una ciudad muy bonita!

Sevilla is absolutely beautiful! It's also completely unlike any city I've ever been to. There are so many parks and plazas with amazing architecture and lots of open space for people to walk and sit and relax. The streets are sort of windy and confusing but they give the city a very old European feel. That being said, there are plenty of modern shops (including more than one Starbucks) and restaurants. I promise I'll figure out pictures soon so you can see for yourself--it's kind of hard to explain. The lifestyle here is definitely going to take a little getting used to. The night life is a very important part of the culture of Sevilla--especially for younger people--and they go out very late! I've always been a night owl and I manage on relatively little sleep often but for some reason her I'm totally thrown off.

We usually have to either go to class or meet for a tour around 9:30 or 10 in the morning. My señora works early in the morning during the week and is gone when I wake up so I make some toast and coffee or something before heading out. I get back from class around 1:00 pm and we eat lunch around 2:30. Then there is time to rest or take a siesta or walk around but so far most of us having needed the siestas! We'll sometimes meet up around 6pm to grab a soda or something (later today we're going shopping!) and then go back to our homes for dinner . My señora likes to eat around 8:30 or 9pm which is earlier than some others. Then we have some time before going out. For Sevillanos, the prime time for going out seems to be about 1:30-2:00am and they go home around 4:00am or even later. This is what I'll need to get used to--staying out til 4am and then waking up at 8am for classes? It does seem like a lot of people sleep almost as much during siesta as they do at night. I'm sure I'll adjust and find a routine that works for me, but right now it's a bit disorienting.

Last night we went out around 11:30 in search of icecream and a relatively relaxing night. The ice cream shops closed by the time we got to them but our program assistant, Jaione, a grad student who did the program a few years ago, met up with us and took us to a really cool bar called la Carboneria. It's like a cave inside and they have live flamenco every night from 11-midnight which is really cool. We caught the very end of it but I definitely plan on going back. There was also a nice patio outside where we were able to sit and talk and have a low-key night, which was what we were looking for.

We started orientation classes today which I'm thankful for. It's nice to have some structure and the JYS staff is really helpful and doing everything they can to make sure we have a great experience. And my Spanish definitely needs work so the classes should help a lot.

I'm going to get ready for lunch...sorry this was a bit rambly. Pictures soon!
Hasta luego!

Estoy aquí!

Hola!

So we arrived in Sevilla today and were immediately taken to our homes by our señoras. The woman I'm living with is named Gloria. She is very nice and actually speaks a little bit of English because her daughter lives in the U.S. now. I told her my Spanish needs some improving and she said we can help each other. Her apartment is very nice and I'm told were close to the university and the center of the city though I haven't actually seen much of it--I'm hoping to explore later today. And here's a crazy coincidence: Gloria has a cat named Lily!

I'm eager to get settled in here and start to get a feel for Sevilla. Madrid was a lot of fun but it felt like a field trip where everyone was constantly battling jetlag. I did see some incredible art at The Prado and the Reina Sofia museums--Picasso's Guernica is so different up close than it looks in textbooks! We also toured El Palacio Real--a ridiculously ornate palace that no one lives in anymore. I'm sure there was plenty we missed in Madrid but they kept us pretty busy(somehow our meals took about as long as museum tours!) and we were probably too tired to handle much else.

I'm going to start unpacking now and hopefully get out into Sevilla for a bit before dinner. I should have some pictures from Madrid up pretty soon and my first impressions of the city.

Hasta luego!