"If you don't have nothing to do, I invite you"

I can't believe it is already Friday... another week come and gone. Time is flying by here in Sevilla, I can't even believe next week will be MARCH already. And I know it is only going to get faster, but at least I recognize that my time here in Spain is dwindling every day, so I sure do try to make the most of every moment. A few Saturday's back I met a group of study abroad students from California at a local bar, and they introduced me to a group of about 4-5 Spanish students. One guy from California had already received his Intercambio, so a group of them (about 8) were going out for the night. Marni and I got to know his Intercambio pretty well and actually made a pretty decent friend out of her. We added her on Facebook and slowly have started to hang out with her more and more over time. Her name is Elia and she comes from a small town about an hour away from Seville. She told me one of her favorite things to do is meet new people. She has had intercambios from the USA for the past 2 years and have met people from Massachusetts, to Washington DC, to California (and now to Michigan!) We met up twice this past week, once for ice cream and the other for a drink at a bar right across from the University. I also had to accompany her to the Fabrics store because her Mom is currently sewing a dress. She has told me my Spanish is very good, and when I asked if she purposely talked slow so I could understand, she replied that she speaks to me as if she would speak to any of her friends. Her compliments were very reassuring, and I am excited to finally have met someone that will force me to learn Spanish and speak it all the time. Elia does want to learn English though, so we spent about a half hour talking in English. It's really interesting to teach someone English because there are certain phrases that make sense to us, but not to them. I taught her what it means to "keep in touch" and also "to hang out". She takes an English class for her own benefit outside of the University and told me their past class they learned about "personality qualities". She said she was asked to write her worst personality quality on the chalkboard and wrote "Booze" on accident when she really meant "Bossy". It was so funny to hear a story like that, because in Spain, I am always feeling like I am the one making the mistakes. I told her the worst part about speaking was the conjugation and she told me to try not and think so much about it, but rather just say the verb and over time I will acquire the correct conjugation. She also has invited me to her house, which was a really nice gesture. Unfortunately I have been very busy every weekend so far and haven't been able to take her up on her offer, but if I have the opportunity later in the trip I will definitely go.

This morning I saw a good friend from home, Rachael. She was in Sevilla just for the afternoon because she is traveling to Morocco tomorrow with an organization called "DiscoverSevilla". I met two of her friends, and they really seemed to like Seville. They suggested I come to Alicante in the Spring for the beach, but I have no idea how I will ever be able to fit (and afford!) all this traveling. If it works out, I will go though. It was very cool to see an old friend, who lives only 2 houses away from me, in one of the world's most beautiful cities standing next to the Torre del Oro.

Tonight, Justin, Marni and I are off to discover Toledo. I am excited to see the country's old capital before Madrid. I probably won't get much sleep (we are traveling by bus for 2 nights), but I think the city will be worth it.

Granada

Last weekend, we embarked on one of our last "program planned excursions" (at least for a while; our next is March 26) to Granada and spent Saturday through Sunday afternoon in one of Andalucia's most beautiful cities (other than Sevilla of course). The bus ride was kind of long, but I passed the time by reading up on the city and listening to my I-pod. I have put some new Spanish songs on my I-pod because our grammar professor gave us a CD with all of Spain's different genres of music. When we arrived in Granada, we dropped our bags in our hotel rooms and immediately went out to explore the city. Our first objective was food, so we found a small Tapas place right by "Plaza Nueva" and ate about 5 or 6 different plates. Granada is one of the only cities left to practice the old tradition of serving a free tapa with every drink you order, so we took full advantage of that promotion while we could. We ate a ton of food, for a very cheap price, because all we had to pay for were our drinks! That afternoon, we walked up and down the streets of Granada, which to me was not very hard to navigate at all. It seemed like the entire city was based off of one street, "Los Reyes Catolicos" because everything eventually seemed to lead to it. I decided to take the advice of Rick Steves (the guy who wrote my Spain travel book) and visit the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel. I went to the Royal Chapel with a group of 6 friends, and I decided to go to the Cathedral alone. I followed the self-guided tour in both sites, and really learned a lot about Granada and it's history. The Royal Chapel is known for being the burial site for King Ferdinand and his Queen Isabel. Most people know these two Royals because they were the ones who granted Christopher Colombus the opportunity to sail west in order to find the Eastern world. The altar in the chapel was also breathtaking, and depicted several scenes from the life of Jesus and John the Evangelist. I also got to see some crowns, swords, and artwork of the late 15th century as well. At the Granada Cathedral, I had the opportunity to see a more Renaissance-looking church rather than the Gothic / Mudejar style architecture church that is located in Sevilla. The altar in the Cathedral was also an amazing view, which made me very glad I decided to go in and take a tour... even if it was from an English guidebook. The priests preparation room was also very interesting to see, with two grandfather clocks made in England, and a wooden painting of the Immaculate Conception hung in the very center of the far wall. I took a long shower and a short nap before it was time to go out for night life and explore the city. Justin and I took yet another recommendation from my travel book and went to a tapas place located close to the Cathedral for dinner. We ordered 4 plates, and we're certainly the only Americans in the whole place. It was very cool to see the restaurant where all the locals go, and taste some interesting croquetas and fish. We found our way to a disco located on the upward track to the mountains of Granada, but unfortunately we ended up in one of the most American places I have been to since I have been in Spain. It was actually not that bad though, because I enjoy dancing to American music. The mountains of Granada are another feature of the city that make it so prized by the Spaniards and tourists alike. It is very cool to see snow on the mountains (and skiers) all while standing in 65 degree weather in the downtown of the city. The following morning (Sunday), we ate a very big breakfast and set out for our tour of the most famous spot in Granada, the Alhambra. Like I have said in many blog posts before, Spain was dominated by the North African Moorish people between the 12th and 15th centuries, and one of their main palaces was stationed in Granada as a regional capital. During the Reconquista of the Reyes Catolicos (when Ferdinand and Isabella regained power of Spain), Granada was one of the last cities the Reyes were able to reacquire back from the Moors. Therefore, the Alhambra is the best representation of Muslim influence in Spain because it is the most recently built and is relatively conserved. A common theme throughout the Alhambra was water. Running water, still water, puddles, ponds, fountains, etc. Our tour guide told us the Moors believed water was the most pure thing the earth had to offer, so they emphasized water all throughout the palace. One of the cooler parts of the tours was seeing the 12 Lions fountain. Although they are currently undergoing construction, we still got to see them. The story is that when the Muslims controlled the Alhambra, a particular lion would spit water out of it's mouth based on the time of day, and with each changing hour, the spitting lion would change. The Christians were fascinated by how this water fountain worked, so they took it apart, but unfortunately it has never worked since. After our 3 hour tour, a group of us went for lunch and up to St. Nicholas viewpoint, were we could see the Alhambra in it's perfect setting from afar. There were a lot of street vendors and performers at the St. Nicholas viewpoint, which made the experience feel all the more special. The bus ride home was very quiet given everyone wanted to catch up on sleep from the tiring weekend. Needless to say, Granada was an excellent excursion planned by Pepe, and I am disappointed we only have 2 left for the rest of the semester. It's ok though, because I have been planning my own personal excursions. A group of us are going to Toledo next Saturday, and maybe to Jerez or Gibraltar on Monday because we don't have class for a regional holiday. I'm still counting down the days to Barcelona though. I sure hope it lives up to expectations, because I have heard it's one of Europe's most beautiful cities.

17 Classes, 5 Days, and 1 Newly Enrolled Student at la Universidad de Sevilla

Well, the time has officially come. I am now COMPLETELY IMMERSED into Spanish culture. The long awaited day has finally come. Two days ago, I received the highly anticipated email from Eva confirming my status as an enrolled student at the University of Seville. And what a process it was to finally get me to that point! The week of February 7th was one of the busiest and most stressful weeks I have had since I have been in Seville. Eva gave us the entire week to "try out" various classes and see which ones would be best suited for our interests and college degree requirements. And I took advantage of that opportunity like nobody else. In 5 days, I went to 17 different classes and spoke with the professors about the pros and cons of taking their class as a foreign exchange student. There were so many things to take into consideration, that I could barely think at the end of the day because I was so overwhelmed and delusional from being in class 9 to 5 every day (and even 9 to 9 on Monday and Tuesday!) Should I take a class on Friday? Should I take 1 or 2 classes in the Center? Should I take a literature class? Will this class count towards my 400 level requirement at Michigan? Will I even be able to get into this class? My two favorite classes are at the exact same time and the exact same days, which one should I take? These questions, and so many more swarmed my brain that week. When the weekend finally came, I felt so liberated... and used the free time to organize my thoughts and my class schedule. Oh, and on top of the stress of choosing classes, we still weren't done with out homework from the pro cultural seminar. We were required to write 2 essays and take a grammar exam in order to receive credit, but fortunately the papers were about any cultural topic that interested us, and the grammar exam was no longer than 2 pages front and back. I turned in the final drafts of my essays yesterday, and I will know my grade in a few short weeks. The grading system here is characterized by numbers (1-10) rather than letters (A-F), but the meaning of the numbers is way different here. In fact, you only need to get a 5 out of 10, or 50%, to pass the class. And our grammar professor Juan told us most spanish students are relieved when they get a 5 in a class. Whereas most Michigan students say the "failed" a class, when really they got a B... The Spaniards are overjoyed with a 7 in a class which means "exceeds expectations". It will be an adjustment receiving such (seemingly) low notes, but I am just going to try my best in my classes, and seek help if I ever don't understand anything. You're probably wondering what classes I actually got into... so here is the final list: 1. Creative Writing Workshop (in the Center) 2. Short Stories of Love: Passion, Desire, and Death in contemporary Spanish Literature (also in the Center) 3. History of Contemporary Iberoamerica (university) 4. Modern Day Spain (university) and 5. History of Hispanic Cities (university). A very full list, but I really like all of them so far. I wanted to take a class called Anthropology of Social Marginalization but the class filled up too fast, and Eva was not able to enroll me in it. Therefore, I was forced to take the Hispanic Cities class as a backup and it meets on Fridays during the middle of the day. At first I was kind of upset, but I realized that the Hispanic Cities class will be a very helpful class in the long run because we actually talk about the urbanization and the economic / political trends throughout time in Latin America. Perhaps this class will come in handy later if/when I have a career in Economics and Latin American studies. I didn't really know what to expect from most of the classes, but from what I can gather so far, most classes in the university consist of a lecture as well as a discussion. For example, my History of Iberoamerica class meets Monday - Thursday from 4 to 5. The professor lectures Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then Thursday, we discuss an article relevant to that week's topic as a group. Most of the professors don't use powerpoint, and only occasionally will write on the chalkboard. It is definitely an adjustment because not only do I have to take notes in Spanish (which is hard in and of itself) but also try and comprehend what they are talking about at the same time. I have trouble writing down exactly what the professor says because I can't catch every single word, and sometimes they go too fast for me to even write down a complete thought. I think that is a skill that will come with time though. All my professors in the university are male, and all of them seem very willing to work with foreign exchange students. My favorite class though is the Short Stories of Love class offered through the center. There are 15 of us from the program taking the class, which is more than half. I think we all had a really good impression of the professor, Mercedes, on the first day so we all decided to stay with the class. We actually have already finished our first book, entitled Don Alvaro o el fuerzo del sino (Don Alvaro or the force of fate). Mercedes chose me to act as Don Alvaro in class, and my friend Leann to be his forbidden lover Doña Leonor. I had to wear a costume and read all the lines of Don Alvaro, which was probably 70% of the book. I have no theatre background, but I think I did a pretty good job, if I say so myself. I did have a fun time playing the part, so I think I am really going to like this class. I also had a pretty funny experience in the university that week... My friend Katie from UPenn told me about a class I should try out and told me to meet her in Classroom #7 at 4 PM. Unannounced to me however, there are actually TWO room #7's in the university, and I definitely went to the WRONG class. I was in a 50 person lecture hall with all Spaniards studying Roman Archeology.  I was in the middle of the row and on the opposite side of the door, so there was no way for me to escape the class. Plus, Eva told us it is considered rude to leave a class early in Spain because it is a sign of disrespect to the professor. So I sat in Roman Archeology (which is an annual class) for an hour and had absolutely no idea what was going on. I joked later with Katie that she purposely sent me to a horrible class, but reflecting on the experience now, it definitely was a funny situation. I guess it had to happen to someone...

A really cool thing about the University, is that it used to be a Tobacco Factory. The building is constructed from an antique brick, and inside there are a bunch of different courtyards and water fountains as well. The set up of the university is pretty easy; the whole thing is one giant square, but within the building there are small hallways that lead to different departments of Geography / History. Going to class is actually like walking through a beautiful monument, and I love the feeling of being a part of something so historic and important.

I also bought my school supplies and a journal this week. I have divided the journal into three parts: one for new Spanish words that I learn, another for places and restaurants that I either want to remember, or want to go to, and a third section for my own personal thoughts and memories. I write this section in Spanish, just to fully ensure I am not cheating myself in the language while I am over here. It will be fun to read the journal in July, when I return home from Spain. I also met my first Spanish friend last Saturday night. Her and I are likely going to meet up next week for an intercambio because she wants to improve her English. She is extremely nice, and told me she loves meeting new people so there is one thing we already have in common. I'm excited to get to know her better because she told me she can introduce me to a lot of Spanish folk while I am here.  It's good to have connections, and I think I found the right one.

Tomorrow I am going to Granada and we have to wake up especially early because it is about a 3 to 4 hour bus ride. I have also been planning a LOT of other trips recently with my friends Justin and Marni. I am going to try and start updating the blog more frequently, but with less length, so I don't have to try and cover EVERYTHING in one single blog post. Look out for updates on travel plans, night life, and more info on my classes in the near future.

-Miguel.

PS. Happy Birthday to two of my friends, Elizabeth and Hillary. I'm sad I had to miss their 21st birthday celebrations, but thanks to technology I am able to keep in relatively close contact with them and virtually wish them a happy birthday. Only 6 more months now till it's my birthday turn.

Classes and Cordoba

This week flew by. Although it didn't look like we had that many scheduled events on paper, the entire week still felt extremely busy and I can't believe tomorrow is already Sunday again. Speaking of which, it is one of the best Sundays all year for American Sports... The Superbowl. Unfortunately I'm not sure if I am going to be able to watch it live tomorrow because 1) I doubt any bars or restaurants here will be showing American Football on their one small TV located in the far corner of the bar and 2) The game will be around 3 AM Seville time. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem for me, given we stay out till 5 or 6 in the morning some week nights, however Monday marks my first day of school, and I am not sure I will want to be falling asleep in class the first day. I still can't believe I will be starting my classes at the University next week. As I said before, that is the last thing I need for my "complete immersion" into the Spanish culture. We just finished our orientation classes in the Michigan-Cornell-UPenn Centro, and now it is off to a real university, with real homework, and real Spanish students. And if I thought this week felt busy, I can't even begin to imagine what next week will feel like. Last Wednesday I met with Eva to discuss what classes I should take at the University of Seville. We came up with a list of about 8-10 classes, and next week, I have to attend the lecture in every single one of them. My schedule is packed with class from 10 in the morning (not too early, fortunately) till about 5 or 6 at night. Then, after the first week, I am required to choose 4 classes in the University and 1 to take in the Centro. Before I came here, I thought I would take mostly Economics classes, however Eva informed me that the classes are very difficult, especially for foreign students, so most of my classes are in the department of History and Geography, while a few are in "Filologia", which is a literature department within the University of Seville. There were a lot of interesting Anthropology courses, and some good History classes that I want to take too. There are actually several classes about economic topics, such as international business and the labor force as well so I may enroll in a few of those too.

On Friday, we had another day excursion to Cordoba, which is about an hour and a half north of Sevilla. I really liked Cordoba a lot because it was full of beautiful scenery, and the best known food to be served in Spain. During the years leading up to the thirteenth century, Cordoba served as the regional capital for the Moorish empire. Therefore, the Cordoba Cathedral is the perfect example of mudejar architecture, as I described in the previous post. Our group started with a tour of the "Mesquita", which is the Spanish word for Mosque. Although now the Spaniards are extremely adamant about referring to the beautiful place of religious worship as the Cordoba Cathedral, this church once served as a Mosque for the African Moors. In this regard, there is essentially a Cathedral built within a Mosque in Cordoba, and the architecture is unlike anything I have ever seen before. We began in the Patio de Naranjas, which is where the Muslims used to gather to wash themselves before prayer in their mosque. Inside, the mosque was filled with what seemed like an infinite number of columns that were topped with a double arc and alternating design between rock and stone. The floor was especially interesting to learn about as well because each floor stone appeared to be about the size of a prayer rug, where all the Muslims would kneel and pray in front of the Mihrab. The Islamic influence was very evident in the arcs, the tile designs, and the ceilings. As we worked our way towards the center, we were able to see the more Christian construction, including the high altar and the choir stalls. The Cathedral of Cordoba actually struck most of us with awe because of it's size and intricate architecture. I found it very interesting to see two religious centers combined into one building, even though the Spaniards claim everything is declared Christian today. After the tour, we broke off into groups again and explored the rest of the city. We found cheap, yet delicious tapas, some cool clothing stores, and several plazas with water fountains and monuments alike. It was a perfect day, with a temperature around 65 degrees and nothing but sun in the sky. Before we left, I made sure to observe the archway leading into the city of Cordoba. The entrance to the city is still marked by a large, almost castle-like figure that leads to a bridge over a river and into the city. I really enjoyed my time in Cordoba because it was exactly how I envisioned what a small city in Spain would look like.

Today in Sevilla, I found my favorite place so far in the entire city: Plaza España. Unfortunately I am not exactly sure what it is used for or what it's purpose is, but all I know is that is the most beautiful spot in the entire city. There was a ton of activity going on there today because the temperature was just about 70 degrees and sunny. There was a little circular river, where there were probably 30-40 rowboats going in and out. I met with some of my friends there, and we spent almost the whole day in the plaza enjoying the sun and the scenery around us. Even further into the park, we found some nice paths and gardens as well. If I could spend every weekend there I would because it was so relaxing and so beautiful to look at. No wonder it is on the cover of the Seville travel book my parents gave me for Christmas.

I'm looking forward to starting classes next week and meeting actual Spanish students! I do miss my friends and family from home a lot though. A lot of my friends birthday's are coming up, so I am disappointed I won't be in town to celebrate with them, but fortunately technology allows me to keep in touch with everyone pretty easily. Next Thursday marks the 1 month anniversary of being in Spain... but I am not sure I want to think about what that means for me because time already feels like it is going too quickly. Guess I oughta just take my own advice and... slowww downnn.