Un paseo por Sevilla.... a walk through Sevilla!!!!

Hello friends and family! Here's a little video I put together real quick to show you my usual route to and from class, shopping, and the downtown area! Hope you enjoy it! :)

My schedule

You are all probably wondering what a day in the life is as a study abroad student in Sevilla. Judging by my pictures on facebook, you probably all think that it is all play and no study. I promise I do still go to class and do my homework, so here's a little jist of what my day is like so far. For the first two weeks of my program (we're currently in the first week) we take one class called the advanced intensive grammar course. After our first two weeks, we will start with our regular classes.

7:30AM Alarm goes off
7:31AM Press snooze
7:45 AM alarm goes off again & get up
8:25 AM Leave for the CIEE study center (location of class)
8:45 AM Arrive to the CIEE study center and print out materials for that day
9:00-12:00 PM Grammar course. We have a break in the middle and I usually eat a Magdalena (small orange flavored muffin)
12:00 Leave CIEE
12:25 Arrive to the apartment
1:00/2:00 Eat lunch
3:00-10:00 Do homework, study, relax, watch TV shows on channel131.com because Hulu doesn't work in Spain, go shopping, siesta, check out the rebajas, go to have a beer at Flaherty's located next to the cathedral, siesta, go to a cafe at Plaza Nueva, stop in at a pasteleria, have a glass of wine, share a pitcher of sangria with friends, take a paseo, siesta....
10:00 Eat dinner
12:30 AM Sleep! Zzzzz

Okay, well it may seem like a lot of play instead of a lot of work but it's called study ABROAD for a reason.. one must learn how the locals live and since the following are normal activities, "siesta, check out the rebajas, go to have a beer at Flaherty's located next to the cathedral, siesta, go to a cafe at Plaza Nueva, stop in at a pasteleria, have a glass of wine, share a pitcher of sangria with friends, take a paseo, siesta...." why not live like a Sevillana.



In other words, it's like being in the movie Eat, Pray, Love.... with a specialization in the "Eat" aspect.



Mixing work & play; enjoying wine at a cafe while doing homework

Another one of those delicious pastries

Meet Jara

I've traded in these two little munchkins...

Tiki

Chewy

For JARA. (Pronunced "hara")

Here she is!

Meet Jara. Part German shepherd part something else I don't know, this twelve year old perrito lives with us in our apartment and our two senoras (sisters). Lately, she has enjoyed her daily siestas in my room in front of my space heater as I do homework or procrastinate on facebook.  I'll probably have some more stories about her in the future.. nothing interesting so far besides the fact that she went to the vet.

My new daily habit

I've found my one true love in this city and no, it's not some random Spanish man, and not even their wonderful "rebajas" sales... It's the pastelerias. I pass about 10 each day on a minimum and each and every one has a display window even Jenny Craig wouldn't be able to resist. Since lunch is served around two in the afternoon and dinner isn't served until ten pm... I've set aside time everyday to stop at a new pasteleria each day and see what each one has to offer! Either on the go or relaxing at a cafe with friends from my program, the pastries here surely beat Betty Crocker and Dunkin Hines. And since I'm doing all this extra walking, why not stop by at the nearby pasteria for a chocolate crossaint drizzled with nutella on top!

At a charming cafe located between Plaza Nueva and the cathedral

It's like Burge!!!! On steroids....

LA TORTILLA

Una tortilla does NOT surround your chipotle burrito and it is not something you can buy at Taco Bell. Tortilla is the Spanish word for omelet, but the tortilla that my senora made last night was definitely no ordinary omelet. Placed at the center of the table was an omelet the size of an apple pie... it was about two inches thick filled with potatoes and onions. In basic words, a giant sized hashbrown with eggs and onions. Delicious! And for all of my Iowa friends who know Burge cafeteria, my roomate Alex, exclaimed as she had her first bite, "Oh my gosh... it's like Burge breakfest on steroids!"

The giant hasbrown

LOST! Another form of exercise...

So I'm walking back home with a friend from my program from the public library and we are taking a different route.... scary. It was time to part ways so she turned and I continued going straight. All of a sudden, five minutes later, I AM LOST.

-NO MAP
-BY MYSELF
-IN THE RAIN (NO UMBRELLA)

I did have my iPhone and my map application was working since I saved it on my favorites but I couldn't

a. Find myself on the map
b.Find myself on the street I was on (In Sevilla, streets change names constantly and not all the streets have name signs)

Yes, I could have just called my friends easily with my YOIGO (prepaid phone) phone but I decided to consult with the experts.... THE SEVILLANOS! I thought, well, I came here to speak Spanish so why not just chat with some locals.. they know the city the best anyway! About 5 wrong turns and fifty minutes later, I return to my apartment exhausted, with wet hair, and shin splints. Yes, this really sucked but I came here to speak Spanish I'm glad i'm getting what I paid for! :)

Anyway, I probably burned way more calories and when you live in a city with 293048309 pastelerias and no self control, why not get lost and burn extra calories!

Who knew that going to mass and a public library could be so difficult....

Today, after my siesta I decided to go to mass to make up for the one I missed yesterday. (Yes, I know that's not how it works but it's better to got mass than none at all!)

4:30 PM Wake up from my siesta
4:32 PM Realize that mass starts at 5 in the Cathedral.... a 40 minute walk away
4:33 PM Realize that I will be extremely late
4:35 PM Found a friend in my program that wanted to go with me! We decided to meet up at the CIEE study center... in the middle of Barrio Santa Cruz... otherwise known as a GIANT MAZE.
5:00 Finally get to CIEE.... with shin splits because of speed walking in boots not helpful for walking... (I didn't bring a pair of gym shoes... stupid in the perspective of some people but A. I don't work out really and B. They would never match any of my outfits)

We walked together to the cathedral again getting a little lost because of course in Barrio Santa Cruz the streets happen to change and manipulate themselves....

FINALLY get to the Cathedral! Oops! We're late. It was 5:20 and mass started at 5! Well, we tried to get in anyway but the church had no open doors what so ever so we said to ourselves, "Well atleast we tried!"

After our mass attempt, we passed the most delicious looking heladeria (ice cream shop) so of course we had to get a scoop. Plus, it was merienda time and since I'm living in Sevilla, I want to live like a Sevillana and have a merienda!..... of ice cream.

Me and my ice cream!

While enjoying our ice cream in the outdoor cafe and admiring the view of the grand cathedral, we run into our friend... well actually our friend ran into us while she was going on her jog. She decided to sit and chat for awhile.. which turned into one hour. We then met this old man named Antonio, who was 98 years old and claimed he was the hardest working person in Spain and all of Europe. He was out for his paseo and decided to stop and chat with us while we were enjoying our helado! He was part of building the Avenida de la Constitucion (famous pedestrian walk way in Sevilla) and claimed he laid every single brick on the street! He explained that he was very strong and decided to show off how strong he is by running down the street! We didn't see much more of Antonio but he was very fun to talk to (well more like listen to.. quite the talker) and very friendly.

View of part of the cathedral from the ice cream shop



 Finally, we finished up our ice cream and decided that we should head to the public library. Our first homework assignment is to write a two page paper about the library.... not really sure how to take up two pages about a library... but we'll see. Not exactly knowing where it is located, I atleast knew the street which definitely helped. After asking two Spanish ladies and a Spanish police man where the library was, we finally found it after about twenty minutes. It's very modern and looks very much like an American library but it is full of Spanish books, Spanish people, and even personal flat screen TV's!

Outside the public libary... looks pretty American, doesn't it?

Inside the public library! Full of Spanish students studying for their finals!

Me in the children's section of the library



So after this afternoon I came to the thought that going places in Sevilla is not just one small walk or car ride away... it WAY MORE COMPLICATED. In addition, I got lost on my way home! By myself! But that story is coming later on my next post because that's a story all on its own. Anyway, I came to the conclusion that I can either

A. Go to church in Palatine then go to the Palatine Public Libary... Estimated time: 10 minutes

or

B. Try (and I really tried this time Mom, but we couldn't find an open door of the cathedral) to go to mass in the famous cathedral and visit the Sevilla public library... Estimated time: 5 hours plus painful shin splints from walking 10 hours a day

I'll go with B! Despite the time wasted, the wrong turns we took, and the calories we consumed, it was more about the journey than the destination itself. With a little bit of navigation skills, outgoingness, and a sense for adventure, you may encounter the most interesting people, see the most interesting places, and eat the most delicious ice cream! :)