Segovia

Segovia was a fun little city, it was so different being in a smaller city in Spain, because I live in Sevilla and have been to Madrid and Barcelona, and also Málaga, Córdoba, Granada and Cádiz, so Segovia was so simple and relaxing. First, we came from the train station, and we made our way to the aquaduct. That was so awesome. I first saw it between some buildings and I got so excited. I took a lot of pictures. Then after that, I think we made our way through the Plaza Mayor and the calle real...I think??, then we went to the Alcázar. That was so much fun. We went to the top of the tower and I was such a beautiful sight from up there. We also passed by the cathedral there, that was a pretty big cathedral, I really wasn´t expecting to see that big of one. We also walked down this one street, I don´t remember what it was called, I would have to look at my map, but then we took the road up leading to the university. We took pictures there, so there are some with the university in the background. We spent about eight hours there.
The traveling part sucked. We took a bus at 01:00 in the morning on Friday, slept like an hour until we got to Madrid at 08:00, then another two hour train ride to Segovia. Then, we left Segovia at 6, another two hour train ride to Madrid, then our bus left at 00:00 (midnight) and we got back to Sevilla around 06:30. then I went to bed from 07:00 to 15:00. So, it was a tiring trip, but totally worth it. I think I took about 100 pictures, so I can´t wait to come home and show you.

Barcelona

Hello. This past weekend our prgram brought us to Barcelona. It was the best weekend I think I have had so far. Barcelona is filled with so much history and things to see and do. When we arrived on Friday, we went around the city on a bus tour that showed us the most popular things to see in Barcelona. Then Saturday and Sunday morning, we had free time to go around the city and look at the things we wanted. It was a good thing my friend Molly from high school is studying in Barcelona because she helped me so much with the metro...and it was good to see a familiar face.

I spent the whole weekend with Molly and I got to see all the things I wanted to when I was iin Barcelona. First, we saw the parque Güell, a park designed by Gaudí, a famous architect born in Barcelona. We also saw la sagrada familia, which is this huge cathedral designed again by Gaudí, but he died before the construction was finished, so they have held construction because I think there is a slight arguement about whether it should be finished by another, or left alone by what was done by Gaudí. I could be making all this up, but I think that is what is going on. Also, I saw the plaza de España, which has this amazing founatin that changes patterns and colors at night and is set to music and is a huge performance. It was breath-taking, I can´t explain it. I also went down to Port Olympic and to the Olympic Stadium. I definetely recommend to anyone to visit Barcelona at least once in their life, you won´t be disappointed.

Travel

So, things have been pretty busy here...but that´s a good thing. Yesterday, I went to Málaga, which is on the southern coast of Spain, and spent seven hours on the beach. It was so amazing, people were so impressed with me that that wasz the first time I had seen the ocean, so I guess it was a big deal. I certainly enjoyed myself though. We had a day off from school because it was Day of Andalucía, so everything in Sevilla was closed for the day. Also, I am going to Barcelona tomorrow for the weekend. This trip is put on by our program, so the flight and the hotel was included in our initial tuition cost. We are going to see the most famous sites in Barcelona, and, lucky for me, I have a friend from high school studying there, so we are going to hang out for the weekend. It will be so nice to see a familiar face, so I am very excited. And, I officially have three trips planned for my own. March 23, 24, 25, I am going to Paris, France for the weekend. I am going with three girls and that should be pretty fun. Then the following weekend, the same three girls and I are going to Italy. We are flying from Sevilla to Florence and are going to spend one or two days there, take a train to Pompei, I guess there is an interesting story about that city so that should be fun to visit, then taking another train to Rome and leaving from Rome to Valencia, Spain then spending a couple days there. That trip should cover about 7 or 8 days, I can´t count right now. Then, April 12, 22, 23 and 24 I am going with a group of five to Prague, Czech Repubilc. I am super excited because 1, I am traveling with a fun group of students, 2. it is my birthday, so I am very excited for that weekend. And last, Lagos/Lisbon, Portugal where I will meet my friend from Barcelona there and spend six days there. OOohhhhh, that should all be a blast. My family is working out great and my classes are awesome, I am really enjoying myself. Thanks again for reading!

Last Weekend

Hello, sorry it´s been a while, but I have been busy. Last Friday, we took a day excursion to Cádiz, which is on the southern coast of Spain. Everyone was so shocked to hear that I had not seen the ocean/never been on a beach before. I told them I have seen a beach, jst not on the ocean and everyone was shocked, I guess I just keep surprising them because this was my first time on a plane and my first time out of the country, but I am not ashamed...just all new experiences. It was a beautiful day at t he beach and this Wednesday, since we have the day off from school, a group of students is going to Málaga, another city on the southern coast, to spend the day down there which should be fun. We are taking the bus, which costs about 25 €, so that might be fun. It certainly was realxing down there in Cádiz, so I hope I have just as much fun in Málaga.

That´s about it for now, nothing new. The family is good and the food is good and Spain is fun. I guess that´s all there is to it.

Another day in Spain

Hello All, I hope everyone is having a splendid day. Spain is still going great! I love all my classes, my family is super nice and the weather here is amazing ;) I had to change one of my classes, I can´t take the Arabic Influence in Spanish Lit anymore, there weren´t enough students to keep the class open. Probably because that class was extremely difficult and all the students in this program probably wanted an "easy semester." So instead, I am taking another Lit class titled Spanish Lit in the 19th and 20th century. Not bad so far.

Sorry I haven´t been adding pictures. I would love to because I have taken almost 500, but the computers here are so slow and don´t have some of the same programs to upload pictures as we do in the United States, but hopefully I can use someone´s laptop and sneak some on here.

Tomorrow we are going to tour Sevilla a little bit. We are going to visit the torre de oro, which is like a tower that I believe was used to keep the cities gold back a long time ago. I don´t really know and could be making all this up, but that´s what I heard from someone. I am very excited to go because I pass by this tower everyday on the way to the University when I cross the bridge. It is so beautiful to see this tower next to the river. We are also going to visit the plaza de toros, where hopefully, I can attend a bullfight later in the spring.

I am constantly thinking about all of you, I hope these blogs are good enough, and hopefully with the pictures you can see what I am talking about. I do keep in touch with friends from school via facebook, and some even email me, so that is always a nice surprise. Thanks for reading!!

School, school, school

Well, I am halfway done with my first week of classes and they all seem to be going well. I have one class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-2, and three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays fron 3-5, 5-7 and 7-9...yuck. But the good thing is that all my classes sound interesting. I am taking Spainsh Contemporay Cinema...aka, we watch movies, Arabic Infulence in Spainsh Literature, Cervantes: Study of Don Quijote and Flamenco, not learning how to dance, because I don´t know how, but rather the history and the meaning behind the dance. They all seem pretty interesting. And of course, Fridays, NO SCHOOL!!!!! You know what that means...time to travel! I don´t have many travel plans yet, but this weekend our group is traveling to Granada to see La Alhambra, which I guess is just beautiful, so I can´t wait til we get there.

A Couple More Days

Well hello, I finally got a chance to get some pictures on here. I am really excited to share some of these with all of you. I have been to Madrid, Cordoba, Toledo and Sevilla and I have only taken about 300 pictures so far. Every city has been so beautiful and interesting.

So Monday, I start class. Haha, I have had a long break, but I am really excited to start going to the University, it will fill up my day a little more. It has been nice to have time to adjust to the city and my host family, but I am definitely ready for classes to begin. We have a placement exam tomorrow just to make sure we can comprehend the Spanish language, so hopefully I´ll pass....Just kidding, I´ll be just fine.