There are just a couple of things that I want to tell you people.
One.
It has been pouring buckets as well as a little bit of thunder and lightning today. Walking in it has some challenges, but overall, I came home in a good mood. Just wanted to show you guys some pictures from my walk(s) today.
Two.
I am totally in love with Sprite and lemon. It is wonderful.
I have been here in Sevilla for 6 days and I feel as if I have been here forever. There is so much that I can tell you, but I will spare you (and your time) and just get straight to the point.
I am loving my host family. I may not be able to communicate with them a lot, but I do try really hard and just laugh because I talk like a child. They laugh too, so at least I know they have a sense of humor.
This past weekend my friends from the ISA/Veritas program and I walked all around the city on Saturday. We walked around 9-10 miles exploring Sevilla. We went to one of my favorite places in the city (so far); Plaza de Espana. Oh my word, this place is absolutely gorgeous. I took a ton of pictures for you all to see. There is a mini river thing that goes all around the front where people are able to take canoe rides. So, sorry for the amount of pictures of this place. By the way, the blue tiles that cover this place are called "azulejos". :)
So, that's that. Now onto something different.
Some of you may know that I live pretty far from the school, but luckily the walk is absolutely gorgeous so it makes the walk enjoyable. I live in a neighborhood called Triana and to get to the center of town where my school is, I have to pass over a bridge that goes over the Guadalquivir River. The bridge is called the Triana Bridge and it has quite the story.
If you walk onto the bridge, you will see many locks (that I will show you in a minute) that are locked onto the bridge. The story behind them goes like this. A couple, who is in love with one another, will purchase a lock and write their names/initials on it. They will then lock the lock onto the bridge and then throw the key into the river. It is a symbol of their never-ending love because it cannot be broken or unlocked. So, here are some pictures of the bridge and the locks. Just to let you know, I found a lock with my name, it isn't mine. Just throwing that out there.
Isn't that such a nice walk to school? I think so. :)
On Sunday we all went to the last bull fight of the season, and it was so interesting! It has so much history and culture behind it. I enjoyed it even though it is animal cruelty. I was just so fascinated by everything; the crowd, the matadors, and the rules of it all. People would yell ole and suddenly get completely silent. At any rate, here are some photos for ya.
Although the stories are nice, there is a reason why I am in Spain and that is to go to school. We started on Monday and I thought I would show you some pictures of the school and what not.
Not super fancy, but hey. There ya go.
So that's all that I have been up to. I have been exploring the city and getting to know my surroundings. It is such a beautiful place with amazing people in it. It is so relaxing and great. I have been making some friends who are really fun to explore with. That is always a plus. :)
Now I shall leave you with a couple things:
1) Here are a couple of photos that I really like from this past week that I want to share just because I can.
2) I want to encourage everyone to listen to the new Mumford and Sons album "Babel" because it is awesome.
3) I encourage you to walk around where you are with a new perspective. Whether you are in Oklahoma, Texas, or Alaska, try to be observant of things that you may take advantage of because you are so used to it. The Lord made a beautiful world and when we get so comfortable with a place because of getting busy or because of the length of time we have lived there, we tend to ignore the small little details the Lord placed in our hometowns. Find the beauty in the quiet and in the crowd. Just try it. I dare you.
Before we even begin, I must have you listen to the song because it is the 21st of September and it is an absolute must. Plus, it is a little taste of my home. Well, more like my family car when we blast it and sing at the top of our lungs all while playing imaginary instruments. At any rate, enjoy.
So onto the update for all y'all.
We left Madrid on Wednesday, suitcases and all (oh my word....), and headed to Toledo. I absolutely fell in love with this town. It is in the middle of rolling hills and a winding river. All the architecture made it seem like we were in a movie or something. All the buildings were old, antique-like, and it is exactly how I pictured Spain. The unique thing about Toledo is for hundreds of years, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all lived peacefully in the city. It is very much evident in how the buildings were built and the influences that are found within the walls, floors, and even ceilings of this city. There are lots of history in that town and I wish we had more than just a day there to learn more about it. We also were able to see one of the most famous El Greco paintings in a small church in the town. No big deal.
After leaving Toledo, we traveled for 7 hours and finally arrived in Sevilla!!!!! The town is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait until I am able to really explore it. We met up with our host family and my roommate and I live with a single mother and her son and nephew. They are so sweet and patient with me. I am really glad that they are working with me on the whole communication thing.
I am having a really hard time with the Spanish but I know that once I begin classes and start to learn more, I will be able to practice more and ultimately be able to communicate more. It will take time and I know that it won't be this difficult for long. But right now, I am definitely struggling.
School starts up Monday but until then, we will explore more of Sevilla and attend the last bull fight of the season. How cool is that?
The culture is very interesting but I am loving it. They explained to us that we don't bring people over because most of the time, the home is a place for just the family to be. If people wanted to hang out with someone, they would be outside hanging out with them, but never in the house. So, there are people everywhere all the time. It is awesome.
People also don't go back home until 11pm or 12am. I have yet to experience the "late night" but at 9:30pm there are kids playing soccer on the concrete square that is in the middle of all the apartments. So, just goes to show how late everyone stays up.
I can't wait to fully embrace siestas. I sure do love naps.
The food isn't bad yet. Although, for an appetizer, we were given anchovies. Yeah....
For now, enjoy these photographs. I don't have many, but you can still have a small taste of Sevilla.
Love,
Ang
P.S. Since I have been walking miles and miles all week (my apartment is 30-40 minutes away from the school, one way I might add), I have really chaffed legs. I know, TMI, but I thought hey. Why not share with the people the real life of study abroad.
I have arrived in Spain! What a culture shock this is, lemme tell ya. And it is starts before you even begin your flight to your destination. I sat on the plane and everyone is speaking Spanish, even the flight attendants. I knew I was coming to a Spanish speaking country, but it hit me sitting on the plane that this will be my form of communication for the next three months.
So, you can probably guess that my Spanish hasn't really been rockin' since I have been here. Here is a small example of just how bad it is at the moment.
Tonight Real Madrid played Manchester City in soccer here in Madrid. We have been seeing lots of Machester City fans (English fans to be exact) around yelling, singing chants, doing dances, drinking (and lots of it), and being as loud as possible. It was awesome. So, we thought that it would be fun to go to a place where they show the game for dinner with some die hard fans. Easy, right? Not so much. We walked around for a few miles (literally, no exaggeration) and finally succumbed to our hungry bellies and stopped at a breakfast sandwich shop. I thought hey, I am going to order first and that's what I did. But then I realized I didn't want what I ordered so I changed my order. Difficult, sorta. Then my friend across the table ordered a water and I say, "Yo tambien". Because, in all honesty, my thirst was quenched.
He came out with two sandwiches. He thought I was saying I wanted the FOOD my friend ordered instead of the AGUA that I actually wanted. And then none of us knew how to give the food back and say that I didn't order that, when in fact I did said, "Yo tambien".
So there. That's my story. Now onto some activities that we have done.
We did a walking tour of Madrid which was awesome. Saw great architecture and lots of government buildings which are absolutely beautiful. We also went to the Museo Nacional Del Prado. It was really cool! We saw lots of paintings that I actually studied in my fine arts course at SNU! Goya, Velasquez, El Greco!!! It is really kind of exciting to know that what you study in school is real and that you get to see it not only in a textbook but in real life. And let me just say that a picture doesn't do a painting justice.
Two of my friends and I decided that with our free time we were going to go to the Royal Palace. The outside is beautiful and has an amazing view of Madrid, but then we thought it would be a great idea to tour the place, so we did. OH. MY. WORD. I saw maybe 1/3 of the place and it was absolutely breath taking. I saw the insides of some really beautiful castles in England, and this was just so crazy. Painted gold on everything, rooms filled with silver and gold, chandeliers every time your eyes gaze up, and wall paper made of silk and embroidery. Words can't do the inside of a palace justice. Like I put in a previous post; please travel.
It has been a fun experience to meet new people and explore a new city, but exhausting at the same time. Tomorrow we set off for Toledo so look for an update in the next couple of days.
Here is the song of the day (fitting, right?):
Also, here are some photos from the past couple of days.
As you all well know, I have a tendency to have interesting airport stories and I have not been able to fail you yet. So here it goes.
Adi and I were leaving her hometown up north around 7:30pm which means we would arrive at her house roughly 10:40pm. But we have a little problem with that time frame. We needed to get to a specific station by 11:35pm because that was the last tube that was going to Heathrow until 5:30am the next mornin which is when I needed to be checked in to my flight for Spain. You can probably see the complications and the speediness this required.
So, Adi and I are walking from the tube station to her house (which is a million blocks away I might add) and Adi is practically running. So, me being me, was quite frustrated at the already fast pace that I have been putting up with and now it got faster.
All this to say, I wasn't a happy camper. And you know when you get in those moods where you just begin to get frustrated at everything under the moon and back? I know you know the feeling. You know it all too well. So Adi got to listen to me rant about my sweaty self, my gross sweaty pasted down hair, my clothes choice for the day, my hurting back, how tired I was, and the ultimate, how much luggage I had to carry. I packed too many pairs of shoes.
She had to listen to it all and I didn't feel like listening. Bad on me, I know. But then, the most remarkable event happened in all of London.
A man dressed in all leather, with steel studs on his shoes, and huge wicked mustache (and sideburns) came up to me, didn't look at me or say anything, and grabbed my bag to the top of the stairs. He don't say anything when I showed my appreciation and never met my gaze. Right as he walked off to catch the next tube, I saw him hold long stemmed flowers for his special lass.
I just stood there giggling because I was so angry about my dumb luggage and yet someone had the heart to voluntarily carry it without needing any recognition. It made my day really. Anyone else want to volunteer as tribute?
But that isn't all. We get to Heathrow and there is an American guy trying to find his way and it ends up he doesn't leave until 2pm the next day. You must realize it is only 11:40pm the night before. So, we have him to talk to all night. Let's call him Canadian Bacon. Then we also got Mr. Battery Man. He was a guy from Singapore going to Malaysia about to start his doctorate program. He told us he got his master's degree in batteries. Hence the name. So, Adi decides she is going to go to sleep so the three of us pals it to talk. Lovely. It was full of interesting conversations but sometimes the best airport stories are full of interesting people. I am thankful we met the guys because it made time fly. So nice.
Also, I got the window seat ino Madrid when I was supposed to get the middle seat.
I am not one for goodbyes and it was extra hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful family. I couldn't have asked or a better, or more hospitable English family. Here are some photos from my last days in England.
Can I just say I love that I am able to see real castles and not just read about them in history books? Well, I just said it, so there.
The past couple of days my English family has treated me to some true English culture. Whether it is food (fish & chips, crumpets, Yorkshire tea, etc...) or sight seeing, I have thoroughly enjoyed it all. I can honestly say that I will be back to see my newly added family without any hesitation in the world. I will be back.
They have taken me to see many different historical places and really taught me a lot about the English culture and history. Yes, as an American, we learn a little bit about where we [Americans] come from reading history books in class, but there is just some things you aren't able to put words to or even describe proper. I mean, a picture can't do it justice whatsoever. Whether it is an old monastery with beautiful grounds or the inside of a castle, sometimes you just have to see it for yourself to fully understand and appreciate it. Plus, some of these places have fountains that are older than America itself. Now that is insane.
With that said, I will try to do my best in showing and describing to you all the cool places I have been able to visit the past two days.
Yesterday I was able to go to Fountains Abbey which was absolutely gorgeous. Not only did we have a sunny day but to top it off, we brought our own medieval weapons. Yes, you heard right. We brought swords, pikes, and nerf guns with us so we can have a proper battle in front of a real castle. Yeah, I know you're jealous. Here are some of the pictures.
So there you have it. Some captures from Fountains Abbey. I wish I could really go into depth of what we did all day, but then I would be writing more of a novel than I already am so I think I will spare you.
Now onto today. We went to Alnwick Castle today. For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, this is the castle where the students learn how to ride a broom in the first film. Yes, I did re-enact the broom lesson scene. But the castle holds much more history than a Hollywood film done in 2000. It is home to the Percy family and man, they have quite the humble abode. There is a section where you are able to walk inside the house itself and this is where words can't describe the grandeur that the house holds. And we were only in one section of the house/castle/palace/insert your own word here... There are other sections there that are used for educational purposes to teach the history of the castle and all that happened there. Such a fascinating place, lemme tell ya.
While roaming the castle, there are various activities that you can participate in. For example, there is a haunted house in the cellars. Yeah... I may have skipped out on that while others had the nerves of steal and went through. You can also learn how to make soap, ride a broom, and how to shoot an arrow. There are more things that I did and learned but I think I will just let the photos speak for themselves.
That isn't all that we did today. We drove up to the Holy Island which is an island with a castle on it that is only accessible when the tide is out. When they tide is in, the road suddenly disappears under water. Because we were going farther north to see different cities and things, we just decided to drive to Scotland. Yeah, no big deal.
We got ice cream there and saw a Scottish castle. Such a lovely place as well. Here are a couple pictures from our drive up there.
So, all in all, the past two days have been awesome seeing places while hanging out with fun people. I am so thankful to be here and to be welcomed the way I have. Seriously, the best experience I could have ever imagined, and then some.
Only 4 more days until Spain which is absolutely crazy to think about. I want to stay here longer but I am also excited for the next adventure ahead. I would just like to never go to school ever again but to just travel and meet people as a living. Anyone hiring a professional traveler? I have a resume and everything.
Until next time, please enjoy this song that my wonderful mother sent to me. I love this song and thought hey, if this brought me encouragement, it could bring you encouragement. Please enjoy.
