It is hard to fathom that I only left Albuquerque four days ago. Disclaimer: Not all my entries will be this long. There is just a lot to cover from the last few days =)
Day 1 (Departure): Upon leaving my house for the airport, I bumped my chin on the window and then head on the car (which left a nice bruise I still have). Five minutes later, in true Larissa fashion, I preceded to spill my coffee all over my jeans in the car. What can I say? I handle my nerves really well. While waiting for my flight in DFW, Rachael Miller and Maribel and Marisa Plascencia and I spent the hour and a half gushing about how excited we were.
Day 2: After a crazy series of plane rides, I end up in SEVILLA! Upon arriving at the hotel at about 4:00, everyone wants to sleep, but our program fed us a 3 course lunch, which we all thought it was dinner. (We weren't quite on Spaniard eating schedules yet.) Then, I head up to my room and met my roommate who is basically my long-lost twin.
That night, we eat dinner as a whole program (there are 95 of us in Liberal Arts) and are divided into our groups. My group has 9 other people and our leader is 18 yr old Tuti! After dinner a group of us walked around Sevilla and that is when my enchantment with the city officially began. There is something magical about any city at night but Sevilla really outdoes itself. I feel like I am on a movie set. There are a zallion cobblestone streets with cute balconies that are draped with plants and canopies draped across the buildings to block out the rays on the sun. Then, we stumbled along the Plaza Mayor:
It was the perfect way to end my first day in Sevilla.
Day 3: We had the an incredibly elaborate breakfast buffet including three types of yogurt, peach juice, Nutella, 6 or 7 types of meat (4 of variations of jamón). Then, our group went on a 5.5 hour outing to show us how to navigate the neighborhoods we would be staying in - gorgeous. The afternoon ended with Tapas and Tinto de Verano (basically, half red wine and half lemon seltzer). After lunch, I took a siesta (de poder - power nap) and then went to a few academic information sessions. The night ended with tapas and a Flamenco show. I know, hard life.
Day 4: That brings me to today: I have now moved into my home for the rest of the semester. I am living in Triana which is very close to the river here. My host family is comprised of Maria and Antonio - a couple in their late 60's (I think). Maria picked me up from the hotel and upon arrival to our apartment, she showed me around and made sure I knew that this was my home. I feel so much better having unpacked and being settled in one place. Maria made a nice lunch and were able to get acquainted. During this time, I learned that she teaches cooking classes and I can watch her cook if I ever desire to do so. Win!
Sidenote: They really do walk everywhere here. I'm slightly concerned that at somepoint I will get lost. The little sidestreets are incredibly endearing, but can also all look alike. And as of this moment, I have just been following everyone to arrive where I am supposed to go. In about 30 minutes, I am making my way out for the first time alone to meet friends to purchase un movil (a cell). Let's pray all goes well.
Con Amor,
Larissa
No comments:
Post a Comment