The beginning

Finally, the blog I’ve talked about making for so long actually exists! I’ve been living in Spain since January 17th, 2008, which is almost a month now. I’m getting a better grip on life since I’ve been here for a few weeks now, but everything’s still going to take more time to really settle in. I keep remembering where I am and still can’t believe it! The city is beautiful and I absolutely love it. I’ve always loved the feel of big city life and I’m looking forward to getting to know more about it every day.

I’m living with an older, widowed woman who we call “Pepi.” Her children and grandchildren live in Seville as well, so they visit almost every day. Her oldest son, Salvo, speaks fairly good English and helps us communicate by translating conversations at mealtimes. But by far the best help to my Spanish has been Pepi’s grandkids. They have infinite patience with my inferior language skills. Thank goodness for that!

Pepi has been cooking vegetarian meals for me, and I've been eating a little bit of chicken a few times a week as well. She's really good about cooking things for me, but my roommate would probably kill for a hamburger every once in a while instead!

Our apartment is a very cute 3-bedroom that I wouldn’t mind taking home with me to live in there too! We live in a part of town called “La Triana” which is basically in the suburbs of Seville. Triana is known for its “dulcerias”—dessert and chocolate shops. School is a 40 minute walk away (which is a good thing after the desserts), and the scenery is always beautiful and/or interesting. I cross over the Guadalquivir River every day on “our bridge”—Puente Isabel. I’m getting in good shape walking everywhere all the time!

I have a roommate (with separate rooms, so technically “flat-mates”) named Natasha. She’s from Florida and goes to school in Wisconsin, and we get along extremely well. We think it’s pretty funny that we’re living together because we are almost exactly the same height/weight, wear the same sizes in everything (including shoes), have about the same color hair, and our birthdays are 10 days apart in September… coincidences galore!

Classes started last week, so the “vacation” is over and real life has officially begun. This semester I’m taking 1) Spanish Cinema, 2) Contemporary Spanish Literature, 3) Three Cultures in Spain (Islam, Judaism, Christianity), and 4) Systems of Mass Communication in Spain. I’m also participating in a Communications-based interest group as an extracurricular, which will take trips to different cities in Spain over the semester to visit a radio station and magazine and newspaper publication sites. Communications and Spanish are my 2 majors at Trinity, so all my classes this semester will help me advance towards graduating on time in May 2009 (the real world is so close!). My classes are only on Tuesdays and Thursdays which is nice, but from 1-9PM on those days which is not as nice. It’s really nice to have such long weekends though, for travel purposes.

As far as traveling goes, so far I’ve had the chance to visit a few places in Spain since I’ve been here. Our first weekend, we visited Roman ruins and tombs on the outskirts of Seville. We’ve also taken a day trip to Cadiz for Carnaval, which was insane. I really don’t know how to explain it in a way that would do the event justice. I’ve never seen a party that big in my life! People in costumes literally took over the whole town.

We’ve also taken a day trip to Cordoba to tour La Mezquita. This cathedral was by far the most amazing piece of architecture/art I’ve ever had the chance to see in person. The profuse religious iconography, the way everything was so perfectly designed and the spaciousness of the building itself were all absolutely mind-blowing. The Cathedral is very interesting also because of its history. Because the Muslims conquered Spain in 711, many of the Cathedral’s designs are done in the Muslim “mudejar” architectural style. However, the Christians re-conquered Spain in later years and the Cathedral returned to decorating the building with Christian religious iconography. In my opinion, the syncretism of both styles in the one place makes La Mezquita all the more artistically and historically valuable.

We visited the small town of Motilla for a tour of one of the oldest places of wine production in Spain (since the 1500’s!). They explained how the wine was produced and all the factors that contribute to the differences in taste and value. Then, they had us taste the 6 different kinds that they produce and decide which we liked best. We learned how to taste wine the correct way, and I decided that I am definitely more of a fan of the “seca” (dry) white wines than the “dulces” (sweet, like a dessert). Also, the country side of Motilla was a nice change from the big city pace of Seville (which I love as well!).

I’m going to Barcelona with my roommate and another friend at the end of February and I can’t wait! I’ve heard Barcelona is quite the place and I’m most excited about seeing the Salvador Dali museum and (hopefully) his castle in a smaller town about an hour away. Hopefully it won’t be too cold during the day, so we can visit the beaches as well. We’re also planning trips to Madrid, Huelva (supposedly the best beaches in Spain), Rome (where I have a few friends studying), Malta (where my best friend Becca is studying abroad), and hopefully more (assuming my money lasts long enough!).

Thanks for all the emails and inquiries everyone has been sending. Also, thank you for your prayers. My life is amazing right now, mostly because my view of the world is dramatically expanding. I’m keeping a completely open mind and I’m already convinced this experience has changed, is changing, and will continue to change my life during my stay here.

Pictures soon!

Besos,
Kimberly