Ok, before I talk about this week I will give a brief description of my trip to Gibraltar. For those that are not aware this is one of the furthest south cities in Spain. While looking at a map one might say to themselves that this city is in Spain. However they would be incorrect because it is actually a British territory! So I went to the United Kingdom this past weekend, no big deal. In Gibraltar you can see across the Gibraltar Straight and see Africa. It was ironically colder there than in Sevilla and seemed more gloomy, which we deemed fit since it was Great Britain. When you go up the rock of Gibraltar (misleading name since it's not actually a rock more like a random mountain peak at the end of the coast) there are monos everywhere, monos = monkeys!
Now the monkeys are cute and all but you have to be careful because they can also be violent. We didn't see this luckily! But they are also monkeys so they are kinda dirty and they will steal your glasses or phone if you have them out. Our driver had peanuts and was getting them to go on peoples shoulders and heads for them. Sounds really cool right? Yet I 1) didn't want nasty monkey on me cause we literally watched one just start using the bathroom and I didn't want that on my head and 2) the guy was dropping the nuts down shirts to have the monkeys reach in to get it and didn't want to get felt up by a monkey. There was also a cave in Gibraltar that we went and visited and it was nice.
Nothing too exciting has really happened this week honestly. I have finished my first week of classes only in Spanish! We have gone out a few nights this week because there are other programs here that offer weekend trips for students and since they want us to go with their program they throw parties for us. I have had so many different varieties of sangria so far because that is one of the cheapest drinks here they give it out for free at these parties. Now this isn't to say I'm drinking a whole lot, anyone who knows me knows I don't even drink in the states cause it's illegal. But since it is legal here I do drink but I know my limits and just want to reassure any friends and family that are reading this :) Also don't worry about me traveling alone cause there is almost always this guy from my program traveling with my group of amigas because we all live in the same area.
My senora is great! She is an older widow and her children are older and live out of the house and have kids themselves. Sometimes they come by and it's nice. I feel like I haven't spent much time with her though because I always have homework or things to work on in my room or simply have plans to go out or have meetings to go to. We always talk during meals though so that's nice and I've noticed it has become easier to talk with her over the week. I might actually be learning! Wahoo! She has been helping me a lot too when I have questions. While I've been here I've tried to keep my room really clean but sometimes it's a little messy when I leave cause I don't have time to clean up before I have to run out the door so she has come in before and cleaned it up for me. I felt really bad about it so have tried extra hard since to keep it clean.
Traveling to school the first few days was the worst. We had been walking everywhere because we didn't know how to use the bus and tram system and wanted to save money. I live in an area called Nervion and it is about a 40 minute walk. Walking home for lunch during the hottest part of the day and even at 7PM became impossible with the heat. So one day me and my friend just winged it and tried to figure it out. After that day we haven't walked again haha! Just bought my bus/tram/metro card today so I will save even more money that way. We still have a good distance to walk since the tram ends about two blocks sort and one block to the right of where I live but it is a lot better needless to say.
I love Sevilla! It is such a great city and I still have so much to see just here alone. Yesterday was kind of a rough day for me however. It was the first time I really just got frustrated cause I couldn't say what I wanted to say and it just left me sitting there in class wanting so badly to speak but not being able to. My program is only in Spanish and we are required to speak it all the time and it not we could actually be sent back home. At that time that wasn't my concern, it was simply not being able to explain something that I really wanted to explain. Later that day I left my agenda at my school so I forgot I needed to buy my book for a class the next day until the store was closed. If anyone knows me at all they would know how much this upset me since it was a workbook and I had to do homework out of it that night. At that moment I was just so fed up with how much harder everything seemed for me. Everything turned out fine my professor completely understood and I know it's only the first week so I will learn more as time goes on.
Soon I will be planning my first trip outside of the program!! I have been talking with several people about different travel possibilities. We think our first attempt will be Paris :) I'm very excited! Tomorrow my program is going to Portugal and we be there until the next day. This will be a fun trip and I'm looking forward to it. Choa for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment