La Gente Esta Muy Loca

Well, our first days in Sevilla  did not disappoint! We arrived here Thursday evening and were greeted by our wonderful 'mom' Rebeca. The first thing she said was (rough translation) "You girls are crazy." Our luggage really was outrageous. The three of us crammed into her brother's tiny car which was packed to the brim with suitcases and backpacks and first made our way to her mother's clothing store where our 'dad' Francisco was working. We met him and then headed home to unpack. It felt so nice to finally have someplace to call home instead of living out of a suitcase. Our apartment is very small and adorable, but even though our room is small it has a ton of closet and storage space. Thank goodness! We managed to stuff our closet with our clothes (but still have some room left over for new ones!) Our first night we had a delicious Spanish dinner and chatted with our parents. Francisco is actually from Nicaragua so he speaks even differently than Rebeca, but we understand both of them pretty well (most of the time!) They are both so helpful and we are learning so much. They have told us that we speak very good Spanish, which is such a relief!

So, Sevilla...... Friday we went to orientation at school, which was a bore but seeing our new school was very exciting. It is very old and beautiful, as are most of the buildings here in Sevilla. And it's across the street from a great little bar and restaurante, Cien Montaditos, so I think we're really going to enjoy our long breaks in the afternoons. After orientation, we went on a tour of the world's third largest cathedral, where Christopher Columbus is buried. It was absolutely massive and beautiful of course and we were lucky enough to walk to the top (36 stories) and get a bird's eye view of Sevilla. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Friday night we went out for tapas, (which are like small appetizers) with our entire ISA group. Of course we went for Sangria afterward cause it's just so good here.

Yesterday Ann and I spent some time exploring el centro comercial (the mall). For about a month in the winter, Spain has rebajas, or discounts at every store. Yes, I said EVERY. Things are so cheap and we were absolutely amazed at how cheap some of the clothes are. So, we went to the mall twice yesterday and ended up with some pretty great stuff. Last night, our host parents were going to see a friend in concert and invited us to go along. Of course we said yes and we ended up seeing some very good (and different) music and a bar called FunClub. After, we went to another bar with them and met some more of their friends, all who told us we were very great Spanish speakers. After that, we went to our first discoteca and danced...yes, with our parents. They are so much fun and so funny and adventurous and we absolutely love them! Next thing we knew, it was 5am and we were walking home, with all of the bars still full. The night life here is LOCO. That's the only way to put it.

So, after sleeping in wayyyy too late today, we are gonna get dressed and do some more exploring to see what this city has to offer!

If you want to see what I've seen so far, use these links to see my pictures on facebook:

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2582757968810.2116159.1250280194&type=1&l=81f2f0d312

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2599553108678.2116410.1250280194&type=1&l=f5474df50a

 

Until next time,
Natalie