Final Thoughts on the Second Day of Classes

Sad Thought: Adriana and I after shopping the 5th class of the day (and I was on my way to a sixth!)

Note: foul language alert. MCELL = Me cago en la leche (literally, I shit in the milk--a common swear here!).

Also, I left this out of my last post, but one of my regular university classes today was officially being taught by a professor whose contract expires...FRIDAY. Luckily the teacher who officially takes over next week came to teach anyways. Additionally, I attended a class in which the actual professor came in, introduced a guest lecturer, and left. Only in Spain! On the bright side, students are more respectful. One of my professors went a full 10 minutes over, and no one commented or got up to leave. I was impressed (though a bit worried I had gotten the schedule wrong)!

Happy Thought: My Señora recently corrected me, saying I could address her with the less formal "tú" instead of "usted"! This was very exciting! I would like to take this opportunity to explain why I love her so much. Carmen is hilarious. At 75, she essentially chain-smokes coca-cola. By this, I mean I never see her without some form of coke/diet coke/pepsi/diet pepsi (and it appears that she has no preference). She has even fashioned a form of cover so that she can save a can overnight in the case that she doesn't finish it. I have never seen her drink water, including in the morning. Additionally, the TV is on constantly (except when she's sleeping), and the radio is on 24/7 (yes, she sleeps with it). Most often, she sews in front of the TV with her radio by her side. The best part is that she impersonates the people on the TV/radio when they say something funny. In fact, I often can't help but burst out laughing. So thank you, Carmen, for making my stressful first few days of class just a bit better.

Second Spanish word of the day: caer = to fall (because I was just watching a TV show where the floor totally falls out from under the person who answers the question wrong)

paz,
elizabeth

An Authentic Spanish University Experience

For all you Haverfordians (and really anyone who goes to school in the States), this is a post to let you know just how lucky we are--even if we do pay substantially more for it.

Yesterday was my first day of classes at the University. Here is how things are going:

First off, it is pretty much impossible to find the room you are looking for. Let me give you an idea of what I mean: the building where I am taking classes is home to two different "facultades," which would be like saying two different schools within an American University (a new concept for me--Haverford is so small!). To distinguish between the classrooms, they use two different numbering systems. One is Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3) and one is Roman numerals (I, II, III). However, while some sections of the building clearly belong to a specific facultad, many sections are mixed. This means you go from classroom 103 to XVII. Additionally, Roman numerals lack the benefit of having the first number indicate the floor you will find it on (i.e. room 103 is on the first floor but room 203 is on the second). I cannot figure out the pattern for Roman numerals--classrooms VI, XVII, and XXIII are on the first floor but classroom XIII is on floor 2 1/2 (you have to go up an extra little staircase to get there). Surprisingly, I'm doing better then most with respect to orienting myself--yay for me!

Second, finding regular University classes has proven to be quite difficult. Since students here choose a major before entering the University, they have a pretty firm schedule starting from day 1. Thus, you look for courses based on the degree you want to receive. To make matters worse, Spain is in the middle of redesigning their degrees so that they more closely match the rest of Europe (and really the US). Previously, degrees took either 3 or 5 years, but now all will take 4. Since this is the third year of the transition, any courses you want to take in the first 3 years of study are only offered through the new system, but any courses you want to take in the 4th or 5th year are only offered through the old system. Finally, you have to use a separate website to determine the schedule of the classes--the one you use to choose them gives a syllabus but no days/times/locations!

After several hours online, I set off yesterday with my list of classes to "shop" (you don't have to officially register until October 14th). My first class, a class designed for Americans, was excellent. I love the material, and I'm confident I will enjoy the class, even though the professor has a tendency to repeat himself a lot. Next, I sprinted to a regular university class on the history and culture of Islam. I was excited for the class, especially when I started talking to the Spanish students. But after a while, another student came in and told us that the class would not start until Wednesday. As it turns out, I didn't even know the class MET on Wednesday, and I can no longer take the course because it conflicts with the one I already described! Since I couldn't shop History and Culture of the Muslim World (which, by the way, miraculously underwent a name change), I set off to find Political Anthropology. As I was standing outside the classroom, the cleaning lady kindly informed me that the entire School of Geography and History would not start until today--Tuesday. Oops. After a short break, I set off for another regular university class. This one actually had a professor there, though it is a literature class taught as a lecture in a big auditorium. I would probably take the class if I were going to be around for the whole semester (the Spanish semester doesn't end til the end of January), but all the interesting topics seem to be at the end! Immediately following this two hour lecture, I went to a class on Cervantes designed for American students. It was fantastic--the professor catered toward an American-style system but didn't spend time slowing down his speech or repeating himself. I will likely take this class, but I am still considering taking the normal university Cervantes course that, according to the website, only runs during second semester but, according to the Spanish students sitting next to me in the lecture class, is most certainly offered this semester. They had already attended!

So far today, I have attended another regular university class on the history of modern Islam. As it turns out, modern is different from contemporary, and the two other students in the class are above the age of 40 for sure, possibly 50! I am still considering the class, but it is a bit overwhelming--presentations every week, despite the fact that I'm not 100% interested in the topic. We'll have to see!

Spanish word of the day: contrato = contract (because the class I attended today is officially being taught (this week) by a professor whose contract ends Friday)

un abrazo,
elizabeth

A Tourist in Sevilla

While I’ve been having loads of fun writing this blog, I haven’t actually written about many of the historical sites I’ve visited in Sevilla. Here goes:

When I visited Sevilla two years ago, I did nothing but shop. For some reason, I was under the impression that the city had little to offer from a tourist standpoint, especially compared to, say, Granada. I could not have been more wrong, and I cannot believe what I missed out on!

1. The Cathedral/The Giralda: This is one of my favorite parts of Sevilla. The Cathedral is the largest in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), and the Giralda, once the minaret of Sevilla’s mosque, is still the tallest tower in the city. I am so fascinated by the mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture in Sevilla, and this is a prime example. If you’re interested in learning more about the Cathedral/Giralda, I suggest reading the post on my other blog! It’s mostly anecdotes, not too much history! (http://adrianatravels.tumblr.com/post/10181618554/la-catedral-de-sevilla)

View of the Cathedral from the exit:

2. The Alcázar: This was once the fortress of the city, and the defensive city walls extended around it. The king has occupied the Alcázar ever since Sevilla fell to the Christians during the Reconquista. It has been expanded since then and is now comprised of several different architectural styles from many different eras. It is absolutely humongous and rivals La Alhambra (Granada’s palace) in its beauty. Quick anecdote: One of the princes born in the Alcázar is considered the “muerto de amor” (this roughly means he died of love). It is a bit of a play on words. As they say, he was actually the “muerto de hacer amor” (which roughly means he died making love).

The summer baths at the palace:

The ceiling of the room where the prince "muerto de amor" was born:

3. La Plaza de España (see post below): Sevilla hosted a year-long world exposition in 1929, which served to make the city more global and also to bring in a lot of tourism. The Plaza de España was built for this exposition, and it’s hard to believe that it was built so recently!

Mini Haverford Reunion at Plaza de España--Granada people in Sevilla! (photo courtesy of Alex Tonsing):

4. El Museo de Bellas Artes: I’m not a huge fan of art, but this museum houses the works of many famous Spanish (Sevillan) artists. On Sundays, contemporary artists sell their work outside the museum!

5. Archivo de Indias: As Sevilla was once the main port between Spain and the Americas (both Columbus and Magellan left from Sevilla), it is now home to all the original documents regarding trade with the Americas. I haven’t been able to fully explore this building, but what I’ve seen is amazing.

6. La Maestranza (Plaza de Toros): This is the sight of Sevilla’s bullfights. Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros is one of the most important ones in Spain, and was the first to be constructed in the shape of an oval. (No, I’m not planning on going to a bullfight.)

La Maestranza (photo courtesy of Adriana):

7. Metropol Parasol: This is a very recent addition to the city, but is supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world.

Photo Courtesy of Adriana (it's the two of us below Metropol Parasol):

Conclusion: Sevilla is an incredible place for history and tourism. Little 18-year-old me was crazy to think otherwise.

Spanish word of the day: ositos de oro = gummy bears (I am in love—I think they’re better here than in the States! They have more flavors, and the flavors taste way more like fruit than gummy bears at home.)

un abrazo (a hug),
elizabeth

A Second Blog!

To anyone interested in the more "historical" aspects of Sevilla and Andalucía, check out the blog I'm writing with my friend Adriana. There might be some repeats, but in general it should be different!
http://adrianatravels.tumblr.com/

To anyone who's not interested, well, that's why it's a separate blog!

peace,
elizabeth

Superficial Girly Magazines

Yesterday, while enjoying a frappe (or for all you non-MA people, a milkshake) at an incredible gelato place, I found myself leafing through a Spanish magazine. No, it was not something like Newsweek. It was more like the type of gossipy magazines you find at the grocery store checkout. I don’t read these kinds of magazines in the States, so I had no intention of buying them in Spain. However, this magazine made my day. It’s called Cuore, and almost all of the photos are completed with speech bubbles. Many times, these speech bubbles have nothing to do with what the person would actually be thinking. It’s pretty much the greatest. Warning: if you ever become famous, hope that you never endure a public nip-slip at the beach, because if you do, your breast is bound to end up on the cover of a Spanish magazine! Anyways, I loved Cuore so much that I bought my own. The best part: new ones come out weekly!

In my defense, I’m learning some great colloquial words/slang by reading this cheesy magazine.

And for your enjoyment:

(Rough) Translation:
“This looks like a happy photo, but we’re all already divorced.”
“Yes, I’m the one from Medium…and this is my ex.”

Spanish word of the day: hacer pis = to pee (Because my Señora tells me at least once daily that she has to pee—it sounds like “necesito hacer PEACCCCCCCEEEEE.” At first, I was a bit taken aback, since it sounds much more like “I need to piss” than “I need to pee.”)

peace (not pis),
elizabeth

Pablo and October 1st

As it turns out, I don’t believe I have actually explained what I’ve been doing for the past few weeks. (Classes don’t start until September 26th!) So: my program, Junior Year in Spain (JYS) through Sweet Briar College, involves a 3 ½ week orientation. 3 of these weeks are filled with orientation classes—culture, conversation, and grammar. However, this amounts to only 3 hours a day, plus a few visits to historic sites in and around Sevilla.

[Plug for the program: JYS is actually incredible. To all of you who are thinking about studying in Spain, I would HIGHLY recommend JYS. I came to Sevilla mostly because of the program, and I certainly have not been disappointed. For example, on Monday night, the director of my program drove me home after a theater performance just because she felt like it.]

Anyways, the real purpose of this post is to comment on the professor of my culture class. Her name is Maria, and she is about 8 ½ months pregnant (and a complete sweetheart). The first day of class, she started off with the following announcement: “I just want to warn you that Pablo is due October 1st. Hopefully he won’t come until then, but be prepared in case he comes early right here in front of you! I’m sorry if this happens—hopefully you won’t be too scarred!”

Now, this is funny to begin with. But what strikes me as odd is the way she refers to him as Pablo. For a bit, I thought it might be a cultural thing—I’d never heard anyone do this in the States. As it turns out, Maria is just strange (in the words of my program director).

Spanish word of the day: dar luz = to give birth (because hopefully I will not have to witness Pablo’s birth on the classroom floor!)

peace,
elizabeth

Embarrassing Translation Error #1 (of 1, I hope!)

Over lunch, my family began discussing the differences between “pan normal” (fresh bread) and “pan de molde” (the type that comes in a bag—what you most often eat in the States). I thought I said, “Pan de molde has lots of preservatives.” (For those of you who know Spanish, you can probably guess where this is going.) No one seemed to get what I was saying, so I repeated it. At this point, I realized that the Spanish word “preservativos” does not mean “preservatives.” It means “condoms.”

Spanish word of the day: conservantes = preservatives

peace,
elizabeth

And just to prove I did know this word, here is a picture I took last weekend (in the girls' bathroom):

José, saca el saco al sol para que se seque.

Let’s be honest, here. I knew that the Spanish accent would be different from most of the Spanish I heard in my U.S. classes, but let me tell you I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Here’s a quick Andalusian accent lesson (Andalucía is the region in southern Spain that includes Sevilla):

There are several different ways to enunciate the letters “s,” and “z” and “c.” (Note, “z” and “c” are often pronounced like the English “th.” I will refer to their sound as θ.)
• Distinción is when you actually differentiate between the “s” sound and the θ sound. Ex) casa and caza would sound different
• Seseo is when you pronounce “s,” “z,” and “c” as if they were “s.” Ex) casa and caza would both sound like “casa”
• Ceceo is when you pronounce “s,” “z,” and “c” as if they were all θ. Ex) casa and caza would both sound like “caza”
• Heheo is when you pronounce “s,” “z,” and “c” like an “h” or “j”—that is to say, you basically just breathe through them. Ex) casa and caza would sound like “caha”
The Spanish taught in the U.S. mostly uses seseo. In Sevilla, all these accents are used.

Additionally, many consonants are just left off the ends of words (comunidá = comunidad), or are interchangeable (arguno = alguno). Sometimes words or syllables are left off entirely (ca María = casa de María; cansá = cansada). You get the point.

(The title of this post is a bit of a tongue twister from my conversation class. You can pronounce it a billion different ways with the Andalusian accent. Try it for yourself!)

Spanish word of the day: azotea = rooftop balcony; cerrada con llave = locked (This is a bit of a story. In an effort to talk to Matthew without disturbing the girl who lives with me, I went up to the azotea at about 1am. My Señora prefers for this door to be closed and locked at night. Since I had turned off my light to conserve electricity, I was fully locked out when I came down to sleep at around 1:30. Luckily a bit of banging did the trick!)

peace,
elizabeth

Rivers and Plazas

(Written 9/3)

Today was only my second full day in Spain, but it already feels like an eternity. I’m thinking in Spanish almost always, and I’m making a huge effort not to get frustrated by the slower pace—it’s hard! There are three separate trains of thought for this blog, so read whatever interests you:

Part I:
I have fallen in love with the river, el Río Guadalquivir. As I am crazy lucky in terms of the location of my homestay, I am just 2-3 blocks away from the river and the gorgeous boardwalk that runs parallel to it. I look forward to many hours of reading on the benches, and many walks both by myself and with others!

Alex and me in front of the bridge:

Part II:
This morning, I had plans to meet people at La Gran Plaza. I was planning to walk there, but jet lag kept me in bed a bit too late, so I took the metro. (I happen to live less than a block away from one). The good news is that Gran Plaza is also a metro stop, which seems particularly lucky when you consider the lack of a metro: there is only one line in all of Sevilla! Anyways, I had no idea how to buy the kind of ticket I needed, so I just chose one, paid, and left. As it turns out (of course), I bought the very wrong one. I paid 2.80 Euro when it would have cost me 82 cents if I’d managed to buy the right thing! It was worth it, however, to explore the market-type street and to chat with Adriana over 7-Up and orange soda. I have now successfully purchased the right kind of ticket!

Part III:
This afternoon, I had much time to kill. Since Adriana lent me a book, I decided it would be a good time to go to Parque María Luisa to find a nice, comfy bench. Unfortunately, the bench was feeling a bit too comfy, so I ended up going to Plaza de España. Annelise (who is from Haverford and recommended I visit this plaza) was totally and completely right—it’s absolutely gorgeous. I have every intention to spend some serious time there, especially with friends!

Plaza de España:

Spanish word of the day: cardena = necklace (because I wear mine every day)

peace,
elizabeth

P.S. I’m going to put all the pictures on Facebook, so check there if you’re interested!

That Crazy American

(Written 9/3)

In reviewing my previous post, I realized it was missing one crucial detail. Here goes:
Remember how I was completely lost with no idea what my address was? Well, at that same time, I was trying to find the cell phone company “Orange.” I knew it existed somewhere on the street I was on, but because I couldn’t figure out the numbering system, I had no idea where it would be. I came upon an orange sign that read, “Oi2.” The store had a few phones in the window, and I thought, “I found it!” The door was locked, but a kind old man (not someone who worked there) let me in. He was, however, giving me a strange look. At this point, I realized there were not many phones in the room. There were, however, some flyers and a couch, so I sat down to scan the information. The flyers were advertising hearing aids. With no other choice, I awkwardly stood up and walked out without talking to anyone. Lesson learned: if a store sign doesn’t actually say what you expect it to, it probably isn’t what you’re looking for.

Spanish word of the day: móvil = cell phone (which I have now successfully acquired)

peace,
elizabeth

Adventures and Addresses

(Written 9/1)

You should all be jealous. (Especially you Haverfordians who will be eating DC food all semester!) I am currently sitting in my very own bedroom in Sevilla, looking out over my courtyard and smelling the delicious food my Señora is currently cooking. Ok so the courtyard is two floors down, but there is a balcony across from my room and a roof you can go out on above that (Katie Simon). I’m also about 3 blocks from my program’s office, where my classes will be for the next three weeks. And (here’s the killer) even closer to a gelato place! I’m not sure if this is a blessing or a curse, but I am sure that I will be having plenty of gelato during the next 3 ½ months.

My room:

The balcony:

View from the balcony:

A bit more background:
After 3 flights over the course of 12 hours, I finally stepped off the plane in Sevilla. My group and I were soon ushered over to meet our Señoras (host moms). My Señora, Carmen, is an older single woman with a HUGE house and many nieces and nephews (whose pictures are literally everywhere). I also have a sort of “sister” from the program—her name is Alix. This, in fact, is one of the craziest coincidences, as she was the first person I met from the program, and we ended up next to each other on the long flight from New York to Madrid. In case you didn’t catch it before, we each have our own bedrooms. This is because the house (which is just for Carmen) has 5 bedrooms and 7 beds. It’s pretty much the best thing ever.


Now for your entertaining story of the day:
No one ever gave me the address of my house (yup, you can see what’s coming). Carmen brought us to the office for orientation this afternoon and assumed we could find our way back. I thought this to be true. I said to myself, “I paid attention to landmarks. I can make it home. Besides, there is literally only one turn between the office and my homestay.” Meet me, the girl with the worst sense of direction ever. After walking for a long time “on my way home,” I realized I actually had no idea where I was going. Since one group had stayed at the office for a “tour,” I decided to go back and see if someone would give me my homestay address. Enter hero of the day: Madeleine. Luckily, I ran into her, and luckily, she had a phone with the director’s phone number in it. I got the address, and the two of us managed to find my homestay. Hoo-Ray! (This is not actually that big of an accomplishment, as I basically live 3 blocks from the office. But it was impressive at the time.) Confident I could now make my way back home (albeit with a map in hand), I set out to get a cell phone. Although this mission has yet to be accomplished, I did find other people from the program, and together we found gelato! Indeed, this was my major victory of the day:

Spanish words of the day: pepino = cucumber (part of dinner); almeja = clam (part of lunch, though not for me….This is more of a shout-out to my homeland of MA—or, if you believe Brandon Robilotti, ME).

peace,
elizabeth

A Peanut Butter Travesty

(Written 9/1)

Those of you who know me well know I eat a LOT of peanut butter. Since peanut butter is not a staple in Spain the way it is in the US, I decided that this would be the food item I would bring with me this semester. And so, my mother bought me four jars of peanut butter to stuff in my bag. I knew I was close to the weight limit on my checked bag, but I thought, “I have plenty of space in my carry-on, so if I have to take the peanut butter out of my checked bag, it’ll be fine.” And that is precisely what happened. I put all four jars of peanut butter in my carry-on to get my checked bag to—yup, you guessed it—exactly 50 lbs.

Now, I’m pretty good at packing to fly at this point. So when TSA asked to search my carry-on, I assumed they would find, say, my external hard-drive. Instead they found my peanut butter. To all other peanut butter lovers, take note: peanut butter is considered a gel and cannot go in your carry-on in large amounts. They confiscated all four of my peanut butter jars. I’ll be on the lookout for cheap peanut butter this semester. If it evades me, well, goodbye “healthy” comfort food until sometime in December!

Spanish word of the day: tragedia = tragedy (because losing my peanut butter was indeed a tragedy)

peace,
elizabeth