So, Friday was registration and also the day I had a mini-freakout. I was incredibly tired from walking around and getting lost everytime I would leave my homestay. Adding to the stress of getting lost, was that it was always when CIEE required us to be present at a certain time and certain place. Fearing that I would be late always created unnecessary stress, and to top it off, it is hot, hot, hot here. Adding to the brewing anxiety, my first wave of homesickness hit, and registration was more of a pain than any of us anticipated. Finally, I know I am here to learn Spanish, but at times it is very difficult not being able to communicate what I want to because I either don't know the correct vocabulary, or mess up the conjugation, or just get nervous. Needless to say, I was worn out. However, after hanging pictures up in my room of family, friends, and home, and having an incredible weekend, I feel renewed.
Saturday was the first day since I arrived that there was nothing planned by CIEE. Therefore, I decided to take full advantage of the day, and I started it off by having a cappuccino with a friend in a cafe near my neighborhood.
While we were drinking, people dressed like they were going to a ball, or perhaps the royal wedding (completely decked out in formal garb - satin heels, hats, formal dresses and tuxes) walked by. Remember: it is about 10:00 and an incredible shock to see people so dressed up walking around casually. It turned about to be the first group of many that I saw that day who were attending a wedding (I think I saw maybe 5 or 6 different wedding groups). Apparently, September is the most popular month to get married. After coffee, my friend Libba and I set forth to find a backpack and an alarm clock. During our search, we stumbled upon a street fair and had to resist from buying every single thing we saw - leather purses, scarves, zillions of bracelets and earrings. We walked around the tents while enjoying the first cool weather that has been here since I have arrived. Then we grabbed some lunch and met up with friends afterwards. For our first weekend, we wanted to explore Sevilla without the pressure of having to be anywhere. The plan of attack was to wander the streets and see where we ended up. The first stop? A restaurant with an unbelievable bakery where I enjoyed my second cappuccino of the day! I see a pattern of where all my money is going to be going....
The rest of the day, we wandered along one of the main streets of the city that runs in front of the Cathedral and bought postcards and watched more beautiful Spaniards on their way to weddings. Although I had seen plenty of people dressed up for the wedding, I had yet to see any member of a bridal party. While venturing home, we found yet another street market and explored the offerings a bit while getting a feel for the goods that are made most predominantly around - leather goods, jewelry, and local seem to be the winners. After crossing the bridge back into Triana, we finally saw a bride!
That night, we spent some time on Calle Betis - a very popular hangout night spot for young people, but filled with mostly Americans. There, I ran into a girl from my spanish class at Trinity and a boy I graduated from high school with. Small world, eh?
Today, I visited the Alcazar with CIEE and was enchanted the entire time. It is a Palace that is composed of rooms with different styles and influences because Spanish Kings would add on rooms or alter them during the time when they reigned. There is Gothic, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim influences throughout the structure and a whole lot of history that goes with it. Our tour guide was great and I absolutely loved the building and learning about it. I am trying to take a course about these various cultures and their influences on Spanish development through my courses at CIEE, and the excursion today got me excited to start my classes and get to learn in more depth. Also, I want my house to look like this:
I was able to meet up with three people from Trinity (Tim, Maribel and Marisa!) later on for lunch and to catch up on how they are doing, and it was incredibly nice to see familiar faces. Tomorrow is the first day of classes (the intensive session at least), and I feel like that will be the real start of my routine for the rest of the time that I am here.
Oh! And this is a mural I got to see being worked on outside my apartment building throughout the weekend...I think they are opening a childcare center:
Con Amor,
Larissa
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