21st Night in September.

Hello from Spain!

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.

Cathedral in Toledo.

Toledo.

Cathedral in Sevilla.

Cathedral in Sevilla.

Cathedral in Sevilla.

Plaza de Torros en Sevilla!

My morning walks to class.

Hello Spain.

Hola!

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.

The Royal Palace of Madrid.

At the Royal Palace with Warren and Cathy!

Right as you walk into the palace.

The Heart of Spain.

Cathy and me at Plaza Mayor.

Parque del Retiro.

Sincerely,
Angela "Lady in Spain" Mardock