Momentos de Diversión con Nuevas Amigas (Fun Times with New Friends)

Hello, everyone!

I hope everyone's doing well over there, all the way across the Atlantic. I've been doing pretty well, myself. I love my classes (Me encantan mis clases). The professors are all really great, very helpful and knowledgable. And I feel that I've improved a lot, both language-wise and knowledge-wise, just in this first week of class. I've also found that there's some overlap in my classes, namely Spanish Culture with Spanish History, and Intermediate Spanish 2 with Spanish Conversation. Maybe some might find it annoying, but it's nice to hear something in one class and have it reaffirmed in another. I think that's helping with me learning so much, because I hear some things repeatedly.

I also feel that I'm finally getting a bit more acclimated to the city and to life here. I'm going to join a gym (I'll be doing my first cycling class - taught completely in Spanish - on Monday, wish me luck...). I've started to use my map less and less as I get accustomed to where things are in the city. I've also found some good places to shop for clothes! Now I can look more like a local, haha. Or at least try to. 

I've also run into some things that have surprised me. For example, I went out on Thursday night to a Spanish club, and all I heard was American music. And it shocked me! On the radio, in stores, in the clubs - it's all American music! And not even good American music. I was rocking out to "Call Me Maybe" when I shopped the other day. It just baffles me because Spain has real quality music. I asked some local Spanish guys about it, and they said that unless you go to a bar that has flamenco at it, all you're going to find at bars here is American music.

Another (minor) thing that has surprised me is that I can't find peanut butter anywhere. And that's a pretty key staple in my diet. But I've hunted and hunted and all I can find are cacahuetes (peanuts) - which I love! - but you can't spread cacahuetes onto bread or an apple. Maybe I'll just have to wait to get my peanut butter fix when I get back to the States... Or, I've heard you can order food online through Amazon. I'll wait to see if I get desperate enough to do that.

Another surprise over here are websites. Netflix, Hulu, Pandora ALL don't work over here. When you try to go to their site, you get an error message that says "We're sorry, but this website has not been made available in your country." I think I'll ask around to some Spaniards and see if there are Spanish equivalents, so that I can still keep up with shows while I'm here. And maybe that sounds silly, like "Amanda, why would you watch The Office when you're in Spain?" but it's quite relaxing to watch TV shows - especially when they're in your native language - and I do really care about what happens with Jim and Pam this season. Also, about Modern Family, Gloria is pregnant (according to the last episode of the last season) and I will have no idea how that turns out until December. So please don't tell me :)

I have additionally been surprised by the public transportation. I feel that, unfortunately, in the US the public transportation is a little sketch. Like.. there are always people there who look a little "not well". But here, everyone uses public transportation. It's very efficient and clean. That's great for me, because I take a bus and a subway to get to school everyday. I'm such a commuter over here, haha.

Some of the "surprises" I talked about might sound like bad things, but I'm certainly not complaining. I absolutely love it here, and I'm just observing some differences between here and the US. 

On Wednesday night, some of my friends and I went to a bar for dinner because they offer everything for 1 euro every Wednesday. We also wanted to get together to plan all of our weekend trips for the semester. And now we have a great plan :) I don't think I'll see much of Europe while I'm here. The only real international trips we have are to Morocco, Portugal, and Italy. And I plan to go to Finland for Christmas after my program here is over. But that's what I'd prefer. I've learned a lot already about all of the history in Spain. And the diversity! The north differs greatly from the South. So instead of spending all of my time in countries around Europe and hardly getting to know Spain as a nation, I've decided to spend the majority of my weekends travelling within my "home" country. For instance, tomorrow my friends and I are taking a bus to Itálica, which was the first Roman City in the Iberian Peninsula (which is the peninsula where Portugal and Spain are). It was founded in 206 BC. I mean... I just don't find history like that in the US, and I want to make sure I explore it while I'm here. So I've decided to hold off on exploring every country in Europe for another time. 

Mug of tinto de verano for 1 euro. 

Drinking wine out of mugs. Classy ladies.
Lindsey, Kaley, Marcela, me

 On Thursday, as I mentioned above, I went out to a Spanish club. It was a fun time; we left at 4A, which is "early" here. The Spaniards all party until like 7A.

Before going out, Marcela (one of my roommates) and I went out to dinner at an Italian place that Marcela knows and loves. And I gotta say, I loved it too! It's walls were made out of stone, and it had a nice guitar player setting the mood. I felt like I was in Italy (not that I'd have ANY idea what that'd feel like).

The Itallian place we ate at. Called San Marcos

Raviolis al pesto

At the club (Buddha).
Katie, Kaley, me, Andrea

Gabby, me, Amanda (same name!)

On Friday (no school on Fridays!), I had a relaxing day. Kaley and I walked around the city, checked out some shops, checked out the gym, etc. At night, some of us went out to dinner (at the same Italian place) and then had some drinks in Triana near the river. It was a much-needed slow day.

San Marcos again

Our table, it was kind of in it's own room, which very high ceilings. Really cool! Also those blue bottles on the table is what water comes in - they don't give you free tap water here. 

My dinner: salmón con crema de espinacas(spinach). Really tasty.

 Today, my friend Markus (from Finland) is coming back into town, and we're going to a bull fight, eeek! Then tomorrow my friends and I will take a trip to Itálica. I'll be sure to take pictures.

Talk to you soon. Besos!