spain to go hiking. We had only planned on staying for one night, but we were having such a great time, so we ended up staying for an extra night. It was such a relaxing weekend and a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of city life. We hiked, sat on the terrace and had beer, cooked over the fire pit, and played card games. Everything went smoothly and we were with a great group of people. The only thing that was quite scary was when Stevie (Sam’s dog) decided to jump into the river… before this, we were unsure if he could swim, so as you can imagine, we were all a little more than worried when we saw his little body jump in. BUT, we managed to swim his way out and came out fine! It was a much needed weekend of pure relaxation.

As you all know, last Thursday was St. Patty’s Day… We went to an Irish Pub in Seville to celebrate this great holiday and it was loads of fun! Good thing they have a couple Irish Pubs because for most people in Seville, St. Patty’s Day isn’t a big deal. ME ON THE OTHER HAND, I love it! So, I was a happy camper and we had a great night with some even better people. We also got a free hat for buying guinness!

As for this week, we have off school for Easter break, so I’m enjoying my time in Italy with Natalie and Bryttnie! We were just in Rome, and now we are spending the rest of the week in Florence. 🙂

My first month spent in Spain has absolutely surpassed any expectations I previously had. It has completely flown by and when I think about the fact that I am 1/4 done with my semester abroad, I suddenly become sad and think about how I never want to leave this amazing place. The people are just simply so kind and the atmosphere and feel of the city is irreplaceable. School is going great and I also started an internship at a hotel this past week. Life is wonderful. Don’t worry mom and dad; I’m going to come home…

One thing that I love about Spain is that it is very easy to travel throughout the country. We have done so many fun trips on the weekends, and we have many more to come! In the beginning of February, I travelled to Madrid to visit the one and only Sydney Hines! For those of you who don’t know, Syd is from Lancaster and also went to High Point with me, where we were both in the same sorority. She’s spending this year in Madrid teaching. We had such a wonderful weekend and it was great to see a familiar face. While there, we went to an Ellie Goulding concert that was an absolute blast. We spent the whole weekend catching up, eating lots of food, and laughing even more. As I was leaving to head back to Seville, we both looked at each other and said “this weekend was good for the soul.” I’m excited to have her back in Lancaster for a bit this summer!

Recently, I have started volunteering in a school near me. The kids are so precious and cute. Last week, I worked with kids who were 11-12 years. Old. We made Valentine’s Day cards together and chatted for the time I was there. These kids get so excited to be with us and it makes me so happy to be able to work with them while I am here. They are always so full of joy and cracking jokes left and right.

I also have been interning in a hotel here called The Boutike Hostel. At first, it was completely overwhelming. However, after a week of working there, I am starting to get the hang of things. I work with a woman named Marta and she is wonderful to work with. She has been helping me out along the way (teaching me the ropes) and is just such a happy and funny person. I love the way that people here refer to others as guapa or amor. I think it is just the cutest thing. Here are some pictures of the cute little hotel.

Last week, Fina made us paella and it was SO DELICIOUS. Like so good. She made a huge pot of it and ended up giving half of it away to her friend. She is basically a master chef. The paella had chicken, beef, meatballs, pork, shrimp, calamari, mussels, pepper, onions, and artichokes…so basically everything you can think of. Fina was so cute chatting us up all night. She talked to us about her husband and how they met and she showed us lots of pictures from back in the day…

On Thursday of last week, we went to a soccer game to cheer on two of the guys in our group (Wyatt and Cesar)! They play for Triana, which is a neighborhood here in Seville. It was a lot of fun to watch and they played a great game!

And then sometimes in life, you just need a puppy to lean on…

Wow. Sorry it’s been so long to post something, but I have just been keeping busy and living in the moment day to day. Here’s a little bit about what I did last week.

This past week we did many fun activities as a group, but we also did our own things as well! On Tuesday afternoon’s, Natalie, Molly, Bryttnie, and I have made it a date to watch the bachelor every week. Yes, I know I’m in Spain and should always be out there exploring, but we have to set aside 2 hours for the bachelor once a week. I mean c’mon, it’s the bachelor. But anyways, we do that and get ice cream, which makes it a grand old time.

On Wednesday, we went to a Moroccan Resturaunt and got some traditional tea that had a sweet mint flavor. It was such a cool atmosphere. There were benches and little cushions as seats on the floor. The place was filled with colors of deep red and gold. Moroccan music was playing in the background of our great Spanish conversation!

On Thursday, we went to a spa that had arabic thermal baths. There were five baths and we were free to walk around to any bath within the hour and a half that we had there. There were a couple of warm baths, a hot one, and an ice cold one (not my favorite). There was also an aroma therapy sauna, which was my favorite! It was filled with scents like eucalyptus, mint, and orange. While we were laying in the aroma therapy room, an old man and his wife walked in. The man could not see anything because when you first walk in, there is so much fog from the humidity that it completely blocks your vision. He began to speak in Spanish, saying how he couldn’t see anything because his glasses were fogging up and he almost ran into a couple of us… It was a pretty funny encounter. Haha. After the spa, we all went to a bar close by to get a glass of wine before going home for the night (the best way to close a night).

This past week was quite a relaxing one, as we simply wondered around Seville, exploring as much as we possibly could. We watched a movie in Spanish and also had some classics churros con chocolate. They were so delicious…almost as good as the gelato here. We also met up in a bar with some locals so that we could practice our Spanish and they could practice their English. It’s a really great concept and by the end of my semester here, it will be very helpful for me. It is a great way to meet people that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Oh yeah, I bet you’re wondering if I’m actually taking classes here… Well the answer is, yes I am. I go to the Spanish-American Institute, which is in the center of Seville. Since we walk everywhere, I have to wake up a bit earlier for class, which is not a strength of mine…. If you know me well, you understand that. It’s about a twenty minute walk every morning, which I actually really enjoy. It helps wake me up a bit for my early classes and gets me off to a good start. I live on a very busy street, called Calle Arjona, where you can constantly here cars passing by, people talking, and horns honking. Once I cross Calle Arjona, I follow a narrow street most of the way to school. I cross through Plaza Nueva, and then it’s a straight shot to school from there. The class sizes are very very small, which in the long run will significantly help improve my Spanish, so I’m happy for that. The classes are also very laid back, which gives me the courage to participate and speak up a lot. It’s really enjoyable. Here are some pictures of my walk to school.

I am currently taking two business clases (in English), artistic monuments (in Spanish), and composition and conversation, in Spanish obviously… School here is actually great and all of my professors are wonderful. Over here in Spain, classes are less formal, I would say. We all refer to our professors on a first name basis and the flow of class seems to be more relaxed. Carlos is my professor for both my international business and international marketing class. He is such a funny guy. He always knows how to grab our attention if he sees we are getting tired or uninterested (which I know I’m sorry it happens sometimes….). The other day in class he saw we needed a little refresher, so he stopped to talk about how we were doing with the transition of living in another country and all. He talked with us for about twenty minutes and then proceeded with class. It’s nice to know that these professors here really do have our best interest at heart and that it’s not just about squeezing the lecture into the time we are given. When we went back to the power point and lecturing, he couldn’t figure out how to turn it on, which always baffles me because he owns his own computer company. Haha. Well… Let me tell you. Carlos knows how to make any situation into a funny one. When he was working on his computer he continued to encourage himself out loud. He was saying things like, “Oh yeah, Carlos, you’re great! You can do this, Carlos. Oh, good job, Carlos!” It was pretty funny… So, as you can see, the teachers are great! I really love this school and am so happy with my decision to come here.

This week in my Atristic Monuments class, we visited El Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija. It was so beautiful and filled with so many different antiques like ceramics, money coins, statues, and many other collectibles. It had many different rooms with all different colored tiles. There were countless arches and columns throughout the palace that made its structure look extraordinary…

 

This weekend we are in Granada and I will be skiing all day tomorrow, which I cannot wait for!! What’s better than skiing while you’re abroad in Spain? Not much…

Hasta luego amigos!

Monica