Well, better late than never, right? After being in Sevilla for nearly a month, I have finally gotten my act together and started working on my blog! I'll start by backtracking a bit to when this journey first kicked off; it's hard to believe it was almost four weeks ago already!
Bienvenidos a Sevilla! After what seemed like a never ever series of plane rides, layovers and nervous banter about what our first words to our Senoras would be, I finally arrived in Sevilla, Spain! Luckily, I was on the same flight over as a few of the other students in my program, so the trip was far from lonely. After collecting my bags (I was one of the few lucky ones whose luggage didn't get left behind at our layover in Portugal), I was met by a few staff members from the Spanish-American Institute, given the address and name of my
senora (host mother), and was promptly put in a taxi and on my way to my new home for the next four months. Next up, a
huge sigh of relief. My senora, Carmen, is an absolute angel! Not only did she have a hot meal ready for me the second I walked through the door, but she greeted me with
besos (kisses) and lots of Spanish words I was far too jet lagged to understand. Fast forward to the end of the day, I've eaten, napped and taken a walking tour of my
barrio (neighborhood) and the route I will take to walk to school everyday. Shortly after the tour, my roommate for the semester, Ariel, an awesome fellow HPU student, arrived to our apartment after an even longer day of traveling than I had myself, needless to say it was an early night for us both.
Looking back on the next three days, it seems like something of a blur; an unidentifiable mix between overwhelming excitement, exhaustion and constant yearning for a
cafe con leche (their typical cup of coffee). As a group of 27 students, we're all blending really well, especially considering how much time we've already spent together. In just the first few days, we had the opportunity to see an authentic flamenco dance and music show at
La Casa de la Guitarra, visit the famous and breathtaking
Plaza de Espana, and take a double-decker bus tour around the entire city. By the end of the week, our legs were tired and our feet were blistered but nonetheless, were we ready to experience our first weekend as
Sevillanos! And what better way to kick off our first
fin de semana (weekend) than with a Welcome Tapas party hosted by our program! It was nice to meet all of our professors and the staff and finally have a chance to relax with the other students in the group-- not to mention stuff our faces with tapas and sangria galore.
We finished off the weekend with a little adventure to the top of
La Seta, a modern architectural observatory structure situated in the middle of
La Plaza de Encarnacion in the center of the city. Even with a few clouds in the sky, the views were breathtaking. I couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up my first week in Sevilla than by having this chance to take in the jaw dropping beauty of this incredible city I am now calling home.
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| Flamenco show at La Casa de la Guitarra |
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| La Plaza de Espana |
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| La Seta from the ground |
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The view from the top of La Seta
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